Earlier this month, the Lady Raiders cross country team finished in second place behind Ridge at The Meet of Champions in Holmdel. Excitement could be felt through the air as they ran through the finish line to end the season. This excitement not only came from the peanut gallery but also from the runners themselves.

“They’re a team that really likes each other,” head coach Richard Refi said. “They have a lot of fun together so no one is more excited than the other.”

This really helps to clarify all the joy and excitement felt by all who were there including the seniors who, for them, were experiencing their final meet. One can only imagine what was going through their minds knowing this piece of information. Unfortunately, we will never know because that is something they chose not to disclose.

The girls always compete at a high level and finish the season as one of the top teams in the state year after year. This is a feat that can seem baffling to outsiders, but for those on the team and coach Refi, the formula remains fairly simple.

“We work hard,” Refi said.

Simple, but indisputable words as this marks their sixth time out of the past seven years competing in the Meet of Champions. In this seven-year span, the team has won the event twice. This also is the seventh year the girls finished among the top three in the state in the past eight years. This is a feat that has not been done by any other girls team. Though we know much about the past, the future is still filled with many unanswered questions.

“We won’t talk about next season until June, at the earliest,” Refi said. “What if someone moves or two Kenyans move into town?”

Right now is the time to enjoy another successful season. While the future may be uncertain, it seems likely Refi and his team will once again be working hard and running to titles.

At the Meet of Champions, the team’s overall time for the competition was 1:38:06. Together, they averaged 19:49.2. Sophomore Chloe Wong recorded the best time on the team with a 19:24  followed by senior Stephanie Mauer’s time of 19:48. Junior Peri Bongiovanni recorded a time of 19:48.20, seniors Paige Novak and Olivia DeLorenzo finished in 19:51 20 and 20:15 36, respectively while classmate Kelly Cianciola completed the course in 20:20 38. Junior Courtney Skikus completed the outstanding team showing with a 21:11 48 finish.