Hebner breaks course record at Darlington Park

By John Nepolitan of DyeStat

Last week running in hot conditions at the Bergen County Group Championships, Monica Hebner of Northern Highlands NJ just missed the course record at Darlington Park, running 17 minutes, 34 seconds (course record is 17:29 by Northern Highlands' Catherine Pagano from 2014).

PHOTOS

Under ideal conditions Saturday at the Lou Melino Bergen County Meet of Champs, Hebner passed the halfway point slower than last week, but then pulled away for a 19-second win and a new course record of 17:27.91.

Hebner has committed to run next year at Penn with her twin sister Isabel, who was third in Saturday's race. Together, the Hebners led Northern Highlands to its second straight country title and used the second-fastest team time ever to beat Ridgewood by a 39-61 margin. 

Undefeated heading into the championship part of the season (next week is state sections, followed by the state group championships and finally the Nov. 17 New Jersey Meet of Champions), Hebner stamped herself as an individual title contender. Among her achievements this fall was the fastest time of the day at the Shore Invitational at Holmdel Park in early October. That meet saw all the top contenders except for two-time defending champion Alyssa Aldridge of Mainland Regional, who was nursing an injury then, but has returned to racing. 

A small lead group broke apart midway through the boys race, and out of that pack emerged Will Baginski of Ridgewood. The junior ran to a 16-second win, clocking 15:40.37 for 5,000 meters. While there is no signature hill on the two-loop layout, the runners do cross a sandy beach three times, once in the opening 800 and two more times in the middle of the race.

Ridgewood, which has won 11 team titles (the last time in 2005 before Don Bosco Prep put together a 10-year streak) took the crown with 88 points. It was the highest winning total since 1975 and good for a six-point win over Northern Valley Demarest, with defending champs Indian Hills taking third.