On this episode, we meet two of St. Rose High School's Track and Field Coaches: Alumni and Head Coach Kaitlyn Lavender and Assistant Coach, Pete Casagrande who along with Cross Country's All-County Player Brian Theobald '23, share their experiences that led them to three championship titles:

• Non-Public "B" Girls Relay State Champions
• Non-Public "B" BOYS Relay State Champions
• Non-Public "B" BOYS State Group Champions

This is the first time in program history that we've won both the state relays and the state individual team title. For the Purple Roses, the Boys State Group Championship victory came after they won the NJSIAA Non-Public B Relay Championships in January. 

“The boys were counting how many days until the state title,” St. Rose head coach Kaitlyn Lavender said. “They really wanted to win this. We had many log personal bests and just shined tonight. The team shows up. They all want to be there and we’re really well-rounded. These kids really put in a lot of effort.”

Brian Theobald won three events (800, 1600, and 3200) as St. Rose scored 67 points to capture the state Non-Public B boys indoor track and field championships.

St. Rose HS left the meet with full grins as the boys and girls swept the team championships collecting multiple gold medals throughout the evening. Many athletes stepping up to compete in multiple events, Brian Theobald and Tilly O'Connor playing big roles in anchor spots. 

It was no secret that St. Rose’s Tilly O’Connor was the favorite in the 3200-meter run. The real question was how much would she win the event by?  The answer turned out to be quite a large margin.  O’Connor set a meet record with a time of 11:01.97, nearly 40 seconds better than the second-place finisher.  Tilly also broke a school record in the 1600 meter with her 5:00.71 time. That time was also 5 seconds off her own personal best. 

“It means a lot because I love racing,” O’Connor said. “Having this opportunity was special.”  Leading from the opening gun, O’Connor found herself lapping other runners early in the race. When she crossed the finish line, she was all alone and pushed herself without anyone on her heels to motivate her.

“I thought they would try to stay with me a little longer, I was a little surprised when I took the lead right away,” O’Connor said. “It’s tough. I always remember that I can always do my best even if there’s no one there. I can always keep pushing myself.”

The wins were complemented by a second-place finish in the shot courtesy of Joshua Huisman, 45-10, and William Nate Dempsey, 25-2.5, as well as a sixth-place run in the 4x200m.

Congratulations to the St. Rose High School Track/Field and Cross Country teams on an outstanding year.