BRONX – The Ocean City High School girls and boys cross country teams continue to tear up the courses this season. On Saturday, the girls and boys both won their divisions at the prestigious Manhattan University Cross Country Invitational.
What’s more, individual runners Riley Tolson and Keenan Neuman took first place in their races in Van Cortland Park and, for the first time in OCHS XC history, last week both the boys and girls teams were simultaneously ranked the No. 1 teams in New Jersey.
Red Raider boys Win Varsity C
Neuman, a senior, was the first to cross the finish in the 2.5-mile race Saturday with a time of 12:43.50 and two teammates made the top 10 – fellow senior Nathan Aschmann (13:05.10) in third place and junior Nevin Millstein (13:17.40) in 10th place.
Benjamin McCarthy (13:35.90) was 22nd and senior Michael Romano (13:51.90) was 39th to round out the scoring. Junior Hayden Tarves (14:29.70) was 71st and junior Ryan Jefferson (14:55.40) was 100th.
There were 25 teams competing in the Varsity C division and 205 runners completed the race. Matt Purdue is the boys coach.
OCHS girls win Varsity A
Like the boys, the Red Raider girls placed three runners in the top 10 in the Varsity A Division 2.5-mile run.
Tolson, a junior, won in a time of 14:29.40, 50 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. That time set a New Jersey record at Van Cortland Park.
Teammate Carly Godfrey, a senior, was sixth in 15:46.20 and fellow senior Lillian Flora was ninth in 15:55.20.
Ocean City freshman Mackenzie Jenkins was 16th in 16:20.10 and junior Lenna Driscoll was 19th in 16:22.
Freshman Cara Jefferson finished 31st in a time of 16:48.20 and sophomore Bella Cera was 45th in 17:17.50.
Along with not being beaten in dual meets so far this season, the Ocean City boys and girls teams also won the Shore Coaches Invitational the week before.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
