At 1 p.m., Hanley was picked up by her father and the drive to the park began. She got in a brief warmup and, in no time, was out on the course for the Championship Race.
Despite being fatigued from studying and having a restless sleep on Friday night, Hanley clocked an 18:59 to win her race. She came in four seconds ahead of Danielle Leavitt, a sophomore from Lacey.
"I was very pleased to be in the championship race because I had the SATs in the morning and couldn't have made it here in time for the regular race," Hanley said. "I also didn't want to do the later race so I got here quickly to race in the invitational.
"I studied hard for the SATs for three days. Since this is the last time I am taking them, I really wanted to do well. I went to bed last night at 11 p.m. but I couldn't sleep. I was nervous."
That anxiousness didn't affect her performance. Hanley, who said she "felt weak" and that her "brain was mush," stayed with the lead pack the entire race. All she was hoping for was to finish fifth or sixth.
"It's a nice win and a good reward for me," Hanley said. "There are tons of good girls who are racing here."
Mendham sophomore Mackenzie Barry took first in the Varsity B race, traversing the course in 19:13. Her teammate, junior Reagan Kolakowski, came in third with a 19:51. Ridge was first with 60 points. Morris Knolls claimed fourth place and Mendham was sixth.
Claudia Disomma, a Sparta junior, took top honors in the Varsity C race with a 19:05. Sophomore Kylene Cochrane had a 20:15, which put her in seventh place, and enabled West Morris to claim third. Montville's Stephanie deBourmont (20:51) was 10th.
Colette Richter of Mountain Lakes put in a superb effort in the Varsity E race, crossing the finish line in 19:09, good enough for second place. The Lakers were second to Bernards in the team competition.
Richter, pleased to be running on her favorite course, turned it up as soon as she completed "The Bowl," a 150-foot incline at the halfway point.
"Five steps after The Bowl, I pushed it and dug deep," Richter said. "There were a lot of people there. That's my surge spot."
Richter, a junior, has been solid this season for the Lakers, who lost three of their top seven runners from last season's squad that captured Morris County, sectional and group championships.
"I really wanted to lead the team with Kristen (Landry) gone," Richter said. "I'd stay with her in practice and, in meets, she'd be 30 seconds ahead. I had to close the gap."
And, Richter did, with a commitment to training, proper nutrition and sleep.
"We have a lot of respect for the teams we ran against," Mountain Lakes coach Sue Bessin said. "They were all strong and our girls ran well. Colette is coming into her own and taking it all in stride."
High Point junior Sarah Disanza, winner of the Group 3 Race at the Passaic County Coaches Invitational, was second in the Varsity D race despite a nasty cold and upset stomach. Disanza (19:25) was one second behind Paige Senatore of Delsea.
"I'm pretty satisfied," Disanza said. "I don't feel well because of the cold and I had a bagel, which is thick and dense, a few hours before the race. It didn't agree with me."
With 800 meters to go, Disanza, who admits to being "terrible at remembering courses," nearly went to the left when she needed to go right. A group of people standing near the trail cheering sent her in the correct direction.
"Sarah runs hard," Wildcats coach Lisabeth Muller said. "She's always in the top pack. She's very focused and determined."
In Varsity A, Sam Jones, a senior from Randolph, was fifth in 19:08. Another Rams runner, freshman Carole Harsch, was ninth with a 20:03 contributing to the team's seventh-place finish.
Allison McCurry of Sussex Tech (19:57) was fifth in the Varsity F race. A second Mustangs runner, Nicole Bell, was ninth with a 21:13. Gill-St. Bernard's took the team title while Villa Walsh was fourth.
For complete results, see lfracing.com.
