A small but determined group of runners are looking to put the Brookdale Community College cross-country teams on the map.
Head coach William Alston has a team of five men and four women who are looking to make an impression at the region championship later this month.
“In terms of expectations this year, I’m hoping for the guys to place in the top three at the NJCAA Regionals and advance to the Nationals,” Alston said. “Also, I’m hoping both my sophomores go under 30 minutes for the 8K race.
“On the women’s side, I’m hoping to have any of them place in the top 10 at Regionals and advance to Nationals,” he added.
Tyler Arabia (Old Bridge), Wilson Melendez (McNair Academy), Alex Morales (Wall), Rob Trigg (Keyport) and Hakan Yuksel (Matawan) make up BCC’s men’s team.
It has been Arabia, a sophomore, who has been the Blues’ top runner in all but one of the team’s races. He was 17th at the Mule Falcon Classic at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., and 27th at the Garrett Mountain meet hosted by Ramapo College. Melendez, also a sophomore, led the Blues at Garrett, finishing 26th, one spot ahead of Arabia.
Sarah Dzurina (Matawan), Ana Ventura (Freehold Township), Mikaela Peters (Monmouth Regional) and Julia Zelich make up the women’s team
Dzurina, a freshman, and Peters, a sophomore, have been the team’s top finishers all season.
Brookdale will run in the Princeton (University) Invitational on Oct. 18 as they stride towards the biggest race of the season, the NJCAA XIX Regionals on Oct. 25. It’s there that with good races, the Blues can qualify for the NJCAA Division III Championship.
The regional meet is at Essex County College, and the nationals are Nov. 8 at Finger Lakes Community College in Upstate New York.
While looking for results this year, the Blues’ future lies with the freshmen, Dzurian, Ventura and Zelich for the women and Trigg and Yuksel for the men.