CBA vs. UC 3.0
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New Jersey MileSplit was on the ground for the New Jersey Meet of Champions on Saturday at Holmdel Park and captured an epic boys race, which featured No. 3 Christian Brothers Academy and No. 21 Union Catholic.
Rahway's Micah Lawson scored the overall win in 15:33, while CBA battled it out with UC for the third time this season and came away with its third straight victory with 44 points.
Union Catholic, which missed lead runner Jimmy Wischusen, was second with 98.
But even if UC had had Wischusen, it would have been difficult for the Vikings to take down the Colts, who had four in the top 20 and five in the top 25.
This CBA squad is looking like a real threat to be a top three team at nationals, led by senior Nicholas Sullivan and sophomore Joe Barrett, who clocked times of 15:44 and 15:45, respectively, on the vaunted Holmdel course.
TEAM SCORES
PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS TIMES
1 Christian Brothers Academy 44 4+5+9+12+14 (22+29) 0:43 1-5 Split | 16:07 Avg
2 Union Catholic Reg. HS 98 8+10+18+25+37 (42+67) 0:53 1-5 Split | 16:31 Avg
3 Cherokee HS 106 1+3+13+19+70 (74+76) 2:19 1-5 Split | 16:28 Avg
4 Westfield HS 121 6+23+27+32+33 (45+56) 0:52 1-5 Split | 16:38 Avg
5 Ridge HS 179 20+26+36+40+57 (61+85) 0:57 1-5 Split | 17:00 Avg
The girls race, meanwhile, saw Freehold Township's Emma Zawatski scoop up the victory with a time of 18:38, while Lindsay Hausman of Kent Place was second in 18:47 and Pingry School's Olivia Murray was third in 18:50.
New Jersey MileSplit wrote this of Zawatski's defining move after the first mile:
For Zawatski, she likes to charge out to the lead and take the race by the throat and dare the rest of the field to try to catch her. That formula worked for her last week when she won the State Group 4 title, so she followed that blueprint to perfection again on Saturday, and it paid off with the second M of C title of her career. After a 6:15 first mile, Zawatski, who was leading by a few yards, broke away from the field as she charged down the path that leads to the bowl.
The Union Catholic girls posted the team win with 79 points behind a 19:48 average.
The Scoop:
Page 2: Team Northwest opens up national qualifying
Page 3: The Virginia State Championships didn't disappoint
Page 4: Delaware State Championships were on the calendar
Page 5: Fast and furious rallies at the South Carolina State Championships
Page 6: Big-time moments from the New York State Championships
PAGE 8:
The Jones-Burns Duel Was Maybe The Most Epic One We've Ever Seen At Lavern Gibson
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Results: Boys Championship l Girls Championship
The boys championship race at Lavern Gibson was a straight up slugfest.
For onlookers who were lucky enough to witness this in person, they were privvy to undoubtedly the best high school race on this championship course ever.
Eight runners broke 15 minutes on the course, while five went under the previously (seemingly untouchable) course record of 14:48, formerly held by the esteemed Futsum Zienasellassie.
The top two?
Well those guys entered legendary status with their sparring match. Both Connor Burns and Hunter Jones gave a huge fight in the final 200 meters of Lavern Gibson, with Burns seemingly pulling away late. But Jones would just-not-give-up.
The Benzie Central (MI) senior and Wake Forest recruit, who compiled six performances under 15 minutes for 5K on the season prior to Sunday, held on and waited for Burns to soften, if only for a second.
When that happened, Jones took the lead, roared to the finish and claimed the victory in a new meet record of 14:21.80. Burns was second in 14:27.80.
Jones was a full 27 seconds faster than the former course record, while Burns was 21, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills' Benne Anderson and Hilliard Davidson's Connor Ackley were 19 and Carmel senior Kole Mathison was a second better than Futsum.
CHAMPIONSHIP BOYS 5000 METER RUN FINALS
PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS
1 Hunter Jones 12 Benzie Central 14:21.80 0
2 Connor Burns 12 Southern Boone County High School 14:27.30 0
3 Benne Anderson 12 Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills 14:29.10 0
4 Connor Ackley 12 Hil. Davidson 14:29.50 1
5 Kole Mathison 12 Carmel High School 14:47.00 2
6 Connell Alford 11 Chelsea 14:57.60 0
7 Tommy Rice 12 GlenOak 14:57.80 0
8 Dan Watcke 12 Hinsdale (Central) 14:59.90 3
9 Liam Newhart 12 Oak Park (O.P.-River Forest) 15:02.00 4
10 Anthony Provenzano 11 Carmel High School 15:02.20 5All five locked up bids to Team Nationals.
Meanwhile, the team race blew up, too. Hinsdale Central (IL), which fell to Plainfield South (IL) by a point last week, scored a 22-point victory and earned their auto to nationals, followed by Plainfield.
Hinsdale averaged 15:23 for 5K while Plainsfield South posted a 15:26 average.
Downers Grove North, the third-place team in Illinois, was third here with 178 points, while Rock Bridge was fourth and Carmel, the fifth-ranked team in the country, was fifth. Center Grove was sixth and Mason was seventh.
The girls race, meanwhile, offered similar intrigue.
Holland West Ottawa sophomore Helen Sachs took the title down the stretch with a winning time of 16:47, while Glenbard North's Grace Schager was second in 16:50. Olney's Tatum David was third in 16:54, Bishop Chatard's Lily Cridge was fourth in 17:02 and Park Tudor's Sophia Kennedy was fifth in 17:11.
All five locked in autos to Team Nationals.
The girls team race saw yet another Prospect vs. York matchup.
In the end, it was the Prospect girls with a 52-point win, while York was second with 73 points. Hilliard Davidson and Holland West Ottawa were third and fourth, respectfully.
TEAM SCORES
PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS TIMES
1 Mt. Prospect (Prospect) 52 4+5+6+7+30 (43+44) 0:46 1-5 Split | 17:49 Avg
2 Elmhurst (York) 73 8+9+15+20+21 (23+86) 0:31 1-5 Split | 18:02 Avg
3 Hil. Davidson 187 14+34+40+49+50 (69+99) 0:42 1-5 Split | 18:30 Avg
4 Holland West Ottawa 191 1+3+48+62+77 (102) 2:29 1-5 Split | 18:15 Avg
5 Mason 208 10+19+46+55+78 (148+171) 1:32 1-5 Split | 18:35 Avg
The Scoop:
Page 2: Team Northwest opens up national qualifying
Page 3: The Virginia State Championships didn't disappoint
Page 4: Delaware State Championships were on the calendar
Page 5: Fast and furious rallies at the South Carolina State Championships
Page 6: Big-time moments from the New York State Championships