Holmdel Boys XC Win Division, Girls Finish Third

The Holmdel boys cross-country team won the A Central Division Championship Tuesday at Holmdel Park, sweeping the field by taking the first five places. 

Dan Barlev led Holmdel, finishing first overall in 17:15. Eric Williams, Dan's brother Aaron, Nick Demaio, and Anton Luz followed and finished within 14 seconds of each other. 

"It feels great," Barlev said. "It's just the first stepping stone for hopefully a really great season for us. I'm proud of all of them."

Holmdel held its top runner, Jack Baisley, out to keep him fresh for the rest of the season, opening up the opportunity for Barlev to lead the team. 

"We train great, I felt great in this race so I just went out there did what I do everyday in practice," Barlev said. "I'm just looking to keep doing this the rest of the season hopefully I continue to feel this good."

As for the Holmdel girls, they finished third overall in possibly the toughest division in the state. Holmdel was among four of NJ.com's top 20 teams in the state that competed on Tuesday. 

"We knew with us four teams we were going to be in a fight," head coach Kaci Redding said. "I told them you can't be in control what anyone else does and to just run your race."

Marin Warner and Lennon Cooper led Holmdel, finishing third and fourth overall, respectively. Warner ran 19:36 while Cooper finished three seconds behind in 19:39. 

Irene Garidas, Lindsey Conlan, and Zuzu Cooper rounded out their top five. 

"Lennon and Marin ran phenomenal," Redding said. "I think it's a great starting point for them."

Rumson-Fair Haven won the division, while Red Bank Catholic came in second. Tara Connelly and Courtney Thompson of St. John Vianney finished first and second overall, respectively, and helped SJV to a fourth-place finish.