The Caldwell Chiefs’ Cross Country team has had many talented athletes in its history, including recent graduates Hannah Morgan (class of ‘23) and Jack Goldbach (class of ‘24). Among these impressive runners, one of the most formidable is current Senior Benjamin “Ben” Lattimer.
Ben Lattimer
Ben has had a remarkable Cross Country (XC) and Track & Field (T&F) career during his time at JCHS. Among his many achievements are placing third in County Championships during the 2023 Cross Country season, qualifying for Group II State Championships in the 3200 meter run during his Junior year, and setting the school record in the 4×800 meter relay with me and former Seniors Jason Collura and Matthew Soder. Currently, he reigns as the 3200 meter County Champion and continues to dominate his competition.
Reflection
Running XC has changed in countless ways for Ben since he was a Freshman, including the shift of his role on the team. “[I] always looked up to the older kids when I was a freshman and sophomore. Looking up to them and trying to compete at their level definitely made me better as a runner and made me work harder,” Ben said as he described his relationship with his teammates as an underclassmen. “Now that I am older I know that I have to be a leader of the team and I can’t show my teammates that I’m nervous because it will make them not want to run. Stepping on the line and taking off for your race shows a lot of courage.”
As one of Ben’s teammates I can easily say that he stands out for his determination and grit. He has always put his all into our challenging workouts and races, and it shows. I found this admirable when I was a Freshman, and I’m sure that it has the same impact on the current Freshmen on the team.
When asked if any of his teammates in particular impacted him the most, he answered, “Jack Goldbach, who is one of my best friends, definitely made me stronger physically and mentally as a runner. I would always challenge myself to keep up with him my freshman and sophomore years.”
This played a major role in the final meet of his Sophomore season, North II Sectional Championships. “I remember my goal of that race was to stick with Jack in order to qualify because he ran faster than me at the time. I ended up falling behind and not qualifying…[but] I think this made me stronger as a runner and made me work harder in order to get better.” This race meant a lot to him, as he also said that he would choose this race if he had the chance to re-experience any of his races from the past four years.
He attributes his success during the Outdoor Track season that Spring to the effects that Jack and Sectionals had on him. He went on to place 5th in the 1600 meter/one-mile run at Essex County T&F Championships and nearly qualified to compete at Group II State Championships in the 3200 meter run with a 7th place finish of 10:16.62.
Ben has definitely gained much wisdom and experience from these past four years. If he had the chance to share a message with his Freshman-self, he would tell him to “enjoy every moment with your teammates and become closer to them. The stronger and closer you are as a team, you will have a better time and ultimately be a more successful team.”
Ben will be missed by everyone on the XC team, and I can’t wait to see what incredible times he has yet to run this season.
Although the boys team is preparing to lose one of the best athletes in its history, they have also gained a highly promising Freshman athlete: Kyle Brown.
Kyle Brown
Kyle started his season with a stunning 5k time of 20:20.36, which he has since lowered to a lighting-fast 18:20. This is only 17 seconds slower than Ben’s Freshman PR of 18:03.
Similar to Ben, he has run impressive times as a result of his dedication and hard work. “Cross Country at the high school level is a lot harder, but it is a lot more worth it and it is easier to see your work paying off. So far I am happy about my times, and I feel like most of the improvement is because of the constant practice and work.”
Records are meant to be broken…
“One goal I have this season is to set the freshman 5k record for the school by getting a sub 18 5k. A goal for the next couple years is to maybe try and beat the school 5k record.” Kyle’s current PR (personal record) is just 19 seconds slower than the Freshman 5k record of 18:01 which was set in 2009 by Mark Batistick. That is an amount of time that he could drop at his next race.
Mike Palmer’s 5k time of 16:22.2 has remained the school record since 1981. However, Ben’s current PR of 16:39 falls short of it by only 17 seconds, and Kyle has shown that he has the potential to run on the same level as him–if not faster. I strongly believe that both of them can surpass the 43 year-old record and I am more than excited to see what they have in store.
