NE shakeup: Bishop Hendricken RI boys, Bishop Feehan MA girls claim big wins
Germantown Friends PA boys, LaSalle RI girls are 2nd
Despite the longshot label that they came into the race with, Bishop Hendricken wasn’t going to be denied, proving all the critics wrong as they came up with an emotionally charged upset victory over several highly ranked teams. Bishop Hendricken’s victory highlighted "Upset Saturday" in the NE Region, as none of the top four teams in the boys or girls NE Regional Rankings secured one of the top two national qualifying spots. - DyeStat Metro Meet story
Joe Rosa (West Windsor Plainsboro North) and Reid Watson (Glastonbury, CT) will be headed to Portland after take the individual titles - Photos by John Nepolitan
NXN Finals Qualifiers- 1st and 2nd place teams are automatic qualifiers; 3rd and 4th place teamsare eligible for selection as a national at-large team. Individual qualifiers are the top 5 not on a qualifying team. Bold faced individuals and teams qualify for national finals.
Boys Teams 1. Bishop Hendricken RI (Hawks TC) - 137 2. Germantown Friends PA - 156 3. Don Bosco NJ (Ironman XC) - 165 4. West Windsor Plainsboro North NJ - 174
Girls Teams 1. Bishop Feehan MA (Rocks XC) - 104 2. La Salle RI - 121 3. Hillsborough NJ - 139 4. Emmaus PA (Suamme XC) - 149
Boys Individuals 1. Joe Rosa NJ - 16:01.3 2. Jim Rosa NJ - 16:01.6 3. Aaron Watanabe VT - 16:04.6 4. Morgan Pearson NJ - 16:06.9 5. Mike Mazzaccaro NJ - 16:10.9
With the exception of the Rosa twins 1-2 finish, the Nike Northeast Regional Championships produced shocking results as teams that felt underrated pulled off stunning upset victories.
The boys from Bishop Hendricken RI (Hawks Track Club) and the girls from Bishop Feehan MA (Rocks XC) rocked the rankings as both came up with monumental upsets to capture the team titles.
US #49 Bishop Hendricken, in a race they dedicated to the late Bobby Doyle (his son Brian is a senior on the team), knocked off five teams ranked in the top 39 as it outpointed runner-up and US#39 Germantown Friends PA, 137-156.
Bishop Hendricken came into the race ranked No. 6 in the Northeast.
"We knew we were a better team than that," said senior Jake Sienko, 10th in 16:17.2. "I had an off day when we won at New Englands and we had another guy sick, so we knew we were capable of coming here and contending . There were probably a lot of teams that didn’t think we were this good because we ran so poorly against a lot of these teams at Manhattan. But we knew that was just an off day."
Brian Doyle ran with a heavy heart for Bishop Hendricken.
"I think of my dad everyday," said Doyle, whose uncle, Jim, is the head coach. "He was with me every step of the way and I thought about him the whole race."
Germantown Friends senior Gus McKenzie knew that the Northeast rankings were loaded with NJ teams (top four), and with his team at #5 his team was considered a longshot to qualify for Nationals. But McKenzie and the rest of Germantown’s pack didn’t feel that way,
"We looked at the results of the NJ state meets and we really weren’t worried about those teams," said McKenzie. "Our pack is closer than those other teams and we knew that would be our advantage. We know people are surprised by what we did because a lot of people had no idea how good we are. But we always knew we could do this. We never stopped believing."
US#13 Don Bosco Prep NJ (Ironman XC) Club, came in #1 in the Northeast and favored to advance to its third straight National Championships race. But it wound up third with 168, just 12 behind Germantown. Don Bosco must now hope it receives one of the four at-large bids that will be awarded on Sunday.
The girls race was as shocking as the boys, as unranked Bishop Feehan MA and LaSalle RI took down some powerhouse programs en route to clinching the two automatic qualifying spots. Bishop Feehan, #5 in the Northeast, emerged with a thrilling seven point win, 114-121, over LaSalle.
"When they were announcing the team scores and said the second place points, I just assumed that we didn’t do as well as we hoped,’’ said Bishop Feehan senior Anisa Arsenault, 26th in 19:54.1. "Then they announced us as the winner and we were all just shocked. "We never expected this at all. It’s pretty unbelievable."
Bishop Feehan, which put five runners ahead of LaSalle to clinch the victory, knew that all eyes would be on the top teams like two-time defending champion and heavy favorite Lincoln Sudbury Mass (Sudbury XC Club). L-S, which came into the race US#18 and NE#1, wound up sixth with 176.
"We knew there would be no pressure or expectations on us since we were big underdogs,’’ said senior Jen Thomas, 49th in 20:18.8. "So we just came here and ran a strong team race with no expectations and everyone ran their best races of the season."
As for the individual races, West Windsor-Plainsboro North (Plainsboro XC) junior twins Joe and Jim Rosa went 1-2 as expected, with Joe a step ahead as he won his second straight regional title in 16:01.3. Jim was second in 16:01.6.
Joe Rosa, the No. 1 ranked runner in the US by DyeStat, didn’t pursue his fourth course record of the season (15:39.7 by Charles Millioen of St. Anthony’s NY in 2001).
"Today was all about just getting first and second for Jim and I," said Joe, who will be favored to win the Nike National title next week. "We have to keep our legs fresh for next week, so we weren’t worried about time today."
The girls race featured a four-runner battle over the final mile as sophomore Reid Watson of Glastonbury Conn (Tomahawak XC Club) moved from fourth to first, finally passing Ashley Smolinka of Hillsborough NJ (Hillsborough XC Club) with about 400 meters to go to win in 18:52.1, 5.5 ticks in front of Smolinka.
"I knew I had a chance," said Watson. "I kept getting closer and closer and finally saw a chance to get by her. I am shocked right now. I had no idea I could win this. I thought maybe I could get top five to qualify for Nationals, but I really didn’t see myself winning this until I got right behind her."
Brothers XC Club (CBA, NJ) 55 ,Rocks XC(Bish Hendriken, RI) 71; Bobby McShane - 17:18.5
Full Preview - Jim Rosa leads a strong New Jersey boys entry and it looks like Massachusetts can sweep the girls automatic qualifiers. Last Year
Joe Rosa NJ 15:57 leads West Windsor North NJ (Knight) boys to title. Lincoln-Sudbury MA (Mercury) wins girls team title and Kelsey Karys MA individual honors.
Joe Rosa
Kelsey Karys
Northeast History
Northeast Region at Nationals *
Year
BOYS
GIRLS
2008
5th, West Windsor North NJ (Knight) 6th, Don Bosco NJ (Bergen) 12th, N. Allegheny PA (Wexford Flats) 21st, Danbury CT
6th, Newton South MA (Newton Centre) 12th, Lincoln-Sudbury MA (Mercury)
* Eliminates New York teams, which moved to their own region starting in 2007.
Schedule (Northeast region is run in conjunction with the New York region the same day at Bowdoin Park.)
FRIDAY 6:30 PM - Friday night Pasta Party @ Holiday Inn and Conference Center Rt 9 Fishkill NY 5 pm - Packet Pickup @ Holiday Inn and Conference Center Rt 9 Fishkill NY
SATURDAY 7am Packet pickup at the course 10:00 AM Boys Open NY/NE Combined ( Frosh/Soph combined) 10:30 AM Girls Open NY/NE Combined ( Frosh/Soph combined ) 11:00 AM Boys NE Championship 11:35 AM Girls NE Championship 12:10 PM Boys NY Championship 12:45 PM Girls NY Championship 1:15 PM Awards
Course
Directions The park is on the east bank of the Hudson River north of Newburgh and the easiest access is from US 84 north on Rt 9D.
From the North and North East: CT, ME, MA, NH, VT, RI All US Roads that lead to The thruway US 87….south to Newburgh-Beacon Bridge - US 84. Cross bridge and take first exit across the river, Rt 9D.* Proceed north on 9D to Rt 28, turn left, and follow 28 until the end at Main Street. Turn right and as the road turns to the right it becomes Channingville Rd. Continue for a short distance and make left on Sheafe Rd, there is a sign that points to Bowdoin Park. The park is a short distance down the road on your left.
From the South and West: NJ, PA All US roads that bring you to 87 norths or 84 west. From 87 north proceed to the Newburgh-Beacon bridge exit, US84 east…Follow directions as above (*) after crossing the Hudson.
From the East: Downstate NY and CT Any roads that bring you to US 84 west. Exit at Rt 9, turn right going north, Proceed to Rt 28, turn left, follow directions as above to the park.* (same directions as from 9D…only starting at a point a few miles further east of 9D).
Parking All parking will be on site. Admission to the park will be $5 per car rather than a charge by the number of occupants. All competitors will enter free of charge.
