"Core Four" to lead RBC
By: John Healy
With the top three runners from the Red Bank Catholic’s 2011 Non Public "A" champion team graduated, the Caseys will now turn to a core of underclassmen to lead them in 2012. Four of their top seven runners are sophomores, which head coach Rob DeFilippis described as both “good and bad.”
“My approach is that we’re going to get there by November,” DeFilippis said. “We’re not going to force anything early. I think we’re going to be in the conversation of a top 10 team in New Jersey. How much better beyond that will be a question of how much and how quickly they mature.”
Mary Kate McNamara, Eryn Mills, Gracie Eckstein, and Emily Rienzo are the returning sophomores, all with the top four returning times on the team. And just because they are all sophomores, does not mean they are lacking the experience.
All four of them ran at the varsity level last year as freshmen, including in county and conference meets, and three of the four competed in the Meet of Champions.
“It’s not like it’s a foreign concept to them,” DeFilippis said. “We’re not just saying last year you ran freshman only and now you have to come in and do this. I think they’re going to handle it pretty well, but sometimes with young kids you don’t know.”
Senior Kassie Chrysanthopoulos also indicated confidence in the large group of underclassmen. “We have a lot of new freshman and rising sophomores that contributed a lot last season and we expect them to contribute again this season and win states,” Chrysanthopoulos said.
Along with Chrysanthopoulos, senior Mary Kate Dooley and juniors Kelly Mulvaney and Eileen Byrne will aim to provide leadership and depth.
“We have a lot of rising sophomores,” McNamara said. “But we’ll be led well by our seniors.”
Ultimately, DeFilippis is encouraged by what he sees, not only for this season, but down the road too. “I think we’re a year away from being really good,” DeFilippis said. “This year is like a bonus year. This is one of our deepest teams and we’re certainly capable of putting five in the top 20. And if we can keep that pack together, it will be hard to beat.”