Union Catholic put an emphatic stamp on its dominance as the Vikings swept both the girls and boys team championships for the second consecutive year in commanding fashion at the Union County Track and Field Champiosnhips on Friday night at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.
MEET RECORD/DOZEN TITLES IN A ROW
On the girls side, Union Catholic continued its historic run, capturing a record 12th straight Union County Championship and breaking the meet record for points scored with 201.33. That's 199.33 out of a possible 274! That shattered the meet record of 162 that UC set in 2024. Oak Knoll (40.33) was second and Union placed third with 27 points.
The Vikings won eight of the 12 events, showcasing overwhelming depth across sprints, hurdles, distance races, relays, and field events.
Junior Morgan Holley led the charge as the only girls' double winner, capturing the 55-meter hurdles in 8.26 and adding another title long jump with a leap of 18-10¼. It's the second straight year that Holley won those two events.
Union Catholic swept the top three spots in the 400 and 800 and went 1-2 in the 3,200.
In the 400, freshman star Abbey Robisky won in 56.08, the third fastest time in NJ indoor history for a freshman, and teammates Abriyah Thompson and Kairah Jones went 2-3..
The dominance continued in the middle distances, as Aubrey Devers won the 800 meters in a PR of 2:14.45 to spearhead another 1-2-3 finish for the Vikings. UC also swept the 3,200, sophomore Saffa Ellis claimed the county title with a PR of 11:10.45, with teammates Joelle Ruccio finishing second and Jia Jain third.
Union Catholic added field event victories from Alyssa Kenol in the shot put (34-4¼) and Ervnie Jules-Vincent in the pole vault (9-0), then closed the meet by winning the 4x400 relay in 4:04.22.
MORE GIRLS HIGHLIGHTS
The other girls' winners were senior Delaney Farley of Scotch Plains-Fanwood , who ran 7.12 to repeat as champion in the 55 dash, junior Liyanna Muscat of Union (200), junior Ella Ryan of Summit won the 1,600 with a PR of 5:01.98, and senior Gaelle Jones of Oak Knoll cleared 5-2 to win the high jump).
UC BOYS REPEAT
On the boys side, Union Catholic proved once again that depth wins championships, capturing its second straight Union County title with 112 points, pulling away from runner-up Westfield (49) and third-place Elizabeth (31).
Junior Shahid Stevens won the 400 meters for UC in 49.70 and also placed in the 55 dash. The 55 was won by junior Gabriel Morales of Linden in 6.57.
The Vikings flexed their distance strength with a clean sweep of the 1,600, led by sophomore Will Van Etten (4:22.49), followed by Danny Kuran and Nick Frank. Senior Elijah McCoy added another championship by winning the 800 meters in 1:57.70.
MORE BOYS HIGHLIGHTS
Connor Bassolino of Oratory, who won the outdoor county title in the 3,200 last spring, added the indoor 3,200 championship in 9:32.75.
Junior Quashawn Haynes of Rahway took the high jump by clearing a personal best 6-2, and senior Joseph DeMarco of Oratory Prep dominated the shot put with a winning throw of 52-2, a PR by more than one foot!! Elizabeth senior Jaydan Cadet cleared a PR of 11-6 to win the pole vault, and Westfield closed the meet by winning the 4x400 relay in 3:30.58.