BOND YIELD: Princeton High girls’ cross country runner Julie Bond finishes strong in a race earlier this fall. Last Saturday, junior Bond placed 39th in the state Group III meet at Holmdel to help PHS take ninth in the team standings. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Youth was definitely served this fall by the Princeton High girls’ cross country team.

PHS was led by sophomore Lou Mialhe with juniors Julie Bond, Mary Sutton, and Paige Metzheiser joining her at the front of the pack. Two other sophomores, Phoebe Whiteside and Emma Eikelberner, typically ran with senior Belinda Liu in the next wave of Little Tigers.

“We were able to compete at a high level with a really young team,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk. “It was a pleasure to coach this group. We competed in a way that was open, we were not worried about the wins and losses but running our best.”

That approach, though, led to plenty of wins for PHS as it went 12-1 in dual meet competition, took second in the county meet, and third in the Central Jersey Group III meet.

Last Saturday, the Little Tigers ended the season by taking ninth in the state Group III meet at Holmdel. Mialhe led the way, taking 35th in a time of 20:07 over the 5,000-meter course. Bond was next in 39th at 20:15 with Metzheiser placing 43rd in a time of 20:19 and Sutton clocking a 20:24 as she came in 47th.

“We had a pretty good day, it was not our best day of the season but it was pretty solid,” said Smirk, reflecting on the group meet. “We had a nice pack. Our numbers one through five had the best team average time (20:29) we have ever had on the Holmdel course.”

The Little Tigers got a nice year from Mialhe as she assumed the role of frontrunner. “Lou was a kid when we saw her in track in the spring in the 800 and breaking out in the national meet, we challenged her,” said Smirk.

“She took it on and she has been right up there all season for us. In the first meet, she really surprised us by opening up some distance on the Robbinsville race. We knew she was good but we didn’t know if she had that strength over the 5k. Saturday was Lou’s first time being the No. 1 in the state race. She had our fifth fastest time on the Holmdel course. We are real proud of her.”

Smirk was very proud of Bond’s effort at the group meet. “Julie has been injured all season, she has been rehabbing all year and we have been picking her spots,” said Smirk. “She performed incredibly well on Saturday. I attribute it to being a veteran and being smart.”

Metzheiser performed up to her standards, pushing things at the front of the PHS pack.

“Paige was upset with the way that she ran in the sectional,” said Smirk. “We challenged her to be herself. She took on the first half of the race and worked really hard. She was there with Julie and Mary and set up the second half of the race. She had the same time as she did in the sectional but on a tougher course.”

Sutton, for her part, showed plenty of toughness on Saturday. “Mary is our rock, week in, week out,” asserted Smirk.

“At the two-mile mark she was having a tough time but she found a way to fight through that. That is what makes her a kid we can rely on every week, it is greatly appreciated.”

Sophomore Eikelberner has emerged as a reliable runner for the Little Tigers.

“Emma Eikelberner went from 24:30 at the counties last year to 20:30,” said Smirk. “She showed how a good work ethic combined with talent can lead to improvement. She is a quiet contributor.”

In Smirk’s view, the program should continue to show improvement. “We are in a nice position,” said Smirk.

“On the bus ride back from the group meet, we had a small group and we talked about our core values and what is required to be a great team. The goals were set by the girls; they are intense values and we talked about living by them day in, day out.”