New Jersey has a strong case for potentially sweeping the titles and, at the least, advancing a strong contingent of athletes to the Brooks XC National Championships in San Diego, CA on December 13th.
The Brooks XC Northeast Championships are set to take place November 29th in Boston, MA.
Let's take a look at our New Jersey entries for potential favorites, top returners, and more.
Girls Championship Race
The New Jersey favorite is NJSIAA Meet of Champions winner Leah Starkey of Ocean Township. Starkey ran this regional as a freshman in 2024, finishing 12th with a time of 18:28.5.
She returns as the championship favorite in 2025, coming off a fantastic head-to-head victory over Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic at Holmdel Park during Meet of Champs. Starkey dropped her Holmdel Park PR to a No. 3 all-time 17:15! Looking back she closed out 2024 with a Holmdel course best of 18:40, a minute and 25-second improvement. Starkey also won the Group 2 state title for New Jersey.
The top returner from last fall at this Northeast meet is NJ Group 3 State Champion Allison Lee of West Windsor Plainsboro North. Lee finished sixth, running 17:58.30 in 2024, and will once again make a solid run at qualifying into the Brooks XC National Championships with a top ten finish. Lee closed out her state championship season with a seventh place run at Meet of Champs, clocking a Holmdel PR of 18:00.
Lee ran to 29th at the 2024 XC National Championships in San Diego, running 18:50.30.
Starkey and Lee are the only New Jersey entries on the girls side who competed here last fall.
Jersey fans should also keep an eye out for Molly Domurat of Hunterdon Central, she'll be amongst the athletes with potential to advance to the big show in San Diego. Domurat was the Group 4 State Champion and finished eighth at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions with a Holmdel PR of 18:03.
This will be Domurat's first cross country regional experience.
Union Catholic's Kayla Devine will be running in the championship race. We haven't seen much of the junior this fall, with only two races, including a win at the Last Chance XC Championships running 19:19.3 at Oak Ridge Park; however, Devine has plenty of regional and national racing experience from previous seasons and some on the biggest track stages as well.
She finished sixth at the 2024 NJSIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions, running 4:54.70 in the 1600m, and has been showcased on plenty of quick Union Catholic relay teams, including last spring's national record DMR of 11:12.20, where she split a 2:16.79. While she didn't race Holmdel in 2025 she holds a course PR from 2023 of 19:09 while finishing 16th at the Meet of Champions as a freshman.
Izzy Meth of Lawrence HS is entered, she was ninth in the Group 3 state title race and finished 37th at MOCs running a Holmdel Park PR of 19:11. Sophomore Angelina Colavita of Barnegat Township is next, she closed out state season running 43rd at MOCs clocked at 19:16, was 14th in the Group 2 state title race, and earned second during the South Group 2 Sectional. Stella Blanchard of Wilberforce School closes out the seven New Jersey competitors entered into the championship race. She finished 46th at MOCs, running 19:19, and was third in the Non-Public B state title race.
Fleet Feet Golden Tickets
It should also be noted that New Jersey has two girls who received Fleet Feet Golden Tickets straight to the Brooks XC Championships on December 13th in San Diego. Blair Bartlett, the Lawrenceville School star who's been torching course records and all-time lists all season, as well as Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic, the multiple-time NJSIAA State Champion and 2024 XC Meet of Champions winner. They won't be competing at the Northeast Championships and have to go straight to the National XC Championship.
NJ Girls Brooks XC Northeast Championship Entries
| First Name | Last Name | Race Entered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kayla | Devine | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Molly | Domurat | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Isabelle | Meth | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Leah | Starkey | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Allison | Lee | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Angelina | Colavita | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
| Stella | Blanchard | F | The Phil Zodda Championship |
Boys Championship Race
Jack Tindall of Cherokee HS has the potential to play upset here. Tindall started to really hit his stride at Group 4 State Championships with a Holmdel Park PR of 15:54. Unfortunately, after that he came down sick ahead of the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and finished 39th with a 16:29. It feels like we were robbed of a potentially great performance at MOCs and Tindall could showcase that higher ceiling here in Boston. He enters the meet ranked 10th based on speed ratings.
After Tindall there are only two other championship entries from New Jersey, both from Indian Hills HS.
Frank Coppa, a junior, one the North 1 Group 1 Sectional title this fall, was third in the Group 1 state title race, and finished this season with a Holmdel Park PR of 16:48. His teammate Christopher Vigeant finished 17th at Groups and was third at his Sectional race. Vigeant has a Holmdel Park PR of 17:46.
NJ Boys Brooks XC Northeast Championship Entries
| First Name | Last Name | Race Entered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack | Tindall | M | The Marty Lewis Championship |
| Christopher | Vigeant | M | The Marty Lewis Championship |
| Frank | Coppa | M | The Marty Lewis Championship |
More New Jersey Entries
We also have three other athletes entered into the other various races that will take place at Brooks XC Northeast Championship.
| First Name | Last Name | Race Entered | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julia | Daus | F | Age 9-12 Boys and Girls Youth 3K |
| Ryan | Escolano | M | Freshman and Sophomore Boys Race |
| Sawyer | Slad | F | Freshman and Sophomore Girls Race |