HIGH SCHOOL CROSS-COUNTRY: 2024 PRESEASON TOP 25 AND COURSE LISTS
Here’s a look at the boys and girls preseason Top 25 rankings and the top 10 returning runners at four major courses.
Darlington hosts the Bergen County championships, most Big North meets and some NJIC meets. Garret Mountain hosts the Passaic County championships, the NJIC Championships and the North 1 state sectionals. Greystone Park hosts the Morris County championships and the North 2 state sectionals, while Holmdel County Park hosts the state group championships and the State Meet of Champions.
Boys Top 25 rankings
The 2023 boys cross-country season featured one of the great teams in North Jersey history, as Ridgewood (third) had the highest finish by a North Jersey team in the State Meet of Champions since Don Bosco was second in 2015. And this year’s team has designs on an even better season.
Three other teams had top five finishes at the State group meet and seven others were in the top 10 at groups.
Last year’s final rankings are in parentheses. Preseason rankings are based largely on state sectional and state group results from last season and do not reflect new athletes who may have joined this year.
Boys
1 Ridgewood (1)
2 Don Bosco (2)
3 Indian Hills (3)
4 Demarest (4)
5 Kinnelon (11)
6 Bergen Tech (8)
7 Leonia (12)
8 Hackensack (6)
9 Pascack Hills (21)
10 Passaic Tech (25)
11 Hasbrouck Heights (10)
12 Bogota (NR)
13 Bergen Catholic (20)
14 New Milford (24)
15 Northern Highlands (15)
16 Clifton (13)
17 Fair Lawn (16)
18 Pequannock (NR)
19 Old Tappan (18)
20Rutherford (NR)
21 Lyndhurst (NR)
22Secaucus (NR)
23Wayne Valley (7)
24Teaneck (NR)
25West Milford (14)
Teams to watch: Eastern Christian (NR), River Dell (NR), Park Ridge/Emerson (9), Lakeland (NR), Ramapo (22).
Boys returning course leaders
Darlington
‘1. Luke Pash, Ridgewood, 15:27: 2. Aidan Morrow, Hasbrouck Heights, 16:10; 3. Lamarr Olive, Clifton, 16:25; 4. Trevor Kane, Ridgewood, 16:27; 5. Tom Mevissen, Ridgewood, 16:29; 6. Jett Lincoln, Ridgewood, 16:33; 7. Marcus Koshy, Pascack Valley, 16:36; 8. Jimmy Hernandez, Bergenfield, 16:51; 9. Jack Dowd, Don Bosco, 16:52; 10. William O’Donovan, Park Ridge/Emerson, 16:57.
Garret Mountain
‘1. Pash, 16:21; 2. Olive, 16:32; 3. Morrow, 16:40; 4.
Kane and Lincoln, 16:56; 6. Benji Pappageorge, Ridgewood, 17:04; 7. Mevissen, 17:08; 8. Michael McGinnity, Hackensack, 17:10; 9. Jack Herrington, Pascack Hills, 17:2; 10. Hernandez, 17:23. Greystone Park
‘1. Morrow, 15:56.2; 2. Will Portman, Kinnelon, 17:07.82; 3. Emmanuel Marin, Bogota, 17:13.10; 4. Max Thorn, Becton, 17:25.82; 5. Aidan Nogueira, Lyndhurst, 17:30.10; 6. Ian Cortez, Leonia, 17:31.03; 7. Jayden Hur, Kinnelon, 17:35.58; 8. Ryan Ober, Hasbrouck Heights, 17:41.47; 9. Chase Zalfino, Pequannock, 17:47.64; 10. Henry Manton, Kinnelon, 17:48.60. Holmdel County Park
‘1. Pash, 15:41; 2. Kane, 16:31; 3. Morrow, 16:45; 4. Olive, 16:49; 5. Papageorge, 16:56; 6. Lincoln, 16:59; 7. Mevissen, 17:02; 8. Koshy, 17:13; 9. McGinnity, 17:14; 10. Eshaan Maggon, Bergen Tech, 17:20.
Girls Top 25 rankings
1 Ridgewood (1) 2 Hasbrouck Heights (3) 3 Old Tappan (5) 4 Northern Highlands (2) 5 Demarest (6)
6 IHA (10)
7 Ramapo (13)
8 West Milford (7)
9 Tenafly (14)
10 Bogota (12)
11 Weehawken (24) 12 Bergen Tech (18)
13 Glen Rock (11)
14 Indian Hills (4)
15 Clifton (9)
16 Lakeland (8)
17 Becton (NR)
18 Rutherford (19)
19 Park Ridge/Emerson (25) 20Holy Angels (23)
21 Hackensack (NR) 22Ramsey (NR)
23 Garfield (NR) 24Ridgefield (NR)
25 Leonia (20)
Teams to watch: Ridgefield Park (22), Wayne Valley (NR), River Dell (15), Passaic Valley (21), Passaic Tech (NR).
Girls returning course leaders
Darlington
‘1. Eilat Kissel, Ridgewood; 2. Katherine Keating, Ridgewood, 19:07; 3. Sadie Meloro, Northern Highlands, 19:13; 4. Brianna Potaki, Ramapo, 19:21; 5. Ayla Cooke, Ridgewood, 19:46; 6. Mika Tampadong, Becton, and Ciara Clinton, West Milford, 19:53; 8. Mackenzie Bua, Hasbrouck Heights, 19:55; 9. Lexi Powers, Hasbrouck Heights, and Amanda Harvey, West Milford, 20:04.
Garret Mountain
‘1. Potaki and Cooke, 20:14; 3. Clinton, 20:23; 4. Keating, 20:29; 5. Harvey, 20:47; 6. Kissil, 20:53; 7. Bua, 21:04; 8. Meloro, 21:09; 9. Summer Myrhen, Indian Hills, 21:14; 10. Brianna Fahy, Lakeland, 21:16.
Greystone
‘1. Clinton, 19:50.90; 2. Harvey, 19:59.40; 3. Powers, 19:59.87; 4. Bua, 20:06.70; 5. Tampadong, 21:21.30; 6. Astrid Taffarelllo, Weehawken, 20:40.55; 7. Marcelle Seckin, IHA, 20:47.67; 8. Brenna Traverso, West Milford, 20:51.60; 9. Tarikwa Dunn, Weehawken, 21:13.72; 10. Ana Michel, Bogota, 21:30.10.
Holmdel County Park
‘1. Kissil and Keating, 19:51; 3. Potaki, 19:55; 4. Tampadong, 20:16; 5. Taffarello, 20:18; 6. Powers, 20:28; 7. Bua, 20:30; 8. Cooke, 20:34; 9. Meloro and Jacqueline, 20:46.