Joe Barrett becomes third CBA athlete to secure MOC title, as Colts place five in top 12 to capture 26th boys championship; Freehold Township’s Emma Zawatski wins back-to-back girls crowns, with Union Catholic also achieving team repeat

Story and Photos by John Nepolitan

Christian Brothers Academy relied on a victory from junior Joe Barrett and five scorers in the top 12 to capture a 26th boys team title at the New Jersey Meet of Champions with a 34-70 victory Saturday against Westfield at Holmdel Park.

Barrett covered the 5-kilometer layout in 15 minutes, 27 seconds to become the third athlete from CBA to secure the MOC individual crown. Peyton Shute, a senior from Gateway Regional, placed runner-up in 15:33.0.

BOYS PHOTOS | GIRLS PHOTOS

A trio of seniors followed for the Lincroft-based Colts, with Connor Clifford finishing fifth in 15:51.0, Alex Kamp earning ninth in 16:05.0 and Jack Falkowski finishing 11th in 16:09.0. Alex Mastroly, a junior, rounded out the scoring by achieving 12th in 16:10.0 for CBA, which has won more MOC championships than the 24 combined titles for all other New Jersey boys cross country programs.

Westfield had five athletes finish in the top 40, led by senior Avery Keith placing fourth in 15:49.0, just behind Stephen Kyvelos of Manalapan taking third in 15:48.0.

Emma Zawatski, a senior at Freehold Township, secured back-to-back girls MOC championships by holding off Union Catholic freshman Paige Sheppard by a 17:52.0 to 17:54.0 margin.

Zawatski overcame an early lead by Sheppard, who closed the deficit in the final 300 meters, before the Colorado commit held on to capture consecutive MOC titles.

Union Catholic placed five scorers in the top 16, including three freshmen, to smash the all-time team mark for the fastest course average at 18:37.4, eclipsing the standard of 19:01.0 achieved in 2007 by MOC winner Voorhees.

The Vikings repeated as champions with 31 points, with Middletown South edging Pingry School 145-146 to secure second place.

Courtney Kaiser was fourth for Union Catholic in 18:17.0, Peyton Hollis earned eighth in 18:41.0, with ninth-graders Cayleigh Kaiser (19:06.0) and Kayla Devine (19:09.0) placing 15th and 16th, respectively.

Union Catholic had all seven athletes finish ahead of the second runner for Middletown South, which was led by third-place finisher Rosemary Shay in 18:09.0.

TEAM WINNERS

Boys: Christian Brothers Academy 34 points - RESULTS

Girls: Union Catholic 31 points - RESULTS