On Thursday, October 24, Oratory Prep’s cross country team traveled to Roselle Park’s Warinanco cross country course that is an extra 150 meters long. This meet would prove to be a critical litmus test for the team. Although Oratory had an excellent showing at their prior race, they had to keep the momentum rolling in one of the most important races of the year. Just before this race, it was announced that OP was ranked as the 20th best team in the state, a testament to the coaching of Mr. McCrystal, Mr. Seebode, and Mr. Maybe, along with the hard work of the varsity and JV teams.
The JV team raced first at 3:30. Placing first for the Oratory boys was Aidan Wizeman, who regained his varsity spot and rounded up the top 20 with a time of 19:04. Wizeman was followed closely by Alexander Kiecshke, who had an impressive time of 19:07. OP continued their consistent string of solid JV outings with seven runners breaking the challenging 20 minute barrier. Among those runners was Junior Matt Maloba, who ran a personal best of 19:50. Many runners throughout the JV lineup were able to set course PRs which was a sign of many of the runners’ progression. Out of the staggering 25 runners in the race, 16 managed to break the 22 minute barrier. If this year has proven anything about Oratory’s cross country program, it’s that depth matters, especially in large races like this one. Overall, the JV squad performed quite well placing 4th overall. They beat out two solid teams in Elizabeth and Scotch-Plains Fanwood respectively, and were able to set the tone for the day ahead.
Following the successful JV race, many of the runners were ready to cheer on the Varsity team. Leading the pack, as always, was Senior Captain Declan Kelly who set a course PR with a blazing time of 16:33. Kelly placed 12th in the race. Trailing close behind was Junior runner Connor Bassolino with another course PR of 16:43. After this, Junior James Nolan came in only a second above the 17 minute mark. Additionally, this meet saw a new school record. Aidan Murphy, a sophomore, set the class record with a time of 17:08. Senior Captain Tim Callahan rounded up the top 5 with a time of 17:27, placing 30th as well. Lastly, Junior Luca Vessecchia managed to achieve a personal best, with a breakout race of 18:20. All in all, the Varsity squad dominated the race placing third overall and setting a new school record for the 5 man average at the course. The team had their best finish ever in the Union County Championship. The third place finish for OP’s Varsity squad had them beating out Elizabeth High School, Jonathan Dayton High School, and Summit High School respectively. With two more meets for the entire team left in the year, the stage is set for a strong finish. OPXC looks to continue their winning streak when they return to Greystone Park on Saturday, November 2nd.
