Junior Macy Huber and sophomore Grace Gutowski placed 5th and 7th Saturday and led Paul VI its 5th Shore Coaches team title and 2nd in a row.
Huber ran 19:41 – a 49-second Holmdel PR – and Gutowski 19:48 – an 80-second Holmdel PR – and Paul VI averaged a school-record 20:31 and outscored Rumson-Fair Haven 65-80 to win the Varsity D team title. Rumson is ranked 16th in the state. Paul VI wasn’t ranked in the most recent MileSplit state poll.
Paul VI also won Group A in 1982 and 1987, Group C in 1997 and Group D last year. Their 20:31 average was 6th-fastest of 132 schools that fielded a full team in the six girls races Saturday at Holmdel County Park and 3rd-fastest among South Jersey schools, behind Ocean City’s 19:53 – fastest ever by a South Jersey school at Shore Coaches – and Cherokee’s 20:28.
Freshmen Peyton Blake and Morgan Kuzma finished virtually together, taking 18th and 19th in 20:53 and 20:55 in what was their first race ever at Holmdel, and junior Giovanna Mantuano locked up the team title in 22nd place in 21:21 in her first race of the year.
Paul VI’s top five was backed up by another freshman, Johanna Trampe, who ran 22:20 and placed 39th, and sophomore Kara Salamone, 45th in 23:00.
PVI had all seven in before anybody else in the race had their 5th runner across the line. Their 1:40 gap from 1 through 5 was lowest in the field.
Sterling placed 3rd in the D race, with seniors Jonalee Adames 6th in 19:44 and Kaysie Luna 8th in 19:53. Also in the Silver Knights’ scoring group were senior Isabella Patruno [40th in 22:32], senior Amber Wilsey [44th in 22:52] and freshman Riley Sharp [59th in 23:32].
Also, West Deptford sophomore Taylor Sierzega placed 30th in 21:45 and Gloucester senior Dejia Robert was 34th in 22:03.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 