Girls’ Cross Country

Recaps

Peddie - 11/12/05
For the second time in four days the Bucs raced against the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. Knowing that they needed to beat Peddie’s third runner in order to have a chance to win the meet, Blair’s pack of Gina Giuricich, Chrissy Devenney and Aurore Dorelien started out at a very fast pace over a newly laid-out 3.0 mile course on Peddie’s campus. Although they were ultimately unable to achieve their aim, Blair’s runners all posted times nearly equivalent to their fastest five kilometer times of the season. The team’s disappointment at their 22 - 35 loss on “Peddie Day” was tempered by the excitement of the football team’s emotional victory and the school’s tie with Peddie for the Kelley-Potter Cup. Although #50 Kurt Socha remains hospitalized from his injury against the Hill School, the depleted football team rallied in the second half for a close-fought victory.

MAPL Meet - 11/9/05
As it has since the inception of the MidAtlantic Prep League - MAPL - Peddie hosted the league championship race at their golf course in Hightstown, New Jersey. All six MAPL schools took part in a very competitive race, with Blair placing fourth behind Lawrenceville, Peddie, and Mercersburg, and in front of Hill and Hun. Peddie’s Rachel Provost broke the meet record in 18:47 to set the tone for a day of fast running. Blair’s Liz Connor, fourth overall, ran under twenty minutes for five kilometers for the first time this season, while Aurore Dorelien and Chrissy Devenny, Blair’s second and third runners, both ran their fastest times of their careers in battling a Mercersburg girl right to the finish line. In a display of toughness and heart Gina Giuricich ran through numerous ailments to post her best time of the year to place fourth for the team. Ruthie Mesnard, Michaela McCrink and Jackie Combs all ran their personal best times to finish fifth, sixth and seventh for the team. The JV race was notable not only for Morgan Jefferson’s best time of the season but also for the debut of Carter Ford. Carter, accompanied over the course by Jen Wierzba, ran her first race of the season despite not being able to train hard all fall due to a summer injury.

States - 11/2/05
With the campus reeling from the tragic accident in the previous Saturday’s football game, Blair dedicated their race in the New Jersey Prep States to #50, Kurt Socha. Our thoughts and prayers were with Kurt and his family as we lined up for the A divison race over our home course. A total of ten schools competed in the division, with Blair placing fifth overall. Liz Connor ran her finest race of the season to place ninth in a personal best by 30 seconds. Gina Giuricich was next for Blair, cutting over 40 seconds from her time against Lawrenceville earlier in the season. Gina was followed by Aurore Dorelien, a senior running her final home race of her career. Freshman Ruthie Mesnard placed fourth for the Bucs in a personal best by 30 seconds while Michaela McCrink rounded out the Blair scorers. Jackie Combs ran the race of the day by cutting 1:17 from her previous best time to finish sixth for the team, and Leila Howard placed respectably in her first race in a competitive invitational.

Gill - 10/26/05
On a day perfect for cross country - cool and brisk - Gill St. Bernard’s School of Gladstone, NJ traveled to Blairstown for Blair’s fourth dual meet of the season. Because Gill ran only four girls the overall race result was not in question; however, there were several notable performances among Blair’s varsity seven. As she had all year, Liz Connor finished first on the team, winning the race in a time equal to her performance against Lawrenceville. Liz was followed by Aurore Dorelien (second), Ruthie Mesnard (third) and Micheala McCrink (fourth), who edged out Gill’s first runner on a sprint down the football field to the finish line. Leila Howard, in eighth place overall, was Blair’s fifth runner across the line, scoring in a varsity race for the first time. Next for Blair was Morgan Jefferson with her first varsity finish of the year, while Jackie Combs dropped her time on the course by over two minutes to secure the final varsity place. The lone JV runner was Jen Wierzba who finished her second race of the season.

Lawrenceville and Stuart - 10/22/05
Even the cold, driving rain could not dampen the enthusiasm of the Blair girls’ cross country team as they ran their first home meet of the season. Despite the miserable conditions, a large Parents’ Day crowd turned out to watch the team go head to head with both the Lawrenceville School and Stuart Country Day. Liz Connor ran from the very start with Lawrenceville’s Amanda Scheer and Hayley Inman while Blair’s pack of Gina Giuricich, Aurore Dorelien, Chrissy Devenny and Stafford Jordan dueled with Lawrenceville’s third through sixth runners. At the midway point of the race Blair held a slight lead, but Lawrenceville’s depth proved too much in the end. The final score, 26 - 31 in favor of Lawrenceville, was a measure of just how competitive the race proved to be. Stuart’s first runner placed fourth, but Blair defeated their team by the score of 19 - 43. Liz finished first overall, followed in order by Aurore (sixth, in a personal record time), Gina (seventh), Chrissy (eighth, in a fine performance returning from a sprained ankle), Stafford (14th), Ruthie Mesnard (15th) and Michaela McCrink (18th, in her best 5K time of the year). Leila Howard, who ran a personal best by over two minutes, led all junior varsity finishers, including Jackie Combs, Morgan Jefferson and Sarabeth Clark.

Hill - 10/12/05
After a two week hiatus the Blair girls’ cross country team began its MAPL schedule against the Hill School. In a cold driving rain in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Blair raced its rival over a 3.1 mile course looping through a local golf course. Due to the cold weather and soggy conditions individual times were slow, but Blair ultimately prevailed by the score of 25 - 32. Liz Connor took the lead right from the start while Gina Giuricich battled Hill’s number one runner for the entire race. Aurore Dorelien and Stafford Jordan ran against Hill’s second runner while Michaela McCrink mixed it up with the back of Hill’s pack. Liz won individual honors, followed by Gina, Aurore and Stafford in third, fourth and fifth. Michaela completed the scoring as Blair’s fifth runner for the first time this season. Sixth and seventh for Blair were Ruthie Mesnard and Jackie Combs. Following the varsity seven were four JV runners: Morgan Jefferson, Leila Howard, Sarabeth Clark and (finishing a race for the first time in her career) Jen Wierzba.

North Warren - 9/28/05
In the first dual meet of the season, Blair faced off against a very strong North Warren team under sunny skies in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The three mile course looped through the grounds of Hackettstown High School, starting and finishing in a field where a large number of spectators could watch the race. Despite running fast times (all but one Blair runner ran her fastest 5k-equivalent time of the season thus far) Blair was defeated by the score of 21 - 38. Liz Connor led all runners across the finish line to win the overall race (the first victory of her career), while Gina Giuricich battled two other talented opponents for the race’s final mile to place sixth. Aurore Dorelien, Chrissy Devenny and Stafford Jordan finished the scoring for Blair. Ruthie Mesnard was Blair’s sixth girl while Michaela McCrink earned her first varsity spot by placing seventh for the team. Jackie Combs and newcomers Sarah Kerrigan, Morgan Jefferson and Sarabeth Clark completed the roster of Blair runners.

Canterbury Invitational - 9/24/05
One hundred seventy-six runners toed the line on a beautiful late summer afternoon in New Milford, Connecticut, for the start of the 33rd Annual Canterbury Invitational. Blair’s varsity seven went out conservatively, aiming to make up ground on the flat after the water tower and at the top of the course’s notorious mid-race hill. The Blair girls followed their fine opening race at Newark with an even stronger performance today as they placed sixth among the twenty-three full teams, easily surpassing the school’s previous high finish of eighth in 2001. Liz Connor led the way for the Bucs in fifth place, with a time of 21:05; Blair’s second runner was Gina Giuricich, finishing in 22:00 for 22nd place. The strength of the team was exemplified by a tight, fast pack that included Chrissy Devenny, Aurore Dorelien, Stafford Jordan and Ruthie Mesnard (a freshman running in her first race) separated by only 20 seconds from 23:10 to 23:30. Seventh for Blair was Jackie Combs, whose time of 26:29 constituted a marked improvement from her time over the shorter Newark course last week.

Newark Invitational - 9/17/05
Blair opened its season on September 17th at the 28th annual Newark Academy Invitational in Livingston, New Jersey. Thirteen girls’ schools, including eight with full varsity teams, ran in both junior varsity and varsity races in unseasonably hot and humid conditions. Two Blair runners, Michaela McCrink and Leila Howard, competed in the junior varsity race at 10:00, followed by the varsity seven 45 minutes later. Sophomore Liz Connor led all Blair runners across the line, followed by captain Gina Giuricich, Ashley Thompson, Chrissy Devenny, Stafford Jordan, Aurore Dorelien and Jackie Combs. Liz, Ashley and Stafford all ran the first races of their careers, while Aurore and Jackie were entered in their first races in two years. Blair’s first five runners - Liz, Gina, Ashley, Chrissy and Stafford - all earned individual medals for finishing in the top 20 positions, with Aurore not far behind. Blair placed second overall behind champion The Pingry School and four points ahead of third place Oak Knoll.

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