TOM WILLIAMS COLUMN: The OCHS 2018 Team of the Year – Girls Cross Country

It would be hard to have a more successful season than the Ocean City High School girls cross country team had in 2018.

Trish Henry’s Raiders finished the regular dual meet season with a 8-0 record (no Cape-Atlantic League team came with 15 points of them) and stretched their win streak over three seasons to 21 straight.

They finished first in the South Jersey Shootout, first in the Osprey Invitational, 1^st in the Cape May County Meet, 1^st in the CAL Meet and 1^st in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 Meet. They were also third in the prestigious Manhattan Invitational in New York City.

What is more impressive is that Henry – whose 131-7 career record gives her a .949 winning percentage, the second best by any coach in OCHS history – has almost all of her runners back.

Brooke Farr is the only senior and her contributions and leadership will be missed. But sophomore Alexa Palmieri (above) will be back. She won the South Jersey Group 3 championship, only the second sophomore in school history (Brittany Sedberry in 2003) to win the individual title.

The lineup of girls who will be back in the pack with Palmieri next year is also impressive. Becca Miller, Casey McLees and Marissa Guido are juniors; Isabella Padula is a sophomore; and Kailey Grimley is a freshman.

As it is, that group should be very tough to beat next fall and, if the past is any indication, there will be a new freshman or two added to the group.

The calendar year 2018 was very successful at OCHS. The girls basketball team, boys cross country team and field hockey team all won South Jersey championships. There were also league titles in baseball, girls lacrosse, boys soccer and girls tennis.

But the great success of the girls cross country team earns them the nod as Ocean City High School’s 2018 Team of the Year.

Next on CoastSportsToday.com – the 2018 OCHS Athletes of the Year.