Grimace vs Grin

It may be difficult for people to believe now, but there was a time that Sports Illustrated would regularly feature track and field on its cover. One of the indelible headliners was a 1971 issue that featured the mile race between two of the greats of all time, Marty Liquori and Jim Ryun. Under the picture of the two on the final straightaway was the simple description “Liquori grins and wins”.

That cover became topical recently in my house when my daughter had the word “grimace” as one of her high school vocabulary words. I explained grimace as what she used to describe as my “monster face” when I would finish races. Of course, “Liquori grimaces and wins” is not as catchy as the rhyming phrase but I wonder how many non-runners actually thought that he was grinning?

It is very possible to grin at the end of a race but it is more out of satisfaction that the race has been finished or a goal was met. I have repeated the well-worn thought countless times that running is not fun but satisfying. There are many aspects of running that are very enjoyable and if we did not have fun doing it we would not be out there very long but it is the satisfaction of creating something new that continues to keep me motivated. The fact that it promotes a healthy lifestyle is also important, too but you could get many of the fitness benefits from other activities.

This is a somewhat far-fetched example of the numerous ways our hobby is so misunderstood by the non-running public.

It shouldn’t be too difficult for any of us to think of numerous examples of how misunderstood running is... How many times have you told someone you finished a marathon and they ask “How far was the marathon?” I’m guessing that confusion comes from some shorter races billing themselves as mini marathons.

There are so many others that could fill this blog but in keeping this story brief, I refer to one more of my favorites, especially true when I speak to formerly athletic men who have totally let themselves go. Whatever pace I just ran for my most recent races, they will always have some story about how in the past they ran six minute pace for four or five miles in non running sneakers.

To that one I grimace and know they can’t be truthful but since they think I’m grinning we have a good laugh and move on.

Raritan Valley Upcoming Events

• Saturday March 29, 8:00 AM, Grove 2 - The Towpath Run's official start time switches to 8:00 AM in Johnson Park, Piscataway, grove 2 by the zoo. Out and back on the Delaware-Raritan Towpath.

• Saturday March 29, TOWPATH KICKOFF BREAKFAST - After the run at Sonya's house in Piscataway. Free breakfast, expenses on us - just everybody help out a little. Directions to Sonya's will be distributed at the Saturday morning towpath run.

• Sunday March 30 - Bear Mountain Adventure Run - An IronPete Production. For information, click here or email IronPete directly.

• April 15 - RVRR Newsletter Deadline - Send your writing to Ken Mangin. Any and all articles about club happenings and your own running-related stuff is welcome and encouraged! The first color newsletter was awesome, I must say!
  

• Monday April 21 - Help Ultramarathoner Jodi-Lynn Richter Run NJ - About 5 PM - 1 AM. This is a fun, motivational experience! More info here. Let me know via email if you want to join the team and run with her any part of the route.

• Saturday May 3 - Farmlands Flat Tour - Go for a long bike ride with RVRR people. Choose distances 18-100 miles. RVRR Tailgate Party after your ride! Let me know via email if you are going!
  

• Wednesday May 7 - Backwards Run - Run the usual course backwards. This is Fun! This is Difficult! The biggest challenge you may have all year!

• Saturday May 17 - Midland Run Memorial Run. The Midland Run is Dead - Long live the Midland Run! We will meet at the Far Hills Train Station. The run will start promptly at 11 A.M. We will run the old Midland Run 15K course as we have every year the week before the Midland Run. We will go out to a local establishment for lunch afterwards.

• Saturday June 7 - Towpath "Train"ing Run - Details soon!

• Wednesday June 11 - RVRR Pub Filp-Flop Cooldown - After the regular Wednesday Night Run. We will jog a circuit of New Brunswick wearing RVRR shirts, shorts and flip-flops. We will do it in the opposite way we did it in December (that's a flip-flop, get it?), stopping for "summer refreshment" at Dolls, Marita's, Harvest Moon, Old Bay, The Corner Tavern, Stuff Yr' Face (outside food), and back to Dolls. Schedule your sitters and prepare your designated drivers!

• Wednesday June 18 - RVRR turns 25 years old! Super Anniversary Run and picnic! More info to come!

• Tuesday June 24, 7pm - The first Summer Series and Youth Series race, back in Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick. For more information and registration, see the flier.

• Tuesday July 8, 7pm - Summer Series Race #2.

• July 12-13 - Road Trip to The Boilermaker 15K - If you are interested in running the 2008 Boilermaker 15K, the largest 15K in the USA, please let me know via email immediately! It is difficult to impossible to get hotel rooms in and near Utica on the weekend of this race. I have some reserved, but we may need more, so let me know ASAP. You must enter early for this annual sell-out race.

• Tuesday July 22, 7pm - Summer Series Race #3.

• Tuesday Aug 5, 7pm - Summer Series Race #4.

• Saturday August 2 - River to Sea Relay on August 2, 2008! The entry fee cost will be $50 per person for RVRR member teams. The teams consist of 7 people. This totals $350. The pre-entry fee for the race is $400. RVRR will pay the remaining $50 for every RVRR team. If you are even remotely interested in being on an RVRR R2C team, let me know via email immediately!
  

• Saturdays - Towpath Run 9:00 AM, Grove 2, The run starts in Johnson Park, Piscataway, grove 2 by the zoo. Out and back on the Delaware-Raritan Towpath. Breakfast at Newbies. Here is a map of the location.

• Tuesdays at The Towpath RVRR Women's Team Workouts - Warm-up begins at 6 PM. Meet at the Towpath at Amwell Rd./Rt. 514 in East Millstone. Workouts will be intervals by time in minutes. We will do a 15-20 minute warmup prior and a cooldown for the same amount of time afterwards. Questions - contact Chris. (Though geared towards women team's goals, "non-women" can also participate.)

• Wednesday Nights - At the Reformed Church of Highland Park. We start running at 6:30 PM - arrive earlier. Location info & directions here! Please study the map of the course - print it and carry it if you think you need to. I also mapped some course variations for those people that do not want to run the full 7.5 miles:
  5.5 Mile Option
  5 Mile Option
  4 Mile Option
  3.5 Mile Option
  11.3 Mile "Out of Our Minds" Option
  

  Dinner plans after the runs:
  3/26 Pad Thai, Highland Park
  4/2 Aposto's, Highland Park (OK2BYOB)
  4/9 Marita's Cantina, New Brunswick
  4/16 Doll's, New Brunswick

• Runs in South Brunswick on Monday & Wednesday mornings, and Highland Park hill training on Tuesday evenings, a Ken V. Production.

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Join the RVRR Group on Facebook!

You received this email because you are a RVRR member or a member of the RVRR Yahoo! Group (this might cause you to get two emails). If you do not want to receive future RVRR updates via email, please let me know by return email and I will remove you from the list. Also, any questions or concerns about these events or RVRR in general, feel free to let me know at rvrr@rvrr.org.

2008 Winter Track Meet of Champions

Saturday’s Meet of Champions Indoor Track results provided an appropriate dénouement to what has been an unpredictable season, filled with prodigious achievements. One area performer finished first but unexpectedly it was not defending champion Mike Alleman of Scotch Plains Fanwood in the shot put, but fellow senior Adam Bergo of Westfield who took his first Meet of Champions title by winning the high jump.

Bergo equaled his personal best, set back in December at the Drew Invitational by leaping 6-8 and in doing so becomes the third Westfield athlete to win the event at the Meet of Champions, joining Kevin McGorty (1983) and Adam Wendel (2003). Bergo edged conference rivals Ameer Wright of Irvington and Afolabi Omole of Union as well as Chris Thomas of Pope John of Sparta who all leaped 6-6.

Bergo attempted to equal the school record of 6-10 ¼ set by McGorty in 1983 but missed at three attempts at that height after he had secured the victory. Bergo said that his victory came down to achieving better explosion off his last two steps.

Coach Jack Martin attributes much of the continued success of Westfield high jumpers to the expertise of Westfield jumping Coach Bill Mellott. “Bill coached Wendel and Bergo. He worked hard with both and deserves the credit all coaches do. He helped Adam smooth out some rough spots this winter,” said Martin.

Bergo won the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 4, Section 2 meet with a leap of 6-6 and matched it last week at the Group 4 meet in finishing second to Carlos McKenzie of Paterson Eastside.

Bergo had another chance Tuesday to match the school record when he faced the best jumpers in the east at the Eastern States Championships in New York; Bergo is excited about the outdoor season and is hopeful that with better sprint workouts and weight training, he can continue to improve.

Alleman had another great performance throwing 63-3 1/4, nearly equaling his career best of 63-8 set last week. In every year since 1998, his efforts would have won the MOC, but this is not an ordinary year. Freshman phenom Nick Vena of Morristown bettered his national freshman record with a Herculean 66-0 ¼, the top throw in the country this season and fourth best in state history, In a nice gesture of sportsmanship Alleman shook Vena’s hand and joined everyone in applauding before his final record setting throw.

“I was very happy with my 63-3 1/4. All of my throws were well over 60 including three fouls, one of which was close to 65. I was happy with my whole series. It was my best set of throws ever,” said Alleman.

Alleman never expected that breaking 63 feet would put him nearly three feet behind. I didn't think 63 would necessarily be the winning throw but I did think it would be a lot closer,” said Alleman, who knows that he has to continue to focus on only his throws and not what his rival is doing.

“I try to only worry about myself, but at the same time I do have to keep what he does in the back of my mind. If he makes a big throw, I try to keep it in the back of my mind so that it motivates me to throw better, “said Alleman, who looked forward to his next meeting with Vena.

“Tuesday should be a lot of fun, I love competing against Nick whether I win or lose. There will be lots of competition at the Easterns because there will also be good throwers from other states there,” said Alleman.

Like last week, Alleman was also pleased with the continuing improvement of fellow Raider senior Carlaya Jones who enhanced her school record with a personal best throw of 40-2 ¼, good for sixth place.

“Carlaya really stepped up, that was the first time she ever broke 40, and she also broke her own school record. I'm real excited for her,” said Alleman.

2008 Winter Track Group Championships

Another meet. Another stirring battle between the rookie and the veteran more records and the promise of something even better next week. And another Group 3 title for senior Mike Alleman of Scotch Plains Fanwood. For the sixth time this indoor season, Alleman met freshman phenom and national record holder Nick Vena of Morristown and for the fifth time Alleman won, unloading a personal best throw of 63-8 ½ to edge Vena who threw 62-7 ½.

Alleman, broke the Group 3 record of 61-6 ½ set in 1993 by Tyrone Garland of Matawan with the eighth best indoor throw in state history and the second best in the nation this season. Alleman's avenged his only loss this season which came in his previous meeting against Vena, in another stirring battle in New York. The two throwers clearly bring out the best in each other.

“Nick is a big reason for my big improvement this year. He is a great competitor and I love competition, and knowing that I have to be at my best to beat him. Without him there’s no way I would be doing what I am doing,”‘said Alleman, whose previous best was 62-1.

Although he has been the dominant thrower in NJ the past two years, Alleman came into the meet with something to prove. “After losing to Nick in NY, it definitely lit a fire inside of me. After that meet I really got back to work and changed a few things that really helped me to win the groups,” added Alleman who will face Vena again this Saturday when Alleman defends his Meet of Champions title.

``I think it will be another great competition again next week and it could take an even bigger throw to win,” added Alleman.

Alleman grabbed a big lead on his third throw of the trials, which was part of his strategy. “Going through the meet all I'm really thinking about is staying ahead of Nick. Once I was ahead of him I wanted to try and create separation between us. I just tried to stay relaxed and loose,” said Alleman

Always the consummate team player, Alleman was equally thrilled for fellow senior Carlaya Jones, who threw a personal best of 38-11 ¾ for third place.

“Carlaya really stepped it up Her knee was killing her the whole time. She couldn't even do her exchange when she threw. But she's a competitor and was able to pull one out and get a good seed for the MOC,” said Alleman, who helps coach the other throwers while weight coach Ken Hernandez is occupied, coaching the wrestlers.

Raider senior Erin Rossi finished tenth in the shot put.

Almost joining Alleman in the winners circle was senior Adam Bergo of Westfield, who jumped 6-6, the same as winner Marcus McKenzie of Patterson East Side, but a miss by Bergo in his first attempt at 6-2 made the difference.

“Adam has had a great season and had an excellent series. He will have a very high seed at the Meet of Champions and we expect him to do very well there, too,” said Westfield Coach Jack Martin.

Just missing the MOC was senior Alex Tarlow, who finished seventh in the 800 with a time of 1:59.35.

2008 Winter Track Section Championships -Cranford

After a mid winter hiatus in which they skipped the Union County championship meets to save their legs from an awful running surface, the Cranford track teams began their push for state indoor championships at the inaugural state sectional meet which was held at the Jersey City Armory. Additionally, today will be a Pole Vault only day in Toms River at the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River.

“Our section is tough, with top teams of Voorhees, Chatham, Governor Livingston, Johnson, and Summit amongst others,” said Coach Tim Styler.

While the Cougars figure to perform well, their real strength will show itself outdoors when several jumping events are added. “While the Indoor track meets definitely do not play to our field strengths, we are very happy to see our

girls spread themselves out to score points where we can. We work hard at practice finding new events for people and working to get better at them,” said Coach Pete Kane.

Senior Erin Hannen and junior Joy Hanke lead the deep group of distance runners. Freshman Natalie Englese has been one of the pleasant surprises of the indoor season and continues to improve.

“Natalie is a very talented athlete that will break many records in her career here at Cranford. Beyond her athletic ability Natalie is a great kid. She is positive and fun at practice and meets and the other girls took her in very quickly for that. She is

a very strong addition to our team,” said Kane.

After battling illness earlier in the winter, last year’s freshman sensation Kelly Burke is rounding into form. Burke has already broken the school triple jump record this year and is also a fine pole vaulter. Junior Lilas Human broke the indoor school Pole Vault record at 10'0 and will be a top contender. Claire Human and Jessica Phennes-Fenney also figure to score points in the hurdles.

While some coaches would not be happy with the large gap in meets, Styler sees a silver lining.

“We've taken a slightly longer layoff of racing since our last meet and

the sections. However with such a small team the rest has given the kids an opportunity to heal, focus on other events that we haven't spent as much time on, get some quality workouts in and attend to their Mid-Terms,” said Styler who is heading up a committee to try and move the county meets away from Dunn Athletic Center in Elizabeth.

“We are making a lot of progress in moving the meets from Dunn. We are organizing the coaches and plan to have a Coaches Association meeting before the

start of the outdoor season. The meet was actually moved on paper for the individual meet to Jersey City. According to the meet directors and others, this is more than likely the last year we will be in the Dunn Center,” said Styler.

2008 Winter Track Section Championships

Scotch Plains Fanwood High School’s two outstanding senior shot putters, Mike Alleman and Carlaya Jones warmed up for tougher competition they will face this weekend with victories Monday night in the inaugural State Indoor Sectional Championships at the Jersey City Armory.

Alleman, who swept the Meet of Champions both indoors and outdoors last year and is one of the great clutch throwers in state history faces the unusual role of being underdog to freshman sensation Nick Vena of Morristown, who took over the national shot put lead with a throw of 63-2 ¾ and handed Alleman his first loss last Monday night in an invitational meet in New York. In suffering his only defeat to Vena, Alleman also established a career best with a 62-4 throw and seems motivated by the freshman wunderkind, who was recently featured in Sports Illustrated.

“It’s exciting to throw against him. We both make each other better,” said Alleman,who unloaded a 60-5 to win his specialty in Group 3.His next matchup with Vena takes place in the state Group 3 meet on Sunday at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Led by Alleman, the boys finished fourth with 27 ¼ points, well behind conference for Irvington which had 76, mostly in the sprints. and Millburn, which dominated the distances for its 62 points

Junior Martin Sweeney, Scotch Plains placed fourth in the 1600 in 4:37.74 and seniors Pat Doliber (10:08.60) and Dan Sapienza (10:15.05) finished fourth and fifth in the 3200 meter run.

Junior Louvan Powell qualified third in the high jump with a 5-10.leap and Larry Dent also placed, tying for sixth with 5-4. Junior Matt McQuoid grabbed the final qualifying spot in the shot put with a sixth place throw of 40-6 1/2.

In the girls contest, Jones, the defending Group 3 outdoor sectional champion added the indoor title with a throw of 36-3 ¼. Jones will be a decided underdog this Sunday against one of the state’s top duos DeAnne Hahn and Lisa Stuto both of Brick, who each exceeded 41 feet this past weekend.

Led by Jones, the Raider girls were third with 37 well behind winner Ridge, which scored 112. Senior Erin Rossi, who was injured most of the winter, gave the team a big lift with a 33-3 for third in the shot put.

Junior Brittney Veeck was the team’s top scorer, unleashing her finest distance double to date, finishing second in both the 800 meters (2:26.82) and the 1600 (5:29.72).Senior Cathy Harley ran a strong 12:06.04.to qualify fourth in the 3200 meter run. The Raiders’ 1600 meter relay also placed sixth in 4:23.36.

Showing their usual balance, the Westfield boys were fourth in a powerful Group 4 meet with 32 points. Leading the team was senior Adam Bergo who had the top mark of any section and will be the top seed in the high jump with his 6-6.effort, just below his career best of 6-8.

In the 800 meters, the Blue Devils qualified two runners senior Alex Tarlow fourth in2:02.62.and sophomore Josh Einbinder sixth in 2:04.69.Senior Evan Friedman, Westfield held on for third in the 1600 meter, running 4:39.28. Westfield displayed its usual strength in the pole vault with Danny Markowski third in 11-0. and Tim Woods, tied for fourth in 10-0. The Blue Devils’ 1600 meter relay ran 3:37.29 for fifth.

The Westfield girls finished with ten points in a tough Group 4 meet. Sophomore Lisa Nehring, Westfield finished fifth in the 800 with a 2:29.26, sophomore Claire Stevens-Haas placed fourth in the pole vault (9').and the 1600 meter relay of Christina Obiajulu, Ashley Edwards, Cat Cognetti and Tessa Schaaf was fourth in 4:17.83. Last Friday at the Collegiate Invitational at the Armory the 4 by 800 team of Schaaf 2:24.7, Rose Driscoll 2:31.6, Nehring 2:27.1 and Cognetti 2:23.7dropped their time to 9:47.3 in an effort to earn a spot at the Eastern States Championships.

2008 Winter Track MVC Championships -Cranford

Although significant talent from last year’s outstanding team has graduated, the Cranford High School girls track team retained enough talent and with an outstanding addition appears poised to be just as strong. The 2008 edition flexed their muscles Saturday by repeating as Mountain Valley conference (MVC) championships at Drew University in Madison. Unlike a year ago when the Cougars shared the title with Union Catholic, they outscored Arthur L Johnson a 71-66 to gain sole possession of first. The boy’s team finished sixth with 16 points.

The victory was far from easy. Trailing Johnson by five points heading into the final event, the 4x400-meter relay, the Cougar foursome of freshman Natalie Englese, sophomore Kelly Burke, and junior twins Lilas and Claire Humen, combined to win in 4:18.87. Naturally, the title pleased coach Pete Kane, who realizes that the limited slate of indoor events does not play to Cranford’s field event strength, where they dominate in missing events like the long jump, triple jump and pole vault.

“Indoor track meets definitely do not play to our field strengths, but we are very happy to see our girls spread themselves out to score points where we

can. We work hard at practice finding new events for people and working to get better at them,” said Kane.

Lilas Humen, a top pole vaulter, who has already broken the school record indoors with a 10’0 leap this winter, typified the Cougar’s versatility, by picking up a new event, the shot put, and adding two valuable points with a fifth place finish.

“Lilas is a very quick, explosive and strong athlete. We started her throwing indoors last season and she is getting better still. She never complained about doing shot she was just asked to help the team and she works hard at it. All the girls on the team

exhibit this team mentality,” said Kane, one of the state’s top pole vault coaches.

The Cougar’s top scorer was senior Erin Hannen, the cross country captain last fall, who took the 3200 meters in 12:22.34 and was second in the 1600 in 5:38.36. Hannen has emerged from the shadows to help the Cougars withstand the loss of Laura Gallo, a 2007 graduate, who was the greatest runner in school history.

“Erin has been a little injured lately but she is a very strong girl who has

separated herself as a leader on this team. She ran a great 1600 and then came back and ran a gutsy tough 3200 when she knew how important it was for her to beat the girls from Johnson,” said Kane.

Junior veteran Joy Hanke and freshman Bridget Miller added key points in the 3200 with a third and fifth. The meet served as a coming out party for the team’s newest star, Englese, who in addition to her leadoff leg on the winning relay also won the 400 in 1:01.86, and finished third in the 55 meters. Claire Humen added a third in the 400 with a 1:04.43.

You would never know Natalie is a freshman. She is a very talented athlete that will break many records in her career here at Cranford. Beyond her athletic ability Natalie is a great kid. She is positive and fun at practice and meets and the

other girls took her in very quickly for that,” said Kane.

Burke, last year’s freshman has been battling illness, which slowed her progress, but

With a clean bill of health, Kane is expecting her to exhibit the awesome talent that marked her first season. She had broken the school pole vault record, which Lilas Humen now holds and the duo will team up at the state relays this Sunday. In addition to the relay, Burke tied for fifth in the high jump.

Another Cougar, who overcame illness to make a key contribution, was senior Jessica Fennes-Pheney, who ran strong second in the 55 meter hurdles in 9:43.” Jessica was the toughest person in the building. She has been dealing with a bad muscle strain in her quad and her status to run was questionable at best up until the race. She came prepared to run and did extra warm ups. She gutted it out and took second for us. That was tremendous,” said Kane.

Cranford 2007 Cross Country Review

The first championship meet of the year can often be a daunting time for a team with as many new runners as the Cranford girls, but the Cougars used it as a stepping stone to show everyone that while the team members may be new, the success would continue.

With four freshmen among their top six, the Cougars just missed edging out favored Arthur L Johnson High School at the Mountain Valley Conference championship. The Crusaders, who two weeks later would later take their first Union County title, edged the Cougars 33-39 but Coach Tim Styler saw the meet as a turning point for a strong season that serves as a building block for the next three.

“We had a lot of new kids that weren’t sure how good they were, but the MVC meet showed them that they were ready to compete,” said Cranford Coach Tim Styler.

As they did all year, junior Joy Hanke, one of the team’s two returning runners, and freshman Alisa Commerato led the way finishing third and fourth respectively.

“We knew that Joy and (senior) Erin Hannen would give us two solid experienced runners but you’re never sure what to expect from your newcomers,” said Styler.

‘Alisa ran great as a freshman, it took a little while for her to come out of her shell and compete but she did an amazing job. Certainly the future looks promising for her and the girls,” said Styler.

“The Miller twins and Julia Langone ran a very gutsy and impressive fall
along with Junior Meghan Monahan. The all continued to improve and you
could see a vast difference from when they started to the end of the year,” said Styler.

Like the boys the girls qualified for the state finals by finishing third with 86 points in the Group II Section 2 races held at Warinanco Park Saturday November 3.

“We are very happy to have qualified to run in the state finals. It is a tremendous experience to be able to mix it up with the state’s best runners,” a said Styler.

Hanke led the girls with a fifth place finish, running a personal best of 20:21.97 (6:14 per mile) on the championship course. She also paced the team to a tenth place finish in the state championships with a 21^st overall.

In addition to Hanke, Styler was happy to have the experienced leadership that Hannen provided.

Westfield 2007 Girls Cross Country Review

For most cross country programs an undefeated dual meet season and conference title would be cause for celebration but the Westfield Girls are no ordinary program and coaches Thom Hornish and Jen Buccino are hoping the 2007 season will be looked back on as the season where the Blue Devils began to regain their dominance in the county and state. By winning their first Watchung Conference title in five years, Westfield broke an uncustomary drought, the longest in the history of the program.

The coaches had a difficult challenge replacing their top three runners, Nicole, DiBenedetto, Kim Legones and Ayn Wisler, who all graduated.

“They were tough to replace. We had a young team this year which aside from Rose Driscoll is still learning the sport,” said Buccino.

Lending optimism is the youth of the varsity leaders as well as considerable talent from the freshmen and junior varsity teams. The Blue Devils swept the conference and county tiles in both the freshmen and junior varsity divisions and placed third in both the JV and the freshmen state championship meet that was implemented this year at Thompson's Park in Jamesburg. The team also dominated the class championships at the Stewart Invitational and qualified for the state championships for the 31^st straight year.

“Overall it was a good season. We won the Class, which to me is a real test of team, similar to a relay in track and the Conference and went undefeated in dual meets,” noted Buccino.

The Blue Devils lose Driscoll, Marissa Mumford, Tessa Schaaf, Caitlin Burke, and Lindsay Tishberg from their line up but have a strong returning group that gained valuable experience this year.

Junior Aileen Grogan, who was second in the Watchung Conference and should be one of the county’s best next year, led the team.

“She is just beginning to realize how good she can be,” said Buccino.

Fellow juniors Bridget Grogan, Alexis Constantine, Allie Lowenstein and Liz McCarthy were also major contributors.

“They will be great leaders next year as they look to end their careers with a special season,” said Buccino.

“At our final meeting of the season I had the girls write down what they were willing to commit to do for next year to make her individual and team season better. If they follow through, we could see a different team. We have to step up if we are going to keep up with the competition and the kids are receptive to doing that,” added Buccino.

First year sophomores, Sharon Faktor, Becky Castaldo, and Megan Pulliam all represented the varsity team throughout the season. The Blue Devils also return some unsung runners who rose through the ranks all season but just missed the varsity cutoff, such as juniors Chelsea Bryk and Casey Reimlinger and sophomore Karaugh Ball.

The Blue Devils also have a spectacular freshman class led by the “A-Team” of Alyssa Hatch, Abbie Kwok and Alex Frankel as well as Evan Hindes and Meghan Suriano The team finished with 85 girls, including 17 seniors, but there were 30 juniors, 17 sophomores and 21 freshmen.

“The numbers are a challenge to work with but I will say that we do have the right spirit within our team. The girls really do aspire to make the top twelve to be a part of the state championship portion of the season. This year, our varsity line up changed constantly. Fifteen different girls earned a spot throughout season, ranging from freshmen and rookies through fourth year seniors in the hunt for the first time in their careers,” said Buccino.

With an ever changing line up it is important that every person on our team accepts the changes and is genuinely supportive of the person who is new to step up and that is definitely the case, year in and year out,” said Buccino.

SPF,Westfield Boys 2007 XC teams make state finals

An invasion of strong teams from the Skyland Conference dominated the Group IV Section II meet last Saturday and nearly ended the season for the Westfield Boys team, which was able to regroup for a fifth place finish and make the state finals for the 14^th straight season.

Hunterdon Central, Bridgewater Raritan, Phillipsburg and Franklin took the first four spots before the Blue Devils edged another Skyland team, North Hunterdon and earned a chance to compete this Saturday at Holmdel.

“This was the deepest section in quite a while. There were many teams with a solid five runners,” added Martin

Joining them will be rival Scotch Plains Fanwood, which qualified fourth behind powerful Millburn, which placed five of its runners in the top eleven to win easily with 25 points.

The Raiders and Blue Devils battled through difficult conditions which included winds that blew up to 40 miles per hour.

“The wind made things difficult but it affected everyone. Warinanco Park is very tough when it is windy. It takes mental toughness to overcome it,” noted Martin.

Leading Westfield was senior Alex Tarlow, who was 13^th in 17:19.55(5:18 per mile). Seniors Evan Friedman followed in 23^rd in 17:44.93 and Gus Gibbons 30^th in 17:56.92. According to Martin the heroes were the two sophomores, Ryan Scrudato and Tyler Cusick who were 33^rd and 34^th.

Also competing were junior Julian Applebaum, in 44^th (18:13.29) and senior Brendan Berkowitz in 49^th (18:23.39). The team averaged 17:47.

“Obviously we were a little disappointed. If we had run a little better we would have been third. Gibbons, Scrudato, and Cusick were solid,” said Martin.

After dominating the Watchung Conference meet on October 18 and squeaking through in the Union County meet the following week, the Blue Devils were not at the top of their game Saturday, a development that has their coach concerned but happy that they have another chance.

“The goal of Sectionals is to make it to the next level. We will see what happens next Saturday.”

The Raiders continued a familiar formula from recent meets with Union county champion Patrick Doliber leading the way in seventh place against the strongest field he has faced all year. Doliber ran 17:07.53, averaging 5:15 per mile. Junior Martin Sweeney, who has been the Raiders’ number two runner all year, was ninth in 17:12.51. Following close behind in 13^th place in 17:25.89 was the comeback story of the year, senior Dan Sapienza, who missed most of last year and the early 2007 season with injuries.

Senior Mike Ragan was 33^rd in 18:13.32, followed by sophomores Brandon Wheeler 40^th in 18:27.08, Brian Walsh 42^nd in 18:36.61 and Bobby Evans 46^th in 18:45.46. The Raiders averaged 17:41.27

Westfield,SPF Girls 2007 XC teams make state finals

Tremendous depth, which has been the hallmark of the Westfield Girls Cross country team all season, enabled Coach Thom Hornish’s team to survive the tough Group IV Section II meat and live to compete another week. Tied with Skyland conference power Phillipsburg after five runners for the coveted final qualifying place, the Blue Devils sixth runner Bridgett Grogan finished 18 places ahead of the sixth Phillipsburg runner enabling Westfield to qualify for Saturday’s state finals at Holmdel Park.

Once again junior Aileen Grogan paced the team with a 14^th place in 21:12.90 (6:30.2), followed by dependable senior Rose Driscoll, 2oth in 21:24.07. Quickly improving sophomore, Sharon Faktor, who ran with the junior varsity earlier in the season, came up with a huge effort, finishing 32^nd in a personal best 22:06. Juniors Alexis Constantine and Allie Lowenstein finished in 33^rd and 38^th respectively in times of 22:12.48 and 22:22.52, leaving the Blue Devils tied until Bridget Grogan, normally the team’s number three runner clinched the meet with a 45^th in 22:43.30. Sophomore Rebecca Castaldo also finished ahead of Phillipsburg’s sixth runner with a 23:05 for 57^th.

“Bridget is battling some hip pain and had a cramp during the race, but pushed through and made the difference in our making the trip next weekend,” said assistant coach Jen Buccino.

Buccino was also pleased with her newer runners.

“Sharon Faktor is new to the team this year, and dropped her Stewart Memorial time from 24:41 to 22:06 today, so that was huge for her. Alexis Constantine dropped her time from 22:41 to 22:12, Driscoll tied her PR and Aileen Grogan dropped her PR a few seconds. Castaldo had a stomach virus this week and has not had time to completely recover yet. Competition was fierce, and we knew that going into this race,” said Buccino.

“We needed all seven to go well beyond her personal best, to place higher than we did today. We are happy and honored to move on and have a shot at improving our times at Holmdel next weekend.”

Buccino is certain that the young team will thrive from their participation.

“Every competitive experience you can offer is valuable. The girls have learned so much this season about their racing, their competition, and about the importance of summer conditioning. We did a lot of tweaking in our lineup this season, which gave a lot of different kids the opportunity to step up and represent. Considering all the changes in the lineup, all the pressure to earn and to keep a spot, and all the intense competition they faced, they did a great job this season and have much to look forward to in the future,” added Buccino.

With Skyland powers, Voorhees, the state’s number one team, and Ridge in the field, the Scotch Plains Fanwood Girls Cross country team knew they would be battling for one of the final three spots. As expected, Voorhees dominated, taking the first three spots and six of the first eight to win with twenty points, while Ridge put all seven of its runners in the top 23 to finish second with 62 points. The Raiders finished a comfortable fourth with 127 points, easily ahead of fifth place West Morris-Mendham.

Senior Cathy Harley once again led Coach Rob Rafferty’s team with a 14^th place in 20:18.92 Junior Brittney Veeck, continuing to battle illness, finished 20^th in 20:49.84, followed by senior Cassy Valdes 22^nd in 20:52.35. Junior Emily Carow, the teams most improved runner had another fine race, finishing 29^th in 21:55.05. It was a busy weekend for the Carow family, with Emily’s father Mark, running a 3:38 in the New York Marathon on Sunday. Senior newcomer Kate Johnson blasted another personal best in 23:03.48 to clinch the Raiders’ second straight trip to the finals. They hope to do better than last year when they only finished four runners. Freshman Chana Biner added a personal best 23:29.06 for 52^nd place.

Cranford XC teams make 2007 state finals

Cranford Cross Country Coach Tim Styler’s young teams both earned an extra week of competition by placing in the top five in their respective races at the Group II Section 2 races held at Warinanco Park Saturday November 3. The girl’s team, with four freshmen in their top six, finished third with 86 points, trailing only winner Chatham and Bernards. The Cougars actually had a faster team average time than Bernards running 21:34.41, which comes out to under seven minutes per mile for their top five. With sophomore Will Smith smashing his personal best for the second straight week, the boys squeezed into the fifth and final qualifier, defeating Rutherford by 19 points. Each team will compete in the state championships to be held Saturday at Holmdel Park.

“We are very happy to have qualified both of our teams to run in the state finals,” said Styler, who ran in the championships each of his years with the Cranford varsity.

“It is a tremendous experience to be able to mix it up with the state’s best runners and experience the Holmdel course. It will help everyone over the next few years,” said Styler.

The heavy favorites in the Group II girl’s race is expected to be Haddonfield, one of the state’s top teams that took the first four places in its South race.

“We will not be one of the top contenders there. We are not expecting miracles but we will be there competing and hoping for as many personal bests as possible,” added Styler.

Junior Joy Hanke led the girls with a fifth place finish, running a personal best of 20:21.97 (6:14 per mile) on the championship course. Finishing just behind her in sixth was spectacular freshman Alisa Commerato, who was sixth in 20:27.70. Senior Erin Hannen had another solid performance finishing ninth in 21:10.58.

The freshman Miller twins completed the scoring for the Cougars. Bridget Miller ran a personal best 21:59.74 for 19^th and Veronica Miller was 48^th in 23:52.02. Freshman Julia Langone was 58^th in 24:09.66 and junior Meagan Monahan was 60^th in 24:14.

Smith was in a pack with eventual winner Thomas Lavelle of Chatham and Mountain Valley conference (MVC) champion Christopher Johnson of Governor Livingston, who finished second.

“We are still working on Will’s strength. That will come with more experience and more mileage over the next season,” said Styler.

“Will certainly has the leg speed and turnover to stay with most top runners,” added Styler.

Fellow sophomore Roy Colicchio continued his solid season with a 25^th with a 18:13.20 and senior Stephen Phillips was 34^th in 18:36.84 Freshman Michael Cassidy was 38^th in 18:47.70 and junior Miguel Caulfield was right behind in 18:50.76 for 41^st.

Also competing were Senior William Albert was 52nd in 19:13.81 and junior Tyler Schott, 54th in 19:25.91) as the boys averaged 18:18.

Westfield Girls win 2007 Watchung XC title

Depth continues to provide the winning formula for the Westfield Girls cross country team. After carving out a 9-0 dual meet record, the Blue Devils needed every one of their balanced top seven runners to edge defending champion Scotch Plains Fanwood 42-45 at the Watchung Conference championship meet held Thursday at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth. Westfield withstood a gutsy victory by SPF’s outstanding junior Brittney Veeck to annex its first team title in five years, the longest drought in school history. Westfield had last won in 2002, when it earned its seventh straight title.

Veeck fought off the effects of bronchitis, and then had to withstand the allergic reactions to the medication which induced hives, dizziness and nausea. An hour before the race Veeck was staggering due to dizzy spells. Despite her physical issues and a week of light workouts, Veeck was able to run 20:30.8, defeating Westfield sophomore Aileen Grogan by eight seconds. After finishing second to Plainfield’s Jahlisa Smith a year ago, Veeck became the first Raider girl to win an individual conference title in cross country title, adding to her outdoor track 1,600-meters title won last spring. Her victory was reminiscent of 2006, when Raider Adam Biner won the boy’s race after being hospitalized earlier in the week. Biner’s sister, freshman Chana Biner, competed for the Raiders in the girl’s race.

Veeck’s victory and a third place finish by senior Cassy Valdes gave the Raiders a big advantage but Westfield coach Thom Hornish and assistant Jen Buccino have built a team of remarkable balance and depth where the first and 20^th runners are only separated by one minute. Often that type of squad is not always able to win championship meets against teams that have several outstanding runners. The Raiders took first, third, eighth and 12^th, which is usually enough to win a big meet but Westfield countered with Rose Driscoll (fifth, 21:04.1), junior Bridget Grogan (10th, 21:44.0), sophomore Rebecca Castaldo (13th, 22:04.2) and senior Tessa Schaaf (14th, 22:26.0). finishing right behind in 15^th and 16^th were Allie Lowenstein (22:39) and Alexis Constantine (22:40).

“Yes the score was closer than I was hoping for. The girls gave it their best though. I am sure they were feeling tremendous pressure after being named the favorite in the paper, after a five year gap since our last title, and after an undefeated season. They wanted this very badly and I hope that this will give them the confidence to step things up for next week (Union County championships),” said Buccino, who was proud of Grogan’s strong finish.

“Aileen did a great job, and dropped her time from 21:45 to 20:39. At two miles SPF had two runners ahead of our first. And while we had seven ahead of their 5th at two miles, there was not enough cushion to count on coming out on top because SPF had countered with 4 ahead of our 5th. Aileen caught Union's Hyppollite and SPF's Valdes with about 300 meters to go. Additionally, with 300 meters to go, Bridget Grogan kicked and caught SPF's Carow before the finish for 10th which gave the additional help” said Buccino.

Cranford Girls 2007 XC MVC

For the most part the names and faces have changed for the Cranford High School girls cross country team, but even with the school’s most talented senior class now on college campuses, a new group of girls is serving notice that the Cougars should not be overlooked.

With four freshmen among their top six, the Cougars just missed edging out favored Arthur L Johnson High School at last week’s Mountain Valley Conference championship held at Warinanco Park. The Crusaders took the top two places in the race to defeat Cranford 33-39 but Coach Tim Styler saw much to be pleased about.

“We came into the season with two girls returning from last year's championship squad and we expected a run from A.L. Johnson. They were second to us last year and returned most of their squad. They ran very well at the conference race this year and were able to sneak two girls in front of our top three,” said Styler. Earlier in the season Johnson had edged the Cougars by two points in a dual meet.

Junior Joy Hanke, one of the team’s two returning runners, finished third in 20:52.20, just ahead of freshman Alisa Commerato fourth in 20:57.99 and the team’s other veteran, senior Erin Hannen fifth in 21:05.73

In only her first year of cross-country, Commerato has already turned heads with her strong consistent runs. “Alisa is finally getting into the habit of getting out faster. Alisa has natural speed and we are seeing steady improvement out of her. She and the other freshman have come along nicely this season and have really been a nice surprise for us,” said Styler,

Freshman twins Bridget and Veronica Miller finished ninth and 18^th respectively and freshman Julia Lagone was 19^th “The Miller twins, Bridget and Ronnie are rounding out our top five. They are getting stronger as the season progresses. Both have taken the
challenge of running with the older girls and push themselves in races

to stay within striking distance of the other girls,” added Styler, who is pleased the way that his veterans have led the youngsters. Also competing in the junior varsity race were juniors Meagan Monahan and Polly Powasnik

“Erin has stepped into the role of captain for our team. This is an honor that we do not hand out. She is always on the phone with the girls and organizing the girls for runs and keeping the group together, which is key to developing a strong team. She trains hard and along with Joy is an example for the other girls and we have seen a lot of progress from them,” said Styler

The Cougars now set their sights on attempting to win their third consecutive county title next Wednesday at Warinanco Park. Last year’s favorite, Summit, is considered the front-runner again this year but Styler’s rapidly improving team should not be counted out.

“These girls are showing an ability to rise to each challenge and I expect them to step up during the next championship meets ahead of us ,” said Styler.

.

2007 Cranford Boys XC MVC

At the Mountain Valley Conference (MVC) meet last Tuesday Cranford sophomore William Smith ran 17:33.31, the third fastest overall time. The only drawback for the Cougars was that it happened in the Junior Varsity race where Smith finished more than two minutes ahead of the second place runner. While coach Tim Styler noted that Smith would not have made a difference in the varsity race, he was pleasantly surprised that his prodigy looks ready to make a solid Cougar team that much stronger for the championship races coming up.

Smith was left off the varsity seven because he had missed most of the season with a lingering viral infection and had been unable to run under 20 minutes in practice.

“A few days before the race he was mentioning how he was feeling pretty good

and wanted to run varsity at the conference meet, however I couldn't pull one of our other seven runners out of the varsity lineup. So we had Will run the JV race hoping that he would get his confidence back and challenge for a spot in the top seven,” said Styler who added.

“ Will is talented and we expect him to drop his time this fall. His third place finish overall would not have changed the varsity team standings. We would have still finished third,” said Styler.

“Our other seven guys have been running well all season and steadily dropping their personal bests,” said Styler.

With Smith sidelined, fellow sophomore Roy Colicchio has stepped up to become the team leader, followed closely by senior captain Steven Phillips.

Colicchio ran 18:03.44 (5:48.8 per mile) to lead the team in eighth place. Phillips followed in 11^th in 18:19.555:54).

“These two are always leading the workouts and runs and along with Will should be a good nucleus moving forward,” said Styler, who envisioned 2007 as a bit of a rebuilding season due to the graduation of one of Cranford’s greatest all time runners, Joe McKenney as well as solid performers Kevin Boyle and Eddie Baker.

“We had a very talented senior class last year but you always have to replace good people,” said Styler who noted that McKenney has continued his outstanding running at New York University, who is currently ranked second in the country.

But Styler has been pleasantly surprised by the overall balance that his team has shown.” We’ve had great improvement from our young team, Sophomore John Powasnik is becoming a steady fourth runner and freshman Michael Cassidy has run in the mid 18s so far and is very determined to be among the best freshman in our school history books,” said Styler.

Juniors Tyler Schott and Miguel Caulfield have also shown improvement and rounded out the top seven along with senior Billy Albert. With Smith healthy, it makes for eight runners battling for the top seven.

“We have great competition with these guys battling for spots and setting personal bests every race,” said Styler.

Powasnik was 14^th in 18:35.04 (5:58.9), followed by Cassidy 17^th in 18:42.39(6:01.3) and Schott completed the scoring in 20^th in 19:00.83(6:07.2). Caulfield was 22^nd in 19:05.88 Albert was 27^th in 19:44.16.

In addition to Smith, three other Cougars competed in the junior varsity race.

Seniors Jacob Skelcy, Max Lasky and Mark Kuczynski ran 21:01.56, 21:57.35 and 22:25.60 respectively.

“The competition is great for the team and will certainly lead us to some good
results in the upcoming races. “

Westfield Girls 2007 XC Preview

Some of the most competitive and crowded girl’s races this fall are likely to take place at Tamaques Park when the Westfield Girls Cross Country team conducts its time trials as it tries to whittle 94 runners into a varsity unit of 12, which will eventually be pared down to seven runners for later championship meets. Veteran coach Thom Hornish and assistant Jen Buccino face the challenge of trying to replace their top three runners from a year ago, Nicole DiBenedetto, Kim Legones and Ayn Wisler as well as Jen Danielsson, Beth Budnick, Hope Skibitsky, and Marissa Goldner.

DiBenedetto and Legones showed vast improvement throughout the season and by the end of the year were the top 1-2 punch in the county. “Nicole and Kim’s improvement began when they took their summer training seriously last year.and when they came to realize how much they really loved the sport and let that passion take them to the next level.,” said Buccino.

Thus far, Buccino has not had any runner separate themselves from a large pack of 15 runners in a first group with 15 more right behind. “The team is shaping up nicely, after the first week. It looks like all of our large number of runners are in for the long haul,” said Buccino.

“ We have a really solid group of 15 training together and another 15 right behind. The time trial went very well. Summer training was taken more seriously this year by many. A lot can happen between now and November, but the spirit and enthusiasm is very high and the new crew has already blended well with the veterans,” Buccino added.

Buccino finds it very hard to single out more than a few girls that she knows will be in the lead group. “I think we are going to have an ever evolving top seven. There is a very healthy competition within the team..The rookies are not afraid to challenge the veterans, and the veterans welcome it and encourage everyone to be her best,” said Buccino.

Among the group vying for the top seven include seniors Rose Driscoll, Marissa Mumford, Tessa Schaaf, Caitlin Burke, Lindsay Tishberg, and newcomer Jaclyn Kirna,juniors Aileen and Bridget Grogan, Moira Smith, Alexis Constantine, Liz McCarthy and Alli Lowenstein, sophomores Megan Pulliam , Becky Castaldo and Karaugh Ball and freshmen: Angela Tata, Abbie Kwok, Alyssa Hatch, Alex Frankel and Meghan Suriano

Among the 25 freshmen are three sets of twins, making the coach’s goal of learning all names in the first week more difficult.

Driscoll, Marissa Mumford and Josie Reinhardt are this year's captains, and combined with Alli Lowenstein, Aileen and Bridget Grogan, and Liz McCarthy make up the returning members of last year's varsity 12. Seniors Caitlin Burke, Tessa Schaaf, Lindsay Tishberg, Marlee Austin, Dylan Wallace...juniors Alexis Constantine, Moira Smith, and Marie DiIorio, and sophomore Karaugh Ball clearly made it their business to come back in shape this year in an effort to earn a spot on this year's top twelve to make up for our loss to graduation.

We have some fresh faces that are really showing promise for some additional depth in the potential varsity line up. We are very excited to have seniors Jaclyn Kirna and Dylan Wallace, junior Casey Reimlinger, and sophomores Becky Castaldo and Megan Pulliam who converted from other fall sports and are helping lead the way in workouts. And finally, Angela Tata and Abbie Kwok are leading the pack of freshmen thus far...with several that are sure to rise through the ranks as the season progresses.

If there is strength in numbers, then the Westfield Girls’ Cross Country team, with its remarkable group of over seventy runners should be formidable once again.

“We have a long time tradition of success so we like to set our expectations high. These girls over the years have been very good at responding to challenges,” said Hornish.

One the of the keys to the team’s long time success has been coaching, where the Blue Devils have been fortunate to have Jen Buccino, in her eighteenth year in the program and an accomplished runner, who still competes in road races. Buccino is also the head coach of the successful Westfield Girls Indoor Track team and was Union County Track coach of the Year in 2005.

The Blue Devils lost an outstanding senior class quartet of captains; Jen Danielsson, Beth Budnick, Hope Skibitsky, and Nicole DiBenedetto. Danielsson, the most accomplished of the four, was a sectional 3200 meter champion as a sophomore but was held back by injuries last season.

Seniors Ayn Wisler,. Fellow seniors, and Kim Legones team last spring, competing in the sprints, hurdles and jumps.

Hornish is counting on big things from

Regaining Union County supremacy in 2007 will be an uphill fight for Westfield. The coaches are expecting strong challenges from Summit and Scotch Plains among other teams as the Blue Devils try to regain the county crown last won in 2003.

“There is tough competition out there but he team is off to a great start. The interest, enthusiasm, and desire are all there from this year's team, and all things are possible when you have that going for you. ,” said Buccino.

The Blue Devils open against Kearny on September 12 at Hudson County Park in Kearny before competing in the St. Dominic Invitational at Lincoln Park in Jersey City

on Saturday, September 16.

Firedman and Tarlow lead 2007 Westfield Boys XC

Evan Friedman and Alex Tarlow grew up less than a mile from each other on the south side of Westfield, a short jog from Tamaques Park. They each attended Tamaques Elementary School and Edison Middle School as well as belonging to Temple Emanuel.

But it wasn’t until they began attending Westfield High School in the fall of 2004 that they really started to get to know each other as they competed on the cross country and track teams.

Three years later they form the top 1-2 combination in the county and hope to lead another strong Blue Devil cross country team to its third straight county title. Last year at the Union County meet Friedman edged Tarlow 17:07 to 17:12 as they finished fourth and fifth for the top two performances by underclassmen, leading Westfield to a 46-85 victory over Roselle Catholic. They are friendly rivals who appreciate each other’s intensity.

“Evan and I are like running brothers. We are always looking out for each other and thoroughly enjoy one another's company on our long runs. Like brothers do there is a bit of sibling rivalry,” said Tarlow.

“We may be known to push the pace now and again because to us, there is always second place in a recovery workout. We feed off each others running and we look forward to seeing one another succeed in and out of the XC world.”

“We are competitive with each other but we really don’t care who wins as long as Westfield finishes 1-2,” added Friedman.

Martin feels fortunate to have such a talented a motivated trio to lead his team. Senior Brendan Berkowitz, the team’s third runner last year also returns and along with Friedman and Tarlow is a tri-captain.

“They have worked hard all summer and are coming off big track seasons. They are motivated and want to get to the Meet Of Champions. Evan, Alex and Brendan have been solid leaders thus far”.

Martin was also pleased with the condition of most of the team members.

“To be successful in the fall we encourage the boys to run as much as possible. We look at the running as being year round and do not make x-c a do or die situation-there are two more seasons of running left,” said Martin

While both are outstanding cross-country runners, they had different strengths during the track season. Tarlow was one of the county’s top 800 runners (1:55.60) and also ran on the 4 by 400 team as well as the mile. Friedman excelled in the 3200 (9; 49) and 1600.

“Evan is definitely more of a natural cross country runner than me,” said Tarlow.

In addition to Tarlow, Friedman and Berkowitz, Martin also has senior Neil Fitzpatrick returning from his top seven. Depth is never a problem on a team with around 100 athletes and the first few dual meets may determine who runs the championship races that start in late October. In addition to their Union County title the Blue Devils are also defending Watchung Conference champions.

Seniors Gus Gibbons, Tianyou Xu, juniors Josh Einbinder Dennis Elwell, Julian Applebaum, Eric Hagstrom, Andrew Marra, Joey Martoglio, Ross Tucker and sophomores Mike Fietkiewicz, Ryan Scrudato, and Tyler Cusick are all competing

for varsity spots. During a Saturday morning time trial at Tamaques Park it was easy to see why Martin can maintain such a large and enthusiastic squad in such a demanding

sport. The coach as well as assistant Chris Tafelski, a former Blue Devil runner

shouted encouragement to each runner, no matter what their skill level.

“We try to relate to each boy on the team each day. We include the science of the sport and try most all to have fun. We also encourage the boys, above all, to be good citizens,” said Martin.

Westfield 2007 Girls XC Stewart

The Westfield High School girls cross country team showed off their prodigious depth at three big recent meets, edging archrival Scotch Plains Fanwood 26-33 in their annual dual meet, finishing sixth in the prestigious Stewart Invitational and running strong last Saturday at the Shore Invitational.

The Blue Devils withstood a victory by SPF standout junior Brittney Veeck (21:04) and a fourth and fifth by Cathy Harley and Emily Carow by taking the next five scoring places. Senior Rose Driscoll (21:18) led the way with a second, followed by junior Aileen Grogan (21:47) in third. The next five scorers sophomore Meg Pulliam, junior Bridget Grogan, sophomore Becky Castaldo and juniors Alli Lowenstein and Liz McCarthy finished within 20 seconds of each other.

Buccino was worried that the team might still be leg weary from winning the overall team championship at the Bernie Magee Memorial Class Invitational the previous Saturday. In that meet there are separate races for each high school year and Westfield’s dominance in the junior race helped pace the triumph.

“The girls were coming off an exciting weekend at the Class meet with their team title, and really looking forward to our dual meet. We did not take SPF lightly as they are a team we face later in the conference and county meets. The girls did their job, despite the heat and humidity, and made sure that they separated the top SPF girls and packed themselves in together as tightly as possible,” said Buccino.

Veeck ran 20:42.32 for tenth overall to pace the area runners at the Stewart Invitational and Harley edged Aileen Grogan, finishing 22^nd at 21:22. Grogan was 24^th(21:34), followed by Driscoll (21:38), Castaldo (21:54), Bridget Grogan (22:07),

Marissa Mumford (22:26), Pulliam (22:27) and McCarthy (22:47).

“The Stewart meet gave us a chance to see how we stacked up against our Sectional competition...Hunterdon Central, North Hunterdon, and Bridgewater-Raritan. The girls took 6th behind some tough competition and we know we have work to do in the next few weeks,” said Buccino.

Rob Rafferty’s paper-thin team did not have enough runners to get a finishing score as depth continues to be a problem for Scotch Plains. For Westfield, with its plentiful battalion of runners, the front pack is beginning to sort itself out.

“Our top seven has changed every week, and the good news is that we have a good 15 girls in contention for that coveted varsity spot

Buccino was also pleased that the junior varsity team easily won with 31 points and placed five in the top ten overall. The freshmen team also took third.

“What we need to develop is a stronger 1-2 punch in the front to help break up the top runners of our opposition. The girls have their eyes wide open with regards to their competition. They know they have to work very hard over the next few weeks and they are more than willing to do their best to rise to the occasion. There is an incredible chemistry within the team this season and sometimes that can be the difference when the pressure is on,” said Buccino.

At the Shore meet Driscoll, was 39^th in 21:43, followed by 46th place Aileen Grogan, Castaldo in 52^nd in 22:23, Bridget Grogan 74^th in 22:53. Pulliam, 92nd in 23:39, Mumford 93^rd in 23:41 and Tessa Schaaf 100^th in 24:02.

Westfield 2007 Boys XC Stewart

The Westfield and Scotch Plains Fanwood Boy’s cross country teams served up two tasty appetizers last week before they attack the main courses of the Watchung Conference and Union County title meets in late October.

As has been the case in recent years, the Raiders will have some ground to make up if they want to catch the Blue Devils, who easily won their dual meet 23-36 at Warinanco Park. Four days later at the Stewart Invitational also at Warinanco Park Westfield finished fourth with 127 points while the Raiders settled for sixth with 194 points.

Seniors Alex Tarlow and Evan Friedman of Westfield and Patrick Doliber of Scotch Plains Fanwood had two stirring battles with Tarlow outrunning Doliber on an unusually warm early autumn day in the dual meet and Tarlow and Friedman edging Doliber at Stewart. In both meets the Raiders matched Westfield through the first three runners but the Blue Devils dominated after that.

In the dual meet Tarlow broke open a tight race after the two mile mark to win easily at 17:22, followed by Friedman fourth in 17:51 and junior Julian Applebaum fifth in 17:51. Doliber was second in 17:44, Martin Sweeney sixth in 17:50 and Mike Ragan seventh in 18:31 but Westfield runners senior Brendan Berkowitz, sophomores Ryan Scrudato and Tyler Cusick and freshmen Zack Lizmi and Andrew Kirna took the next four places.

“The times were slow all around. It was our first time this season running at Warinanco and the heat was also a major issue. There were several dual meets going on in front of us which not only slowed us down but kicked up dirt and dried us out,” said Tarlow.

“SPF is always a big rivalry meet. The heat was a factor. Alex was pumped and ran that way. There weren't too many close races over the last mile. Julian Applebaum had a big race,” said Westfield coach Jack Martin.

At Stewart, Tarlow was sixth in 17:04.21 (5:14 per mile), with Friedman seventh in 17:04.52 and Doliber next in 17:06.96. Sweeney was 15^th in a personal best 17:29 and senior Mike Ragan was 27^th in 17:49.60, but Westfield runners Scrudato (36^th), Berkowitz (37^th), Applebaum (41^st), Gus Gibbons (46^th), Tianyou Xu (55^th) all finished well before the next SPF runner, sophomore Brandon Wheeler (68^th).

“Alex and Evan ran together and ran well and both had a bit left at the end. The varsity was solid although a little tired from the dual meet on Tuesday against SPF in the heat. The JV ran well and the freshmen second place was huge,” said Martin.

The usually circumspect Martin could hardly hold back his enthusiasm about his two prized freshman, Lizmi and Kirna.

“They both have been running well-perhaps the best one-two as freshmen in my time. The overall freshmen average at Stewart was about our fastest during my time as coach,” said Martin

“We went into Stewart with a winning mentality. We had a couple of really strong practices, along with the win against SPF that told us we could create some excitement at the meet,” said Tarlow.

Martin is confident that the Blue Devils are on track to repeat their Union County title.

“I like the way things are moving along. They have the hunger and desire to pick up from last year’s team.”

2007 Cranford Girls XC Proeview

For the past four years Laura Gallo was a model of consistency for the Cranford Girls Cross Country team, leading them to two Union County titles, two Watchung Conference titles and a Mountain Valley title. Gallo was a three time county champion and second team all state selection last year and was the leader of an outstanding senior class that also included solid contributors like Joy Hanke, Hannah Van Why and Caitlin Curtis.

But all good things come to an end and third year coach Tim Styler is fortunate to have two key members of the team, senior Erin Hannon and junior Joy Hanke, back to lead a young but talented Cougar team.

“It's not every year when you have a front runner like Laura. She was a
consistent number one over the past few years and when you can count on
finishing with a lead runner in the single digits it helps that ever
important team score. Erin Hannen and Joy Hanke are now going to have
to lead this team while the freshman will be challenging for top honors each meet,” said Styler, who is an expert at getting the team to peak for championship meets.

.Last year at the county meet, despite having their entire team returning from the 2005 championship group, the Cougars were considered underdogs to Summit but led by Gallo, who broke away from the pack in the second mile and breezed in a personal best 19:07, the Cougars defended their title with a 44-65 victory. Always the consummate team player, Gallo, now a freshman at Georgetown, seemed more pleased than the performances of her team mates than her own.

Hanke was fourteenth in 20:42 and has been a scoring member of both Union County championship teams. Hannen ran a personal best (21:16) and enters the season ready to take a leadership role.

“Erin and Joy are our two leaders. They are ready to be in the front of the
conference races and county and then lead us into the state meets,” said Styler.

Styler has a young team with freshmen Alisa Commerato, Julia Langone,
Bridget and Veronica Miller and junior Polly Powasnik.

The Cougars opened their invitational season on September 8 at the Cherokee Challenge.

"This will be the first test for the kids as it is a challenging 2 milecourse. We will get to evaluate where everyone is at early in the season as well as getting to see the South Jersey competition. A lot of the top teams in the state this year are hailing from the south. This gives our kids a chance to run against the best and against their own class,” said Styler.

Styler is confident that the Cougars are well on their way to building a new powerhouse.

“So far we are looking fairly fit. Obviously most of our summer is spent
getting a base. We started some threshold work recently and incorporated other lactate workouts into the training such as tempo runs of four miles,” said Styler.

“You can’t expect every season to be like the last two but we are going to be a much improved team by the end of the year.”