Westfield’s girls cross country season has come to an end, finishing a history-making run that included a North 2, Group 4 sectional championship victory for the first time since 2004.
The Blue Devils finished the season placing 13th in the Meet of Champions, 4th in the Group 4 Championship, 3rd in the conference championship and 1st in the sectional championship.
Through all of these achievements, the team believes that the sectional championship was its biggest accomplishment. “This hadn’t been done since 2004, and that was our goal all season long, starting back in July,” said senior Sonia Olson.
The team started off the season with a 4th-place finish in the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 1. Olson led the team with a 19th-place finish, along with Lina Wright coming in 28th and Bella Hill with a close 30th.
The Union County Conference Championship was the next meet, where the team finished 3rd in the Watchung Division with a total of 81 points. Olson led the team again finishing in 6th place followed by Hill in 15th and Wright in 20th. Sofia Gil, Emily Drennan and Catherine Collins finished in 23rd, 25th and 26th, respectively. The Blue Devils had a 20:56 average with a 2:54 1-5 split.
After this, the girls placed 3rd in the Union County Championship meet, with a 1:19 1-5 split and a 19:43 split. Olson guided this placing, finishing in 8th place. Following her was Collins in 19th, Stacey Salz in 22nd, Wright in 23rd, Hill in 26th, Drennan in 27th and Gil in 35th.
Though the team didn’t finish first, the athletes were still very proud of their performances. Salz said, “Even though not every race holds a PR, and people have off days, I think just going through the motions of the season and competing makes someone mentally stronger and more prepared for bigger competitions.”
Next race was the biggest one yet: the North 2, Group 4 sectional championship. “We came in with the mission to win, and I will not lie, most of us didn’t think it was gonna happen,” Salz said. The team won the meet for the first time in 18 years with a 2nd-place finish by Olson, 7th by Wright, 13th by Hill, 21st by Salz, 22nd by Collins and 32nd by Gil. Westfield finished with 65 points, edging out Hunterdon Central by 1 point.
“It meant a lot to us because no one on the team had ever done anything like it. It was even more meaningful because the Westfield boys won sectionals as well,” said Olson.
This sectional championship win didn’t come easy. The Blue Devils accomplished this with the help of the cross country program as a whole. From the JV team along the course with posters, to coach Joseph Berardi changing practices and the number of races, the support of everyone around the team allowed them to reach their full potential. “Girls that have graduated and some who have gone on to compete at the college level helped lay the foundation for this program,” said Berardi.
The next meet they had was the Group 4 Championship, where they placed 4th with 173 points and a 1:21 1-5 split. Olson finished in 26th followed by Wright in 40th and Hill in 44th.
The season came to a close on Nov. 12 with a 13th-place finish in the Meet of Champions. Hill finished in 120th following Wright in 86th and Olson in 37th. “I am so proud of the team for even making it to the Meet of Champions, which is already an amazing accomplishment,” Salz said.
One thing that was common among the seniors on the team was the connection they had between each other. “We are like one big family, running is something that we all can bond over. All the girls I’ve gone through seasons of track and cross country with since freshman year have become some of my best friends, so saying bye is going to be very difficult,” Salz said. Olson added, “Something I will miss the most about this team is our pasta dinners before meets. The night before sectionals, groups, and Meet of Champions we always ate dinner together.”
The Blue Devils look to continue their success in the coming years and in winter track, as most of the players will continue to run then. Though it is hard to say goodbye, Berardi said, “To be honest most of them do track so it’s not something that will hit me until they toe the line for the last time in the spring. They will always be remembered fondly for what they have achieved and the type of teammate they were.”
