(Photo by Stephen Goldsmith) SLIPPERY SITUATION: Princeton High junior linebacker Tom Borchert corrals Blake Bascom of Monroe last Friday in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group III state playoffs. Borchert and his teammates had trouble slowing Bascom as he ran for 302 yards to lead Monroe to a 42-0 triumph.

Overcoming Mid-Season Struggles, PHS Girls’ Runners Finish Strong

Bill Alden

The Princeton High girls’ cross country team ran into some trouble in early October.

“We hit a slump in the middle of the season; we were not running very well at all,” recalled PHS head coach Jim Smirk.

“We got through the Shore Coaches meet and then we had an awful day against HoVal; they really beat us up. A lot of teams struggle like that and just fall away.”

Instead, the Little Tigers rebounded from that rough patch to produce some of their most inspired performances of the season.

After taking third in the Mercer County Championships on October 30, PHS placed second at the NJSIAA Group III Central Jersey sectional meet a week later.

Last Saturday, the Little Tigers took fourth in the Group III state championship meet, missing a spot in the Meet of Champions meet by just seven points.

Sophomore star Jenna Cody, still recovering from illness, set the pace for PHS, covering the 3.1 mile course at Holmdel in a time of 19:48 as she qualified individually for the MOC.

Cody was followed by senior Alicia Fenley (19th), junior Chrissy Glover (36th place), freshman Amelia Whaley (56th), and sophomore Abby Hunter (78th).

Although the Little Tigers didn’t qualify for the MOC, Smirk liked the way his runners competed.

“It stings that we were only seven points out of qualifying for the MOC but we ran well,” said Smirk.

“We had a lot of young kids who hadn’t been in states with the exception of Jenna and Alicia. Glover is new to the team and Whaley is a freshman. They all did a fantastic job, I am real proud of them.”

Smirk was proud of how Cody gutted things out as she continued her comeback from a recent bout with the flu.

“I was thrilled with Jenna; she ran a good race tactically,” added Smirk. “She did what she had to do to qualify for the MOC. She is still not 100 percent, but she is better and getting closer. We still haven’t seen her best.”

PHS got one of its best efforts from senior Fenley. “Alicia had a great performance at the end of the season,” said Smirk. “She was 10 seconds faster in the state meet than last year. She made an aggressive move at the one mile mark.”

With its core of promising runners slated to return, PHS could make another move up the ladder next fall.

“We have huge potential in our younger runners,” maintained Smirk. “Chrissy made huge strides. She is a 400/800 runner in the spring and I kept bugging her to come out for cross country. She really excelled. With a season of quality training under her belt, she should get better and better. Amelia is a tough kid; she goes to the well for her teammates. She works hard for them. From a team perspective, she is a wonderful teammate.”

In assessing the season, Smirk is proud of how his runners stuck things out after their mid-season struggles.

“I think the trials defined us,” said Smirk, noting that the senior co-captains Emily Ullman and Claire Hartmanshenn provided solid leadership even though they were sidelined for most of the fall. “We didn’t panic when Jenna was sick; we came together and had a shot at the Meet of Champions.”

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