Sports
Holmdel Girl's Cross-Country Has High Expectations
The Holmdel girl's cross-country team is aiming to get back to the Meet of Champions with a handful of youthful talent.
The Holmdel girl’s cross-country team has not qualified for the Meet of Champions since 2008, but the team is eyeing a return for the 2012 season.
Senior Lennon Cooper and sophomore Marin Warner both said they want the team to qualify for the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park on Nov. 17 and both have demonstrated to be a threat on the course early on.
At last Friday’s meet at Ocean County Park, Warner won the sophomore race with the second-fastest time of the meet, 18:51, while Cooper finished second in the senior race with the third-fastest time, 19:06.
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“It’s huge to have them up there, and the time’s they’re running,” head coach Kaci Redding said. “The key for them is that you know they always come through, so you know you have that solid two in the front.”
Redding added that it will be important for the rest of the pack to move up because that their third best runner from last year graduated.
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“(Losing) our third runner is going to have an impact on the team,” Redding said. “We’re talking about who is going to step up in that position. We had a lot of young girls who had phenomenal spring seasons so I think we’ll have someone come up and fill that spot.”
Some of the candidates Redding said that could step up are juniors Irene Garidas, Gina Delio, and Lindsey Conlan.
Redding held Wednesday’s practice at Holmdel Park, which is just down the street from Holmdel High School and the site of many of the important meets during the season.
Redding likes the fact that the team can train at the state championship course whenever they want.
“It’s nice, a lot of teams from the area come here and use this park to train but the girls know this park in and out, they know where to pick up it up,” Redding said. “I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage for us but it’s definitely I nice thing to have just down the road.”
The next meet the varsity team will compete in is the Shore Conference Divisional Meet on Oct. 2 at Holmdel Park.
Other key meets the team has at Holmdel Park are the Monmouth County Championship on Oct. 16 and the Group II Championship on Nov. 10.
