2005 Cranford Indoor Track Preview

After a magical fall cross country season for both his boys’ and girls’ teams veteran Cranford Coach Ray White is taking a low-key approach to the indoor track season. That doesn’t mean his small but talented teams will concede anything but the main goal for both is to get in shape for spring.

“It is very difficult to have three good seasons in the same year ,” said White, in his thirty sixth year at Cranford. In November, the Cranford Boys team captured White’s third state championship and their eighth straight Union County tile, while the girls led by Union County runner of the year Laura Gallo, just missed joining the boys in the Meet of Champions, finishing fourth in Group II.

The boys will be missing some of their depth from cross-country but still have their talented top two runners, sophomore Joe McKenney and junior Kevin Brown. McKenney, the county cross country champion and the school freshman mile record holder, looks to build off his recent success and will combine with Brown, senior Nate Thompson and soccer star Ryan McMahon to form a formidable distance medley. The quartet should also be strong in the four by 800, where McMahon contributed a 1:59 last year.

“With the distance squads, winter is an preparation period for outdoors, we continue to work on base and threshold work while trying to set up relay teams. A lot of their racing will be geared towards their respective events outdoors by either racing longer than their main event ,” said distance coach Tim Styler, who still holds many Cougar track and cross country records.

White thinks the relay teams have good chances to win the enhanced group II relays, January 9 at Jadwin Gym, Princeton. With the addition of parochial schools, the groups are different in indoor track than in any sports and group II contains some strong schools that normally compete in larger Group III.

Brown, who ran 9:22 in the 3200 meters last spring and McKenney will also be threats to win their individual events in nearly any meet they enter. The first big competition was yesterday’s Drew Relays at Drew College in Madison. Because the Group championships are only four days after the Union County Boys Relays on January 5, White may have his top boys skip the meet.

The Cougars have two outstanding field event performers, pole-vaulter Tom Hannon (14 feet) and high jumper Tom Planer (6’ 4). but in many events there is a dearth of athletes. Several of White’s cross-country runners are skipping the season because of other activities. A year ago Planer teamed with David Styler, the younger brother of Cougar’s Assistant Coach Tim Styler, to win the Group II High Jump Relay. Junior Robert Chamra looks to be a complementary jumper for Planer this season, along with Dillon Malar, Chip Weiss and Hannen.


The girls team is also tilted towards distance running where Gallo leads a group of seven talented underclassmen from what should be one of the county’s top cross country teams next year. Another top runner is junior Jennifer Hanke, whose brother Josh runs for the boys’ team. Following close behind are juniors Allison Stolte, Kristen Ford and Cabrera, sophomore Jennifer Stolte,Allison’s younger sister. and freshman Erin Hannon, Tom’s sister. Sophomores Caitlin Curtis and Hannah Van Why
Further add to the middle distance depth and increase White’s options for relay events.

“Right now Laura is more of a great endurance runner ,” said White.
“Our main work with her now is to try and work on her leg speed and turnover.”

“ Laura's goals this winter are to really get her established as one of the better runners in New Jersey ,” said Styler.

“ More so Laura will really build her strength and work on running a faster mile to help her in the spring for the 3200. She is a gutsy runner and every time out on the track or training runs she is working to lower her personal bests ,” said Styler.

Another outstanding runner for White is 400-meter runner Mary Rose Mullin, a third team all county performer last year. White has fifty new girls that came out for the team but 44 are sprinters and none has separated themselves from the others.

“If everyone keeps improving their times as they did in cross-country, it can be a very fun and successful season ,” said Gallo

“There’s no pressure on us this season ,” said White.
“We’re going to have fun and work hard. Anything we win this season is gravy. But we’ll be ready for the outdoor season.”