Stan Fryczynski can talk your ear off on just about anything. Whether its his runners, his famous blue hat or the latest trend in high school athletics, Fryczynski generally has a something memorable to share.
When it comes to talking about himself, however, he just laughs.
In his 42nd season as the boys and girls cross-country coach at Secaucus High, Fryczynski notched his 500th dual meet victory after his teams swept Harrison and Weehawken in a tri-meet Tuesday at Bayonne County Park.
The significance?
“It means I’ve been around a long time,” Fryczynski said.
While he can laugh about his longevity, nobody laughs at Fryczynski’s dedication to student-athletes, not only at Secaucus High but across all sports as executive director of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference.
Behind the scenes, Fryczynski remains the driving force that keeps the small-school conference churning out big ideas whether its in football, softball or cross-country.
His leadership shows on the trails, too.
Under Fryczynski’s guidance, Secaucus has won 13 combined league titles for his boys and girls teams while maintaining a .720 winning percentage in dual meets. His boys teams have qualified the NJSIAA Group Championships 25 times. He’s sent another 12 girls teams to Holmdel Park, sometimes with as few as five runners.
“I’m pretty proud of the fact that we’ve managed to be competitive all these years,” Fryczynski said. “My kids have really bought in, and we just do the best with what we receive. We’ve put out a nice program for the school. That’s something I’m proud about.”
On Tuesday, dozens of former Secaucus runners came out to celebrate their coach’s milestone victory and cheer on this year’s team, which continues to shine through as championship season approaches.
Earlier this season, the Secaucus boys team won the Xavier Invitational at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx and last week won the NJIC-Meadowlands division in a race at Garrett Mountain in Woodland Park.
Alongside them was their coach in his blue hat, who doesn’t want any credit but deserves plenty.
Pat Lanni covers track and field for NJ Advance Media .He may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatLanniHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook
