Links
See what other publications are saying about Mercer County’s track & field athletes.
Girls cross-country: Non-Public B championship preview, 2024
NJ.com predicts Villa Walsh to win the Non-Public B girls championship over Wilberforce. They say that the Wolverines’ Laura Sallade (one of four “Runners to Watch”) and Adeline Edwards can challenge Villa Walsh’s top two, but “they’ll need their No. 3 through No. 5 runners to outlast Villa Walsh’s pack, who has been extremely reliable in team competitions this year.”
Boys cross-country: Non-Public B Championship preview, 2024
NJ.com picks Princeton Day to win the Non-Public B boys championship over main contenders Moorestown Friends, Rutgers Prep, St. Rose, Wilberforce. The Grayson McLaughlin and Edward Letko are two of five “Runners to Watch,” and Alexander Chia and Michael Zhou can place in the Top 15.
Girls cross-country: Group 3 championship preview, 2024
Allison Lee (WW-P North), “coming off a historic performance at sectionals,” is one of six Runners to Watch at the Group 3 girls championship.
Girls cross-country: Group 4 championship preview, 2024
NJ.com predicts No. 3 Princeton to win the girls Group 4 title in a tight race against six other ranked teams — No. 4 Cherokee, No. 5 Freehold Township, No. 8 Ridgewood, No. 13 Manalapan, No. 16 Ridge, No. 20 Westfield. “At the end of the day, meets like these come down to team depth and frontrunners who can challenge for top spots. Princeton has consistently proven itself head and shoulders above the rest of the state in this regard.”
Girls cross country: Meet N.J.’s 16 team sectional champions & their MVPs
Corey Annan names Kajol Karra and Grace Hegedus as co-MVPs for sectional champs Princeton. “The dynamic duo of Kajol Karra and Grace Hegedus were tremendous, sticking with the frontrunners for the entire race and managing to hang on to nab fourth and sixth, respectively.”
Colts Neck & Princeton headline girls performances at C.J. cross-country sectionals
In Corey Annan’s recap of Central Sectionals, he includes lengthy quotes from Princeton’s Grace Hegedus, Kajol Karra, and Coach Jim Smirk talking about their race strategy and about the love, trust, and “positive partnerships” on the team that have led to the team’s growth and success this season.
N.J. XC star shatters course record at Central Jersey sectionals
Corey Annan has a great article about WW-P’s Allison Lee after her record-smashing win at sectionals, including excerpts from interviews with Lee and her coach Deanna Altvater.
Previewing all 32 NJSIAA sectional cross country meets
NJ.com previews and predicts the best teams and individuals in each group at Central Jersey sectionals.
Group 2: They predict that Allentown’s boys and girls will both qualify out of Group 2.
Group 3: On the girls side, they list Allison Lee (WW-P North), Zui Chinchalkar (WW-P North), and Claire Dumont (Hopewell Valley) as three of six “Runners to Watch,” and they have WW-P North and Hopewell Valley finishing between 2nd and 5th. On the boys side, Tyler Hurst (Steinert) is one of four “Runners to Watch,” and they have three teams qualifying: WW-P North, Hopewell Valley, and Steinert.
Group 4: On the girls side, Princeton’s Kajol Karra and Grace Hegedus are both on their watchlist, and they predict that Princeton will win it all. On the boys side, WW-P South’s Shravan Pradeep is a runner to watch and is predicted to lead his team to group championship qualification.
Girls cross country Top 20, Oct. 21: Championship meets redefine landscape
NJ Advance Media's girls rankings include the following teams from Mercer County and NJ Central groups:
#3 Middletown South (up from #6)
#4 Princeton (down from #3)
#6 Colts Neck (up from #17)
#8 Manalapan (down from #5)
#10 Freehold Township (down from #9)
#13 Rumson-Fair Haven (no change)
#20 Hopewell Valley (down from #19)
Boys cross country Top 20, Oct. 21: Championship performances reshuffle the rankings
NJ Advance Media's boys rankings include the following teams from NJ Central groups:
#3 Colts Neck (up from #9)
#14 South Brunswick (up from #20)
#15 Manalapan (down from #12)
Defending champions headline Week 7 N.J. cross country standout performances
One of NJ.com’s standout performers from last week was West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Shravan Pradeep, whose 15:17.4 at the CVC Divisional Championship shattered the old meet record of 15:57 from 2021.
Key takeaways and under-the-radar cross country stories from Week 7
One of NJ.com’s under-the-radar performances from last week was WW-P North’s win over WW-P South at the CVC Divisional Championship, thanks to its 41-second spread that put all five boys in the top 10.
Meet N.J.’s most underrated boys and girls cross country runners in 2024
NJ.com selected the 7-8 most underrated runners from every group. Here were their picks from Mercer County, who each got a short write-up:
Emilia Wroblewski (Allentown, Sr.)
Rosemary Warren (Princeton, Fr.)
Alaina Sabo (Notre Dame, Fr.)
Stella Blanchard (Wilberforce, So.)
Silas Allevik (Hopewell Valley, So.)
Tarun Kovoor (Notre Dame, Sr.)
Boys & girls cross-country Fab 50s, Oct. 17: Championship season forces major shift
Here’s who made NJ Advance Media’s list of top 50 NJ runners. Note that these rankings were published before the CVC Championship.
#7 Allison Lee (WW-P North, Jr.)
#29 Grace Hegedus (Princeton, So.)
#35 Zui Chinchalkar (WW-P North, Sr.)
#36 Kajol Karra (Princeton, Jr.)
#38 Claire Dumont (Hopewell Valley, Sr.)
#45 Laura Sallade (Wilberforce, Jr.)
#28 Shravan Pradeep (WW-P South, Sr.)
Girls cross country Top 20, Oct. 14: Eventful weekend leads to some movement
NJ Advance Media's girls rankings include the following teams from Mercer County and NJ Central groups:
#3 Princeton (no change)
#5 Manalapan (no change)
#6 Middletown South (no change)
#9 Freehold Township (no change)
#13 Rumson-Fair Haven (up from #14)
#17 Colts Neck (down from #16)
#19 Hopewell Valley (no change)
Boys cross-country Top 20, Oct. 14: Out-of-state performances cause slight movement
NJ Advance Media's boys rankings include the following teams from NJ Central groups:
#9 Colts Neck (down from #5)
#12 Manalapan (no change)
#20 South Brunswick (no change)
XC Fall Classic: Notre Dame’s Kovoor bounces back; Princeton claims boys title
Corey Annan interviews Tarun Kovoor (Notre Dame) and Princeton coach James Smirk after their wins at the XC Fall Classic. Kovoor talks about the victory being a confidence boost after coming back from a glute injury. Coach Smirk praises his boys for playing on each other’s strengths and having the mindset that team success is everyone’s success.
Girls cross country Top 20, Oct. 7: South Jersey teams rise after Shore Coaches
NJ Advance Media's girls rankings include the following teams from Mercer County and NJ Central groups:
#3 Princeton (up from #4)
#5 Manalapan (no change)
#6 Middletown South (no change)
#9 Freehold Township (no change)
#14 Rumson-Fair Haven (up from #18)
#16 Colts Neck (no change)
#19 Hopewell Valley (down from #14)
Boys cross-country Top 20, Oct. 7: Shore Coaches Invite results in major movement
NJ Advance Media's boys rankings include the following teams from NJ Central groups:
#5 Colts Neck (no change)
#12 Manalapan (down from #9)
#20 South Brunswick (down from #11)
Elite times headline girls performances from the Shore Coaches XC Invitational
Allison Lee (West Windsor-Plainsboro North) talks with the media after her win in the girls Varsity B race at the Shore Coaches Invitational. She says that cross training has been key to staying healthy this year, and that knowing the Holmdel course so well, including which portions are her strongest, has been a big advantage. She also credits senior teammate Zhu Chinchalkar as a role model and a huge reason for her success.