Cross Country Season in Review: A Year of Succisa Virescit

This cross country season was a year to remember, for more reasons than one. After the immense success the team experienced last year in 2016, there was a strong desire to not only meet that standard, but exceed it. We had a strong returning core, including senior captains Ira Daly, Brendan Lawlor, and myself (Jack Looney) and talented underclassmen Stephen Daly and Harrison Vives. To top it off, we had many dedicated JV and Freshman athletes. With all of this experience and drive at our disposal, that lofty goal seemed to be well within reach.

However, unlike last year, the injury bug bit early and often, and many times in season-ending fashion. Over the course of the first month and a half of the season alone, the green wave had almost ten inured athletes, including Finn Gannon (arm), S. Daly (anemia), Derek Lattman (ankle), Ben O’Mara (illness), Jon Tze (shin), Brendan McEnroe (appendix) and even myself (shoulder). In particular, Gannon, Daly, Lattman and Tze suffered season ending injuries, which greatly hurt team racing results. While these athletes were sidelined however, other runners got the chance to take on bigger roles in Varsity races. Junior Karman Sandhu, Sophomore Scott Martin and Freshmen Dennis Collins and Connor Teehan all shined bright in the spotlight.

Green wave cross country finished with a 1-3 record in NJAC competitions, scoring a landslide victory against Montville. The team participated in a handful of invitationals including the Ocean State Invitational in Rhode Island, Shore Coaches Meet at Holmdel, Greystone Park Invitational, and Manhattan invitational, among others. Although the team was still recovering, varsity finished 6th place out of 14 teams at the NJAC championships, 7th at the County Championships, and an impressive 4th place out of 17 teams at the CTC championships. The Freshman had a very successful season, finishing 2nd at both NJACs and Counties. At the Non-public A state meet, Ira Daly qualified for the New Jersey Meet of Champions with a scorching individual time of 16:39.

All in all, despite all the injuries and challenging races, this team was an incredible one to be on. The unique chemistry and sense of brotherhood was stronger than ever, and it was impressive to watch the team persevere through the many obstacles we faced. Ultimately, everyone gave it their all week in and week out, and had a great time while doing it.

Season Awards:

MVP: Ira Daly ’18

ROY (Rookie of the year): Scott Martin ’20

FOY (Freshman of the year): Dennis Collins ’21

Most dedicated: Harrison Vives ’20

Most Improved: Patrick Bentz ’20

Coaches Award: Brendan Lawlor ’18

Brian Fleury Memorial Award: Jack Looney ‘18