Youth Carries RBC to Monmouth County Championship
The Red Bank Catholic girls regained the Monmouth County Championship title on Tuesday at Holmdel Park, the same title that was taken away from them by Rumson-Fair Haven last year.
“It’s good to bring it back,” head coach Rob DeFilippis said. But RBC is not like most championship teams. This group is led by four sophomores and one senior, making them one of the youngest varsity teams not only in the Shore Conference, but in the state. “I call us the ‘core four,’” sophomore Eryn Mills said. Mills, Mary Kate McNamara, Gracie Eckstein, and Emily Rienzo comprise the ‘core four.’ They have all been in the team’s top five along with senior Kassi Chrysanthopoulus. And it has been Mills who has established herself as the team’s No. 1, being the top finisher for RBC in Shore Coaches and Monmouth County. “It’s really just a great experience to carry the team,” Mills said.
During the Monmouth County Championship, Mills ran a 19:40 and finished seventh. McNamara followed in 12th and 19:48 while senior Kassi Chrysanthopoulus, Rienzo, and Eckstein finished 15th, 22, and 27th, respectively. The top five averaged 20:14—the third fastest team average at Holmdel so far this season. “I think this is another big, big step for us,” DeFillipis said. “Shore Coaches was a big step, this was a big step, and we’ll continue to go up the ladder hopefully.”
While these girls have experience racing in big meets, including Meet of Champions, the Monmouth County Championship was the first title the ‘core four’ have won together. “We did great, everyone was PR’ing, the experience has just been great,” Mills said. “We kind of shocked everybody. We thought we could win, we just knew it’d be difficult.” DeFillipis said that taking the county title is the beginning of continuing a tradition at Red Bank Catholic for this group of girls. “They’re getting the opportunity to be a part of something and continue that tradition,” DeFillipis said.
As for the girls, their focus remains on 2012, but the possibilities for the future seem endless. “It’s exciting,” McNamara said. “I’m just looking forward how this season and the next couple years turn out.”
Monmouth County Championships Meet Page
Cover Photo by: Shannon Gillespie