On Saturday, October 5, Oratory Prep’s cross country team traveled down to Holmdel, NJ to compete in the Shore Coaches Invitational. This is one of the most difficult courses in the entire state with many hills culminating in the biggest hill which is known as the “bowl.” It wasn’t just Oratory who attended, there were around 200 teams present, with races beginning at 9am and ending at 3:40pm in the afternoon. If you were to describe this meet in one word it would be “overwhelming.” With difficult hills, an incredible amount of teams from NJ, NY, and PA, paired with very strong competition, this would prove to be one of the hardest meets for the OP Rams. However, that didn’t stop the team from putting on a strong performance despite unfavorable circumstances. Instead of seeing it as a challenge, the team saw it as an opportunity to perform well.
The first race of the day began at 9am for the JV Boys. Oratory’s large JV team consisting of 23 guys ran in this race with some of the best teams in the state including Union Catholic, Delbarton, and Bernards. Before the race, Oratory strode out to the middle of the field and had their classic prayer circle in order to prepare for the race ahead. The start of the meet would prove difficult and sluggish with the first 400 meters being virtually all uphill, and limiting OP’s ability to pass other guys. However, as the race went on, Oratory’s top guys were able to make some moves and prove their place among the top teams. The top JV finisher was Tristan Knight. Knight won a medal and placed 21st running an impressive time of 19:32. After Knight, came Patrick Roberts, just three seconds behind the senior with a time of 19:35, placing 22nd. The last member of JV to medal was Aidan Wizeman, who just about a month earlier, broke 19 minutes in the 5k in a breakout Roxbury race. Wizeman ran a time of 19:42 and also medaled. All in all, OP’s depth and top finishers allowed the JV squad to place 5th out of 44 teams. The final tally was good for OP who accomplished their goal of placing in the top 5 teams and solidifying their name at the meet.
After the JV squad performed strongly, Oratory Prep’s varsity squad took off running at 10am. The first two members of the varsity team, Connor Bassolino and Declan Kelly managed to medal in the race. Bassolino ran a 16:47 placing 4th and achieving a Holmdel personal best. Senior Captain Declan Kelly also performed strongly, running a Holmdel PR of 17:03 and placing 12th. Following Bassolino and Kelly’s fast finishes, Aidan Murphy, a sophomore, managed to break the elusive 18 minute barrier and placed 38th overall. Coming in just a few spots before 50th place was Junior James Nolan who ran an 18:08. The remainder of the Varsity runners all performed well in the race, and helped bolster the team’s performance to place 5th out of 23 teams at what would prove to be one of the most difficult races of the year. Overall, OP had some strong races and looks to continue to improve as they transition into a much faster course on the 16th when they travel to Oak Ridge for the Conference Championship.
