It is that time of year again. Another summer of mileage logged and the hot days are winding down, getting ready tp give way to the September start of the XC season. There are a lot of new faces this season after the graduation of All-American Michael Rankin and fellow seniors Brian Walter, Rich McKean, and Tim Smith. The plus side is – three of the four will be competing this fall for collegiate XC squads. Rankin will join former PVIXC coach Mike Glavin at St. Joseph’s University, Walter will be heading to the Big Apple to join Fordham, and McKean will stay local to run for a Rowan squad that looks to challenge conference powerhouse TCNJ for this year’s NJAC Championship. We should also get to see at least one race where maybe all three of them race each other. We’ll keep you updated in the Alumni News section as best we can.
This season will feature only two returning members of last year’s top five. Senior captain Tom Hoban will look to shape up a young squad heading into the 2010-2011 school year. Hoban is coming off a great spring track season, having run 9:43 for the 3200m and 4:35 in the 1600m and his health remains a vital key to this season’s success. He has taken huge steps in his discipline and training in preparation for the season. So if his health remains, expect Tom to make a name for himself. Two fellow seniors will help him in shaping the youth on this squad. Four year XC vet Nick Vadino and second-year Nick Lamberto should have fantastic years after a tough summer’s worth of training and heightened expectations. All three have acted admirably as role models for the younger guys this summer. All three will be charged with keeping that pack together all season – on and off and the XC course.
Sophomores Neil MacFarlane – a newcomer - and Adam Verna have taken big steps forward training most of the summer with junior Peter Gallagher to become an impressive pack of young runners. Add these three to the veteran presence above and you have a squad that is certainly capable of winning their third consecutive South Jersey Parochial championship. Sophomores Michael Boldurian, Michael Patterson and Dan Marino as well as junior Chris Booth have taken that big step-up in mileage this season as well. All four have them have really bought into the hard work and all that remains is putting it together on the XC course.
And how about those freshmen? It seems like every year I talk about the new freshman class with absolute certainty that it is “the best ever”. This year is no different. We have a solid group of freshmen that have shown tremendous improvement during captains practices this summer. One particular welcomed surprise has been Matt Gentek.
As for our preparations for the season, we had 16 guys step into the unknown at the Hawk Harrier XC Camp this summer in Maryland and it didn’t disappoint. The week proved to be a satisfying experience for most of the guys as they prepare for a long three month-season.
Our season will kick-off this Saturday at the Cherokee Challenge which as grown into one of the biggest XC meets in South Jersey history. Our Championship Season – when the results really start to count – begins October 22nd at the Olympic Conference Championships. We should be taking another trip up to the Brown Invitiational outside of Providence, RI again this season.
As the summer winds down, many of the guys should feel comfortable that they have done the work necessary to take a big step forward this season. The discipline and adherence to “the lifestyle” they’ve nurtured and developed this summer should aid them in writing a new chapter in Paul VI XC history.
Let the fun begin!!
