Clausen wins another group title at Holmdel

BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Jackson’s Amanda Marino emerges from the woods at Holmdel Park during the Group IV championship race on Saturday en route to her fourth-place finish. At left, Howell’s Sarah Nelson also competes in the Group IV race. HOLMDEL — Following a couple of weeks of feeling sluggish and fatigued, Jackson High School junior standout Jenn Clausen felt refreshed and relaxed as she won her second consecutive NJSIAA Group IV cross-country championship last Saturday at Holmdel Park.

Not only did Clausen win her second straight group crown, but she also smashed her personal-best time of the course, completing the race in a blistering time of 18:26.

“It was a big day for her,” Jackson coach Glenda Calabro said. “She felt rested and ready to go at the start. She may have felt a little tired the last couple of weeks, but today was a different story. She just went out and ran her race. She is an extremely accomplished runner.”

Indeed, Clausen’s times had been a bit slower the past couple of weeks. She finished second to Monsignor Donovan’s Leah Brogan at both the Ocean County and Shore Conference championship meets. But Calabro wasn’t worried about her star runner.

“It’s a long season,” Calabro said. “Everybody is beginning to get tired. But now with all the big meets coming up, we somehow manage to find a second wind. I knew that with a little rest and less training, her legs would come back.”

Jackson placed four runners in the top 25 and collected a total of 131 points to finish in second place in the team event. It’s the best team finish in school history.

“We’re thrilled that we were runner-ups,” Calabro said. “We were competing against a lot of top teams. For us to put four runners in the top 25 is a huge accomplishment. In addition, we had a number of girls run their best times.”

In only her third time running the hills of Holmdel Park, Amanda Marino finished fourth overall with a time of 18:55. Marino shaved three seconds off her personal-best time at the course.

“That’s a pretty significant amount of time,” Calabro said. “This is not an easy course to compete on. It’s hilly and challenging.”

Valerie Sidhoum was 21st overall with a time of 20:21 and teammate Ashley Avileirra was 23rd in 20:23. Melissa Maloney completed the race in 22:05, while Tara Thompson finished in 22:11. Erin Ferro posted a time of 23:19.

Calabro cut back on training before this meet. She wanted to make sure her teams’ legs were fresh. The tactic worked.

“We went a little bit lighter before this race,” Calabro said. “All the training is done. Now we need to stay healthy and rested.”

Jackson’s second-place finish earns them a berth into Saturday’s the Meet of Champions.

“Two years ago we finished 10th at the event,” Calabro said. “I feel we have a much better team this season. If we have a good day and everybody puts forth the effort they are capable of, then we have a good shot at placing in the top five.”

Howell’s girls were 10th in the Group IV competition (249) that was won by Roxbury (41).

Freshman Lindsey Lambert led the Rebels in 27th (20:34) with teammate Lauren Wiemken, 28th (20:36). Howell is ranked 17th in the state.