Interview with the Ridge squad after their big win by Dan Beck
The Ridge girls repeat as New Balance National Indoor Champions in the 4x800m! With a squad made up of Meghan Convery (2:18.02), Olivia Cicchetti (2:18.86), Morgan Lyons (2:17.72), and Kaitlyn Van Baalen (2:12.47) Ridge ran to a 9:08.07, the second fastest time in the nation this season.
They returned two from last year's squad with seniors VanBaalen and Convery, and their two additions this season, Cicchetti and Lyons, are only a sophomore and freshman!
This isn't just a strong even historically for Ridge high school but for the state as a whole. This is the fifth time in the past ten years the 4x800m championship went to a New Jersey squad with Southern Regional winning in 2009, Red Bank Catholic 2011, Freehold Township 2014, and now Ridge 2017 and 2018.
Union Catholic just missed All-American status finishing seventh at 9:14.11 and Pingry was ninth at 9:15.05.
Girls 4x800 Meter Championship Results
1 Ridge Runners-NJ 9:08.07 3
1) Convery, Meghan 18 2) Cicchetti, Olivia 20
3) Lyons, Morgan 21 4) VanBaalen, Kaitlyn 18
2:18.02 (2:18.02) 4:36.88 (2:18.86) 6:54.60 (2:17.72)
9:08.07 (2:13.47)
2 Impulse Tc-De 9:10.97 3
1) McLaughlin, Judith 21 2) Owens, Amber 18
3) Bader, Elizabeth 19 4) Olivere, Lydia 18
2:22.26 (2:22.26) 4:41.96 (2:19.70) 6:58.06 (2:16.10)
9:10.97 (2:12.91)
3 Niskayuna Tc-Ny 9:11.58 3
1) Kokernak, Charlotte 19 2) Smith, Sydney 18
3) Spiers, Abigail 18 4) Kokernak, Amelia 18
2:20.19 (2:20.19) 4:40.01 (2:19.82) 6:57.58 (2:17.57)
9:11.59 (2:14.01)
4 Breen Tc-Mi-Troy 9:12.51 3
1) Palomino, Hannah 18 2) Anderson, Paige 21
3) Fulcher, Lauren 19 4) Worrel, Megan 18
2:19.47 (2:19.47) 4:41.80 (2:22.33) 7:00.04 (2:18.24)
9:12.51 (2:12.47)
5 Kings T+F Tc-Oh 9:12.93 3
1) Maschino, Leah 18 2) Garter, Brooke 20
3) Cooper, Jennifer 19 4) Conner, Karleigh 18
2:18.94 (2:18.94) 4:42.77 (2:23.83) 6:58.75 (2:15.98)
9:12.93 (2:14.18)
6 West Springfield Tc-Va 9:13.18 3
1) Kappeler, Chase 19 2) Stephens, Lillian 19
3) Marcucci, Anna 18 4) Coleman, Sarah 19
2:19.21 (2:19.21) 4:37.22 (2:18.01) 6:59.74 (2:22.52)
9:13.18 (2:13.44)
7 Union Catholic Tc-Nj 9:14.11 3
1) Williams, Morgan 21 2) Morant, Leena 20
3) Ysaac, Zamira 20 4) Lufrano, Jerika 19
2:21.88 (2:21.88) 4:36.72 (2:14.84) 6:55.35 (2:18.63)
9:14.11 (2:18.76)
8 W Branch Tc-Va 9:14.75 1
1) Harris, Jada 18 2) Pollard, Betsy 19
3) Nichols, Shardonnay 19 4) Shockley, Adriana 19
2:22.02 (2:22.02) 4:40.50 (2:18.48) 6:56.73 (2:16.23)
9:14.75 (2:18.02)
9 Pingry Tc-Nj 9:15.05 2
1) Vanasse, Nicole 20 2) Schiffman, Avery 18
3) Parker, Cathleen 19 4) Davi, Ryan 21
33.034 (33.034) 1:07.474 (34.440) 1:43.080 (35.606)
2:17.126 (34.046) 2:48.053 (30.927) 3:23.033 (34.980)
4:00.754 (37.721) 4:37.535 (36.781) 5:08.914 (31.379)
5:44.299 (35.385) 6:21.548 (37.249) 6:59.039 (37.491)
7:29.180 (30.141) 8:05.984 (36.804) 8:41.610 (35.626)
9:15.047 (33.437)
10 Hoover Tc-Al 9:15.30 2
1) Weems, Ava 18 2) Langley, Emma 19
3) Franklin, Caroline 18 4) Steely, Sydney 18
34.145 (34.145) 1:09.187 (35.042) 1:45.261 (36.074)
2:21.957 (36.696) 2:53.787 (31.830) 3:28.217 (34.430)
4:05.825 (37.608) 4:40.469 (34.644) 5:13.169 (32.700)
5:48.239 (35.070) 6:24.598 (36.359) 7:00.761 (36.163)
7:32.859 (32.098) 8:06.146 (33.287) 8:42.231 (36.085)
9:15.297 (33.066)
11 Legacy Tc-Ny 9:17.45 2
1) McClintock, Jennifer 20 2) Dennis, Jade 20
3) Belleville, Hannah 20 4) Dennis, Jada 20
33.619 (33.619) 1:08.978 (35.359) 1:47.187 (38.209)
2:26.421 (39.234) 2:57.469 (31.048) 3:29.801 (32.332)
4:05.686 (35.885) 4:41.457 (35.771) 5:15.707 (34.250)
5:50.165 (34.458) 6:26.855 (36.690) 7:03.289 (36.434)
7:33.110 (29.821) 8:06.000 (32.890) 8:42.685 (36.685)
9:17.442 (34.757)
12 River Dell Tc-Nj 9:18.62 1
1) Mircovich, Amanda 21 2) Mircovich, Maggie 21
3) Schoenberg, Eve 18 4) Goria, Shannon 18
2:21.44 (2:21.44) 4:40.60 (2:19.16) 7:02.05 (2:21.45)
9:18.62 (2:16.57) 
Interview with the Ridge squad after their big win by Dan Beck