WW-P North's Rosa twins finish 1-2 at region race
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Jim Lambert
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- Joe and Jim Rosa are running at such a high level right now that they can hold back and even slow themselves down and still beat some of the best runners around.
That was the case yesterday when the remarkable junior twins from West Windsor-Plainsboro North High decided not to run against the clock, instead opting to run a very controlled, evenly paced race, which still produced a 1-2 finish at the Nike Northeast Regional on a blustery day at Bowdoin Park.
Joe wound up finishing first as he successfully defended his title in 16:01.3, with Jim a step behind in second in 16:01.6. Led by the Rosa twins, defending champion WW-P North, ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 30 in the nation, finished fourth.
The Rosa boys hit the mile mark in the lead together in 5:03, and were never seriously challenged, looking back at times to make sure they had a big enough cushion to keep it on cruise control most of the way as they finished with a five-second margin over third-place finisher Aaron Watanabe of Norwich, Conn.
Joe and Jim both qualified for the Nike National Championships this Saturday at Portland Meadows in Oregon. Joe, the highest returning finisher after placing fourth last year, will take the starting line as the favorite in Portland.
"I really don't feel any pressure,'' Joe Rosa said. "It's just a cross country race.''
Rosa, the No. 1 ranked runner in the nation, said he knows there will be people wondering who the true top runner in the nation is this season, the winner at Nike or the winner of the Foot Locker National Championships (Dec. 12 in San Diego).
