Bond runs XC to second in group
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Getting to the finish line as the Princeton High School girls cross country team’s fifth finisher at the Group III state championship was quite an achievement for Julie Bond.
The Little Tigers senior almost didn’t get to the start line.
”I felt really, really happy,” said Bond after the race. “Even in the middle of the week, really 24 hours before, I didn’t think I’d be able to run it. I begged my coach to be able to run it. Some of my teammates spoke on my behalf. I knew it would set me back two weeks, but it was going to be my last race.”
Bond made the most of it as she helped the Little Tigers equal their highest team finish in school history with second-place at the Group III state meet Saturday at Holmdel Park.
”I think Paige (Metzheiser) said, getting second is a little bittersweet because everyone thinks they could have gone a little faster,” Bond said. “We were really, really excited to qualify for Meet of Champs. We’re still really happy even though we didn’t win.”
Their 20:12 team average was the fastest in program history for Holmdel. The Little Tigers’ split between their first and fifth finisher was a tad wider than it has been, but the strong pack still pushed them to an impressive finish. Their 113 points trailed only Mendham’s 90 points. Northern Highlands was third with 120 points.
Lou Miahle led the Little Tigers in 14th place overall in 19:45. Mary Sutton was 20th in 20:01, Emma Eikelberner ran 20:12 for 28th, Metzheiser ran 20:17 to take 32nd and Bond returned to the lineup to run 20:49 for 57th. Sophia Zahn was 67th and Izzy Trenholm was 119th.
”I think we were mostly happy with the way we finished,” Bond said. “The top four girls got PRs for Holmdel. Our goal is always to have zero gap, and there’s always improvements there but they’re all really happy with how they ran.”
The Little Tigers advanced automatically as one of the top three teams in their group to this Saturday’s Meet of Champions, also at Holmdel. It will be their fourth time running in the MOC as a team since 1987, and their first trip since 2010.
”It’s pretty awesome to get back there,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk. “If you look at the path of athletes we’ve had, it’s the same crew. We didn’t get this injection of one-hit talent. It’s this crew that’s been building every year toward being a better team.
”To put it all together is pretty impressive. A lot of teams get static, they get there and that’s it. It shows with a conscientious and well planned out plan, you can be a better runner every year. They committed to find a way to be the best they could be. They did it together, which is impressive.”
Bond was happy to be a part of it. She broke into the PHS lineup early in her career, but injuries have kept her out of the lineup for longer periods than she would have liked. She ran the Mercer County Championships but missed the sectionals last week, and in truth, had done very little running coming into the group meet.
”I did one mile in the last three weeks,” Bond said. “I’ve been biking.”
Bond’s strained hip flexor hadn’t recovered as quickly as the Little Tigers had hoped, but she felt good the day before the group meet and asked Smirk to run. He was reluctant because the effort would delay her recovery, but he was convinced by the team.
”Julie did a good job of convincing me that she was ready to run,” Smirk said. “The thing that clinched it for me was the team saying, we’re a better team when she’s on the line. It’s a powerful testament to what sort of leader she is and how significant she’s been to our program.”
Bond had been the Little Tigers’ top runner two years ago. She may not be at the front, but she has a strong influence on the team.
”Julie has been our catalyst all season,” Smirk said. “When she’s on the line, we’re a better team, not just because she’s a great runner, but we’re more confident in our abilities. She has that magic touch as a leader. She creates this environment that everybody believes that they’ll have their best day.
”Julie really shows what you have when you have that type of leader on the line. She can not only do it as a runner, but also has the ability to get others focused and locked in be at their highest level.”
Bond didn’t know how much she’d be able to help the team, but she was determined to do anything she could.
”I didn’t know if I’d be able to be fifth,” Bond said. “I hadn’t been running for the past five weeks. I did want to be a part of the team.”
Bond got help out on the course from Zahn. The Little Tigers’ sixth finisher and Bond went back and forth during the race, but it was Zahn that was shouting encouragement to Bond throughout the race. That helped along with the drive she felt to help the team.
”It was probably my last cross country race,” Bond said. “I wasn’t going to run a PR. I knew I wasn’t running for me. That helps, if you feel responsible for the team. If you feel responsible for someone else, I think that helps.”
The Little Tigers ran some of their best times for each other, and the combined effect was the best finish in program history with the best average in program history.
”Our biggest hurdle was convincing ourselves that we were good,” Smirk said. “The last three weeks prior to the state meet, we were doing workouts I never had any team prior doing. Even Jenna (Cody) and (Elyssa) Gensib couldn’t do those workouts. They realized, these are girls that hold school records. They didn’t realize, you’re really good.
”Even coming into sectionals, we kind of suffered from reading the rankings. We were a little lower than we think we should be.”
Now the Little Tigers are right where they had always dreamed of being. They enter the final week of the state season with one of the automatic berths to the MOC.
”One of the girls went when we were freshmen,” Bond recalled. “It was the coolest atmosphere ever. It’s definitely been a goal since then.
”I think we’ve been building, us and the juniors. We knew coming off last year we weren’t really losing anyone from the top five. We’ve become more and more self accountable. Everyone we’ve had on varsity is really serious about running.”
The Little Tigers feel good going into the MOC. They will be looking for their best finish in MOC history now if they can go for personal records again. And Bond just might consider getting back out there again.
”I don’t know if it would be worth it to beg Smirk again,” she said. “It might make me limp again. The girls that are running it, we’re looking to have fun. We’re talking about running in cornrows or something crazy like that. We think the experience is crazy.”
If she runs or not, Julie Bond was happy to get one more good race in with the Little Tigers and share in their achievement.
”I am limping, not as bad as I thought,” Bond said. “It was definitely worth it.”