UC Holds First Signing Ceremony for Class of 2022

Brosnan is headed to Harvard, Granrath and McDonald will attend Holy Cross, Peralta signed with Dayton, and Puryear will be attending Columbia.

Here is bio on each of the athletes-

SHANE BROSNAN

Shane solidified his place as the greatest distance runner in school history and one of the best in Union County history by coming up with several record-breaking performances to lead Union Catholic to its greatest cross-country season ever and one of the best in state history this fall.

Shane broke a 23-year-old course record when he ran 15:28 to win the Union County title at Warinanco Park to spark the Vikings to a second straight title. He also won the Watchung Division title at the Union County Conference Championships, captured the Non-Public A championship to lead the Vikings to its first ever title, and then at the Meet of Champions Shane earned All-State honors when he ran a Union County course record 15:22 to finish third to spark the Vikings to its first ever title and final ranking of No. 1 in the state.

Shane, who also ran a school record 4:09.46 when he placed third in the 1,600 at the Meet of Champions last spring, finished fifth this past Saturday at the East Bay Northeast Regional Cross-Country Championships to qualify for the National Championship race on Dec. 11 in San Diego.

ABBY GRANRATH

Combining a tireless work ethic, great stamina, and natural talent, Abby has been the catalyst for some of the best cross-country and track and field teams in Union Catholic history during her memorable career as a Viking.

In 2019, Abby finished first at the Union County cross-country championships to spark the Vikings to the team title, and this past fall she consistently raced near the front of the pack to help the Vikings capture another county title and win the State Non-Public A Championship.

Abby has also been a big star on the track for the Vikings, winning indoor county titles in the 1,600 and 3,200, and last spring she scored in both distance races at the State Non-Public A Championships when the Vikings captured a sixth straight title.

Abby is a huge reason why the Vikings never lost a track and field meet, indoors or outdoors, during her decorated career.

SYDNEY MCDONALD

Sydney has been an integral part of the success of Union Catholic’s sensational sprint relay teams during her All-American track and field career, and has been a dependable point scorer for the Vikings in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

At the Nike Outdoor National Championships last spring, McDonald earned All-American honors twice when she ran on Union Catholic’s 4×100 relay that placed fourth and the 4×200 relay that finished third.

Sydney also scored for the Vikings in the 200, and ran on the winning 4×100 to help lead the Vikings to sixth straight Non-Public A State Championship last June.

JADA MIA PURYEAR

The most dominant thrower in school history, Jada has rewritten the school record book in the shot put and discus during her remarkable career in the circle, which has been highlighted by several major victories.

During her illustrious career as a Viking, Jada has captured three Union County titles, two in the shot put and one in the discus, and last spring she shattered the school records in the shot put with a throw of 40-8 ½, and the discus with a 131-7, and she won the shot put at the State Non-Public A Championships, and placed third in the discus at Meet of Champions to earn All-State honors.

DANIELA PERALTA

Daniela’s rise to stardom on the track and field team came when she blended her unique skill set of agility, strength, and speed to become one of the state’s best in the pole vault and javelin, a very rare combination of versatility.

During her junior year last spring, Daniela elevated her game to new heights by finishing the season as the No. 1 ranked pole vaulter and javelin thrower in Union County.

In the pole vault, Daniela cleared 9-6 to win the Union County title, which represented the best pole vault mark by a Union County athlete during the season

In the javelin, Daniela finished seventh at the State Meet of Champions with a throw of 126-1, the 11th best mark in the state for the season and the top throw by a Union County athlete.

Then this past summer, Daniela broke her own school record by unloading a throw of 127-10 ¼ to place second at an Invitational in New York.