Moorestown senior surges to front in final 600 meters to win S.J. Shootout 1-2 race
By Kevin Cranston
Runningco.com Writer
DEPTFORD
Brianna Rogers never let the leaders get too far ahead of her.
Whether it was at the one-mile mark, the two-mile mark or the 2½-mile mark, the Moorestown High School senior always made sure she was just one hard move away from taking over first place.
And after bidding her time for essentially the entire race, Rogers finally made her push for victory at Saturday’s Fourth Annual South Jersey Cross Country Shootout with about 600 meters remaining as she sat in fourth place.
And in an all-out effort, Rogers caught Williamstown junior Maria Ruiz, Our Lady of Mercy Academy senior Jena Peacock and Millville junior Lindsay Bertulis to win the girls’ 1-2 race – dubbed the “Stud Race” by meet director Ringo Adamson – by eight seconds as she covered Gloucester County College’s 3.1-mile course in 19:01.
Following Rogers were Bertulis (19:09), Peacock (19:10), Ruiz (19:25) and Cherry Hill East junior Melissa Showers (19:39).
“I’ve never kicked like that before,” Rogers said after the race. “When I first started going after the girls in front of me, I didn’t really know if I was going to have enough to catch them. But when I started to pick it up, I felt good, so I just kept going.”
Saturday was Rogers’ second win of the season and her second straight victory at the Shootout. Last weekend, Rogers won the Cherokee Challenge senior race. In 2006, Rogers won the 1-2 race on the same GCC course run Saturday in 19:19.
As Ruiz led a pack of four through the opening mile in 5:43, Rogers ran a couple strides back in fifth. It was during the second mile - which is mostly woods and features a couple of challenging hills – that Rogers joined the lead pack and moved into fourth. Ruiz hit the two-mile mark first in 11:55, but Rogers wasn’t far behind.
“It was after that last hill in the woods (just before the two-mile mark) that I started to feel better,” Rogers said. “It was after that hill I started picking it up.”
Although she started to pick up her pace, Rogers still sat in fourth with a half mile to go as Bertulis, Ruiz and Peacock held the top three spots. But over that final half mile, Rogers got by all three and ended up winning comfortably.
“This is two wins in a row for me, so I hope I can keep it going,” Rogers said.
3-4 Race
Millville junior Brooke Kott, who’s in her first year of running cross country, dominated the 3-4 race from the very beginning as she coasted to victory in 19:57 – 61 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Stephanie Donatone, a senior from Moorestown. Cherry Hill East’s Jackie Gobel was third in 21:05.
Kott, who specializes in the 400 hurdles and 800 during track, already held a 10-second lead over the field after she ran a 5:56 first mile. By the two-mile mark, which she hit in 12:35, Kott had increased her lead to 30 seconds.
“I wasn’t too far ahead after the first mile, but I really pushed it on the hills (during the second mile),” said Kott, who said her sister, Britney (sixth in the 1-2 race), talked her into running cross country this season.
“I thought I would be close to what I’m running, but I didn’t expect to be going under 20 (minutes) already. This is still really new to me. This is only my second major race, so I’m still adjusting.”
5-6-7 Race
Timber Creek sophomore Amanda Kerno came from eight seconds back in the final mile to win the 5-6-7 race by seven seconds in 21:42. Paul VI teammates Sarah Gettings (21:49) and Jessica Urie (21:55) were second and third, respectively.
“I ran hard and did all I could do to run well today,” Kerno said. “This is my first-ever win. It feels amazing.”
-Photos compliments of Dennis Smyth
