James Lambert
September 6, 2026 11:22 AM
Union Catholic’s No. 1-ranked girls and No. 2-ranked boys cross country teams made a big statement to open the season Friday at the Oak Ridge Invitational in Clark, sweeping the team titles in dominant fashion.
The UC girls delivered a spectacular performance, throwing down a perfect score of 15 points by sweeping the top five individual places. Senior Cayleigh Kaiser led the way, capturing first place in 11:40.30. Senior Kayla Devine followed in second at 11:54.50, with sophomore Harper Telesca third in 11:59.80. Sophomore Eden Solorzano finished fourth in 12:02.40, and sophomore Abigail Robisky completed the sweep by placing fifth in 12:04.10.
The No. 2-ranked UC boys were nearly as dominant, placing five runners among the top six finishers. Senior Danny Kuran won the race in 10:23.90, followed by senior Jayden Aine in third at 10:31.70. Junior Nathan Simonich placed fourth in 10:35.21, senior Quintin Clemons was fifth in 10:38.10, and senior Nick Frank finished sixth in 10:38.71.
Union Catholic’s boys scored 19 points to easily defeat runner-up Westfield, which finished with 58 points. The Vikings’ top five averaged 10:33 and had an outstanding 14-second spread.
The Vikings also swept the JV team titles, showcasing the tremendous depth of both programs. Sophomore Brandon Burns won the JV Boys 2-Mile Run in 11:20.20, while sophomore Myra Sakhuja captured the JV Girls 2-Mile Run in 13:15.20.
The UC girls dominated the JV team race as well, scoring 19 points to finish 46 points ahead of runner-up Ridge, which scored 65. Union Catholic placed five runners among the top six, with senior Clare Harrington finishing third in 13:38.21, senior Kailyn Brown fourth in 13:45.10, freshman Hudson Devers fifth in 13:54.60 and sophomore Danielle Weil sixth in 13:57.40. Naomi Akakpo and Gabriella Mitchell also finished seventh and eighth, respectively.