CBA Wins, UC Girls, DeSousa Also Qualify For Team XC Nats

Jim Lambert


Results

WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY - Christian Brothers Academy, which captured its seventh title, and the runner-up Union Catholic girls both overcome losses to key runners to qualify for the National Team Championships, and Cate DeSousa of Red Bank Catholic ran a strong race to also advance at Saturday's 15th Northeast Regional Team Championships at sun-splashed Bowdoin Park.

CBA, ranked No. 1 in NJ and No. 3 nationally, extended its remarkable streak to 11 straight berths in the National Championships with an 88-128 victory over the Episcopal Academy in Pa.  Union Catholic, ranked NJ No. 2 and US No. 24, finished sixth with 209. Southern Regional was eight with 284, Westfield was ninth with 301,    

The Colts, who have now qualified for the national championship race 12 times, also finished first in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2018. 

CBA, the 2011 National Champions, will seek its second national title when the National Championships are held next Saturday at the Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. 

CBA's top five were senior Nicholas Sullivan, eighth in 16:04.3, sophomore Joe Barrett, 11th in 16:12.7, senior Zach Shroba, 23rd in 16:37.8, junior Conor Clifford, 26th in 16:39.7, and senior Lucas Ward, 41st in 16:56.8. 

While the 40-point victory by CBA, which averaged 16:30.3 over the rugged 3.1-mile course, makes it seem as though it was a very comfortable victory for the Colts, the squad had to push through  adversity after its usual No. 3 runner, Jack Falkowski, couldn't race due to illness, scratching just an hour before the race. But CBA's superior depth came to the rescue. 

Coach coach Sean McCafferty praised his team for stepping up to fill the big hole created by Falkowski's absence. 

"It's tough when a stalwart No. 3 runner goes down an hour before the race,'' said McCafferty. "The boys were confused and stressed more than usual, but they stepped into roles and ran great. I very proud of how they raced.''


The girls race featured another great battle between the state's top two teams as NJ. No 1 Union Catholic edged NJ No. 2 Haddonfield, 71-73 for the second and final automatic qualifying spot. Haddonfield is hoping to earn one of the four wild card bids. North Allegheny of Pa., ranked No. 30 in the U.S, won the race with 23 points.

Individually, the University of Virginia-bound DeSousa, who ran through illness when she finished 11th at NJ Meet of Champions, rebounded by running 18:49.1 to place third to secure one of the five individual automatic qualifying spots. DeSousa ran very aggressively, blasting out to the lead at the halfway mark, which she hit in 9:14.9. After slipping back to third, DeSousa maintained that spot for the rest of the race.  

Union Catholic, which defeated Haddonfield by nine points to win the Meet of Champions title two weeks ago and came into this race undefeated, went 2-3-15-17-34 in the team scoring. Haddonfield countered by going 9-11-12-13-28

The top five for UC, which averaged 20:03, were senior Kaleigh Gunsiorowski, sixth in 19:09.9, junior Courtney Kaiser, seventh in 19:12.1, freshman Ella Solorzano, 25th in 20:12.1, junior Leilani Gibson, 29th in 20:13.9, and senior Victoria Urbaez, 67th in 21:30.6. Freshman Emmy O'Hearn, UC's No. 4 runner at the M of C, wasn't able to finish due to a sinus infection. 

The lethal 1-2 punch of Gunsiorowski and Kaiser, the clutch race by Solorzano, the very strong finish from Gibson, who picked off eight runners over the final 2.5K, Urbaez's grit added up to give UC its first berth ever at the national championships. And UC did it without its No. 1 runner, junior Peyton Hollis, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the State Non-Public A race.

Gunsiorowski, in just her second year running XC, said earning a spot in the national championship race is a dream come true for her and her teammates. 

"To think I played soccer up until just last year and all the opportunities that this sport has offered me is just the biggest blessing, and I'm so happy I get to share this opportunity with my closest friends,'' said Gunsiorowski. "As a team, today was everything we had ever dreamed of. We knew it would be a challenge, but one we weren't ready to back down from. Before the race, I told the girls that no matter what happened, we had a perfect season and that this race wouldn't have changed that. I'm so incredibly proud of each of these girls, even the girls that didn't race today, but have contributed to the success we experienced throughout the earlier part of the season. This is a dream come true, and we're so excited to drop a Portland bomb.''