After rain all night into the pre dawn hours, the sky at Holmdel Park is cloudy yt bright. The Shore Coaches Invitational is on with undrcless races leading up to the Boys "F" Race. Varsity racing starts in a few minutes. Keep coming backs for results, etc and be sure to check out Lambert and Bevensee and their previews when our video uploads.
The first 2 Boys Varsity races ae ovr and we have
"F" - Tom Hennessey of Peddie @ 16:45 / Peddie gets the team win with 32 points
"E" - Stephen Lewandowski cruiss to a 21 scond win in 16:21 and Walkill Valley with 50 points gets the team win
"D" - Nick Costello of Delsea gets the "D" title, winning in 16:30 Red Bank Catholic wins, scoring 117 points.
Next up are the Girls F/E/D races
The "F" race goes to Kelly Bailey of Peddie. Bailey wins in 19:33 as Gill St. Bernads scores 68 points for the win
In the Girls "E" Race, bernards Dana Giordano makes it two wins in as many weeks with a 18;46 (un) performance.
The afternoon Varsity races get underway with the Boys C race where Hightstown soph Luke Dermoday scores with a 16:45 mark. Princton HS who ran well last week at Garret wins the team title with 86 points.
Blake Udland (Millburn) is the first runner to go under 16 min as he wins the "B" race in 15:52 over Jon Harper of Phillipsburg (15:54).
In the very next race, Tim Ball (Piscataway) powers to a 15:39 victory in the A race.
You can find everything you'll need to prepare for and enjoy the biggest cross country invitational in the state here at NJRunners.com
Starting with:
NJRunners Home Page for the Shore Coaches Invitational
Start Lists
Animated Course Map
Parking Instructions
Link to Directions
NWS Weather Forecast for Holmdel
We will be posting highlights and results as we get them and hopefully have some audio and video interviews with Runners and Coaches.
Holmdel Park Video Course Tour Courtesy of Jim Schlentz and TheTrackShow.com
Jim Lambert's and Rich Bevensee's Race Previews
Girls Championship Race (2:55pm)
Girls "A" Division Race (4:15pm)
Girls "B" Division Race(3:55pm)
Boys Championship Race (3:15pm)
Boys "D/E/F" Division Races (10:50am/10:30am/10:10am)
Matt Murphy looks at the North Jersey Entries
2011 Shore Coaches Invitational- North Jersey Preview
The time has come for this year’s edition of the Shore Coaches meet, the midseason barometer for many of the state’s best teams and individuals. We finally start to get a real sense of where all the contenders are in their training and conditioning, as some great head to head match-ups will take place on the trails of esteemed Holmdel Park. The meet is the largest in the state in terms of entry numbers, and gives coaches the chance to introduce their teams to Holmdel, where many of them hope to end up running in November at the state championship races. North Jersey runners are expected to be right in the thick of the action Saturday, so let’s take a race by race look at who hopes to succeed against some of the state’s toughest competition.
Boys Varsity A: The only local team entered in this large school race is Hackensack, but the Comets are likely to find themselves in the mix if they run at full strength. Before skipping last weekend’s Passaic Coaches meet, Hackensack had a strong debut at the Season Opener at Darlington. Behind senior leader John Pujols, the Comets feature an excellent pack including seniors Cosmo Nardozza and Carlos Coronado, along with junior Angel Uzhca. If those three can run below 17:30 on Holmdel’s tough layout, Hackensack should not finish too far behind other group 4 powers. NJ #4 Westfield will not be at full strength due to the SATs, while North Hunterdon, Hillsborough, Mendham, Freehold Township and South Brunswick all have a shot at coming out on top in a very close race.
Girls Varsity A: Hackensack is also entered here, but the lady Comets don’t have the depth or strength of their male counterparts. Senior Oni Obelle has been running well up front, but the Comets haven’t fielded a full team at an invitational yet this season. Hackensack is the only local entry, but the race should see a terrific battle between some of the state’s best especially Hillsborough, Cherokee and Randolph.
Boys Varsity B: The story of this entire race is Ridgewood, as the Maroons look to have the best chance of any North Jersey team at winning a title. Frontrunner Levi Jennings has yet to have a big race this season, and he looks to bounce back from a subpar race at Bowdoin to put himself in the mix at Holmdel. He hopes to contend amongst a loaded front group of Piscataway’s Tim Ball, Millburn’s Blake Udland , Phillipsburg’s Jon Harper and the Shawnee duo of Connor Herr and Pete Murray. While Jennings leads the charge, it’s the pack running of Nick Salamone, Will Ades and Travis Spicer that has really strengthened Ridgewood this season. The Maroons will have to hold off challenges from Ridge, Millburn and Memorial if they are to earn their first major win of the season.
Girls Varsity B: The Ridgewood girls hope to join their boys teammates in coming home with a trophy on Saturday. Provided that they run a full team, the lady Maroons look to be a slight favorite here but will find themselves in a tight one against very tough teams in Ridge, Moorestown and Morris Knolls. Freshman Catherine Pagano has been a sensation already for Ridgewood, and she hopes to continue her stellar season here as she is a dark horse for the individual crown. Tenafly will also make an appearance in the race, with number 1 Josette Norris hoping to find herself near the front of the race.
Boys Varsity C: There have been mixed reports on whether or not Pascack Valley star Ben Malone will be running in this one. After winning the C race at the Six Flags Invitational, Malone said himself that he would probably be skipping the Shore Coaches meet. Although Malone is off to nice start this season with a pair of close invitational victories, he was affected last week by a throat infection and likely has not yet reached top level fitness. If he does make an appearance, Malone should be in the midst of a hot race with Harrison Brakewood of Voorhees and Matt Nelson of Barnegat, although neither of them are definites either. On the team side, Indian Hills has reloaded and is riding high right now, coming off a win at Great Adventure. They should contend once again here, but must be at their best in order to defeat the likes of Princeton, Voorhees and Delaware Valley. A host of other North Jersey teams will compete, including Pascack Valley, Paramus, Old Tappan, Demarest, Northern Highlands and Ramapo.
Girls Varsity C: In a field loaded with North Jersey teams, it’s Northern Highlands that stands out as the strongest contender, with Ariana North looking to put herself at the front of the pack. She may be the favorite to win an individual title, but the Highlanders will have to counter a strong Princeton squad as well as Bergen County foes Old Tappan and Holy Angels to come away with gold. If North’s teammates, including her sister Karina, can close the gap behind her, Northern Highlands will have a very good shot of coming out on top. Indian Hills, Ramapo, Paramus and Pascack Valley are also in the race.
Boys Varsity D: If NJ #10 Pope John has moved over to the championship race, Ramsey has a good chance of breaking out of its silver medal hex and earning its first invitational win this season. The Rams have looked very good in taking second to two New York powers over the past two weeks, and now may find themselves as the slightest favorite over a very balanced field. Ramsey has been powered by the strong duo of Chris Eltringham and Erik Buser. The two have flip flopped at the number one spot this season, but it was Eltringham who nearly stole the C race at Six Flags from Harrison Brakewood. Both runners figure to be part of a large front pack in this one, led by Allen Eke of Union Catholic, Rob Napolitano of Red Bank Catholic and Nick Costello of Delsea. If it’s pack can back up the frontrunners, Ramsey may come out on top over the likes of Red Bank Catholic, Union Catholic, Cranford, Chatham and Delsea.
Girls Varsity D: North Jersey hopes are slim here as only Ramsey and Demarest are entered. Ramsey features a team with no strong frontrunners this season, and could use this race as a building block for the season as several new runners will test Holmdel for the first time. Juniors Kaitlyn Johnston and Jacqueline Clinton lead the way. Demarest’s Brittany Day could finish high if she has regained her strength.
Boys Varsity E: Several teams are entered here, but none really stand out as contenders in this large field. Lyndhurst could be a threat for the top 3, as Daniel Gaspar leads the way. Park Ridge-Emerson also may fair well behind Alex Triana, and Hasbrouck Heights, Pascack Hills, Leonia and Westwood look for strong performances.
Girls Varsity E: This race should be quite exciting as Group 1 power Mountain Lakes clashes with Haddonfield, Mount Saint Dominic Academy and Bernards, but North Jersey teams will be on the outside looking in. Westwood could finish near the top if they are healthy, and Park Ridge-Emerson, Pascack Hills, Lyndhurst, Leonia and Hasbrouck Heights will also race.
Boys Varsity F: Palisades Park and McNair Academy are the only local teams entered.
Girls Varsity F: Palisades Park and Dwight Englewood are the local entries as Eastern Christian will not be making the trip.