Girls’ Cross Country

Recaps 2006 Season

Saturday, 11/11
Peddie Day 2006 was sunny and warm, a welcome change from the weather in years past. The good weather brought out an unusually large number of spectators – students, parents and alumni- to ring the track and cheer on both schools as they competed in this historic rivalry. Knowing that Peddie had a very strong trio of runners Blair ran with abandon and heart, led as usual by Gina Giuricich in the final race of her career. Blair tried to work the hills of its own course to its advantage but was ultimately unable to break into Peddie’s top three, leading to a 21 – 34 defeat. Despite the team’s disappointment in the loss the girls took heart in knowing they ran as hard as they could. Chrissy Devenny, in second place for Blair, ran her personal best over the course and Michaela McCrink, Blair’s third girl, ran a tactically sound race to finish in front of the Peddie runners she had targeted. Sam Tilney was next, followed by Leila Howard, also in a personal best. Marisa Myers, in her first race over the course, was Blair’s sixth girl, with Quinn Scher nailing down the final varsity spot. Junior varsity runners Arie Kim, Airi Kobayashi and Julie Clothier all set personal records, while Morgan Jefferson returned from injury to run her first race in a month. Morgan Findlay, battling her own injuries, finished together with her namesake.

11/8
MAPL Meet
After a day of pouring rain, the Peddie golf course in Hightstown, New Jersey provided a soggy course as the Peddie School hosted the 2006 MAPL championships. With Heather Britt on the sidelines Blair’s varsity seven finished in sixth place. Due to unfavorable course conditions most of the Blair times were slow, the exception being Leila Howard’s all-time personal best over 5000 meters. Gina Giuricich led the team, followed closely by Chrissy Devenny. Sam Tilney, Michaela McCrink and Leila Howard completed the scoring, with Marisa Myers and Morgan Findlay rounding out the varsity seven. Quinn Scher, in her best race in a month, Arie Kim and Airi Kobayashi competed in the junior varsity race to prepare themselves for the season-ending dual meet against the Peddie School at the end of the week.

11/1
State Meet
On a warm day atypical for early November – 65^o and sunny – the Bucs joined eleven other private schools in the race for the State Prep A title. Running over their home course in front of a large crowd of well-wishers, Blair finished seventh overall, one place in front of rival Peddie School. Gina Giuricich paced the team in 22:22, followed by the pack of Heather Britt, Chrissy Devenny and Sam Tilney who were separated by less than one second. Fifth for the team was Michaela McCrink, while Leila Howard, running her personal best by over 20 seconds, was the sixth girl. Seventh runner Marisa Myers was forced to drop out after her injured foot was stepped on by another runner, but she hopes to return for the team’s final two races, the MAPL championships and the season-ending dual meet against Peddie.

10/21
Lawrenceville
Blair took on a powerful team from The Lawrenceville School on a beautiful October day in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. By placing their first five runners in front of Blair’s first girl, Lawrenceville shut out Blair by the score of 15 – 48. Notwithstanding the magnitude of their opponent’s victory, the Bucs ran their best; over the damp course, fully six of Blair’s ten competitors ran their fastest five kilometer times of the year. As she has done in all but one race, Gina Giuricich led her team in 22:21. Following Gina were varsity scorers Heather Britt, Sam Tilney, Michaela McCrink and Leila Howard. Marisa Myers, in her first race back from injury, was sixth for the team with Morgan Findlay rounding out the varsity seven. Junior varsity runners Airi Kabayashi, Arie Kim and Julie Clothier all cut their times significantly with solid efforts.

10/18
Stuart
For the second consecutive race, Blair defeated its opponent over its home course by the score of 20 – 40. Stuart’s first runner was the overall winner, but she was followed across the line by Blair’s Heather Britt, Gina Giuricich, Chrissy Devenny, Sam Tilney and Michaela McCrink in the second through sixth spots. With several of Blair’s top five nursing nagging injuries, Heather shouldered the load for the team with a fine time that represented her personal best. Leila Howard was sixth for the Bucs (eighth overall) and Quinn Scher, in tenth place, earned the final varsity spot. Junior varsity runners Arie Kim, Airi Kobayashi and Julie Clothier also placed well for the team.

10/14
Hun
Blair improved to 3 – 0 with a 20 – 40 victory over their MAPL rival in front of a home crowd in Blairstown, N.J. The race started late to give students from both schools ample time to complete their SAT’s in the morning, but by the time the gun went off at 4:00 P.M. the cloudy skies had cleared to provide some warmth amidst the autumn chill. Blair’s Gina Giuricich battled Hun’s first runner from wire to wire, ultimately placing second overall while leading the home team to a resounding victory. Heather Britt, Chrissy Devenny, Sam Tilney and Michaela McCrink finished in the third through sixth slots, with Leila Howard (bringing her time down over a full minute) and Morgan Findlay completing the varsity squad. Quinn Scher ran head to head with Morgan the entire race, with Arie Kim, Airi Kobayashi and Julie Clothier also finishing strongly for the junior varsity.

10/11
Hill
Blair defeated the Hill School of Pottstown, Pennsylvania in the MAPL opener for both schools. The cool, damp weather and the number of spectators – unusually large for a Wednesday afternoon – gave a boost to runners from both teams. On their own course for the first time this season, the Bucs secured four of the first five places en route to a 20 – 35 win. Gina Giuricich won the race in 22:29 with Sam Tilney, Chrissy Devenny and Heather Britt in the third through fifth spots with the identical time of 23:47. Next was Michaela McCrink, seventh overall, who broke the 25:00 barrier for the first time. Blair’s final two varsity finishers were Morgan Findlay and Leila Howard who both crossed the finish line in 28:06. Three junior varsity runners – Arie Kim, Julie Clothier and Airi Kobayashi – rounded out the field.

10/7
Shore Invitational
The Shore Track Coaches Invitational, the largest cross country meet in the state, was held at the traditional site of the Meet of Champions at Monmouth County’s Holmdel Park. The day was cool and overcast, perfect conditions for some fast running, and the Bucs did not disappoint. Julie Clothier started the day off for Blair early in the morning in the two mile freshman race, followed by Quinn Scher, Arie Kim and Airi Kobayashi in the junior varsity race over the full 5000 meter course. Undaunted by the hill in the park’s notorious bowl, Quinn and Airi ran the first races of their careers, while Arie was competing in only her second race. In the varsity F race at 11:09 A.M., Gina Giuricich placed 17th in the field of 164 runners to lead the team to sixth place among the twenty-three schools fielding full teams. She was followed by the pack of Chrissy Devenny, Heather Britt and Sam Tilney, whose times were separated by only eight seconds. Blair’s fifth girl was Michaela McCrink in her first appearance at Holmdel, while Morgan Findlay had a solid debut with the varsity squad as Blair’s sixth runner.

9/30
Princeton Day School
Princeton Day School hosted the Bucs on a day tailor-made for cross country – cool and brisk under partly sunny skies – as both teams began their dual meet schedules. PDS’s flat, two-loop course, which wound around their athletic fields and through the scenic properties contiguous to campus, provided a beautiful setting for the race, won by Blair 18 - 41. Gina Giuricich ran her best race of the young season, for the first time looking strong and fluid from start to finish, winning in 21:16 despite being alone in the lead the entire race. Second and third place went to Chrissy Devenny and Heather Britt, who ran together to finish in a dead heat at 22:34. Dropping her time dramatically from her Canterbury result, Sam Tilney completed Blair’s sweep of the first four positions when she crossed the line in 22:41. In fifth place for Blair was Michaela McCrink in 25:44, while Marisa Myers earned her first varsity finish by placing sixth for the team in 25:47. Leila Howard was Blair’s final varsity runner in 26:50. Leading the junior varsity was Morgan Findlay, dropping her time by over three minutes in her second race of the season. Newcomers Arie Kim and Julie Clothier were next, both competing in the inaugural races of their careers, followed by Sarabeth Clark, back from illness for the first race of her sophomore year.

Saturday, 9/23
Canterbury Invitational
Seventeen full teams – one hundred sixteen girls in all – took part in the Girls’ Division 1 race at the 34th annual Canterbury Invitational in New Milford, Connecticut. The skies were cloudy and the weather was cool as Gina Giuricich led her teammates against the best runners from the New England prep school world. Despite the difficulty of the notoriously hilly course Blair ran with confidence and was rewarded with several notable performances. As at Newark last week, Gina was again first for Blair, finishing in 22:11. Following up on her victory in Newark’s junior varsity race, Heather Britt was Blair’s second runner across the line in her first varsity start in the promising time of 22:38. Next was Ruthie Mesnard, back from illness, in 24:04, just ahead of Sam Tilney in 24:08. Blair’s final scorer was Michaela McCrink, who ran 26:30 in her first race at Canterbury. Leila Howard ran a steady race to finish in 27:25 to place sixth for the team. Overall, Blair was 13th out of the seventeen schools, just behind Deerfield Academy.

Saturday, 9/16
Newark Invitational
Blair kicked off its 2006 campaign at the 29th annual Newark Academy Invitational on September 16th in Livingston, New Jersey. Under warm, sunny skies a record 73 girls from 12 schools raced over the flat 3.0 mile course that winds through the school’s picturesque suburban campus. Senior captain Gina Giuricich led the Bucs to a seventh place finish among the twelve full teams taking part. Gina finished in sixth place overall in a time thirty seconds faster than she ran last year. Blair’s second runner was junior Chrissy Devenny, who earned a medal for her 19th place finish. Next was newcomer Sam Tilney, in her inaugural race, followed across the line by Michaela McCrink and Leila Howard. Michaela and Leila, who moved up from last year’s junior varsity race, both made significant improvements in their times. Blair also entered four runners in the junior varsity race, with freshman Heather Britt winning the race by eight seconds. Senior Marisa Myers and junior Morgan Findlay both completed the first race of their careers, while sophomore Morgan Jefferson demonstrated her footspeed with a solid performance.

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