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Cross Country

Mendham, Petitjean nab titles at Morris Championships

Mendham, Petitjean nab titles at Morris Championships

PARSIPPANY _ Since fifth grade, Central Park has provided many fond memories for Mendham's Grace Vives and her teammates. Vives, now a senior, and the Minutemen added one more on Wednesday, Oct. 27, capturing the girls team title at the Morris County Cross Country Championships at Central Park. Vives took second while teammates Ava Augustine, Megan Smith and Madison Orlins finished third, fourth and sixth for Mendham, which had 31 points. Sarah Petitjean of Chatham, the winner of the NJAC Large Schools Race last week, was first in 19:09.79. "Coming in, I knew we had a chance to win it,"…
Chatham senior Sarah Petitjean won the NJAC Large Schools Race on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Central Park.

Petitjean, Wells reign in NJAC races

PARSIPPANY _ Chatham's Sarah Petitjean is still becoming accustomed to some of the nuances of running cross country. One of those subtleties is being alone. Loneliness Petitjean has learned, though, is a positive on the course because it likely means there's a significant distance between her and the closest competitor. On Tuesday, Oct. 19, Petitjean spent the first mile with Megan Smith of Mendham then went it alone the rest of the way, crossing the finish line in 19:12.27 to capture the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Large Schools Race at Central Park. The NJAC Small Schools winner was Grace Wills of…
Mendham's Madison Orlins nears the finish line during the NJAC Large Schools Girls Race on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020.

Orlins, Minutemen craft another title

PARSIPPANY _ As a youngster, Madison Orlins was often asked what sports she liked or participated in. Orlins had the same response every time: Arts and crafts. It took awhile for Orlins, a Mendham High School junior, to find a physical activity that suited her. She dabbled in club soccer and swimming before settling on track in sixth grade. Running then became a passion for Orlins, who finished first in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Girls Large School Cross Country Meet on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at Central Park. Not only did Orlins (18:45.86) take the top spot but teammate Grace…
Jessica Diamond, a Whippany Park freshman, has clocked impressive times this fall.

WP's Diamond shining brightly

PARSIPPANY _ As a sixth grader, Whippany Park's Jessica Diamond joined the cross country team for one reason: Exercise. Diamond didn't enjoy it at first and said she "didn't expect anything from it." Four years later, Diamond, a freshman, appears to be a budding star and is drawing the attention of Morris County coaches and others with her stellar times. In her very first high school meet, she turned in a time of 19:31.70 on the course at Central Park and followed it up with a 19:34.70 five days later. "I was terrible when I started," Diamond said. "I walked…
Third Morris XC title for Rams' Loveys

Third Morris XC title for Rams' Loveys

PARSIPPANY _ Julia Trethaway of West Morris knows the exact point when Randolph's Abby Loveys began seriously widening the gap. "It was after the first mile. Abby went ahead there," said Trethaway, a junior. After that, Loveys remained in Trethaway's sight most of the time but became smaller and smaller as she traversed the course at Central Park on the way to a record-shattering first-place finish at the Morris County Girls Cross Country Championship on Tuesday, Oct. 23. It was exactly what Loveys, the senior who finished in a course and meet record time of 17:07.47, wanted. The title was…
Randolph's Abby Loveys nears the finish line at Central Park.

Loveys repeats at Morris XC Championships

PARSIPPANY _ Mount Olive's Sydney Bradle didn't see Randolph's Abby Loveys after the first mile of the Morris County Girls Cross Country Championships. That's amazing because Bradle finished second to Loveys, who claimed her second consecutive title at Central Park on Wednesday, Oct. 25 with a time of 17:49.65. It didn't take long for Loveys, a junior, to pull away from the pack, become a speck in the distance and, ultimately, disappear. "You think you'll close in on Abby or maybe catch her," said Bradle, who traversed the course in 18:31.08, said. "Then she's gone." Loveys is one of 13…
Villa Walsh took the NJAC Girls Small Schools title on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Central Park.

Perfect day for Loveys, Randolph

PARSIPPANY _ Randolph’s Abby Loveys named all that was perfect about the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Championships. “The temperature. No wind. Condition of the course. Everything,” Loveys said. Add to that Lovey’s race. The Rams junior finished in 17:35.48 to take the NJAC Large Schools Race at Central Park on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Randolph, with four runners in the top 10, claimed the NJAC Large Schools title. Morgan Mehmel triumphed in the Small Schools race, leading Villa Walsh to the crown. “It’s a new course so you don’t know what to expect,” Loveys said. “It’s a bad thing but also…

A first for VW's Mehmel

PARSIPPANY _ Villa Walsh's Morgan Mehmel established no grand plan for the start of the season. Mehmel, a junior, simply set out to run hard and "to feel it out" in the first Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Small Schools batch race at Central Park on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Of course, she'd give her best effort but never dreamed of winning. Mehmel ran much of the race with teammate Hope Crann and surprised herself, finishing first in the afternoon's second girls race in 20:11.02. In the first race, Mountain Lakes' Izzi Gengaro prevailed with a time of 19:49.32. "I won so…
Elli Joinson, a junior, was the first Boonton High School female cross country runner to qualify for the Meet of Champions in 30 years.

Boonton's Joinson goes the distance

BOONTON _ While in eighth grade, Boonton's Elli Joinson had surgery on both knees, putting her ability to run competitively in jeopardy. Joinson couldn't imagine not being on the course and the track so she diligently did her physical therapy after the arthroscopic procedures to repair her meniscuses and resumed one of her greatest passions. "It was horrible," said Joinson, now a junior at Boonton High School, of the unfortunate circumstances and subsequent rehabilitation. "My doctor didn't know if I'd be the same. I had to work really, really hard." Since then, Joinson literally has gone the distance, getting stronger…
Mountain Lakes junior Izzi Gengaro ran a 19:36.09 to finish first in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II race. The Lakers, with four runners in the top nine, garnered the team title.

Cross country sectionals

PARSIPPANY _ Mountain Lakes' Izzi Gengaro and Kyra Velock most often run side by side or in a pack with teammates before Velock breaks away. On Saturday, Nov. 5, however, Gengaro went out fast, maintained the lead and pulled off what was a shocker to some, prevailing in the North Jersey Section 2, Group II race at Central Park in a time of 19:36.09, a personal record. It was only the second time Gengaro, a junior, outraced Velock, a senior. Velock was the runner-up in the sectional, finishing in 19:52.77, but it was all for the good as the Lakers captured the team championship…
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