FREEHOLD – It was a season chock full of championships for the Freehold Township High School girls cross country team.
There was a Monmouth County championship. There was a Shore Conference championship. There was a NJ State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group IV championship. And there was a Group IV state championship.
Speed, endurance and successes were nothing new to the Patriots, however, as they sped to Monmouth County, Shore Conference, Central Jersey Group IV and Group IV state titles and placed third in the Meet of Champions in 2022.
“I was not surprised at all about how well the team did this season,” Freehold Township coach Todd Briggs said. “Training with them daily over the summer I could tell they were even better than the year before, which is saying something. We did well because of the fact the team had the lowest stick possible in each race. We had a tight compression of runners two through seven. The girls raced well because they trained so hard and consistently during the past two summers.”
The Patriots returned a veteran team from last season.
“The pressure of expectations this season was enormous,” Briggs said. “This was due to the media focusing on the fact they were all returning from last year and won so many championships. The expectation was they would be even better, which was tough since outside of winning the Meet of Champions they literally couldn’t do better. They handled the pressure well by staying in the moment and taking it one race at a time. The fact they had a shared pressure helped as they could lean on each other for support.
“Winning the Group IV state title for the second straight season was the most meaningful. The team had a lot of pressure and expectations to deal with all season. Winning it capped a remarkable run of winning eight of 10 championships since October of 2022. After winning that championship last year and returning every runner from that team, it would have been a colossal disappointment to not have seen the team win it again. It was also special because it meant I had two daughters win a Group IV team title as opposed to last year when it was just one.”
Leader of the Patriots’ punishing pack was Emma Zawatski. The senior raced to Monmouth County, Shore Conference, Central Jersey Group IV, Group IV state and Meet of Champions titles. And there was a first-place finish in the Varsity A race (18:23) of the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational at hilly Holmdel Park.
She captured the Monmouth County title in 18:20 at Holmdel Park. She crowned herself the Shore Conference queen in 17:29.48 at flat and fast Ocean County Park in Lakewood. She dusted the field in 18:00 in Central Jersey Group IV at Holmdel Park. She raced to first place in 18:00 in the Group IV state meet at Holmdel Park and ran off with a gold medal in 17:52 at the 5,000-meter Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park.
She defended her Shore Conference, Central Jersey Group IV, Group IV state and Meet of Champions (18:38 at Holmdel Park) titles and was named the Runner of the Year for the second straight season by the Shore Track Coaches Association.
The summer season was no day at the beach for Zawatski, who came off a championship spring track season as a distance runner. There were training runs at Michael J. Tighe Park in Freehold Township, Holmdel Park and Thompson Park in Jamesburg. There were 50-mile weeks.
“The key to my success this season was all the summer training that coach Briggs and I put in together,” she said. “I gained a lot of strength and a lot of confidence from my summer running. We were pretty consistent from seven flat to a 7:10 pace per mile. I typically focus a lot on speed. Coach Briggs noticed I thrive more with a stronger base than fast twitch muscles and he adjusted my training to that. It gave me more endurance as I was able to hold a certain pace a lot longer. When I focused more on speed, I would tire easily.”
Zawatski expected success at the Meet of Champions.
“I definitely knew I had a chance of winning as I won it last year (in 18:38 at Holmdel Park) and I knew what it took,” she said. “I knew it would be a really tough fight to the finish line. That is the sport. Cross country is that way and it turned out perfectly.”
Indeed. Zawatski’s closest pursuer in the field of 160 finishers in the five-kilometer race was Union Catholic freshman Paige Sheppard (17:54).
“Before the race,” Zawatski said, “I was pretty nervous as it was the first time I went against a lot of the girls in the state. Over the years, I have gotten good at handling my nerves. I kept calm more than I felt I could. After I won it, I was super, super excited as I got to see that all of the hard work I did paid off.”
Zawatski said she spent the “majority” of the race in the second pack of runners.
“At the 1 1/2-mile mark, I began to reel in the leaders and took over the lead at about the 2 1/4 mile mark. I heard the cheers as I came out of the woods near the finish line, but it was not in a good way as I knew the second-place girl was right behind me. I knew she was closing in on me. Hearing the crowd was pretty terrifying so I kept sprinting as hard as I could. I was pretty controlled physically. I took the first half of the race pretty easy. At the very end in the last quarter mile I was really, really tired as I really pushed during the last mile. The finish was really tough.”
Zawatski was relaxed after the race.
“After I crossed the finish line, my first thought was, ‘Finally, it is over. You can stop stressing about it,'” she said. “This is the one race I really focused on. It was a relief. All of the stress was over. It was a relief. All of the worrying was worth it. I don’t have to worry anymore. I did not have a time goal. All I wanted to do was win as whoever wins is the champion.”
Briggs said the last he saw of his protege was at mile two.
“She took the lead at the tennis courts heading into the back woods,” he said. “I didn’t see her cross the finish line. No way I was beating her to the finish line after watching the six other runners come through. She looked totally under control for the whole way. She sat back to the first mile in the chase pack, working off of the others and conserving her energy. She let the lead runner get a six-second lead at the mile. At the bowl, she began to close the gap. At the second mile, the lead was just two to three seconds with Emma charging. After the pass around the area of the tennis courts, the fight was just to hold on, which she did.”
Zawatski enjoys running at Holmdel Park where she has run an estimated 30 times.
“I love it,” she said. “It takes a long time to get used to the different strategies on that course,” she said. “Figuring out what works is really fun. The course is so special as there is so much history on it. To break 18 minutes on it is really special.”
Zawatski met with a minimum of adversity as a senior.
“I was pretty lucky,” she said. “There were no physical problems as I focused on recovery on every single day. It helped a lot to keep my body healthy. I used massage treatments. I saw a chiropractor. I took Epsom salt baths and used elevation compression.”
Zawatski said she felt little pressure to win as a senior.
“I know that people always like to see the top person lose,” she said. “If they don’t want the best for me, they don’t really matter to me.”
Zawatski’s hard work during the summer paid off.
“The keys to her season were her summer training combined with her willingness to endure hours and hours of lengthy recovery,” Briggs said. “Her training for the Meet of Champions was the same as for any other week except slightly less volume to keep her fresh. Whether it be rolling out, lifting weights, going to a physical therapist or doing cryo – anything and everything it took to maximize her opportunities she did. She is gifted naturally, but her real talent is enduring the hours and hours of time she spends dealing with recovery.
“I run with her every day. I am not surprised by anything she does. She has become a far superior runner to me during the last four years. It gives me confidence as well as it does her as well now that she is a better, stronger runner than me.”
Zawatski is a 5-foot-7, 120-pounder.
“She is a tall, graceful runner whose arms go a bit side to side,” Briggs said. “Each race presents a new challenge. I would not say there is one set strategy to her racing. The course and level of competition determine how she will race that day. Generally this season, she saved her best for the second half of the course.”
Zawatski shaved 45 seconds off her personal record at Holmdel Park from a year ago.
“That was her biggest improvement over last season,” Briggs said. “What led to that improvement was she increased her weekly volume by about five to 10 percent from a year ago during the summer. Then, during the season, she increased her volume even more than a year ago during the season. She also has improved mentally as she no longer feels the need to take a race out and prove anything early in a race.”
Zawatski will compete in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters during the winter season. She hopes to set personal records in each event and win another Meet of Champions title. She hopes to compete in the mile at the Millrose Games. She was 32nd in 18:51 in the Championship Race of the Foot Locker Northeast Regional at Franklin Park in Boston. She owns four varsity letters in cross county, three in indoor track and field and three in outdoor track and field.
Zawatski, a member of her school’s National Honor Society, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Colorado. She chose the Buffaloes over the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia and the University of Oregon. She chose Colorado a couple of days prior to the Meet of Champions. She hopes to compete in any event from the 800 through cross country and the steeplechase.
“I will probably specialize in the (3,000-meter) steeplechase,” she said. “I am just very excited for the next four years. Signing my NLI made it real. There is no backing out. I will be surrounded by incredible athletes and an incredible coaching staff. I was so excited while signing it. On my visit there, I felt so at home in the mountain air. Everywhere you look it is so picturesque. The men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams are integrated like a family.”
“Colorado wanted me. It makes me so excited. I am going to Colorado with its incredible past. I could be the next Emma Coburn (former Colorado star who is a world champion, world silver medalist, Olympic bronze medalist, three-time Olympian and 10-time United States national champion).”
Zawatski will major in journalism and minor in social media. She hopes to become a sports broadcaster.
“I want to cover track and field meets,” she said. “I have interviewed more than 70 track and field athletes and world record holders through Tik Tok. I have real quick interaction with them. In my longer talks with them, they give me advice about mental preparation and they tell me how they have gotten to where they are. It is real special to have a relationship with a lot of them.”
Zawatski hopes to rake in a few dollars running professionally.
“I have always wanted to be a professional runner,” she said. “It is all I have wanted to do. I know you always have to have a Plan B. Colorado has all of the stuff I need to get me to the Olympics and to the professional level.”
Zawatski began her running career as a fourth grader.
“It has been a really fun ride,” she said. “It is so much fun. Trying to accomplish big things is real fun. Running is a great sport and I am so grateful that I got into it.”
The Patriots were far from a one-girl team as they also received contributions from senior Ava Biemuller, junior Leah Rutledge, junior Sophia Briggs, senior Heather Feinstein, freshman Natalie Briggs, Caroline Cox and Katherine Bulawa. The team’s captains were Zawatski, Biemuller and Feinstein. They were named in May prior to the team’s first meeting.
“They were chosen because of their running ability, their character and academics,” coach Briggs said. “They are role models for the other athletes.”
The Patriots placed sixth at the 14-team Meet of Champions. Rutledge was 52nd in 19:59. Feinstein was 83rd in 20:34. Sophia Briggs was 99th in 20:41. Natalie Briggs was 102nd in 20:43.
Coach Briggs said of Biemuller, “She has a positive attitude and always has a smile no matter the situation. As a runner, her very low center of gravity makes her run well in the hills.”
Coach Briggs said of Rutledge, “She is a dog, meaning she is a competitor and fights for every last inch.”
Coach Briggs said of his daughters, Sophia and Natalie, “Sophia is a classic overachiever who tries to be perfect in everything she does. In chasing perfection, she always achieves highly no matter what she is doing. Natalie has a huge heart and finishes races like a freight train.”
Coach Briggs said of Feinstein, Cox and Bulawa, “Heather is incredibly smart and takes instruction well. She also strives for perfection. Caroline is super resilient. She has had multiple occasions where injury has almost cost her the season, but she finds a way to pull through. Katherine is tremendously consistent and shows up to train every day with no excuses.”
The Patriots excelled at pack running. Zawatski set school records at Holmdel Park and Thompson Park. The Patriots sped to team course average records at Ocean County Park and Holmdel Park.
“The girls won because Emma supplied the lowest stick possible and the other six ran tightly together,” coach Briggs said. “They were a tremendous second half of the race team, always moving up spots from start to finish. They also had great experience from the year before, winning on the three courses we raced on. The team ran much faster this year at Holmdel Park and at Ocean County Park. Each runner improved tremendously and the team’s average was much lower than a year before on those courses.”
“We returned our top seven runners from last season so we knew it (a banner year) could happen again,” Zawatski said. “It was so fun getting all of the team wins last year. It’s exciting being able to celebrate a title. I love being with my teammates and my coach each day. Running with people is what I enjoy the most about running. When we are running, we don’t worry about what is going on in school. We run and have fun.
“I enjoy running for coach Briggs. He is awesome. You can’t ask for a more dedicated coach. He is there for all of the girls. He is the most dedicated man I have ever met.”
Injury and illness evaded the Patriots for the most part.
“The team was very fortunate not to face much adversity from injury or illness,” coach Briggs said. “There were some sniffles during the last few races of the season in November, but nothing to use as an excuse for poor performance. Sophia fell during the Group IV state championship race going up the front hill of Holmdel Park, cutting her knee badly. Her younger sister, Natalie, had to step up and take her place in our train until Sophia could recover and get back up to where she was supposed to be. Natalie encouraged Sophia to get back up and press on because there was no way older sister was going to let younger sister win and she didn’t.”
Coach Briggs said he enjoyed guiding the team. It placed sixth at the Meet of Champions.
“The girls on this team really cared for one another,” he said. “They had a special close bond, all of them, even the girls who were not in the top seven. There were 12 seniors who came in together four years ago. They were the heart and soul of the team. The team hung out on weekends together and at pasta parties. The girls would laugh and laugh and laugh.”
The team’s slogan was Job’s Not Finished.
“It was taken from a famous Kobe Bryant interview after the Lakers had all but clinched an NBA title over the Magic, but had one more game to win,” coach Briggs said. “Each time the team won, I would play the video of that speech he gave. I would play a GIF of it in a Twitter post, reminding the girls there was more still to accomplish and to never settle.”
Zawatski owns impressive athletic genetics. Her dad, Geoff, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted in the 14th round in 1997 by the Philadelphia Phillies out of the University of Virginia. He spent one season in pro ball, pitching for the Batavia, (N.Y.) Clippers of the New York-Penn League, a short-season Class A circuit, in which he was 4-2 with a 5.04 earned run average in 15 games, all as a starter, in 1997. He was 7-2 in two seasons at Virginia in 33 games, including 10 as a starter.
A brother, Zach, is a senior at Baylor University where he ran cross country. Another brother, Tyler, throws the javelin for Virginia. Both are ex-Freehold Township athletes. Another former Freehold Township athlete, mother Alison, competed in soccer and basketball for the Patriots and attended Virginia.
“My folks are always there for me when it comes to running,” Zawatski said. “They drove me to places so that I could get what I needed. They were so supportive in helping me achieve my dream.”
Coach Briggs placed 44th overall of 1,039 finishers in 3:11.29 at the 26.2-mile Atlantic City Marathon. Briggs, 43, was eighth in the male 40-49 age group. He crossed the finish line in a personal-best 3:01 three years ago at the Atlantic City Marathon.
“It was about six minutes above my time goal,” he said of this year’s showing. “After the race, I questioned myself, asking if it was all worth it. Physically, I had the usual soreness. The course is flat and fast, mostly at sea level. It is a mixture of road and boardwalk running. The boardwalk after mile 20 is tough because the boards give and it puts an extra strain on the calves and hamstrings when you least need it.
“The weather was incredibly windy. The temperature was fine, but the wind was swirling off the ocean and you never really had it at your back or so it felt.”
Briggs has competed in and completed 10 marathons. He has run the Atlantic City Marathon four times. Providing aid in most of his running endeavors as members of Team Briggs are his wife, Vita, and daughters Sophia, Natalie and Donna, 11. He crossed the finish line in the 2022 Boston Marathon in 3:09 in 2022. He has also competed in the New Jersey Marathon and a marathon in Richmond, Va.
“My favorite marathon so far is the Atlantic City Marathon because it is big enough to be a real event, but small enough where I do not trip over people getting to water stations like in Boston. My (girls) team helps me prepare for marathons by motivating me to keep running every day. I literally run with my team as part of my training. It also inspires me by seeing them fight and struggle every day with their own training and racing.
“I decided to run marathons because I was at a point in my life where I needed a challenge and something to motivate me to stay fit. What I like about running in them is that they take every ounce out of my body. I get to ‘see God’ at miles 18-20 and fight through the misery to prove to myself that I am capable and strong.”
Briggs has coached the Patriots’ girls cross country team for eight years. He coached their boys soccer team for 10 years and led the team to 2008 and 2014 Shore Conference titles and to sectional crowns in 2010 and 2015. He has coached indoor and outdoor track and field at Freehold Township since 2016. The boys team has won three indoor sectional titles, one indoor Shore Conference crown and multiple Monmouth County championships. It won a sectional outdoors title in 2009.
The girls indoor track and field team won one Shore Conference title and two sectional crowns under Briggs’ direction. His teams have won six Shore Conference championships, 10 sectional titles and two Group state championships. Briggs played four seasons of soccer, including three on the varsity, at Freehold Township. He captained the Patriots as a senior. He saw limited action in one season at Montclair State University.
“Although I love coaching and it is a lot of fun, I would never say it is more fun than to compete myself,” he said.
A 1988 Freehold Township graduate, Briggs earned his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in political science in 2002. He earned his Masters Degree in secondary education from Monmouth University.
