Williamstown runner Szulewski made change for the better

Paul Szulewski used to be a good soccer player.

Now, he's a great cross-country runner.

That's because of his speed, stamina, skill and determination. It's also because of his parents.

Szulewski was a distance runner in spring track as a grammar-school athlete. But he was a soccer player in the fall. He even played soccer for Williamstown High School as a ninth-grader.

But mom and dad knew best. They convinced him that cross-country would be a good sport for him.

"I was so stubborn," Szulewski said. "I wanted to stick with soccer. The idea of running 3.1 miles didn't really interest me. I guess it's a good thing I switched."

Szulewski, a senior at Williamstown, is South Jersey's top returning runner from last year's Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park. He finished 10th in that race in 15 minutes, 57 seconds.

Last season, Szulewski was fifth in the South Jersey Group 4 race (15:53) at Delsea and fifth in the state Group 4 race (16:09) at Holmdel. He hopes to improve on all three times this season - especially at the Meet of Champions, where he's hoping to run around 15:40.

Question: What do you like best about running?

Answer: It's really relaxing. After sitting in school for eight hours, it's great to just get outside and run. It clears your head.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: My first goal is just to stay healthy. I'm not really big on how I place in races. I want to improve my times, especially in the Meet of Champions. I want to keep improving from last year.

Q: Do you have any runners that you look up to?

A: When I first started cross-country in high school, Brett Johnson from Ocean City was the best runner in South Jersey. I really looked up to him. Last year, I really admired how fast Jon Vitez (of Haddonfield) was.

Q: How long have you been running?

A: Since kindergarten. My school (St. Mary's in Williamstown) had a track program and I was part of that all through grammar school. But soccer really was my main sport.

Q: You ran your best races last year at Holmdel Park. Do you like that course?

A: That's my favorite course. The hills are really tough. We don't have anything like that in South Jersey.

Q: What's your favorite course around here?

A: Gloucester County College. We don't have trails in Williamstown. There's lot of trails and some hills at Gloucester County. It's a fun place to run.

Q: What are your plans for next year?

A: I'm definitely going to school and I want to run in college. I just haven't decided where.

Q: Do you know what you want to study?

A: Education. My favorite subject is history and I think I'd like to teach that and maybe coach, too.

Q: Who has been the biggest influence on your running career?

A: My parents (Maureen and Paul) and my high school coach (Ed Douglas).

Q: What's it like running for Williamstown?

A: It's great. At the end of the season, it becomes a lot more of an individual sport. But during the season, we're all about the team. Everybody would do anything to help the team out.

Three stars from last week

1. Dan Pennisi scored the game's only goal as Collingswood beat Haddonfield in boys' soccer on Wednesday.

2. Marta Bravo had 11 aces as Cherry Hill West beat Camden County Tech, 2-0, in girls' volleyball on Thursday.

3. Kim Flacco scored the winning goal in overtime as Haddon Township beat Pitman, 1-0, in the championship game of the Chiomento Tournament in field hockey on Saturday.

Three tips for this week

1. Top singles players Jamie Silverberg of Cherry Hill East and Ania Krawiec of Bishop Eustace should square off when the Cougars, the No. 3 team in the Super Six girls' tennis rankings, visit the No. 4 Crusaders at 3:45 p.m. Monday.

2. Moorestown hosts No. 8 Holy Cross in girls' soccer at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

3. Two of South Jersey's top girls' volleyball teams clash when Eastern hosts Moorestown at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Super Seven power rankings

The top teams in South Jersey, regardless of sport. (Records through Saturday):

1. Haddonfield girls' tennis (15-0): The Bulldogs, who have won 47 matches in a row, are hoping to line up some action with top teams from the Philadelphia area.

2. Eastern field hockey (6-0): The Vikings have big out-of-state games coming up against Pennsylvania powers Wyoming Seminary and Emmaus.

3. St. Augustine Prep soccer (7-0): Connor Hurff has 12 goals for the Hermits.

4. Holy Spirit football (3-0): Spartans linebacker Anthony Sarao says Friday night's home contest against unbeaten St. Joseph is his team's "game of the year."

5. Lenape girls' soccer (6-1): The Indians' slip in 1-0 loss to Shawnee snapped 27-game winning streak.

6. Cherokee football (2-0): The banged-up Chiefs should benefit from early-season bye.

7. Ocean City boys' cross-country (2-0): Mile Schoedler won the "stud" race at the South Jersey Shootout at Gloucester County College in 15 minutes, 40 seconds.

Under consideration: Kingsway field hockey, Moorestown girls' tennis, Cherokee boys' soccer, Eastern girls' soccer, Shawnee field hockey, Cherokee girls' cross-country.