To put it mildly, the Roadrunner Men's and Women's Cross Country teams faced a few obstacles Sunday during the NJCAA Region 19 Division III Championship Meet at Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ -- obstacles that may have derailed most teams in a negative manner.
But in the end, none of it mattered as the Runners rose to the challenge to bring home both the Men's and Women's team championships for the second straight season.
Sophomore Courtney O'Hara paved the way for the Women's title run with a fourth place overall finish that earned her All-Region 19 honors for the second straight year. Her performance, along with those of teammates Gabrielle Szwed, Grace Wahl, Madison O'Donnell, Georgia Lorenzetti, and Francesca Maccarone, helped the Runners capture the team crown.
On the Men's side, freshman Evan Bongard was the top finisher for RCSJ for a fourth place overall showing that also earned him All-Region 19 honors. The Runners captured their second straight Region 19 title with 37 team points to overcome Brookdale Community College and Thaddeus Stevens at 55 points apiece. Right behind Bongard were sophomores Brandon Lachowicz and C.J. Gilmore.
And all of this success came with a few struggles. For instance, there was confusion at the outset of the women's race when meet officials changed the course layout. As a result, the women ran a longer distance estimated at 3.3 miles rather than the standard 3.1 K distance. The course layout also saw one runner inadvertently make a wrong turn while another suffered a minor fall.
In the men's race, the course layout was flat and had no hills. But one runner suffered a medical episode while standout athlete C.J. Gilmore ran gallantly despite a nagging ankle injury that bothered him this past week.
"There were a few hiccups, but we still performed very well in both meets," said head coach Ryan Hughes. "Our runners have shown resiliency and determination all year long, and they showed today just how far our program has come. We're excited to be more consistent in winning the region meets, which is where we should be right now."
O'Hara, a former Gateway High standout, was happy with her team's overall performance.
"We've really come together and we feed off each other," she said. "We won the region last year, and we continued to push each other even harder this year. We're excited and ready for the National meet, and I feel we will do very well."
Bongard has enjoyed a solid freshman campaign, and he highlighted a brilliant season with his fourth place showing and All-Region performance. His teammates joined him with personal bests delivered throughout the lineup.
"The course was fast, and I liked the pace," he commented. "We pushed each other hard and had each other's backs. We knew Brookdale and Thaddeus Stevens would be tough competition, and that's how it went down."
Next up for the Runners will be the NJCAA Division III National Championship Meet on November 9th in Richmond, VA. Watch for a preview and race results.