The Union Catholic boys and girls once again proved their dominance in Union County distance running, sweeping the Watchung Division titles at the Union County Conference Cross-Country Championships on Tuesday at Oak Ridge Park.
It was another powerful showing by the Vikings, who repeated as both the boys and girls champs, showcasing their remarkable depth across the program.
On the boys' side, Union Catholic, ranked No. 3 in NJ, put together a commanding performance, sweeping the top two spots and placing five runners in the top nine to take the team title with ease. The Vikings finished with 24 points (1-2-5-7-9), an impressive 49 spread among their top five and an average time of 16:15, comfortably ahead of runner-up and No. 8 ranked Westfield, which scored 43 points (4-6-10-11-12, 16:32 avg, 0:44 spread).
Senior Elijah McCoy led the charge, winning the race with a huge course PR of 15:49.16, followed closely by junior Danny Kuran, second with a personal-best 15:52.72. Junior Quintin Clemons placed fifth in 16:21.08, while classmates Finn Riely (seventh, 16:36.35) and Jayden Aine (ninth, 16:38.62) rounded out the scoring for the Vikings. Nick Frank finished 13th in 16:54.53, and senior Keandre Kelly also broke 17 minutes with a strong 16:57.46 to place 16th.
It was a complete team effort, as five boys ran course personal bests on the 3.1-mile Oak Ridge layout.
The Union Catholic girls, ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and No. 3 nationally, were equally impressive, successfully defending their Watchung Division crown despite holding out several top runners. The Vikings displayed their incredible depth, placing five in the top nine to finish with 30 points (3-5-6-7-9), a 1:12 spread and an average of 19:57.
Freshman Abigail Robisky led the way for UC with a strong third-place finish in 19:18.64, followed by sophomore Jasmine Parran in fifth (19:39.22) and freshman Jia Jain, who was sixth in 19:59.33. Freshman Myra Sakhuja was 7th in 20:18, and junior Aubrey Devers rounded out the scoring by finishing ninth (20:30.96). Junior Kailyn Brown was 11th in 20:32.39, and senior Phoebe Mouris also turned in a strong effort, crossing in 15th place in 20:49.
