ON THE SAME PAIGE: Princeton High girls’ country runner Paige Metzheiser heads to the finish line in a 2013 race. Last week, senior Metzheiser took seventh in a meet at Mercer County Park, helping PHS to wins over Hamilton and Robbinsville. On Saturday, Metzheiser placed 24th as PHS finished third in the Varsity 2 division at the Bowdoin Cross Country Classic in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. In upcoming action, the Little Tigers race against Allentown on October 1. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For the Princeton High girls’ cross country team, the goal this fall is to reach a higher level of competitiveness.

“We are trying to extend ourselves, we have shown that we can run tough,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk.

“We have reacted in races; now we want to create a situation where we are changing races. Every time we lace them up, it is about how are we going to get better as athletes and competitors, not just physically, but mentally.”

PHS got better last week as it dominated a meet at Mercer County Park, placing five in the top nine in posting wins over Hamilton and Robbinsville. Junior Emma Eikelberner led the way for PHS, placing second in a time of 18:50 over the 5,000-meter course. Senior Julie Bond was next in third with senior Paige Metzheiser taking seventh, senior Mary Sutton finishing eighth, and junior Lou Mialhe coming in ninth.

In Smirk’s view, Eikelberner has made a lot of progress, physically and mentally.

“Emma ran a 29-minute 5k as a freshman so she has earned every second off of her time,” said Smirk.

“She is learning how to fill the role of being a top runner. In the spring she had a breakthrough and she put in a lot of work over the summer.”

Senior Bond has worked on remaining injury free. “She looks great, we shut her down early in the spring so she would be ready for cross country,” said Smirk

“That is the season she likes the best, we said the day after track was the first day of pre-training for cross country. She ran much better this week than last week, we know she can be a stellar runner for us.”

Metzheiser produced a stellar effort in the meet last week. “She is one of the girls whose skill set we are trying to broaden,” said Smirk.

“She has been sitting in the middle of the pack and grinding it out. We want her to get leadership options and not just be part of the pack. She is going to be challenged. With her 800 pedigree, she can get out of her depth against more experienced runners who have some tricks.”

PHS is relying on the experience of Sutton and Mialhe to make a difference as the fall unfolds.

“They are definitely tested,” said Smirk. “They know what they need to do from here on out.”

The trio of Sarah Klebanov, Sophia Zahn, and Izzy Trenholm are figuring out what they need to do on the varsity level.

“Sarah is kid who had been dancing around the edge of the varsity, spring track didn’t shake out well for her,” said Smirk.

“She worked to rebuild herself this summer; she is exciting to watch. She shook two girls off from HoVal in the meet in the last ¼ mile, she uncorked a great kick. Sophia has been dancing around the varsity too. Izzy is a sophomore; we are looking for her to move up. She is still pretty raw, last year was her first year. She is growing into it and what it means to be a varsity athlete.”

Smirk believes his team has the depth to do well in championship meets.

“One of the things we have prided ourselves on is having the best 5,6,7 when we get to the state meets,” said Smirk, whose team races against Allentown on October 1 as it prepares for the county meet later this month.

“We believe in the importance of every single runner in the line. Even if they don’t beat someone’s No. 5, they are providing the drive from the back.”

The squad is driven to do some special things this fall. “They are going to go after it; we know there are tough teams out there,” said Smirk, whose team took third in the Varsity 2 division at the Bowdoin Cross Country Classic in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., last Saturday, led by Sutton in 11th place and Bond in 20th.

“We have always raced well as a group, now it is more about taking advantage of each other’s strengths and racing together to create a competitive dynamic.”