2011 North Jersey High School Girl Cross-Country Preview
by: Matthew Murphy
IHA is on the rise; Traub shoots for the top
It might be hard to call taking third place in the Bergen Meet of Champions and sixth at the Non-Public A meet a down year, but that’s exactly what last season was for the Eagles of Immaculate Heart Academy, a perennial contender at the state level who are now looking to return to championship form. Despite graduating their star Erin Thompson, IHA will return 5 varsity runners who are all capable of vast improvement. Incoming sophomore Erin Ahearn may have big things ahead of her after a 19th place finish at the Bergen meet last year, and junior Caroline Morano should be in the mix up front. Senior Rachel Lotterman is the leader of the group, but with her in the pack will be plenty of potential talent in junior Casey Devaney and sophomore Jenny Antonietti. The Eagles have always been a deep squad with the ability to quickly reload, and this year they should do so as they seek their first Bergen title since 2007 and first Meet of Champs birth since 2008.
It wouldn’t be a season, however, it there wasn’t a challenge coming from IHA’s yearly rival Holy Angels. The Angels have become a force in recent seasons, both on the county and state level, having won 4 of the past 5 Bergen Meet of Champions and qualified for two consecutive state Meet of Champions. Holy Angels will not have an easy time repeating these feats as they have lost their top three to graduation, but that’s not to say they won’t go down without a fight. Junior Ashley Strysko, 8th place at the Bergen meet last season, returns along with senior Shannon Glynn and a host of junior varsity runners who will need to step up into the varsity spotlight. Ridgewood, also a traditional Bergen County power, returns four sub-21 minute runners and figures to contend again, but they must be wary of fellow Bergen group A member Northern Highlands, which finished 5th at the Bergen Meet of Champs last season and brings back their entire varsity lineup including three sophomores. Westwood and Indian Hills also return plenty of varsity experience and have the chance to contend in groups 2 and 3, respectively.
The dangerous Northern Highlands team will be led by junior Ariana North, who is the fastest Darlington returnee this year and threatens to end the four year streak of an IHA runner winning the Bergen individual title. North placed fourth at the meet a year ago, then went on to cap her season with a fine 5th place effort at the group 3 meet, followed by a respectable 36th at the Meet of Champions. Though her spring was certainly solid, North will look forward to hitting the trails and improving on her fast time of 18:49 at Darlington. She will have plenty of competition to push her in that regard, namely gifted Demarest junior Brittany Day, Strysko, and a strong group of incoming sophomores including Josette Norris of Tenafly, Deanna DiLandro of Ramapo, and Lindsay Lucas of Paramus. The duo of Ridgewood seniors Caroline Davidson and Hanako Shigenobu, along with Westwood junior Kim Oppenheim should all be in the mix.
With DePaul standout Alyssa LaGuardia finally out of her way, Eastern Christian’s Kristen Traub has the chance to add more success to her already stellar career. Traub was a distance running phenom even prior to her high school days, and now the senior returns as the odds-on Passaic county favorite and is also among the state’s top contenders. Traub was the 2009 Non-Public B girls champ, and last year finished a strong 12th in the Meet of Champions. After losing the Passaic County meet to LaGuardia and the Non-Public B race to Mount Saint Dominic frosh Amanda Corboserio in 2010, Traub not only hopes to recapture her 2009 titles but also put herself in the mix amidst the state’s top 10 runners. She will be joined near the front at Garrett Mountain by fellow Passaic County runners such as Pompton Lake’s Bailey Ott and Clifton’s Gabrielle Gonzaga, but odds are that no one will be beating Traub to the line. Traub won’t be the only story for Eastern Christian this fall as her team could be ready for one of its strongest seasons in quite some time. The entire group of varsity runners returns from a team that finished 2nd in Passaic County and 3rd in Non-Public group B. Sophomores Kayla Van Lenten and Kathryn Post were 7th and 8th in the county last year and could soon become premiere runners, while seniors Jessica Wisse and Kelly Sietsma along with junior Bethany Van Eck will be critical in helping the team contend for a state group title. Defending champion Clifton returns a terrific junior class led by Gonzaga, which should have support in making the Mustangs dangerous again. West Milford brings everyone back from last year’s young team which should be ready to make a leap toward the top of the county. Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills will be contenders once again.
In Hudson County, Saint Dominic Academy returns 6 out of 7 from last year’s county championship team and will be primed to repeat. They are led by senior Sarah Sisk and junior Raygiene Crespo, who are favorites for the individual title along with Dickinson senior Fawzia Kheir and Holy Family junior Caroline Gonzalez.
Note: NJRunners welcomes writer Matthew Murphy to the staff, specializing in North Jersey coverage. Murphy is a 2005 graduate of Ramsey HS, where he ran Cross Country & Track. Matt majored in Communications & Journalism at Villanova University. He remains an avid fan of New Jersey XC and Track & Field
