Shore Coaches Invitational Showcases NJ XC Talent
---
A pair of historic records fell, rookies rolled, the Union Catholic girls and Westfield boys cooked, and many runners threw down big personal bests during one of the greatest Shore Coaches Invitationals ever on Saturday on a hot day at Holmdel Park.
The boys' B race featured a thrilling showdown between Luke Pash and Brenden McMahon. Pash, a senior at Ridgewood, edged out Ridge's McMahon with a time of 15:45, while McMahon finished in 15:50. Both were the fastest times of the day. In the boys' A race, Lukas Disko of Bridgewater-Raritan took the win with a time of 15:54, while Cherokee's Jack Tindall, the highly touted freshman, showcased his potential by finishing just behind him with a time of 15:55. Tindall's performance not only secured him the second spot in the boys' A race but also shattered the previous freshman course record of 16:15, set by Craig Forys in 2003.
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATEPLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15:45.00 | 2025 | ||
| 2 | 15:50.00 | 2025 | ||
| 3 | 15:54.00 | 2025 | ||
| 4 | 15:55.00 | 2028 | ||
| 5 | 16:06.00 | 2025 |
In the team merge, Westfield emerged victorious with an impressive total of 48 points, followed by Ridgewood with 85 points and Bridgewater-Raritan at 109 points. Westfield's standout group of Ryan Daly, Kaleb Stoeckmann, and Brody Toriello all finished top 15 in the merge, highlighting a stellar day for the Westfield boys.
The girls' E Division race saw Union Catholic's sensational sophomore, Paige Sheppard, make history with a stunning time of 17:41, breaking the sophomore course record and continuing her undefeated season. This victory marked her second consecutive title at the Shore Coaches Invitational, after running a time of 18:27 last year as a freshman. Sheppard's 17:41 eclipsed the previous sophomore course record of 17:47 set by Camryn Wennersten of Ridgewood in 2019. Sheppard's performance also fueled the Union Catholic girls to an exceptional team average of 18:46, the second-fastest in course history.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paige Sheppard | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 17:41.00 | 1 | |
| 2 | Cayleigh Kaiser | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 18:26.00 | 2 | |
| 3 | Sophia Thompson | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 18:37.00 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Maya Van Horn | 12 | Morris County Tech | 18:53.00 | 4 | |
| 5 | Jimmiea King | 11 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 19:26.00 | 5 | |
| 6 | Ella Solorzano | 11 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 19:41.00 | 6 |
The scoring combination for Union Catholic's all-underclassmen squad in the E race was phenomenal, finishing with 1-2-3-5-6 for just 17 points. Sheppard was first in 17:41, followed by sophomore Cayleigh Kaiser in 18:26, sophomore Sophia Thompson in 18:37, junior Jimmiea King in 19:26, and junior Ella Solorzano in 19:41. Union Catholic's average performance nearly resulted in a shutout in their race. They dominated the field as a whole after the results merge, scaring 48 points to Ocean Citys' 256 points.