There is no cross country meet in New Jersey more anticipated and more prestigious than the Meet of Champions. Only the fastest runners from the most competitive high schools are allowed to compete, leading to a high intensity and unforgettable race. For Westfield, senior Anna Kylish and sophomore Anna Youssef toed the line on Nov. 16 at Holmdel Park and hoped to make their mark on history.
Going into the race, head coach Joseph Berardi made the race plan clear. “For both of them, [their goal was to] run a personal record. They have an outside shot of being top 20 and getting on the podium,” said Berardi.
With this in mind, both girls took off towards the opening hill, where they hoped to position themselves well for the remainder of the race. Through the second mile and going up The Bowl they stuck with the upper pack, trying to stay in contention for a good finish. Going into the backwoods, both girls passed anyone in their sight, knowing that every second would matter if they wanted to set personal records.
As she has for the majority of the season, Kylish finished first for the Blue Devils. Although the stakes were high, she came through the line in a time of 19:29, over 15 seconds faster than last week at the Group 4 Championship. Her outstanding race was enough to get her 24th place, an incredible feat in such a talented field. Since this was only Kylish’s second cross country season, she said, “I felt super grateful to make it this far.”
Youssef followed closely behind Kylish for a majority of the race, and snuck just under the 20 minute mark in a time of 19:59. Her effort was enough to get her 52nd place amongst the top girls in the state. “Overall, I felt pretty good [during the race],” said Youssef. “My strategy was to not go out too fast so I can feel good at the end.”
Although the girls had an incredibly successful season, they have even bigger goals for winter track. After falling short in the North 2, Group 4 Sectional meet to Ridge last winter by just 5 points, and by only 3 points this cross country season, they look to tackle winter with a vengeance.
After looking at the results, Berardi has a new goal set for this winter season and if accomplished, would make history. Berardi said, “We want to win the section for the first time ever.”
