MAPLEWOOD, NJ – The Columbia High School Class of 2018 boys’ long distance team closed out its strong four-year run on May 30 with an appearance at the 11th Annual Holmdel Twilight Series Season Ender.
All seven of the senior team members ran well in the 1,600-meter (metric mile) races. Edward Martinez led the way for the Cougars with a 4:32 race with Jon Salinardo and Tim Depue also breaking 4:40.
The Class of 2018 team dates back to the summer of 2014 when longtime Columbia coach Lisa Morgan welcomed incoming freshmen David Ives, Depue, Ricky Hankey, Martinez, and Salinardo to the cross-country team. Avery Coreschi, in 2016, and Jack O’Connell, 2017, rounded out the team as they made the move from soccer to cross-country.
In cross-country, Columbia advanced to three consecutive Group 4 final races beginning in 2015 in Coach Morgan’s last season, and followed with appearances in 2016 and 2017 under current coach Chris Faraone. In 2016, the Cougars won both the Essex County and Super Essex Conference cross-country championships.
There were also a number of memorable individual performances over the last four years, including Ives at 16:04 in the 5,000 meters, O’Connell at 4:25 in the 1,600 meters, Depue at 9:54 in the 3,200 meters, Salinardo at 1:59 in 800 meters, Coreschi with 4:31 in the 1,600 meters, and Hankey at 9:59 in the 3,200 meters.
All seven members of the Class of 2018 long distance team will be competing at the collegiate level beginning this fall: Coreschi (Oberlin), Depue (Charleston Southern), Hankey (Rowan), Ives (SUNY Geneseo), Martinez (Ursinus), O’Connell (Fordham), and Salinardo (Hartford).
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