Chloe Gonzalez competed in three varsity cross-country races last season as a freshman, and all three times were over 21 minutes. This fall the North Hunterdon sophomore won an individual title, ran under 18:50 twice at Holmdel Park and placed fifth in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
“What I would tell people is, don’t do it if you don’t love it,” Gonzalez said. “All I did was, I made my goals, put in the time and dedication, listened to my coaches and trained hard. That’s it.”
That simple but effective strategy propelled Gonzalez to the front of the Lions’ pack in a season reminiscent of North Hunterdon’s glory days of the 1980s. Thanks in large part to Gonzalez’ emergence, the Lions won section, group and M of C titles for the first time since 1986 when the program won its fourth straight M of C crown.
At the Nike Northeast Regional, held at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., Gonzalez placed eighth overall in 19:05 and led the Lions to first place and an automatic bid to the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore.
Click HERE to review the article in the HCDemocrat.com.
