Rich Kasper finished in third place at the Central Jersey Group II section meet Nov. 7 at Thompson Park in Jamesburg. (Photo by Winfield Wetherbee.)
Lauren Kroepfl placed second at the Central Jersey Group II sectional meet Nov. 7 at Thompson Park in Jamesburg. (Photo by Winfield Wetherbee.)
Former head coach Mike Walker may be gone, but the Robbinsville High School cross country program is alive and well this year. Maybe as alive and well as it has ever been.
That was apparent at Jamesburg’s Thompson Park on Oct. 23, when the Ravens became the first boys’ cross country team in school history to win the Mercer County Championships team title, while junior Lauren Kroepfl won the girls’ race.
Both teams advanced from the Central Jersey sectionals on Nov. 7 into the NJSIAA Group II meet the following week, where Kroepfl finished fourth to qualify for the Meet of Champions and Richie Kasper was 13th and also advanced to the MOC.
“Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have been amazing to work with this season,” said Martine McGrath, a former assistant who took over the program this year when Walker took a job at The College of New Jersey after building an outstanding program. “I am lucky to inherit a team that is full of such talent on both sides.”
The boys jammed four finishers into the top 12 at the Mercer meet, as Zach Michon finished second in 15:58, followed by Richie Kasper (4th, 16:03), Bobby Hastie (9th, 16:23) and Christian Roberts (12th, 16:32). Dan Milo was 47th (17:36), while Roman Rychkov (17:53) and Shameek Ray (18:09) were in the top 70.
McGrath said that the core-four group of Michon, Kasper, Hastie and Roberts have led the team with their performances in meets and with their work ethic in practice.
“Each member races differently, and I think it helps them bring each other along,” the coach said. “Some of the guys are speed runners and others are strength runners. When they work out and race together, they pull each other through. That’s what I enjoy most about this team, their ability to work together and constantly improve with each other.”
Aside from the MCT finishers, McGrath noted that sophomore Nick Anderson and freshman Dan White were also scorers this season.
“What’s great about this team is they always have a teammate to race with, even up front,” the coach said. “When you have a teammate to work with in a race, it always makes it seem easier.”
It certainly wasn’t easy winning the MCT. Despite not having anyone finish in the Top 10, Princeton saw its five best finishers in the top 33. Robbinsville ended with 74 points, just three ahead of the Little Tigers.
“Winning the MCT was a great accomplishment,” McGrath said. “Going into them, we knew that we could win. Talking about the race, we said that everyone would have to have a great race on the same day. On the day of the race, everyone had that great race. Our top four ran well, our fifth man sealed the deal.”
Robbinsville finished second in the Central Jersey Group II meet to advance to Groups. Kasper (3rd, 16:13), Michon (5th, 16:20), Hastie (6th, 16:30) and Roberts (9th, 16:37) again led the way. In the Group II meet, Kasper again led the way with a 13th-place time of 16:51, which was enough to advance him to the Meet of Champs.
And while there is no clear-cut No. 1 runner for the boys, there is no doubt who has that title for the girls.
Kroepfl made her second straight MOC appearance as an individual on Nov. 21, and third all together, as the Ravens made it as a team her freshman season.
At the MCT, the path was cleared for a new champion when Nottingham’s Grace Dwyer, who was attempting to become the first girl in county history to win four championships, couldn’t run due to leg issues. But there was still a challenge in West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Christina Rancan, who has beaten Dwyer in track.
Kroepfl avoided any drama, running a time of 18:24 to beat Rancan by 33 seconds.
“It meant so much to me to win counties, and it was a huge accomplishment for me,” Kroepfl said. “Even though Grace didn’t run, Christina is still a really big competitor so to come out on top was exciting.”
Kroepfl’s strategy was to let Rancan set the pace and, on the advice of McGrath, take off after the second mile.
“I ended up breaking away on the huge downhill at Thompson Park,” she said.
The coach was especially proud of the way Kroepfl ran the hill portion of the race.
“She looked so strong,” McGrath said. “Making a move on a hill is a bold move, and she executed it perfectly. She is an extremely tough runner and not scared of a little pain. She has so many qualities that make her a good runner but it’s her ability to manage and even welcome pain that makes her great.”
Kroepfl gives her coach credit for that attitude, noting that she used to worry how she would race on days she was not feeling well.
“Martine has told me in the past to forget about it for the race and worry about it after I’m done,” she said. “That mentality really helps me when it’s time to run.”
Robbinsville finished fourth as a team at the counties, as Casey Hopkins (10th, 20:00) added a Top 10 finish.
Moving on to the CJ II meet, Kroepfl ran a slower time than at MCTs but still finished second to Delaware Valley’s Hannah Bonaguidi in a time of 18:21.
“I think the sectional meet was just an off day for Lauren,” McGrath said. “It wasn’t the race she wanted.”
Robbinsville advanced to the Group II meet as a team with a third-place finish, thanks to Hopkins (22nd, 20:37), Kayli Heverin (26th, 20:50), Enlin Carow (30th, 21:05) and Delaney Potter (32nd, 21:11).
At the Group II race in Holmdel, Kroepfl was running for place over time (hoping for a top 3 finish), and she hoped the Ravens could get back to the MOC as a team with top 3 finish. They finished fifth, but Kroepfl moved on after a fourth-place time of 19:06 on the challenging Holmdel Park course.
“I was happy with how I raced,” she said. “I thought my time was solid compared to my other races at Holmdel, and given the windy conditions I thought I did the best that I could. I’m thrilled I have the opportunity to return to the Meet of Champs. I wish my team could be running there with me but I’m still very excited to return.”
Kroepfl has taken to distance running despite the fact she thought it was something entirely different when she signed up at Pond Run Middle School.
She thought she would be sprinting.
“I’ve enjoyed it so I’ve run ever since,” she said. “Distance running continues to push me both physically and mentally. I am much more determined and motivated than I ever was when I started.”
Kroepfl can’t quite put her finger on what makes her love it so much, saying “there’s just something that makes me enjoy it, and I think other runners would understand what I mean.”
She added that she prefers cross country over track because of the different trails it covers. Finishing at a different point from where she started—and being able to visualize actual progress—is much more satisfying that running laps, Kroepfl said.
Despite the fact her teammates did not accompany her to the MOC, Kroepfl gave them a lot of credit for helping to make her a great runner.
“My team and coaches have been incredibly supportive of me and I can not thank them enough,” she said. “They push me to be the best I can and inspire me to work hard every day. I don’t think I’d have had the season I had if it weren’t for their support.”
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