Early Results On a night that saw persistant rain and muddy course conditions, there were still some steller performances in the Randolph Invitational at Freedom Park. It did not take Eastern Christian freshman Kristen Traub long to make a great first impression. The diminutive frosh took the early lead and never gave it up as she took the Girls Group 1 race in 19:06. Her time is the #20 All time mark on the Freedom Park course. Runner up in the race was Caitlin Hudson of Bronxville (NY) in 19:44. The Start of the Girls Group 1 race at the Randolph Invitational Full Results Photo Gallery Continued...Click on Headline 39103773310}-->
Coverage
New York XC tends to start a little slower than the rest of the country. I look around at most other states and they have all of these huge early season meets, while in NY, most teams haven't even opened up yet while others are going to some smaller meets scattered around the state.
Randolph / Knight Invitationals Kick Off 2008 XC Season At appprox. 6:00pm on Friday the curtain on the 2008 NJ High school Cross Country season will raise and it promises to be an exciting one. The Randolph Invitational at Freedom Park will fire the first gun of the year, as the new season starts. * Randolph Invitational When: Friday 9/12. First race @ 6pm Where: Freedom Park. Randolph NJ Distances: Varsity / JV- 5000m Freshmen - 2655m On Site Coverage by NJRunners Randolph has become the traditional season opener over the years with its Friday night, under the lights format. The meet has been held, with the exception of a rained out 2006, since 1995. It has a festive atmosphere on a spectator friendly course that is fair and fast. The meet also offers an Inter-state flavor with a smattering of New York squads in the mix. This year's edition offers some interesting early season matchups. In the Boys Group 2 race, preseason #2 Morris Hills will debut their 2008 squad against, among others, Red Bank Catholic, a team that should contend for the Non-Public A title in November. Although the racing will most likely be restrained, the front pack is sure to include Sean Poherance and Liam Tansy of Morris Hills and the RBC duo of Bobby McGann and Kevin Byrne. The Girls Group 3 event will see preseason #2s Ridge and Immaculate Heart Academy, #6 RBC, and a highly regarded but unranked Rrandolph squad.. * Knight XC Invitational When: Saturday 9/13. First Race @ 8am Where: West Windsor-Plainsboro North HS Distances: All Races 2 Miles On Site Coverage by NJRunners In it's second year of existance, this short course, class race formatted event is gaining a reputation as a well run event on a flat, fast course that is very fan friendly. With a knowledgable announcer and a schedule that gives everyone time to reset for each race, this meet will continue to build in popularity. The 2nd annual "Knight" boasts some very good teams with the talent spread out over the different Class races. Photo: Shaun Foley (L) and Tyler Corkdale (R) duke it out over the last 100 meters in the Junior Race at the 2007 Knight Invitational Courtesy of: PM Photographic