Photo 1: Pictured, from left, are the Columbia High School boys’ varsity cross-country runners: Jack O’Connell, Edward Martinez, Will Schabacker, Tim Depue, Ricky Hankey, David Ives, and Jon Salinardo.
Photo 2: Pictured, from left, are the Columbia High School girls’ varsity cross-country runners: Briana Reckling, Catherine Jordan, Eloise Wendt, Sari Rosenberg, Julia Young, and Isabel Farrell. Not pictured: Darcy Perlman.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ (updated Sunday Oct. 29 5:45 p.m.) – On Friday, Oct. 28, the Columbia High School boys’ varsity cross-country team finished a solid fourth out of 20 teams in the Essex County Championship meetheld in unseasonably warm weather at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield.
The team’s average time for the 5K (3.1 mile) course was 16:39, trailing 15 seconds behind Seton Hall Prep’s third place finish. Competing in a field of 142 runners the Cougars placed three senior runners in the Top 20 with medal-winning performances. Jon Salinardo led the way in 16th followed closely by Tim Depue, 18th, and Ricky Hankey, 20th. Edward Martinez (24th) and Jack O’Connell (31st) completed the scoring for Columbia.
The Columbia girls’ varsity cross-country team also did well in the Essex County Championship, finishing fifth out of 17 teams. Sophomore Sari Rosenberg led the girls’ team finishing with a medal-winning 19th place in a field of 114 runners. The other first five scoring runners were Catherine Jordan (22nd), Darcy Perlman (23rd ) Briana Reckling (32nd), and Isabel Farrell (35th).
The next cross-country meet for the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams will be Saturday, Nov. 4, when they compete in the New Jersey North Jersey Section 2, Group 4, Championships at Greystone Park in Morris Plains.