Braves, Cougars, Colonials win cross-country titles
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
Of the three cross country division championships won this year by area schools, the least expected was the Freehold Borough girls.

Colts Neck's girls were the defending champions in A North and loaded again. Their win was expected.

Manalapan's boys, while perhaps not the favorites in A North, were at least serious contenders. But, it was Adrienne Skanes' who pulled off the unexpected by capturing the B North crown.

They had a solid returning nucleus from last year's 3-2 team led by proven veterans MacKenzie Roche and Laura Coyne.

It was the addition of two new harriers to the squad that put the team over the top. One was an exchange student from Sweden, Linnea Lord, and the other was Jessica Papirnik, a freshman who was one of three ninthgraders who made an impact in their first season. The others were Kara Gutcho and Alice Coyne.

Lord fit right in with the Colonials and has finished first or second in every race.

The first indication that the Colonials would be contenders came at the Cougar Invitational where they finished first in their division.

They followed that up with consistent dual-meet performances.

"The team improved during the season," said Skanes.

It was a one-point win over Matawan last month that paved the way for Freehold's eventual championship. The meet came down to Freehold's fifth runner Tina Furlong passing Matawan runners near the tape.

"She clinched it at the line," Skanes said of Furlong's finish.

The Colonials had to wait until Oct. 30 to finally win B North. They beat Wall, 15-50, to cap an undefeated (6-0) campaign. Roche, Lord, Papirnik, Furlong and Elise McGuire grabbed the first five places for the Colonials.

They were separated by only 1:02 with Roche clocking 21:12 and McGuire, 22:14.

Freehold had nine of the top 10 finishers at the Holmdel Park meet with Coyne in sixth, Kara Gutcho in seventh, Melissa Gutcho in eighth and Michele Mastriani in 10th.

Skanes said the Colonials' goal is to build on this year's championship and work toward making the team a traditional contender. They have the youth to do it.

For the Cougar girls, it was another perfect run through the dual-meet season. Colts Neck had put itself in the driver's seat way back in the first week of the season when the Cougars beat Howell, 23-32, but they had to play out the rest of the A North schedule before they could claim their sixth consecutive championship, winning seven in the last eight years.

In a quad meet at Holmdel Park last month, Colts Neck defeated Freehold Township, 19-44, Middletown North, 19- 45 and Manalapan, 15-50, to finish the season at 6-0 and win the division championship.

Allison Linnell was first to cross the line in 19:49, beating North's Kristen Johnson (20:21) and Freehold Township's Janel Parker (20:29).

Following the top three was a parade of Cougar green and blue, Allison Donaghy (20:47), Rachel Morris (21:05), Jessica Fasano (21:38) and Erin Donaghy Erin Donaghy (21:39) finished fourth through seventh place.

Colts Neck did not have an easy romp through the dual-meet season. Injuries prevented Joe Lykes' Cougars from fielding their full lineup throughout the season. The team's top runner, Briana Jackucewicz, didn't really start her season until the Monmouth County Championships. Yet, the Cougars overcame all those obstacles to retain their A North title.

More than ever, the Cougars relied on their depth and it was a tribute to a large stable of runners that they were undefeated once again. Runners like Stephanie Olenik, Morgan Clark, Allie Flott and Alyssa Morgan all contributed to the championship.

Manalapan's boys won their third consecutive Freehold Regional District title on Oct. 4, and this year the Braves were looking to add the A North title to their résumé.

"One of our goals was to win A North," said coach Bill Hagen. "Our juniors have stepped up. We really improved as a team. They did a lot of summer training."

At the same quad meet that the Colts Neck girls closed out their title run, the Manalapan boys seized control by beating Colts Neck, 23-37, Freehold Township, 27-32 and Middletown North, 19-40. Manalapan's Robby Andrews won the race in 17:01, ahead of Colts Mark Leininger (17:04) and Freehold Township's Eric Dynarski (17:31). Colts Neck and Freehold Township would both have their second runner home before Manalapan's No. 2. Then, Manalapan's pack took over. When Matt Gabor (18:10), Eric Tymezak (18:14) and Ryan McGilvray (18:14) finished one after another, the Braves were on the way. Gary Sparapani, the team's fifth runner, sealed the victory.

The coronation, however, had to wait until Oct. 24 with a trimeet against Howell and Marlboro in Manalapan. When the Braves beat Howell, 23-36, and Marlboro, 15-50, they had the A North crown all to themselves.

Jon Nagel was the Braves' fourth runner, finishing sixth overall (17:38). Andrews was first to the line in 16:45.

Manalapan closed out the dual-meet season with a 6-1 record.