It’s September, and that means another cross-country season has descended upon Hunterdon County.
And with that said, there’s a clear team at the top of the crop in the area going into the season.
North Hunterdon, the defending Hunterdon Warren Sussex and Section 2, Group 3 champions, are set to return five runners who finished inside of the Top 12 in the tri-county race a year ago. Included in that group is defending county and Section 2, Group 3 champion Kelly Shanklin for the Lions.
There are some other promising runners in the area looking to take a big leap as well, Hunterdon Central’s Katie Schwartz and Del Val’s Erin Dushinka.
From the team lenses, Voorhees returns five starters from a sectional title winning team last year, and could be one of the state’s better small school teams.
Here is a closer look at the area’s five squads this year:
DELAWARE VALLEY TERRIERS
Coach: Paul Culcasi
Last Year: 10th in Hunterdon Warren Sussex, 7th in Central, Group 1
Key Returners: Erin Dushinka (So), Emma Strangfeld (Jr), Erica Wagner (Sr), Mikaela Messenger (So), Amalia Kushner (Sr), Cadence Wojick (Jr), Taylor Negrin (Sr)
Newcomers: Gabrielle Diaz (Fr)
Outlook: Strangfeld and Wagner are both three-year starters that provide experience in the lineup for Delaware Valley. Dushinka emerged as a freshman standout last year, finishing seventh in Central, Group 1, and a personal best of 21:36 in the Hunterdon Warren Sussex race, good for 17th. With Dushinka looking to push into sub-21 times and a veteran lineup around her, expect a better showing from the Terriers this season in the team races.
HUNTERDON CENTRAL RED DEVILS
Coach: Dylan Marton
Last Year: Hunterdon Warren Sussex runner up, third in Skyland Conference, Section 2, Group 4 runner up, 11th in Group 4
Key Returners: Molly Domurat (Jr), Katie Schwartz (So), Emma Lentine (Sr), Brynn Hamer (Jr)
Newcomers: Anabel Baxter (Jr), Abigail Perry (Sr), Allison Banko (Sr), Aileen Wilson (Jr)
Outlook: While North Hunterdon is a heavy favorite in the area, Central should field a very strong team as well. Domurat – a rising junior – took home the Section 2, Group 4 individual crown with a personal best 19:00 even last October. She went onto finish seventh in Group 4. Schwartz took seventh (20:42) in the tri-county meet, while taking 11th in the section with a 20:22 mark for her season’s best. With multi-year lettermen Emma Lentine and Brynn Hamer returning, the Red Devils seemed primed for a big year.
NORTH HUNTERDON LIONS
Coach: Tim Mooney
Last Year: Hunterdon Warren Sussex champions, Section 2, Group 3 Champions, Group 3 runners up
Key Returners: Kelly Shanklin (Jr), Sophia Piro (So), Maura Green (Jr), Charlotte Roop (So), Brooke Nash (So)
Outlook: The Lions are loaded, and just only for this year, either. With no seniors in their returning Top 5, North Hunterdon could be among the state’s best squads each of the next two years. North will be very strong favorites to repeat in HWS and in their Section, and will be a strong contender for the Group 3 title as well. It is possible all of their top five can consistently run sub-20 this year. This could be the year for the Lions to reclaim the Group 3 crown as well.
SOUTH HUNTERDON EAGLES
Coach: Guy Ambrosino
Last Year: Not scored in team events
Key Returners: Erin O’Rourke (So), Madison Groves (Jr), Lucy Reed (Jr)
Newcomers: Amelia Carlucci (Fr), Charlotte Greve (Fr)
Outlook: Numbers can be challenging at South Hunterdon, which is the smallest public high school by enrollment in northern New Jersey, thus making team events difficult to enter. With that said, sophomore Erin O’Rourke ran in all the bigger meets last year and figures to trim her times down and move up the results board even more. Her best last year as a freshman was a 26:40 in the Skyland Conference meet.
VOORHEES VIKINGS
Coach: Dave DeWolfe
Last Year: Section 2, Group 2 champions, third in Group 2
Key Returners: Daphne Roskowski (Jr), Emilia Beard (Sr), Emily Denis (Jr), Lucy D’Alessandro (Jr), Rylan Brennan (Sr), Gianna LaMarca (Jr), Lexie Mizzone (Sr)
Newcomers: Devyn Fosland (Jr)
Outlook: While Voorhees may not quite have the firepower to compete with larger schools like North or Central in the county, the Vikings return five runners who finished in the Top 20 of the Section 2, Group 2 race that they won last year. Roskowski did not run until the sectional meet last year, but she captured seventh with a 21:01 time in that race. The veterans in the group all ran sub-22 last year, and if they can trim that to sub-21′s, the Vikings will be a strong contender to repeat as sectional champions.