Grisbaum, Petela win cross-country Meet of Champs

HOLMDEL, N.J. - Devon Grisbaum told Ocean City teammate Maddie Brady that she wanted to win a Meet of Champions title before she graduated and, more specifically, wanted it in cross-country.

Over the last two years, though, it was no longer considered a serious goal. She finished 34th last year and third in Group 3 last weekend. She didn't consider herself one of the favorites entering her last Meet of Champs.

Coming out of the woods and entering the final straightaway Saturday at Holmdel, however, the senior was one of three girls at the front of the pack. She never looked back.

She might have taken five steps past the finish line before she was surrounded in a group hug with her family and teammates after winning the girls' cross-country Meet of Champions.

"I just achieved my goal from sophomore year," said Grisbaum, who finished the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 20 seconds. "It's pretty awesome."

Grisbaum is the second Ocean City girl to win the Meet of Champions. Brittany Sedberry won in 2003 and 2004. South Jersey girls have won the race in five of the last six years.

Grisbaum, a Vanderbilt recruit, relaxed entering the race. Ocean City coach Bill Moreland tapered off her training. The night before the race, she prepared with three hours of stats homework and watched Miss Congeniality.

"My coach prepared me really well for this," Grisbaum said.

She realized she had a chance to win when she was one of the top three late. Then she realized she could achieve her long-standing goal.

"It really hasn't hit me yet," she said. "I'm surprised. I didn't think it would happen. . . . At the second mile, I knew I had more and I just sprinted as hard as I could."

Alyssa Aldridge, a freshman from Mainland, finished second in 18:22. Haddonfield ended up 13th and was the top South Jersey team to place.

Haddon Twp. history. Luke Petela finished his run at the Meet of Champions and walked away from the finish line accompanied by two family members.

They were passed by swarms of kids and coaches running toward different finishers as they continued to walk toward an open field, where Haddon Township's Petela could catch his breath.

After the post-race chaos died down, the attention eventually circled back to find the senior from the small, Group 1 school who just wanted to finish in the top 10.

Petela was the one to celebrate. He won the race in 15:40.

"I feel like I'm dreaming," Petela said. "I didn't have much confidence. Top 10 would have been awesome. That was my goal."

Petela left the woods and was in a sprint to the finish with West Windsor-Plainsboro South's Nikhil Pulimood and Bishop Eustace's Shawn Hutchinson.

"I just closed my eyes for a little bit and ended up in first," Petela said. "I said, 'Dude, you're done. Just go. It doesn't matter.' "

Petela, who has talked to the University of North Carolina, Georgetown, Massachusetts, and Providence regarding his future, became the first Haddon Township boy to win the cross-country Meet of Champions. He was also the first South Jersey winner since Cherokee's Marc Pelerin in 2001.

"The odds are definitely against us," he said. "We don't have much of a support system. We have a great coaching system, but cross-country isn't that big of a deal in a small town. We have a small program."

Hutchinson finished third (15:43). Timber Creek's Dominick Munson took sixth (15:56) and Cherry Hill East's Aaron Groff finished seventh (16:00).

In the team standings, Cherry Hill East was third, Kingsway ended up fourth, and Haddonfield was fifth.

The results

BOYS

Team scores: 1. Christian Brothers, 82; 2. South Brunswick, 113; 3. Cherry Hill East, 126; 4. Kingsway, 183; 5. Haddonfield, 186; 6. West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 192; 7. Voorhees, 198; 8. Don Bosco, 200; 9. Summit, 200; 10. Haddon Township, 213; 11. Old Bridge, 215; 12. Robbinsville, 258; 13. Chatham, 297; 14. Indian Hills, 315; 15. Notre Dame, 383; 16. Wallkill Valley, 439; 17. Pennsville, 490; 18. Montclair Kimberley, 524; 19. Oratory Prep, 554; 20. St. Rose, 609.

Top 10: 1. Luke Petela, Haddon Township, 15:40; 2. Nikhil Pulimood, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 15:42; 3. Shawn Hutchison, Bishop Eustace, 15:42; 4. Craig Corti, Wallkill Valley, 15:52; 5. Leland Jones, Summit, 15:53; 6. Dominick Munson, Timber Creek, 15:56; 7. Aaron Groff, Cherry Hill East, 16:00; 8. Nicholas Neville, South Brunswick, 16:00; 9. Tim Bason, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 16:00; 10. Matt Grossman, Millburn, 16:01.

GIRLS

Team scores: 1. Red Bank Catholic, 88; 2. Hillsborough, 95; 3. Ridgewood, 142; 4. Ridge, 168; 5. Voorhees, 176; 6. Rumson-Fair Haven, 187; 7. North Hunterdon, 188; 8. West Morris Mendham, 189, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 205; 10. Princeton, 207; 11. Northern Highlands, 271; 12. Immaculate Heart, 286; 13. Haddonfield, 356; 14. Union Catholic, 386; 15. New Providence, 392; 16. North Warren, 426; 17. Pingry, 428; 18. Villa Walsh, 494; 19. Shore, 518; 20. Gill St. Bernard's, 523.

Top 10: 1. Devon Grisbaum, Ocean City, 18:20; 2. Alyssa Aldridge, Mainland, 18:22; 3. Eve Glasergreen, North Hunterdon, 18:33; 4. Rachel Suss, Metuchen, 18:35; 5. Sierra Castaneda, West Morris Central, 18:35; 6. Marin Warner, Holmdel, 18:36; 7. Stephanie, Hillsborough, 18:38; 8. Grace Dwyer, Hamilton North, 18:42; 9. Carleen Jeffers, Ridgewood, 18:42; 10. Sam Halvorseen, Ridgewood, 11.