UC Sweeps Conference Titles
The UC girls, ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 7 nationally, simply blitzed the competition by throwing down a perfect score of 15 and obliterating the course record average on the way to a repeat title.
Sheppard, the sensational sophomore, led the UC charge by crushing her own course record with a jaw-dropping time of 17:12.1, slashing 29 seconds off the course record of 17:41 that she ran at this meet last year. Sheppard’s sizzling victory sparked UC’s 1-2-3-4-5 finish as the Vikings torched the 3.1-mile layout to the tune of an 18:20 average, which destroyed the course record.
UC’s top five were Sheppard, sophomore Cayleigh Kaiser, was second in 17:43.7, junior Jimmiea King, third in 18:49.9, freshman Jasmine Parran, fourth in 18:52.4, and junior Emmy O’Hearn completed the shutout by finishing fifth in 19:03.4.
The 18:20 average by UC, which held out a couple of its regulars, shattered the girls course record of 18:35 that UC set at the conference meet a year ago, and is the third fastest average ever run by a NJ girls team in a single race on any course. Colts Neck, who ran 18:16 at the 2021 Shore Conference Championships at Ocean County Park, owns the state record and UC is No. 2 with the 18:18 average it ran in the Sophomore Division race at the Battle of Ocean County Park. UC’s 5-runner average at the Battle of Ocean County Park was 17:50 in the Sophomore and Junior races combined.
In the boys Watchung Division race, UC, ranked No. 8 in the state, Weber, a senior, dropped a huge PR of 15:39.2 to win the race and the Vikings jammed its five scorers in the top 10 and averaged 16:09 en route to a 28-47 win over No. 4 Westfield.
UC’s scorers were Weber, senior Aidan Cichocki, fourth in 16:09, junior Elijah McCoy, sixth in 16:15, senior Michael Devine, seventh in 16:16, and sophomore Quintin Clemons was 10th in 16:23.
UC and Westfield will clash again at the Union County Championships on October 24 at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth. UC has won the last four titles.
