Fifteen Sussex County youth runners make Cross Country Nationals

This year, thanks to two area youth running programs, fifteen Sussex County kids went all the way to the AAU Cross Country Nationals, held on Saturday, Dec. 2, in Orlando, Fla. Getting there entailed a season of hard work, culminating with having to qualify for Nationals in mid-November at the New Jersey State Championships in East Brunswick. Running doesn’t get the media coverage that “prime time” sports such as football, soccer and basketball receive, but there is a thriving running community in Sussex County. Although runners race in teams and may help each other with pacing, the sport ultimately comes down to individuals battling the elements, the course and - always - the clock. For youth runners who haven’t yet reached high-school age, there are only two programs in Sussex County: The Hawks, which is run out of the south of the county, and The Bears, run out of Swartswood State Park in Newton. Both youth running programs were formed and continue to be operated by parents who volunteer their time to help instill both the physical and mental beauties of the sport in area elementary and middle school kids and help them strive for their goals. Thirteen-year-old Carley Pierson of Newton is a member of the Bears and said, “I can’t believe I’m going,” after qualifying at the state meet. The next day, she found out that what she thought was a nagging sore throat was actually a strep infection. Undaunted, she waited for the infection to clear up and resumed regular practice. Wanting to work more, she called her coaches asking for additional weekend workouts for herself and her Bears’ teammate, Kaylynn Constantine. “I knew it was important to run as much as we could going into the big race,” she said. Pierson placed 162nd in the nation in the Sub Youth Girls’ 4-Kilometer in Orlando. Constantine, like Pierson a 7th grader at Kittatinny Middle School, finished 154th and said, “I wasn’t sure if I’d qualify at states because there were a lot of good runners.” When she did, she said, “I knew I’d have to step it up a notch [going into Nationals].” Once in Orlando, the girls found the flat course welcoming, especially given intense heat that hit Disney’s Wide World of Sports the day of nationals. “It was over 85 degrees for my race,” said Layton’s Mike Bussow. Undaunted, the 11-year-old turned in a 69th-place finish in the Sub Midget 3-Kilometer Nationals race. Though all of the kids who went to Orlando ran well, Dylan Capwell was Sussex County’s superstar. The 11-year-old from Hopatcong ran 10:49 to place third in the nation in the Boys’ 3-Kilometer race. “I felt really nervous and people kept on coming up to me asking ‘Are you going to do it for New Jersey this year, Dylan?’ which made me even more nervous because I didn’t want to let them down,” he said. To calm his nerves, he and his fellow Hawks found a football and threw it around before they were called to the start. Capwell’s preparation included running three days a week and playing soccer another three. Toward the end of the season, he added ice hockey two days a week to the exercise equation. “I was busy practicing something all the time,” he said. Of nationals, Capwell said, “It was really fun talking to all the other kids from around the country. Especially once the race was over.” Like Capwell, Constantine enjoyed meeting kids from different parts of the country and learning how they trained. “I met one girl from Tennessee who was really nice,” she said. For the families of two Hawks’ girls, getting to nationals was a community effort. Capwell’s mother and some other parents with kids involved in the program solicited donations through their places of employment, friends and families to raise about $4,000 to help send Mariah Given, Paige Garland and Garland’s father to the meet. “It was great to see the community come together to make their trip to Nationals possible,” said Hawks assistant coach Scott Capwell. “We thank everyone who was involved for making this dream come true for these two young girls.” Each year, the nationals are held in a different part of the country. Last year, the Hawks and Bears sent kids to Rhode Island, where they ran in 10 inches of snow. This year, Capwell said, “Conditions on race day were 86 degrees with extreme humidity.” Each year’s course presents different obstacles, from hills to grass to sand and mud, and the weather varies from heat to freezing temperatures. “That’s one of the true beauties and fun components of the sport of cross country,” said Bears coach Guy Gordon. “You never know.” This year’s AAU Youth Cross Country Nationals boasted the biggest field ever, with more than 2,500 kids competing. Sussex County Nationals’ Finishers 9-10 Boys’ 3-Kilometer Race Jordan Yaros, 9, 56th, 14:01 Mike Bussow, 9, 69th, 12:21 Brian Berry, 10, 131st, 14:04 9-10 Girls’ 3-Kilometer Race Paige Garland, 9, 59th, 14:07 Jesse Farrell 10 97 3K 13:01 11-12 Girls’ 3-Kilometer Race Nicole Walthour, 11, 28th, 12:26 Mariah Given, 11, 99th, 13:50 11-12 Boys’ 3-Kilometer Race Dylan Capwell, 11, 3rd, 10:49 Stephen Duncan, 12 ,129th, 12:45 13-14 Girls’ 4-Kilometer Race Nina Mendez, 14, 99th, 20:27 Melissa Mendez, 13, 131st, 19:08 Kaylynn Constantine, 13, 154th, 20:08 Carley Pierson, 13, 162nd, 20:34 15-16 Girls’ 4-Kilometer Race Jenny McMahon, 15, 119th, 30:24 Due to asthma difficulties, Joey Prestifillippo was not able to finish.