For the past four years, the words cross country and track in reference to High School South girls’ teams have been synonymous with the name Katie Kellner. And the senior did not disappoint after the last performance of her high school career at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on June 5, in which she took second in the 3,”200.##M:[more]##
At North, a similar legacy is building for brothers Jim and Joe Rosa, both of whom are only sophomores. Still, like Kellner, both Rosa brothers have broken records already, and Jim Rosa added more to that in the past two weeks. First, at the Group III Championships on May 30, he won the 3,”200 in a record-breaking time of 9:02.38 — a NJSIAA Group III meet record that had been set in 1892 — to claim the 3,”200 state title. The time was also the fastest in Mercer County history. It was no surprise that he followed this up with a win in the same even at the Meet of Champions on June 5, the first High School North athlete to win a gold medal at the MOC.
For Kellner, the accomplishment of taking second in the 3,”200 at the Meet of Champions comes on the heels of an already distinguished high school career. In the 2007-2008 fall cross country season, Kellner placed 11th at the Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park. This past fall, she took first place, with a time of 18:40 on the 3.1-mile course at Veterans Park. She went on to finish 27th, with a time of 18:34, at the Foot Locker Cross Country National Finals in San Diego on December 13. Earlier that season, Kellner placed third at the Meet of Champions for the girls. She followed up with a sixth place overall finish at the Footlocker Regionals in November. The senior was third among New Jersey runners, with a time of 18:09.7.
This season could hardly be better for, Kellner, who took first in the 3,”200 — both at the NJSIAA Group IV Track and Field Championships on May 30 (10:45.79) and with a time of 10:55.69 at the two-day CVC groups meet on May 23. She also led her team to a second place finish at the Mercer County Championships earlier that month with another first place finish in the 3,”200, with a time of 11:09.17.
Even though she is graduating this year, her sister, Caroline, seems to be stepping up in Kellner’s foot steps and might carry on the legacy. Caroline Kellner also put in a notable performance at the Meet of Champions, where she came in ninth in the 3,”200. The performance was consistent with her season this year, in which she also came in second, right behind her sister, in the 3,”200 at the Mercer County Championships on May 9, with a time of 11:11.27. She also placed sixth in the 1,”600 in that meet, behind Katie’s third place finish. On May 23, Caroline also took third in the 3,”200 at the two-day CVC groups meet, and on May 30 at the NJSIAA Group IV Track and Field Championships, she took fourth in the 3,”200, with a time of 10:58.44.
Meanwhile at North, the Rosas once again dominated the boys’ season. Jim Rosa went into the Meet of Champions after having broken a record just days before in the Group III championships, helping to lead his team to a fifth place overall finish. He set a record in the 3,”200 at the NJSIAA Group IV Track and Field Championships, and then ran the Meet of Champions in 9:03.69 to claim first.
This is not the first time Jim or Joe have broken records. The Rosas stormed the Shore Coaches Invitational in the fall, helping their team take first place in the `B’ Division race, with Joe Rosa’s record-breaking time of 15:38, passing the prior sophomore course record of 15:46. Jim Rosa took fourth place, with a time of 16:17, and already broke a record himself in the 2007-’08 season, when he became the third freshman in the state’s history to win a sectional title with a time of 16:21:1. At the spring track Meet of Champions in spring, 2008, he placed sixth and broke a freshman record with a time of 9:11.56. They followed it up with a win this past fall at Veterans Park. Joe placed third at the race, with a time of 16:48, followed by Jim, who also finished with 16:48.
They have helped lead their team to new heights this year. They became the first Mercer County team to win the Meet of Champions in November during the cross country season, and then capped off their season with a fifth place finish on December 6 at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, following their first place finish at the Northeast Regional meet earlier in November. Joe Rosa led the Knights, with a time of 15:19.0 for a fourth place finish.
The North boys’ track team captured the Mercer County Championship on February 1 during the winter track season, behind stellar performances not only from Jim Rosa — who won and broke four event records: the 800, 1,”600, 3,”200, and the 4×400 relay team — but also from Sean Reed, who set a new school record in the 400 meters, with a time of 51.28, to take first in the event, and Corey Abernathy, who won the shot put. Reed also anchored the winning 4×400 relay, and finished second in the 200.
Reed and Abernathy — who had a personal best of 58-8 in the shot put for third place — also put in great performances at the most recent Meet of Champions, along with other leaders Tyler Corkedale and Stephen Ellwood. For the North girls, Trish Reilly and Chelsea Walters also put in notable performances, including Reilly’s 10th place finish in the 1,”600.
Another South girls team member who has flourished this season is Ashleigh Delemos, First she took first place in the 100 hurdles, with a time of 14.75, at the two-day CVC groups meet. She went on to place sixth in the 100 hurdles on May 30 at the NJSIAA Group IV Track and Field Championships, and 15th in the hurdles at the Meet of Champions on June 5.
