Freehold Township High School’s 4×800-meter relay team of (l-r) Abi Faith, Caitlyn Poss, Adrian Vitello and Emily Bracher captured the Eastern States Championships title on Feb. 25 at the Armory in New York City. On March 9, they will return to the Armory for the New Balance Indoor Nationals and will try to become All-Americans. It’s easy to understand why Freehold Township High School’s girls 4×800- meter relay team is so good.
Just look at results like the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championships, where the Patriots finished 2-3-4 in the 800 meters, and you can see why they would have such a great team together. At the Meet of Champions (MOC), against the very best in the state, the Patriots trio went 8-12-14.
On Feb. 25 at the New Balance Armory in New York City for the Eastern States Championships, Abi Faith, Caitlyn Poss, Adrian Vitello and Emily Bracher won the 4×800 relay, going away in 9:13.82. They were so dominant in the race that the last two legs were running on their own.
Faith led it off with a 2:20.6 split, Poss ran a 2:19.1 that put the Patriots at the head of the field, Vitello split 2:17.0 and Bracher’s anchor leg was 2:16.8 as the team gapped the field.
Head coach Todd Briggs was elated by the team’s performance at the Armory.
“What made last night impressive was how they ran those splits a day and a half after MOC, where three of the four doubled, and they did it with nobody to chase and, for the most part, nobody to push them from behind,” he said. “They won the race by 19 seconds, and the last two and a half legs were just racing the clock, which is really difficult to do. The time wasn’t their best of the season, but it was impressive given all those factors.”
Earlier this winter, the Patriots’ runners ran the sixth fastest time in the country with a time of 9:11.69 at the New Balance Armory Collegiate Invitational. It’s a mark that has qualified them for next month’s Penn Relays.
On March 9 back at the Armory in New York City, the Patriots will run in the New Balance Indoor Nationals, where a top-six finish will earn the foursome All-American certificates.
Bracher noted that the Eastern States win “meant at lot for us. It sets us up for the nationals.”
Faith called the win “another big step for us.”
What the Patriots have going for them, Briggs pointed out, is the sum of their parts. They are a “true team,” he remarked, and that separates them from the rest.
“A lot of teams have one or two really talented runners and two or three pretty good runners,” he said. “They (Patriots) are fortunate to have four incredibly talented and diverse runners. On any given day, at practice or at a meet, any of the four can be the best leg.”
Bracher agreed with her coach’s assessment of the Patriots’ strength.
“We’re all equal — not one person stands out,” she said. “We all train together, work hard and push each other.” The team has chemistry working for it, as well. They aren’t just four good runners thrown together for a race.
“We are all really close,” said Vitello.
Faith said, “We’re all best friends. That makes us so strong.”
Poss said the friendship makes the Patriots run that much stronger “for fear of letting anyone down.”
Poss was an alternative last year and said, “I had a lot to live up to.” She worked hard to make sure that when it was her turn to join her teammates, she was ready. Winning the Shore Conference title was proof that she was ready.
The Patriots’ 4×800 relay was a success from the start when Briggs put Vitello, Bracher and Faith together with senior Heather Spadola last year. They won their first race in Rowan and medaled at the outdoor NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
In the offseason, Briggs told the team, which would include Poss in 2012-13, that they had the chance to be All-Americans. It was a lofty goal, but Faith pointed out, “We accepted the challenge.”
They are now just one race away from achieving that goal.
If friendship isn’t enough to carry the day for the Patriots, though, something else will.
“We all love to compete,” said Vitello.
They will be competing at the highest level on March 9.
The relay team isn’t the Patriots’ only representative at this weekend’s nationals.
Dylan Tarpey, the boys indoor Group IV 3,200-meter state champion, will run the 5,000 meters looking for a top-six finish and All-American. He’s aiming to lower his indoor personal best of 15:14.
Brianne Roche is running the girls 5K, and her younger sister, Ciara, will compete in the 2-mile.
Sprinter Domonique Panton (55-meter dash) and jumper Deanna Johnson (triple jump) are the other Patriots competing this weekend.