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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Stuart Cross Country Wins Patriot Meet As Supporting Cast Plays Decisive Role
By Bill Alden
In Robert Abdullah's view, the Stuart Country Day cross country team came into last week's Patriot Conference championship meet in a situation reminiscent of the legendary Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s.
Looking for its seventh straight conference title, the Tartans had two top guns in senior Laura Brienza and sophomore Nicole Huber but had to have its supporting cast come through in order to earn another title.
"We have Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen," said Abdullah, who took over as Stuart's acting head coach after Thomas Harrington moved to the Princeton University women's track program in late September. “We knew we had two good runners in Laura and Nicole; we needed numbers three, four, and five to do well."
While Brienza and Huber took their customary star turns, finishing second and fourth, respectively, Stuart's next three, Sasha Levitt, Anais Vaillant, and Carrie Heckel outdid themselves.
With Levitt taking 11th, Vaillant in 12th, and Heckel finishing 13th, Stuart came up with the depth to edge runner-up Ranney School 38-47 and earn the title.
Abdullah was proud of how his supporting cast rose to the occasion. "My number three, four, and five runners did it," asserted Abdullah.
"These girls have never really stood out in cross country or athletics. Ranney had three girls in the top ten and would usually win it. But our next three were 11, 12, and 13, and their three were in the 20s."
Abdullah acknowledged that each of the girls overcame obstacles on the way to their big effort. “Sasha's never scored in a big varsity meet,” said Abdullah. “She has always had problems with injuries. She had a personal record, she really came through. Anais was a tennis player who came out for cross country. Carrie has a breathing problem due to allergies.”
Stuart's top scorer, Brienza, overcame some jitters on the way to leading the pack once again for Stuart. "She was as nervous as I have ever seen her," said Abdullah of Brienza who covered the course at Gill St. Bernards in 20:30. "She stepped up not just for herself but for the team. She doesn't say much but she trains full tilt all the time; she really sets a good example."
The Tartans' second banana, Huber, cemented her reputation as a precocious performer with a 21:53 effort. "Nicole is really talented," asserted Abdullah, whose team competes in a tri-meet against Blair and Lawrenceville on October 22 at Blair. "She is a real student of running; she's always asking questions and trying to figure out how she can get better. Her dad is a coach and you can see where she gets it."
For Abdullah, whose coaching focus has been in the sprinting and hurdling events, Patriot title was particularly rewarding.
"I think I felt more pressure than the girls," said Abdullah with a chuckle. "Thomas left such a legacy and tradition. I'm building trust with the girls. We're learning together. I think they're starting to believe in me."
Like Bulls coach Phil Jackson, Abdullah led his team to a title by getting everybody to buy into their roles.
