Colts give first glimpse at Shore Coaches meet
Expectations are high for state’s top-ranked team
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Chris Horel (above) and Justin Wheat (l) are just two of several outstanding runners who return this year to help the Colts in their pursuit of a national championship. The Colts entered the season ranked fifth in the nation and are hoping to earn a return trip to the Nike Team Nationals.

The Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) cross country team has been laying low this fall.

However, it’s hard to stay out of sight when you are ranked No. 5 in the country and No. 2 in the Northeast Region.

Tom Heath’s Colts, the top team in the state, will make their 2005 debut on Saturday at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park. It is the first time this year that the team’s top seven runners will be in action at what is the first big meet, statewide, of the season.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff

There is a very good reason for CBA’s late start this fall — namely the Nike Team Nationals (NTN) outside Portland, Ore., Dec. 3. The team championship made its debut last year and CBA finished 11th. With their top four runners returning, the Colts have every intention of returning to the championships and is the big reason why they are ranked No. 5 in the nation.

With the national meet stretching the season into December instead of the third week in November, Heath made the decision to start CBA’s competitive year later. He avoided running his top harriers in dual meets (CBA has done just fine extending its national record for consecutive wins with a 4-0 mark) and used the month of September for added training.

“If you run a race, you lose four days of training,” he said. “The two days before the race, race day and the day after.”

Having competed at the NTN last year, the Colts know the course and know they have to run differently.

“It’s a hard course to play catchup on,” Heath said. “We have to learn to get out fast and push the pace.”

The Colts are more than ready to shake off the racing dust and get at it on Saturday, but Heath knows the delayed start will have an impact on his team’s performance at Holmdel.

“The first race won’t be perfect,” he said. “There will be some flaws, we’ll make some mistakes. By the second race, we should be OK.”

That second race will be the Manhattan Invitational at New York City’s famed Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Oct. 8.

There is every reason to believe this could be a very special year for the Colts. The lineup is stacked. Seniors Chris Horel, Kevin Rogers, Justin Wheat and Greg Leach have vast national experience and were CBA’s top four runners at the Meet of Champions last year. Horel, the Parochial A state champion, finished fifth at the Meet of Champions, earning First Team All-State honors. He ran a 16:07 at Holmdel and should join the select group of runners who have broke 16:00 at the park.

“Chris Horel looks incredible,” said Heath, who doesn’t dish out praise lightly.

The Colts lineup was made more formidable by the addition of sophomore Brendon Pierson, who has cracked through to the top five already. In the spring, he broke the state freshman record for 800 meters. The potential is there and he has not had any trouble handling the longer 5,000-meter distance.

Mike Lee, a senior, and juniors Anthony Pellegrino (top seven last year), Chris Lombardi and Taylor Zorski are vying for the sixth and seventh spots on the team.

These Colts have already made a name for themselves by breaking the school’s time trial records. Saturday, they get to show their wares for the first time.

Despite the lofty ranking, Heath is very much aware that his team hasn’t qualified for the Nike Team Nationals.

“We’re not there yet,” he said.

To qualify, the Colts have to be ranked first or second in the Northeast Region, and if not, they must try and get in via the wild-card route that goes to four teams from across the nation. For the NTN, the country is divided into eight regions with the top two teams filling 16 spots. The final four are open to wild cards.

CBA’s biggest test will be Oct. 8 at Van Cortlandt Park. The region’s top-ranked team, New York state’s Fayetteville-Manlius is expected to be there.

“I have to make sure that they are ready to go at Manhattan,” Heath said. “That is the key.”

Rocket teams perform well at Cougar Invitational

The third annual Cougar Invitational, held at Bucks Mill Park in Colts Neck, proved to be quite a showcase for three of the top cross country stars in the state — all of whom just happen to be members of the Colts Neck program.

Junior Craig Forys, junior Ashley Higginson and the superb freshman Brianne Jackucewicz proved to be as good as advertised, dusting the field in their respective races.

Forys started the season, a season he plans on concluding with an MOC title, running a 15:56 to win the boys large school race. He was the only runner under 16:00 on the Buck Mill Park layout, and was followed by Brick Memorial’s Andrew Brodeur (16:12) and a trio of East Brunswick harriers.

Soreness in his hip delayed Forys’ season debut until the Cougar Invitational and the state champion at 1,600 meters showed that he’s still ahead of the pack.

“I was hurting pretty good,” said the Cougar junior. “It was my first race back and it was great getting that feeling back.”

Meanwhile, the girls large school race was dominated by the duo of Jackucewicz and Higginson.

As Jackucewicz, the highly touted Colts Neck freshman, and teammate Higginson, last year’s indoor Meet of Champions (MOC) 3,200-meter champion, shadowed each other, they gave everyone a preview of what to expect in cross county in 2005. They are probably the best tandem in the state.

Saturday, they didn’t break a sweat as both dipped under Higginson’s 2004 meet and course record (18:52).

The win went to Jackucewicz in 18:42, with Higginson backing off at the line to place second (18:43).

Jackucewicz and Higginson led an impressive effort by the Cougar girls, who won the Large School championship handily, 27-92, over Paramus with Brick Township third (117).

In the small school races, the Raritan High School harriers performed well, with the boys claiming fourth place and the girls third.

Junior James Curran was the top finisher for the boys, crossing the line in 17:53, good for 11th place overall.

Manchester’s Alexander Cuesta won the race in 16:44, setting the pace for his team’s win with 41 points.

Next to finish for the Rockets was senior Elias Roman (18:27, 19th place), followed by junior Anthony Mazza (18:50, 27th) and sophomore Ryan Milligan (18:51, 28th).

As for the Raritan girls, they were led by junior Christina Altland’s third-place finish in 19:45, which was well behind the first two finishers, Samantha Stadt (18:54) and Michelle Farrell (19:37) of Pearl River.

Senior Jennifer Curran also ran well, taking sixth place with a time of 19:54. She was followed by junior Allison Murphy (22:23, 25th), junior Michelle Rost (22:43, 28th), senior Christine French (23:45, 38th), and freshmen Hannah Fulton (23:50, 39th) and Briann Lentine (23:54, 40th).

As a team, Raritan scored 96 points, well behind winner Pearl River (28) and second-place Red Bank Catholic (47).