North Hunterdon's Ellie DiMarcello is the CN Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year
During North Hunterdon’s girls cross country practice on Halloween, senior Anna DiMarcello decided to dress up as her younger sister Ellie DiMarcello to get laughs out of the rest of the team.
Anna DiMarcello wore lots of hair ties in her hair, with a really high up ponytail, just as her sophomore sister does every day, and to complete the costume she held up a “Vegans Only” sign to make fun of her sister's healthy eating habits.
“Everyone kind of gives Ellie a hard time about being vegan,” Anna DiMarcello said. “It was just a joke but we always laugh about it because she does so good because of it.”
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While the close-knit group likes to joke about the young sophomore being vegan, the healthy lifestyle, as well as a relentless work ethic, has helped Ellie DiMarcello become one of the state’s best cross country runners.
This year, DiMarcello finished fifth at the Meet of Champions with a time of 18:40 and for her successful season, she is being named 2016 Courier News Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.
“I want to thank my sister and all the girls,” DiMarcello said. “It was such a fun season. We just get all get along so well. It’s been amazing having my sister on the team with me because during the summer we trained together every day. Our entire team is just really supportive of each other.”
The camaraderie between all teammates translated into another successful season as the Lions finished second at the Meet of Champions just behind Ridge, 71-114.
Individually, DiMarcello continued to improve as the season progressed and earned a first place finish at the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex meet, setting a new course record in 18:12.5, the Skyland Conference meet (18:15) and North 2 Group II meet. In the sectionals, she recorded the fastest time of the year in a 5K race with a time of 18:12.5 and capped off her season with a time of 18:53.9 in the M of C.
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“Her consistency throughout the season is like no athlete that North Hunterdon has ever had,” North Hunterdon coach Sean Walsh said. “It’s all due to her efforts. She puts a lot of research into the sport. She takes it seriously and really wants to be the best.”
DiMarcello's remarkable year can be attributed to the numerous hours her and her sister spent during the summer training. While she has been running competitively since she was in third grade, she has seen immediate success since her and her sister started training together in the offseason. The dynamic duo used their free time during the summer to run several miles a day and pushed one another toward accomplishing their goals.
"I help through her tough workouts and she does the same for me," said Anna DiMarcello, who finished ninth at the Meet of Champions with a time of 19:04.4. “I think we’ve gotten really close since we’ve been on the same team. We are always really supportive of each other in running. We genuinely want the other person to do well."
With her sister helping her improve in the offseason, Ellie DiMarcello's decision to go vegan was also a major key to this year’s success.
“When I first started to do it I just wanted to try something new,” Ellie DiMarcello said. “I ended up feeling a lot better that way and felt healthier. I used to be very picky but now I just eat a lot more vegetables so it has definitely helped me.”
Despite making fun of her sister for drinking soy milk and eating vegetables, Anna DiMarcello is truly proud of what her sister was able to accomplish this year.
“She’s worked really hard for this and she deserves it,” she said. “I’m with her every single day and she takes it very seriously so I’m very happy for her.”
ALL-SOMERSET COUNTY GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS
As selected by the coaches
FIRST TEAM
Caitlin Haggard, Ridge; Catherine Giuseffi, Ridge; Nicole Vanasse, Pingry; Claire Jones, Ridge; Chloe Wong, Hillsborough; Shayna Bains, Ridge; Anna Wood, Pingry.
SECOND TEAM
Amanda Passman, Ridge; Julia Hans, Montgomery; Gianna Tedeschi, Montgomery; Jenny Tavares, Hillsborough; Emily Hirsch, Ridge; Sarah McGowan, Montgomery; Laura Baeyens, Watchung Hills.
THIRD TEAM
Bethany Park, Rutgers Prep; Meghan Convery, Ridge; Sarah McCracken, Watchung Hills; Kinga Niewiadomski, Bridgewater-Raritan; Natalie Tavares, Hillsborough; Alyssa Frausto, Bernards; Katelyn Morgan, Bridgewater-Raritan.