On November 2, at the Catholic Track Conference Championships, Oratory’s JV team had their best performance of the season and one of the greatest team performances in the school’s history. Leading the pack for the team that meet was senior James Milton, who placed 4th overall and set a PR of 18:31. In that race, Oratory placed guys 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th, and won the meet by over 50 points. The team had seven runners under the 19 minute barrier, which showcased the depth and skill of the program. For many varsity teams, having seven guys under the 19 minute barrier is difficult, but Oratory did it in a JV race.
Although OP had “Senior Day” on November 2nd, where the team came together to celebrate the seniors one last time, it wasn’t the last race of the year. While many runners and the coaches would’ve been content with such a strong finish, both the Varsity and JV teams would each have one more race. The Varsity team, consisting of the top 7 raced at Holmdel on November 9 at the Non-Public Group A Championships. However, the JV team had the opportunity to race at a much faster course, one that is familiar to each and every runner: Oak Ridge. This would prove to be a great opportunity for the team. Not only was Oak Ridge a course where many runners had ran at before, but it would also give the Seniors a final chance to say goodbye to the sport at a course they had ended at in their freshman year.
On November 6, 2024, the entire JV cross country team traveled out to Oak Ridge to compete at the Viking Last Chance Invitational. In the year prior to this race, only the next seven runners after the varsity lineup ran at the Viking Last Chance meet. However, this time, everyone would be racing there. The conditions on race day were a bit hot at around 80 degrees, which made the run a bit more challenging.
The JV race was split up into two races. The first race began at 2:45 and was led by the top 7 JV runners. The second race consisted of the remaining JV squad and started at 3:30. In the first race, the JV team was led by freshman Will Timbie who ran a PR of 18:48. He was followed by senior James Milton who ran a 19:31 and senior Tristan Knight who came in at a 19:34. In the second race of the day, there were about 17 guys racing. The team was led by freshman Chad Vassallo who hit a PR of 19:17 and placed 30th. Two other freshmen managed to achieve PRs in Matt Surmay and Levi Barbanell.
Overall, the JV team was able to finish off a great year at a classic course. The team’s expectations of being one of the best in recent history were fulfilled and have allowed for a successful season building off of last year. Although OPXC will be losing a great deal of Seniors next year subtracting from their overall depth, the promising amount of younger guys on the team makes it look like the team will continue to be the best it’s ever been.
