After being ranked sixth in the state by nj.milesplit.com, the girls cross country team had a reputation to uphold at the Bernie Magee Memorial Class Meet on Saturday.
The challenges began with the style of racing that class meets entail. Instead of having the top five fastest girls on both Varsity and JV score and contribute, the top three girls from each grade level would need to score, resulting in girls from all grade levels needing to step up and rise to the occasion in order to have success.
With this in mind, the Juniors kicked off the day with a bang in the 5000 meter, led by junior Vanessa Larkin, as she clocked a time of 21:16, which was an unbelievable 80 seconds faster than her previous personal best. “I went out a little too fast,” admitted Larkin, which can often happen when much of the first mile is downhill. “But I made sure to stay in it and not give up.”
After setting a positive tone, the Seniors were the next group to rise to the occasion. Although it is only her second season running cross country, senior Anna Kylish proved herself to be one of the fastest runners of the day, placing 7th in a field of 180 girls, with a blistering time of 19:45. Seniors Emma Pranke and Emily Drennan were the second and third seniors to score, with times of 20:35 and 21:52, which was enough to get them second in the team scores out of a field of 32 schools.
After many impressive performances, the Sophomores were the next grade to toe the line and continue the Blue Devil’s streak of success. Even though the temperature had risen since the earlier races, sophomores Violet Hughes and Kayla Yip were still able to run exceptional times, both clocking in under the 23 minute mark. Sophomore Eevie Charles would round out their scoring with a time of 23:44.
As the day was coming to an end, all eyes were on the next generation of Blue Devils, as the gun went off for the Freshmen 3600 meter race. Although shorter than the previous 5000 meter races, the intensity was just as high, and the Blue Devils put on a show. Despite getting buried in the field of over 170 girls, freshmen Natalie Salzano, Oriana Soloway, and Evangeline Van Brunt put together a team effort to remember, running times of 14:52, 14:54 and 15:02. All three of them were also able to run within 10 seconds of each other, which is a sign of a good and well-rounded team. After all placing in the top 20, their victory became evident, as they captured a landslide victory, winning by over 29 points. Solzano remarked that she feels really proud of her race, and she hopes that “I can keep running in meets and get progressively better.”
Although the race was divided by class, that did not stop Westfield from coming together as one team and supporting each other throughout the race. “It’s so motivating seeing our team spread all over the course and cheering us on,” said Kylish after the race.
Even after many major personal records and stellar performances, the team still has its eyes set on bigger goals for the rest of the season. Head coach Joseph Berardi stated that not only does he have his eyes set on winning the section for the third year in a row but, “I think winning the group should be one of the goals. We were only 21 points out last year.”
The Blue Devils look to continue their winning streak at the Shore Coaches Invitational on October 5 at Holmdel Park,
