Shore Regional is the 2025 Group 1 cross country girls state champion. Courtesy Kristin Greene 
Christian Brothers Academy won the Non-Public A cross country state championship for the 11th consecutive year. Courtesy Larry Levanti 
The Colts Neck boys cross country team is New Jersey’s Group 3 state champion for a second straight year. 
Luke Hnatt and Gavin Schmitt crossed the finish line first and second. The Colts are currently ranked No. 1 in the state and in the Northeast coming into the New Jersey Meet of Champions and Nike Northeast Regional. Courtesy Larry Levanti
By John Spinelli
HOLMDEL – Not every runner in their career could say they were crowned state champion.
But Alexandra Klein, Luke Hnatt and Jay Adimala not only won individual titles, their teammates celebrated the victory as well.
On Nov. 8, the Shore Regional girls and Christian Brothers Academy won their state group championships (Group 1 and Non-Public A, respectively). Later in the afternoon, the Colts Neck Cougars boys won Group 3, repeating the result from last year. They were predicted as underdogs coming into the weekend.
“Once I saw where the team was placing at 1.75 miles of the race, I knew we were in a good position,” said Shore Regional head coach Jack Tarpey, alluding to the team’s home course advantage.
Klein won the race easily in a time of 18:55, while Grace Montanari earned fifth place; Milla Scalise and Kierra Greene were not too far behind, finishing ninth and 11th. The final crucial points were earned by Leyla Torenli, Amy Basaman and Summer George. Shore Regional became state champions for the first time since 2022. The Blue Devils have placed second as a team for the last three years.
“I couldn’t have been happier to see the three seniors (Klein, Montanari, Scalise) win this after being so close these past years,” Tarpey said. “In the summer, I asked the captains to meet with their teammates to discuss goals for the season. Their main goal was to qualify for the Meet of Champions as a team; and we got that done today.”
Tarpey, now in his fifth year as head coach, continues the championship tradition from long-time coach Mel Ullmeyer.
“I’d also like to shout out to Samantha Schmidt. This was her first season as an assistant coach, and she deserves a lot of credit for the success as well- she made a personal impact with the athletes,” he said.
The Colts Neck Cougars also had a triumphant weekend led by Senior Jay Adimala. He crossed the line under the 16-minute mark in a blazing 15:53 to win, outsprinting Chatham’s Mark Valenzuela by three seconds. His teammate Kyle Schandall crossed for 19th place, followed by Rowan O’Connor and Deeko Rudko, who finished 21st and 22nd, all under 17:30.
The remaining cougars, Dominic Marino and Zack Metzger, finished the race in under 18 minutes, finalizing the points difference. The Cougars’ placing was enough to garner low points against Ocean City High School, defeating them 87 to 102.
In Non-Public A, Christian Brothers Academy won its 11th state group title in a row, continuing its state championship dynasty. In an impressive finish, the Colts runners placed one through four, clinching the team championship as soon as the fourth runner crossed the finish line. All four ran under 16:10.
Following Hnatt in 15:40 was Gavin Schmitt, only two seconds behind at 15:42. Third place was Ryan Collins, while Wyatt Falkowski clinched fourth place. Coached by Sean McCafferty, the Colts are once again coming in as heavy favorites to repeat their team title win at the New Jersey Meet of Champions. They are also currently ranked No. 1 in the Northeast and sixth in the United States by Dye Stat as of Oct. 30. This puts the Colts in an advantageous position for the interstate cross-country season (Nike Regionals and Nationals).
After the Meet of Champions, all three teams will compete at the Nike Cross-Country Northeast Regionals at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York.
The article originally appeared in the November 13 – 20, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
