Ridge Boys Win Somerset County Championship

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Leading up to the Somerset County Championship, the Ridge Boys traveled to Manhattan on Oct. 14, to compete in the Eastern States Championship race at the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational.

The boys fought through the cold rain to place 10th, with junior Brenden McMahon leading the pack. McMahon ran a strong 12:34 to place 8th overall in a stacked race with athletes from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and several other states.

Following McMahon were Dev Patel (13:15), Matthew Fukushima (13:29), Mitya Cole (13:35), Justin Breivogel (14:14), and Edward Condolon (14:32). McMahon’s time places him 2nd all-time for Ridge at this meet.

Coming off that successful day at the Manhattan Invitational, the Ridge Boys Cross Country team brought the heat and won the Somerset County Championship this Thursday.

On a sunny afternoon at Pleasant Valley Park, the Ridge boys placed 1st for the fifth year in a row, with many athletes earning medals in the Varsity, JV, and Freshman races.

Brenden McMahon led the Ridge boys to a 65-42 win over Pingry to take home the trophy. Brenden won the race in 15:52, setting the Ridge all-time record at this course.

Mitya Cole and Dev Patel were close behind with impressive finishes in 16:33 and 16:35, placing 6th and 7th respectively. Matthew Fukushima placed 12th running 16:54, and Kaleb Huang rounded out the top 5 running 17:07.

In the Junior Varsity race, Nick Alapatt placed first with a strong PR of 17:43. Max Neumaan placed 3rd running 18:04, and Wyatt Lake placed 8th running 18:28. Freshman Kenji Hou also had a great performance, placing 4th with a time of 12:21 in the Freshman 2 mile race.

The Ridge Girls placed 4th, led by sophomore Rachel Biondo running 20:17 to place 15th. Jane LaCapra had a 45 second PR, running 21:14 bouncing back from an injury.

Next up for Ridge is the North 2 Sectional Championship at Greystone - Central Park Oct. 28!

— Written by Brenden McMahon