Jackucewicz, Higginson top All-District team
Parker, Hand, Rome among other select harriers
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Colts Neck’s Ashley Higginson (center) spent a lot of time beating runners to the line this fall, landing her a well-deserved spot on the All-District team.

Rarely are high expectations fulfilled, let alone exceeded.But that was the case for girls cross country in the Freehold Regional High School District in 2005.

Back in September, before the first race was even run, the potential for 2005 to be an unforgettable one was there. Briana Jackucewicz was joining Ashley Higginson at Colts Neck to give them the best duo in the state and make the Cougars automatic contenders. Both Howell and Freehold Township were loaded.

As the season was to play out, Colts Neck wasn’t just good, but great. The Cougars won the State Group III title, finished second at the Meet of Champions and were ranked 16th in the country. Along the way they claimed the Monmouth County, Shore Conference and Central Jersey Group III titles, and turned in fourth-fastest team average in state history at Holmdel Park, 19:22.0.

Jackucewicz and Higginson were everything expected of them, running-one two in every state race up the MOC, where they were third and seventh, respectively.

Howell repeated as the Shore Conference A North Division champion and won the Freehold District title as well. John Hein’s Rebels fulfilled their season-long goal of qualifying for the MOC by finishing third at the Group IV meet. They went on to finish sixth at the MOC earning the recognition that should have come their way much sooner.

Freehold Township was right behind the Rebels at every meet and lost just one dual meet, to Howell, for the A North title. The Patriots were ranked in the top 20 in the state all year.

These three outstanding teams rule the News Transcript’s 2005 All-Freehold Regional District Team. Higginson and Jackucewicz are joined by teammates Allison and Erin Donaghy, Howell’s Kellee Hand and Lauren Rome and Freehold Township’s Janel Parker and Charlotte Walsh. This is the strongest All-District Team in history as they rewrote the all-time Holmdel Park record book.

No one has come into their freshman year with the pressure that Jackucewicz had on her shoulders. A national record holder (for the indoor 5K), the expectations ranged from those who expected her to be a four-time state champion, breaking records with every step she took, to those who felt that she had overraced as a youngster and would burn out.

What we got from the her was probably the finest freshman season ever turned in by a state runner. She would erase no less a name than Haddonfield’s Erin Donohue from the Holmdel Park record books, breaking the former state champion’s frosh record by lowering it to 18:20.

Jackucewicz and Higginson ran as a tandem for most of the season, with Higginson winning the county title, and Jackucewicz the Central Jersey Group III and State Group III championships.

At the MOC, Jackucewicz ran her 18:20 and finished third. The finest race of her budding career was the following week at the Foot Locker Northeast Region, where she ran 18:01 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., and finished seventh, earning a trip to the Foot Locker national championships on Saturday. She is not only one of the state’s finest, but one of the country’s as well.

In other trips out of state she was second at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University behind Warwick, N.Y.’s Aislinn Ryan, the 2004 national champion, and sixth at the Eastern States, running Van Cortlandt Park’s 2.5-mile layout in 14:51.8.

Higginson, who was the only returning starter on Colts Neck’s team, played a key role as team leader. She also excelled, backing up her superb sophomore year with an even better one in ’05, beginning with a fourth place at the Paul Short and fifth place at the Eastern States at VCP, running 14:48.8. She won the Monmouth County championship and had her finest race of the year at the Shore Conference, where, although she finished third, she became the District’s fastest runner at Holmdel Park, shattering the record with her 18:10 that stands as the seventh fastest time ever run in state history.

She was second at the Central Jersey and State Group III meets and seventh at the MOC. She finished her year with a 16th at the Northeast Region.

There’s a real possibility that Higginson and Jackucewicz will both join the exclusive sub-18:00 club at Holmdel Park next year that currently has just six members. If they can do it, Colts Neck will be the only school with two harriers to do it. Right now, they stand as the fastest tandem in state history with their 18:15 average.

Parker quietly went about establishing herself as one of the up-and-coming stars in the state. The sophomore backed up a promising freshman year with a record-setting sophomore year. She started back in September with a win at the Battle of Monmouth in the Sophomore Division. She won the Freehold District title, which was the start of a string of outstanding results in championship races. She was third in the county, ninth in the conference, third in Central Jersey Group IV, ninth at the State Group IV championships and 17th at the MOC, the best result ever for a Patriot harrier. By season’s end she had lowered her Holmdel Park school record to 19:06, ranking her fourth all-time in the District. She should join the very elite sub-19:00 club next fall.

Hand had a remarkable career at Howell. A winner of Central Jersey and Freehold District championships, she will best be remembered for her leadership. The Rebels were her team, and she led by example. She never let injuries dampen her spirit or interfere with the team goal of getting Howell to the top. During her four years, Howell won three A North titles, including the last two straight and lost just one dual meet. The Rebels won the Monmouth County title (first one in school history) and three Freehold Regional District crowns. The biggest achievement was finishing sixth in the state. Howell is now on the cross country map.

With her injuries behind her, Hand put together a very strong season that included a 19th place at the Great America Cross County Festival in North Carolina, second place at the District meet, sixth in Monmouth County, 12th in the conference, ninth in Central Jersey IV and a 23rd at the State Group IV championships. Her best mark of the season at Holmdel was 19:43.

Rome was the discovery of the season and the difference maker for the Rebels. All that was missing for Howell when the season started was to find that fifth runner and sophomore Rome was not only that, but more. By November, she was the team’s No. 1. Not bad for someone who was competing in gymnastics last fall.

As expected, Rome started the season slowly, but by November, was running personal bests all the time at Holmdel Park. She eventually posted a 19:27, which was good enough for 24th at the MOC and second all-time at Howell behind only Lindsey Gallo. Rome was fourth in the District, 13th at the county, 17th in the Shore Conference, seventh in CJ and 10th at Group IV state meet.

She could join Parker in the sub-19:00 club next year.

Jackucewicz and Higginson deservedly grabbed the headlines in 2005, but if it weren’t for the Donaghy twins, the Cougars would not have won the state championship and dominated like they did. The sophomores adjusted well to competing under pressure, and were a big reason the Cougars could come up with results they did and have such a bright future. Both dipped under 20:00 this year with Erin posting a 19:43, and Allison, 19:52.

Allison was 10th in the county, 21st in the conference, 10th in the Central Jersey, 25th in State Group III and 40th at the MOC. Her Holmdel Park personal best was 19:52.

Erin was 16th in the county, 16th in the conference, ninth in CJ III and 20th in the State Group III. She had a pb of 19:47.

The state record for team average will be in jeopardy next fall with the constant improvement that the Donaghys have displayed.

Overshadowed by teammate Parker, Walsh took steps toward becoming one of the state’s best. The junior was third at the District championships, 14th in the county, 11th in the Shore Conference eighth in Central Jersey and 17th in the Group IV. She earned a wild card to the MOC where the junior and had a pb of 19:40. Look for her to move up on the Holmdel Park all-time list next year.

With Hand the only girls graduating from the outstanding group of harriers, 2006 promises another rewriting of the Holmdel Park record book.

Those earning Honorable Mention in 2006 are: Kristen O’Dowd, Allison Linnell and Alexandra Flott, Colts Neck; Megan Patterson, Freehold Borough; Jenna Brock and Allyson Moskal, Freehold Township; Lindsey Lambert, Lauren Wiemken and Sarah Nelson, Howell; Kendal Seawright, Manalapan; and Erica Weitz, Marlboro.