Craig Corti holds the lead on the second loop Saturday night at the Randolph Invitational. He would run the fastest time of the day winning Varsity C with 15:56. / Photo by Robert Kellert for MileSplit
Well the opening meet of the season has come and gone, the event was a great meet with a good vibe atmosphere. It was unfortunate that a lightning storm came at the very end to cancel the Varsity A Girls race as we were looking forward to seeing many of those teams toe the line. This article will recap the top results along with quick write ups to give you a look into each race. Any interviews that were conducted are also embedded and each race's photo album is linked as well.
Also if you are interested Pat Montferrat has put together merged results on the meet page. See where you ranked out of all the races.
Click the event headers for full results!
Varsity Boys - Group A
The Boys Varsity A race was pushed forward a bit when the threat of thunderstorms were in the forecast. That didn't bother the winner Jagger Garguilo too much though running a high quality opening season time. The junior posted a 16:26 for the win which is the second best cross country 5K of his career and it shows great signs that this season could be a nice break out season for the West Orange star. This race had one of the better finishes of the night as Joe Dzuback of Scotch Plains-Fanwood battled him all the way to the line for a 16:27 second place finish. These two athletes ran the seventh and eigth best times of the meet on Saturday when combining all of the races.
On the team side Montgomery only had one athlete finish in the top ten but thanks to solid pack running they won the section with 101 points! They were led by Rahul Ramesh who placed tenth with a time of 17:14 while scoring nine points. Montgomery's time gap was a mere 39 seconds! The team scored 9-14-20-26-32.
| M 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Garguilo, Jagger | 11 | West Orange High School | 16:26.50 | 1 | |
| 2 | Dzuback, Joe | 12 | Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS | 16:27.80 | 2 | |
| 3 | Saponara, Matthew | 12 | Hunterdon Central HS | 16:35.27 | 3 | |
| 4 | Layding, Samuel | 12 | North Hunterdon HS | 16:37.78 | 4 | |
| 5 | Wrede, Doug | 12 | Phillipsburg HS | 17:05.21 | 5 | |
| 6 | Hardin, Jake | 11 | Phillipsburg HS | 17:08.81 | 6 | |
| 7 | Delaney, Will | 11 | St. Peter's Prep | 17:10.60 | -- | |
| 8 | Gonzalez, Matthew | 12 | North Bergen HS | 17:11.98 | 7 | |
| 9 | Mhatre, Aaditya | 12 | Bridgewater-Raritan HS | 17:14.43 | 8 | |
| 10 | Ramesh, Rahul | 12 | Montgomery HS | 17:14.80 | 9 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Montgomery HS | 101 | 9+14+20+26+32 (35+50) | 0:39 1-5 Split | 17:38 Avg | ||
| 2 | Hunterdon Central HS | 118 | 3+12+19+40+44 (54+65) | 1:44 1-5 Split | 17:36 Avg | ||
| 3 | North Hunterdon HS | 120 | 4+22+27+31+36 (39+49) | 1:26 1-5 Split | 17:38 Avg | ||
| 4 | Ridge HS | 135 | 16+23+29+30+37 (41) | 0:29 1-5 Split | 17:50 Avg | ||
| 5 | Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS | 148 | 2+21+33+45+47 (59+68) | 2:00 1-5 Split | 17:47 Avg | ||
Varsity Boys - Group B
During the Boys Varsity B the sun was still out and the heat took a toll on the field but none the less fast times were posted. Leading this race by over 20 seconds was Paul Ehmann. The Mendham junior ran a HUGE personal best for the course with a 15:57.92, his best cross country 5k came during the Morris County Championships in 2013 with a time of 15:57.80. Last year at this same meet Paul posted a 16:18. Speaking of course bests second place Mike Marano of Middletown North moved his time down from a 16:41 showing at Randolph in 2013 to this year's 16:19, nice work. Paul Ehmann's time was the second best of the meet while Mike Marano ran the fourth best out of the combined boys races.
On the team front Chatham pulled out a close one with Notre Dame scoring 65 to 73 as both schools had two runners in the top ten for the race. Chatham went 3-6-12-16-28 and were led by Will Mitchell in third with 16:24, and Grant Hauck in sixth with 16:38. Notre Dame was right behind Chatham all the way through until the fifth runner, going 4-9-17-20-23. They were led by two seniors Mike Elliot in fourth at 16:26 and Mike Gormley ninth with 16:47.
| M 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Ehmann, Paul | 12 | Mendham HS | 15:57.92 | 1 | |
| 2 | Marano, Mike | 12 | Middletown North HS | 16:19.98 | 2 | |
| 3 | Mitchell, Will | 12 | Chatham HS | 16:24.30 | 3 | |
| 4 | Elliot, Mike | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 16:26.45 | 4 | |
| 5 | Whitney, Robert | 11 | Voorhees HS | 16:31.24 | 5 | |
| 6 | Hauck, Grant | 12 | Chatham HS | 16:38.29 | 6 | |
| 7 | Gosden, Michael | 12 | Morris Hills HS | 16:42.17 | 7 | |
| 8 | McGill, Brenden | 11 | Voorhees HS | 16:45.79 | 8 | |
| 9 | Gormley, Mike | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 16:47.74 | 9 | |
| 10 | McVicar, Maxwell | 11 | Mount Olive HS | 16:54.12 | 10 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Chatham HS | 65 | 3+6+12+16+28 (49+53) | 1:07 1-5 Split | 16:56 Avg | ||
| 2 | Notre Dame HS | 73 | 4+9+17+20+23 (31+33) | 0:59 1-5 Split | 17:02 Avg | ||
| 3 | Middletown North HS | 95 | 2+19+21+24+29 (55+66) | 1:11 1-5 Split | 17:12 Avg | ||
| 4 | Voorhees HS | 98 | 5+8+15+34+36 (57+73) | 1:15 1-5 Split | 17:11 Avg | ||
| 5 | Mendham HS | 113 | 1+18+25+30+39 (42+46) | 1:58 1-5 Split | 17:14 Avg | ||
Varsity Boys - Group C
In the Varsity C race Craig Corti showed the reason he was the top returning time from 2013's meet. The Wallkill Valley star ran the fastest time on the day with a 15:56 and he wasn't even racing for time at this point in the season. Earlier in the race, even past the mile mark, Corti was still hanging on the shoulder of two or three runners managing the pace before making a move for the win. The pace may have not broken his 2013 Randolph time of 15:48 but Corti looks very comfortable and confident heading into 2014. Another potential role player come late fall at Holmdel will be Joe Dragon of High Point Regional. Dragon took second behind Corti racing a 16:06.
On the team score board St. Rose took the team title with 88 points and a team average of 18:03. Their split between their top five was only 45 seconds! Led by senior Anthony Cifelli in 10th with 17:42 and Thomas Calabro in 11th with 17:44 the squad went 10-11-18-22-27. With a great finish by their one and two St. Rose was able to take advantage with sophomore Drew Reilly (18th / 18:05), sophomore Timothy Theobald (22nd / 18:16), and senior Louis Melone (27th / 18:27).
| M 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Corti, Craig | 12 | Wallkill Valley HS | 15:56.61 | 1 | |
| 2 | Dragon, Joe | 11 | High Point Reg. HS | 16:06.79 | 2 | |
| 3 | Lange, Sean | 12 | High Point Reg. HS | 17:02.84 | 3 | |
| 4 | Bertollo, Andrew | 12 | Kinnelon HS | 17:07.21 | 4 | |
| 5 | Vanderhoff, Luke | 11 | Wallkill Valley HS | 17:14.04 | 5 | |
| 6 | Wilowski, Mack | 11 | Wallkill Valley HS | 17:21.35 | 6 | |
| 7 | McGhie, Corey | 10 | Rahway HS | 17:28.62 | 7 | |
| 8 | Riley, Connor | 12 | Madison HS | 17:34.87 | 8 | |
| 9 | Papachristos, Nate | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 17:40.85 | 9 | |
| 10 | Cifelli, Anthony | 12 | St. Rose HS | 17:42.28 | 10 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | St. Rose HS | 88 | 10+11+18+22+27 (29+36) | 0:45 1-5 Split | 18:03 Avg | ||
| 2 | Kinnelon HS | 92 | 4+13+21+26+28 (37+58) | 1:24 1-5 Split | 18:02 Avg | ||
| 3 | Wallkill Valley HS | 94 | 1+5+6+35+47 (67+69) | 3:27 1-5 Split | 17:45 Avg | ||
| 4 | Rahway HS | 103 | 7+12+20+24+40 (50) | 1:36 1-5 Split | 18:10 Avg | ||
| 5 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 133 | 9+16+17+43+48 (52+68) | 1:47 1-5 Split | 18:29 Avg | ||
Varsity Girls - Group B
In the girls Varsity B Sierra Castaneda of West Morris Central took first with the FASTEST time of the day at 18:43. That is the 19th fastest time all-time at the Freedom Park course. It was still very humid and hot when she ran the course so we could have seen an even faster time from this senior!
On the team site Voorhees looked really good, they finished first with 48 points and a time average of 20:03. The Voorhees girls had two finish in the top ten and all of their scoring runners including the six and seven finished in the top 20! This victory was paved by Erin McLaughlin in third at 18:57, Meaghan Driscoll fifth at 19:33, Kelly McLaughlin 11th at 20:24, Julia Thompson 14th at 20:38, Eleanor Brakewood 15th at 20:42, Lexi Churley 16th at 20:43, and the freshman Nicole Cassavell in 17th at a time of 20:44.
| F 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Castaneda, Sierra | 11 | West Morris Central HS | 18:43.64 | 1 | |
| 2 | Thurston, Ashleigh | 12 | Morris Hills HS | 18:51.89 | 2 | |
| 3 | McLaughlin, Erin | 12 | Voorhees HS | 18:57.15 | 3 | |
| 4 | Christian, Alexandra | 11 | Mount Olive HS | 19:13.09 | 4 | |
| 5 | Driscoll, Meaghan | 12 | Voorhees HS | 19:33.95 | 5 | |
| 6 | Viparina, Olivia | 12 | Roxbury HS | 19:36.30 | 6 | |
| 7 | Marrone, Maddy | 12 | Middletown North HS | 19:39.34 | 7 | |
| 8 | Silberstein, Emmy | 11 | Sparta HS | 20:02.79 | 8 | |
| 9 | Harasts, Cassandra | 11 | Montville Twp. HS | 20:09.19 | 9 | |
| 10 | Frenzel, Alexandra | 11 | Chatham HS | 20:19.61 | 10 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Voorhees HS | 48 | 3+5+11+14+15 (16+17) | 1:45 1-5 Split | 20:03 Avg | ||
| 2 | Chatham HS | 88 | 10+13+18+22+25 (31+33) | 0:58 1-5 Split | 20:46 Avg | ||
| 3 | Roxbury HS | 95 | 6+12+20+28+29 (34+35) | 1:55 1-5 Split | 20:46 Avg | ||
| 4 | Middletown North HS | 127 | 7+21+26+30+43 (52) | 3:08 1-5 Split | 21:18 Avg | ||
| 5 | West Morris Central HS | 140 | 1+23+27+40+49 (63+84) | 4:15 1-5 Split | 21:19 Avg | ||
Varsity Girls - Group C
Union Catholic made a case for themselves this weekend at Randolph and it all started with a one card by Caitlin Glynn, the senior ran a personal best of 19:35 to start the season. Two more Union Catholic athletes finished in the top ten, Asia Johnson took sixth with a time of 20:48, and Dana Couto finished ninth with a time of 21:11. Finishing up their top five was Emma Palacio taking 15th at 22:05, and Tressa Novack placing 16th at 22:08.
The team took first with a point total of 44 and had a team average of 21:10.
| F 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Glynn, Caitlin | 12 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 19:35.84 | 1 | |
| 2 | DeVito, Gabby | 11 | Monmouth Reg. HS | 20:00.85 | 2 | |
| 3 | Friscia, Megan | 11 | New Providence HS | 20:02.14 | 3 | |
| 4 | Turner, Kelsey | 11 | New Providence HS | 20:12.82 | 4 | |
| 5 | Lindstrom, Megan | 12 | Monmouth Reg. HS | 20:14.96 | 5 | |
| 6 | Johnson, Asia | 11 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 20:48.86 | 6 | |
| 7 | Kline, Emma | 12 | Newton HS | 21:05.00 | -- | |
| 8 | Mennonne, Chiara | 10 | Whippany Park HS | 21:10.05 | 7 | |
| 9 | Couto, Dana | 12 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 21:11.65 | 8 | |
| 10 | Molloy, Kristin | 11 | Monmouth Reg. HS | 21:37.85 | 9 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 44 | 1+6+8+14+15 (16+20) | 2:32 1-5 Split | 21:10 Avg | ||
| 2 | Monmouth Reg. HS | 55 | 2+5+9+17+22 | 2:27 1-5 Split | 21:18 Avg | ||
| 3 | Whippany Park HS | 67 | 7+11+12+18+19 (29+44) | 1:06 1-5 Split | 21:50 Avg | ||
| 4 | New Providence HS | 78 | 3+4+13+23+35 (38+69) | 3:29 1-5 Split | 21:39 Avg | ||
| 5 | Rahway HS | 171 | 24+28+31+34+54 (59) | 2:04 1-5 Split | 23:29 Avg | ||
Freshman Boys
Ray Sellaro of North Hunterdon wins his first career high school race with a time of 8:38 on the freshmen boys 2655 meter course.
— NJ MileSplit (@NJMileSplit) September 7, 2014
Freshman Girls
Mary Borkoski of Pearl River wins the freshmen girls with a time of 9:54.67! 2655 meter course. Congratulations on being undefeated.
— NJ MileSplit (@NJMileSplit) September 7, 2014
JV Boys - Group A
Austin Sterling of Hunterdon Central wins the JV A race with a time of 17:29
— NJ MileSplit (@NJMileSplit) September 7, 2014
| M 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Sterling, Austin | 11 | Hunterdon Central HS | 17:29.63 | 1 | |
| 2 | Spies, Robert | 11 | North Hunterdon HS | 18:15.16 | 2 | |
| 3 | Deangelis, Tom | 11 | North Hunterdon HS | 18:16.36 | 3 | |
| 4 | Testa, Christopher | 10 | Hunterdon Central HS | 18:27.07 | 4 | |
| 5 | Green, Troy | 11 | Ridge HS | 18:31.85 | 5 | |
| 6 | White, Reed | 11 | Montgomery HS | 18:33.70 | 6 | |
| 7 | Marshall, Brodie | 12 | Montgomery HS | 18:47.28 | 7 | |
| 8 | Desai, Nikolas | 11 | Montgomery HS | 18:50.46 | 8 | |
| 9 | Reddy, Pranav | 10 | Montgomery HS | 18:52.17 | 9 | |
| 10 | Restaino, Ben | 11 | Ridge HS | 18:53.88 | 10 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Montgomery HS | 44 | 6+7+8+9+14 (15+19) | 0:30 1-5 Split | 18:49 Avg | ||
| 2 | North Hunterdon HS | 62 | 2+3+13+16+28 (41+43) | 1:23 1-5 Split | 18:52 Avg | ||
| 3 | Hunterdon Central HS | 64 | 1+4+18+20+21 (24+27) | 1:51 1-5 Split | 18:46 Avg | ||
| 4 | Ridge HS | 70 | 5+10+11+12+32 (36+40) | 1:17 1-5 Split | 19:02 Avg | ||
| 5 | Phillipsburg HS | 149 | 23+25+30+34+37 (49+52) | 0:38 1-5 Split | 19:43 Avg | ||
JV Boys - Group B & C
| M 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Kamph, Matt | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 17:19.55 | 1 | |
| 2 | Dispenza, Jacob | 10 | Voorhees HS | 17:57.88 | -- | |
| 3 | Zappala, Alek | 10 | Middletown North HS | 18:09.69 | 2 | |
| 4 | Aririguzoh, Franklin | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 18:16.12 | 3 | |
| 5 | DelCristo, Albert | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 18:16.57 | 4 | |
| 6 | Scott, Justin | 12 | Notre Dame HS | 18:17.02 | 5 | |
| 7 | Alvarez, Jalyn | 11 | Middletown North HS | 18:24.95 | 6 | |
| 8 | Malanga, Luke | 11 | Chatham HS | 18:29.34 | 7 | |
| 9 | Julian, Dan | 12 | Mendham HS | 18:34.42 | 8 | |
| 10 | Kostis, Minas | 11 | Notre Dame HS | 18:36.51 | 9 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Notre Dame HS | 22 | 1+3+4+5+9 (13+19) | 1:16 1-5 Split | 18:09 Avg | ||
| 2 | Morris Hills HS | 76 | 10+11+12+20+23 (42+66) | 0:55 1-5 Split | 18:59 Avg | ||
| 3 | Middletown North HS | 106 | 2+6+28+32+38 (54+77) | 1:53 1-5 Split | 19:14 Avg | ||
| 4 | Mendham HS | 113 | 8+24+25+26+30 (39+40) | 1:06 1-5 Split | 19:24 Avg | ||
| 5 | Chatham HS | 114 | 7+14+22+27+44 (47+48) | 1:44 1-5 Split | 19:21 Avg | ||
JV Girls
Chatham so close to the Junior Varsity perfect team score!
| F 5,000 Meter Run - Finals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Athlete | Team | Result | Points | ||
| 1 | Schmitter, Katherine | 12 | Chatham HS | 22:12.04 | 1 | |
| 2 | Sauter, Carina | 12 | Randolph HS | 22:21.26 | 2 | |
| 3 | Hynes, Keren | 10 | Chatham HS | 22:22.08 | 3 | |
| 4 | Tencic, Erin | 11 | Chatham HS | 22:36.50 | 4 | |
| 5 | DiSalvio, Julia | 12 | Chatham HS | 22:57.61 | 5 | |
| 6 | Harrigan, Margaret | 10 | Chatham HS | 23:04.71 | 6 | |
| 7 | Donaldson, Lexy | 10 | Ridge HS | 23:09.56 | 7 | |
| 8 | Achenbach, Alexi | 10 | Ridge HS | 23:11.18 | 8 | |
| 9 | Chwatek, Caitlin | 10 | Ridge HS | 23:12.80 | 9 | |
| 10 | Haimson, Amanda | 11 | Montville Twp. HS | 23:13.82 | 10 | |
| Team Scores | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times | ||
| 1 | Chatham HS | 19 | 1+3+4+5+6 (19+20) | 0:52 1-5 Split | 22:38 Avg | ||
| 2 | Ridge HS | 51 | 7+8+9+12+15 (18+24) | 0:16 1-5 Split | 23:15 Avg | ||
| 3 | Hunterdon Central HS | 94 | 13+14+16+23+28 (47+59) | 0:48 1-5 Split | 23:38 Avg | ||
| 4 | Montville Twp. HS | 127 | 10+11+22+31+53 (57+65) | 2:19 1-5 Split | 24:01 Avg | ||
| 5 | Phillipsburg HS | 128 | 17+21+25+27+38 (44+51) | 1:15 1-5 Split | 23:57 Avg | ||
National Elites (16)
Below are the performances entered for the meet that met the national silver standard.
| HS Girls | |||
| 5,000 Meter Run | 18:43.64 | Sierra Castaneda | West Morris Central HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 18:51.89 | Ashleigh Thurston | Morris Hills HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 18:57.15 | Erin McLaughlin | Voorhees HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 19:13.09 | Alexandra Christian | Mount Olive HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 19:33.95 | Meaghan Driscoll | Voorhees HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 19:35.84 | Caitlin Glynn | Union Catholic Reg. HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 19:36.30 | Olivia Viparina | Roxbury HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 19:39.34 | Maddy Marrone | Middletown North HS |
| HS Boys | |||
| 5,000 Meter Run | 15:56.61 | Craig Corti | Wallkill Valley HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 15:57.92 | Paul Ehmann | Mendham HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:06.79 | Joe Dragon | High Point Reg. HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:19.98 | Mike Marano | Middletown North HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:24.30 | Will Mitchell | Chatham HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:26.45 | Mike Elliot | Notre Dame HS |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:26.50 | Jagger Garguilo | West Orange High School |
| 5,000 Meter Run | 16:27.80 | Joe Dzuback | Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS |
16 National Elites. 16 Elites.
