With school record holders Tommy Hunt, Seamus Vail & Gabe Costa all on the verge of graduating, there has been some buzz regarding the team’s quality once these three captains move on from the program. However, after last Saturday’s Blue Devil Classic, it is certain that the team will be in good hands across all three disciplines (running, jumping, & throwing) for years to come. This was first made evident by Connor Bassolino, as the sophomore ran a remarkable 9:52 over the 3200m distance (two miles) to set the school record in impressive fashion. Meanwhile, his classmate Joey DeMarco threw a PR of 128-1 feet in the varsity discus, leading the team to a 3rd place finish alongside James Martin (who earlier threw 45-9.25 in shot put) and Treymane Quarrie. The sophomore duo of Brody Sheehan & Lucas Costa also dazzled in the varsity triple jump, with Lucas jumping a PR of 39-1 ft and Brody setting the sophomore record (41-1 ft). In just their second year on the roster, the two moved up to 4th / 7th on OP’s all-time list, respectively.
While it is undoubtedly true that all of these performances out of the sophomore class are vastly impressive, it could be argued none were more impressive than James Nolan’s 800m victory. For context, the prestigious Blue Devil Classic has consistently been the fastest early-season meet in the state of New Jersey. In fact, last year’s Blue Devil Classic is where Tommy Hunt credits his first big win to come from. This year, the senior was looking to defend his title as the 800m champion before the Providence commit went down with a calf cramp, thus forcing him to step off the track even while in first place. Recognizing what just occurred, James Nolan catapulted himself into the lead and seized his opportunity. The sophomore would win the race in a time of 1:56.11 — currently standing as #4 in NJ so far this season and #1 in NJ’s Class of 2026 800m rankings. Nolan’s time also happens to be the 47th fastest time in state history for a sophomore, with over a month and a half left this season to improve upon his mark. On April 25th/26th, Nolan will be joined by his classmate Connor Bassolino, a healthy Tommy Hunt, and Declan Kelly (who ran the 12th fastest 1-mile run in the state at the Blue Devil Classic) to form an astounding 4×800 at Penn Relays. The boys will look to make the Championship of America final for the event, competing against the top teams in the United States, Jamacia, and beyond.
