Camille Bertholon was having a blast, frolicking in the rain and mud at Holmdel Park last Saturday afternoon.
The St. Dominic Academy junior just loves running in the rain.
“I was so pumped to run in the rain,” said Bertholon, who was competing in the prestigious Shore Coaches Invitational meet with 200 of some of the best cross country teams in New Jersey and New York. “I love running in the rain. It made me feel like I was in some kind of a NIKE commercial. The puddles actually refreshed my feet, cooled them off.”
Little did Bertholon know that she was going to create history in the rain and mud at perhaps the toughest cross country course in the state.
Bertholon finished the Varsity E girls’ race at Holmdel in third place, but more importantly, she finished in 19:58.50, which set a new school course record in the process, breaking the mark set by Hudson County Sports Hall of Famer Liane Sullivan-Rae more than 25 years ago.
Now, considering that SDA has had a litany of great runners over the years, the idea that Bertholon now ranks No. 1 at Holmdel is an astounding accomplishment. If Bertholon continues on the pace she’s on this season, she’s bound to break Sullivan-Rae’s regular school cross country mark later this year.
“When I found out that I had broken the school record, it was pretty excited,” Bertholon said. “I didn’t expect that I could do that well, considering it was Holmdel in the rain.”
While hundreds of other runners slipped and slid their way on the famed Holmdel course like the way Michelle Kwan skated in the Olympics, Bertholon knew how to maneuver through the mud.
“I had no problems,” Bertholon said. “Going down the hill, there were puddles and mud everywhere, but I just continued to run. I never thought I could break 20 minutes in Holmdel in that weather. I didn’t think it would come this fast for me.”
Bertholon said that she never ran before attending SDA and wasn’t really serious about being a top runner.
“I just ran,” Bertholon said. “It was nothing I took seriously. I knew I wanted to sprint when I joined, but never wanted to do distances. I had a really tough time at first, but I like to practice hard and I got better.”
Veteran SDA head coach John Nagel always believed that Bertholon had the makings of a champion.
“I always thought she would eventually be pretty good,” Nagel said. “She always had potential, but her jumps in times have been tremendous.”
Bertholon’s prior best at Holmdel was 21:40, so the improvement is vast.
“She just works hard and the others follow suit,” Nagel said. “She’s under control. I never thought she’d do that well under those conditions, but she just blacked it out.”
So far this season, Bertholon has fared well in the invitational meets in which she’s competed. She has previously finished fourth at the St. Dominic Invitational, fifth at the Bernie Magee Invitational, second in the Stewart B race and now third at Holmdel
“I just keep looking forward to better days and faster times,” Bertholon said. “But I really think I’m more of a track runner. I want to run in college and hopefully earn a scholarship.”
Bertholon has to be considered one of the favorites to win the Hudson County Track Coaches Association championship Nov. 1.
“She’ll be in play,” Nagel said of the county championship. “She’s running pretty well.”…
St. Peter’s Prep standout quarterback Brandon Wimbush, one of the top signal callers in the country, has had a change of heart. Wimbush announced on Twitter last week that he will de-commit from his initial verbal commitment to Penn State and will attend the University of Notre Dame instead.
Wimbush was not made available to the media after making the decision, but apparently, he went to Notre Dame on a visit last weekend when the Marauders had the week off and fell in love with the place. He apparently came back to school Monday and was wearing Notre Dame gear to practice.
Veteran St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen said that he had no problem with Wimbush changing his mind.
“It’s the one time in your life that you get to be 100 percent selfish,” Hansen said. “It happens a lot. They are kids and they have the right to change their minds. He has to do what’s best for him and he believes that he can get the best education possible at Notre Dame. Who can argue with Notre Dame?”
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with Notre Dame, but what good is making a verbal commitment to a school if you’re going to go back on that commitment? It is called a commitment for a reason.
Kids today are pressured into making these tough decisions earlier and earlier. Wimbush made his choice last spring, way before his senior season began. His teammate, Minkah Fitzpatrick, decided upon Alabama even before that.
It marks the second straight year that a top Marauder grid standout went back on the initial commitment. Last year, running back Jonathan Hilliman decided to switch from his initial decision of Rutgers and went to Boston College, where he’s already playing and doing well, having scored two touchdowns in the BC upset win over USC three weeks ago…
There were some excellent rushing performances last weekend. Ronald Fuentes of North Bergen had the highest yard total, getting 196 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns in the Bruins’ win over Memorial.
Algenis Baret of Bayonne had 192 yards and three touchdowns for the Bees. Teammate Marquise Manning added 105 yards and a touchdown.
Junior Feliz Perez (that’s his name, not his school class) of Dickinson had 168 yards and two touchdowns in the Rams’ win over Snyder, pushing the Rams’ record to 2-2. Juan Munoz had 114 yards in that win for the Rams.
The terrific twosome at Union City, namely Tamaine Boyd (158 yards) and Nawell Rojas (157 yards), had a tremendous day in the Soaring Eagles’ big win over Lincoln.
Evander Pons of Secaucus had another great game, collecting 146 yards for the Patriots.
Isaiah Abreu of Weehawken had his second straight 100-yard game for the Indians…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Football Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (3-1). 2. Union City (3-1). 3. North Bergen (4-0). 4. Hoboken (3-1). 5. Lincoln (3-1)….
Hudson Reporter H.S. Soccer Top Five: 1. St. Peter’s Prep (8-2-1). 2. North Bergen (7-3-1). 3. Memorial (6-4). 4. Dickinson (8-1-1). 5. Union City (4-6-1). – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.