Watch highlights from Leah Starkey's record-breaking race.
Leah Starkey made a huge statement with a race for the ages at the Battle at Ocean County Park, burning up the trails by delivering a course record performance on Friday in Lakewood.
Starkey, a sophomore at Ocean Township, made history by dropping a smoking fast 17:06 to just get under the course record of 17:07 that Colts Neck star Lilly Shapiro ran at the 2021 Shore Conference Championship. Starkey's previous best at OCP was the 17:35 she ran to place second at the Shore Conference Championships last October. Starkey also broke the meet record of 17:14 set last year by Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic.
Starkey, who won the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions last June, blasted out to a big lead right away and was unpushed as she blitzed the competition, winning by one minute over runner-up Amelia Pattwell of Middletown South.
The victory by Starkey sends a message to the rest of the state that she will more than likely be the only runner who can challenge defending XC Meet of Champions winner Sheppard when they collide at the M of C at Holmdel Park in November. At the M of C last year, Sheppard won in 18:02 and Starkey, who owns a Holdmel PR of 18:40, finished 10th.
Starkey's record-breaking performance was one of many red-hot times dropped on the flat layout.
Dominic Moscatello's course record run ignited a big race from CBA in the Freshmen Division. Moscatello's time of 10:37 over the 2-mile layout broke the CR of 10:38 set by CBA's John Clark last year, and sparked a 1-5 compression of 11:18.2, a meet record and the second fastest average ever run on the course. CBA jammed its first 5 runners in the top 11.
Moscatello's victory was his second historic performance of the week. Last Tuesday, he ran 16:56 to help the Colts win the A North Division Champiopnship. Moscatello is the first freshman from CBA to ever break 17 at Holmdel in September and he's the 5th freshman in school history to crack the 17-minute barrier at Holmdel.
Keenan Byers of Randolph ran the fastest boys' time of the day, winning the Senior Division race with a PR of 15:23.
Toms River South's Jack O'Leary threw down a massive PR, winning the boys Junior Division race in 15:50, 40 seconds faster than his previous PR of 16:30 at the Ocean County Championships last year at OCP.
Liam Angley of St. Peter's Prep captured the boys' Sophomore Division race in 16:25.
Julia Flanagan of Holy Cross Prep scored her second big win of the season by crossing the line first in the girls' Senior Division race with a huge PR of 17:53!! Flanagan, who also placed first at the Cherokee Challenge last week, sliced a whopping 47 seconds off her previous best of 18:40 at the Kiessling Invitational last November at Dream Park.
First-year XC runner Alexandra Klein of Shore Regional, who converted from soccer, continued her torrid start to her career by winning the girls Junior Division race in 17:46, the second fastest girls time of the day.
In the 2-mile girls Freshmen Division, Emily Leyton of Voorhees finished first in 12:50. Leyton also won the Freshmen Division race at the Roxbury Invitational last week.
Cherry Hill East, ranked No. 5 in the state, won the boys team merge, 122-129 over St. Peter's Prep.
No. 3 Middletown South won the girls team merge, 72-106, over No. 11 Cherry Hill East.
