By Rich Chrampanis
Christian Brothers Academy’s vaunted cross country program continues to be one of the best in America. The Colts won the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx, led by one of the nation’s top runners. Junior Joe Barrett won the individual title with a time of 12:13.6 and the Colts five man contingent averaged 12:44.2 which is second all-time in the his- tory of the event. Barrett is currently the No. 8 ranked cross country runner in the United States.
CBA had all five of its runners finish in the Top 20 with Barrett leading the way. Alex Kemp was 12th with a time of 12:45.7; Conor Clifford finished 14th at 12:50.6; Alex Mastroly was 17th in 12:54.8; and Wyatt Falkowski rounded out the CBA winning group in 19th with a time of 12:56.4.
“The weather was terrible, but our team was great,” CBA cross country coach Sean McCafferty said. “They followed our plan and raced as a team. Joe Barrett was phenomenal up front. Now we get to work for a few weeks in preparation for the big ones.”
On the girls’ side, Middletown South won the “E” flight as a team with Rosemary Shay leading the way individually. The Eagles were the top-ranked New Jersey girls’ team finishing 10th overall.
“Rosemary has been the leader of the team in every aspect,” head coach Bill Clifton said. “The girls respect her attitude, drive and the life she puts into every practice and meet. The Manhattan meet was cold, raw and very wet. They actually looked forward to the challenge. They will not let any element detract from performing for their teammates.”
Clifton broke down the race, explaining that Shay was running with a group of 10 girls at the 1,000-meter mark, but came out of the hills with a sizeable lead. Sophomores Abby Oglevee (10th) and Caitlin Brown (12th) had great results and freshman Emma Merces was a big boost with a 13th-place effort. Ava Romano, who switched from soccer to cross country, rounded out the scoring for Middletown South.
The Shore Conference cross country tournament is set for Oct. 19 in Lakewood, followed by the state playoffs and the Meet of Champions to round out the fall schedule.
The article originally appeared in the October 19 – 25, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
