XC Fall Classic: Notre Dame’s Kovoor bounces back; Princeton claims boys title
Corey Annan interviews Tarun Kovoor (Notre Dame) and Princeton coach James Smirk after their wins at the XC Fall Classic. Kovoor talks about the victory being a confidence boost after coming back from a glute injury. Coach Smirk praises his boys for playing on each other’s strengths and having the mindset that team success is everyone’s success.
Girls cross country Top 20, Oct. 7: South Jersey teams rise after Shore Coaches
NJ Advance Media's girls rankings include the following teams from Mercer County and NJ Central groups:
#3 Princeton (up from #4)
#5 Manalapan (no change)
#6 Middletown South (no change)
#9 Freehold Township (no change)
#14 Rumson-Fair Haven (up from #18)
#16 Colts Neck (no change)
#19 Hopewell Valley (down from #14)
Boys cross-country Top 20, Oct. 7: Shore Coaches Invite results in major movement
NJ Advance Media's boys rankings include the following teams from NJ Central groups:
#5 Colts Neck (no change)
#12 Manalapan (down from #9)
#20 South Brunswick (down from #11)
Elite times headline girls performances from the Shore Coaches XC Invitational
Allison Lee (West Windsor-Plainsboro North) talks with the media after her win in the girls Varsity B race at the Shore Coaches Invitational. She says that cross training has been key to staying healthy this year, and that knowing the Holmdel course so well, including which portions are her strongest, has been a big advantage. She also credits senior teammate Zhu Chinchalkar as a role model and a huge reason for her success.
Fans vote Allentown’s Wroblewski as top senior athlete in N.J. girls cross country
Allentown’s Emilia Wroblewski was voted by fans as the top girls senior XC runner. She received 42% of the vote. Ewing’s Teagan Walker finished second in the voting.
Who is N.J.’s top senior boys cross country runner? Make your vote here!
Vote for a Mercer County boy as the top senior XC runner in the state! Nominees include Luke Ferret (West Windsor-Plainsboro North) and Shravan Pradeep (West Windsor-Plainsboro South).
Who is N.J.’s top senior girls cross country runner? Make your vote here!
Vote for a Mercer County girl as the top senior XC runner in the state! Nominees include Zhu Chinchalkar (West Windsor-Plainsboro North), Claire Dumont (Hopewell Valley), Adeline Edwards (Wilberforce), Teagan Walker (Ewing), and Emilia Wroblewski (Allentown).
Girls cross country Top 20, Sept 30: Signature wins lead to some notable changes
NJ.com published its team rankings early this week. Here are Mercer County's ranked girls teams:
#4 Princeton (up from #5)
#13 Wilberforce (no change)
#14 Hopewell Valley (no change)
#16 West Windsor-Plainsboro North (no change)
Key takeaways and under-the-radar stories from Week 4′s cross country meets
After West Windsor-Plainsboro South's Shravan Pradeep topped all NJ runners at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational, NJ.com's Bakari Rice describes him as "becoming a difference maker." Rice predicts that Pradeep's success "will also translate to the team," and he highlights WW-P South's top-5 average of 16:37, which was best among all NJ teams.
Girls cross-country Top 20, Sept. 27: No new teams, but plenty of movement
Four Mercer County girls teams are in NJ Advance Media's top 20 this week:
#5 Princeton (up from 6)
#13 Wilberforce (no change)
#14 Hopewell Valley (no change)
#16 West Windsor-Plainsboro North (no change)
Girls cross country Fab 50, Sept. 26: Who is surging ahead of a pivotal Week 4?
Here are the Mercer County girls in NJ Advance Media's top 50 this week:
#8 Zui Chinchalkar (WW-P North)
#13 Allison Lee (WW-P North)
#34 Grace Hegedus (Princeton)
#35 Claire Dumont (Hopewell Valley)
#39 Laura Sallade (Wilberforce)
#42 Adeline Edwards (Wilberforce)
Fast times, division titles headline Week 3's standout cross country performances
Claire Dumont won her first gold medal as No. 12 Hopewell Valley girls dominated at the TCNJ Invitational. Kajol Karra and No. 6 Princeton girls made an impressive season debut at the Jerry Hart Invitational, averaging 19:19 and scoring 20 points over No. 13 Wilberforce.
Boys & girls cross country Top 20s, Sept. 20: Title contenders start to surface
Four Mercer County girls team are in NJ Advance Media's top 20 after Week 2:
#6 Princeton (no change)
#13 Wilberforce (up from #14)
#14 Hopewell Valley (down from #13)
#16 WW-P North (up from #17)
Boys & girls cross-country Fab 50s, Sept. 19: A wave of fresh talent emerges
Lots of Mercer County girls in NJ Advance Media's ranking of the state's top 50 individuals after Week 2:
#7 Zui Chinchalkar (WW-P North, up from #9)
#13 Allison Lee (WW-P North, up from #14)
#24 Grade Hegedus (Princeton, up from #26)
#32 Izzy Meth (Lawrence, down from #31)
#39 Claire Dumont (Hopewell Valley, down from #37)
#42 Laura Sallade (Wilberforce, down from #41)
#43 Adeline Edwards (Wilberforce, no change)
On the boys' side is #47 Luke Ferrer (WW-P North, down from #43).
How Trenton revived an abandoned N.J. cross country course
After historic Cadwalader Park hosted its first XC races in 25 years, here’s the fascinating story of the work that went on behind the scenes to get the course designed and approved. Trenton coaches Damien Kellogg and Michelle Purvis and Hopewell Valley alum Jordan Antebi get their deserved credit for making this happen. Race winners Emilia Wroblewski (Allentown) and Tarun Kavoor (Notre Dame) praised the challenging course’s hills, shade, and markings.
West Windsor-Plainsboro North duo leads the field at the Thompson 2 Miler
West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s Zui Chinchalkar and Allison Lee won the senior and junior races, with Lee also taking the day’s top time. After the race, they spoke about the confidence they have from having raced at Thompson Park so often and from knowing the course well. Mercer County also got 3rd place finishes from Laura Sallade (Wilberforce) in the junior race and Risha Rao (West Windsor-Plainsboro South) in the sophomore race.
Cinnaminson’s Wickersham, WWPS’ Pradeep take charge at the Thompson 2 Miler
Mercer County runners won 3 of the 4 boys races. Shravan Pradeep (West Windsor-Plainsboro South) took the senior race with the fastest time of the day, in his first time ever running at the meet. Silas Allevik (Hopewell Valley) won the sophomore race, and Agrim Jha (West Windsor-Plainsboro North) started off his high school XC career undefeated, winning the freshman race.
Who are the most underrated Non-Public teams in N.J. girls cross-country?
Notre Dame is highlighted as one of four “underrated” Non-Public teams this year. Specifically praised is Notre Dame’s “strong senior class” of Meghan Connolly, Juliana Peregrin and Kiera Donegan.
Cross-country preview, 2024: N.J.’s most compelling storylines to follow
One storyline is the realignment of Hunterdon Central into Central Group 4, which is already stacked with fast teams like Princeton, Freehold Township, Manalapan, Montgomery, and Hillsborough. The author describes Central Group 4 as now “arguably the strongest section in the state.”
Boys cross-country preview, 2024: Teams to watch in Non-Public B
Wilberforce is presented as the the favorite. Wilberforce is led by sophomores Micah Brox and Elias Edwards (who went 6-7 at last year’s state meet) and gets solid depth from Phillip Schidlovsku, Henry Jepson, and John David.
Princeton Day is in the next tier down (with Montclair Kimberley but behind Wilberforce). Grayson McLaughlin and Edward Letko were top-10 at the state meet last year, Luke Notle and Harrison Bagga are in the top 50 returners, and Charles West rounds out their top 5.