On Saturday, October 21, the Colonia High School cross country teams competed at the Greater Middlesex County championships (GMCs). With a truly impressive performance by both of our teams. Sparsh Desai had an extraordinary performance finishing in top 30.
According to last year’s stats, Desai finished in 76 place with a 5K time of 18:06.20. This year he improved and finished in the top 30. His teammates were a great help for him. Desai stated, “Me, Bryan and Lucas really pushed each other during practices because it was going to be one of the last chances we have to PR.” With sectionals coming up, Desai has some goals that he would like to accomplish. Desai proclaimed, “I want to come in top 40 -if not the top 30- and PR at the Greystone park course.”
Coaches
When interviewing both coaches about Desai’s remarkable performance at GMC’s, Coach Csapo said, “Sparsh came a long way, he is very dedicated. His hard work and perseverance in the early stages of the season really paid off.” Coach Quick also mentioned that Sparsh’s winning a medal was something to be proud of. This event proves that CHS can compete with some of the best schools in the county. Furthermore, it is attributed to Desai’s hard work and dedication.
Team performances
The boys and the girls team posing after their win against JFK.
Throughout the season both teams’ really worked hard. The girl’s team defeated New Brunswick this season. In addition, the girls and boys team defeated our cross town rival- JFK. When sophomore Courtney Negra was questioned about the girl’s season, she said, “The season was amazing. We were closing gaps which is very important. It made us a stronger team, and I’m very proud of the whole team in general. Go patriots!”
Senior Mehak Ali added, “I’m proud of my team and how far we’ve become. We’ve all realized we’re capable of more than we all thought we could.”
Freshman Maya Oboz mentioned, “It was a big change running a middle school mile and half and then transitioning to the high school 5K . However, I was able to do it by attending practices and trying my best. My team was a great help they helped me realize that I could do more than I thought I can. They encouraged me to try my best. We always believed in each other and cheered each other on.”
The team’s performance at GMCs impressed the coaches. “I think that we performed pretty well,” Coach Quick stated, “We avenged our loss against Spotswood, and all of our girls ran PRs.”
“I was very pleased with our performances,” Coach Csapo added, “most of the guys ran PRs and Sparsh ran 11 seconds faster.”
What’s next
With the season coming to an end, sophomore Negra said, “With the season ending, we have winter track coming up and I’m very excited for it. I’m looking forward towards the new track season, and hopefully we can have some patriot wins and it would be amazing to break some personal records in the 1600 and the 3200.”
