The Blue Devils added another shining performance to their brilliant season on Saturday, Nov. 26 in the Nike Northeast Regional Cross Country race at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, NY.  

Not only did Westfield prove that it is New Jersey’s number two cross country team, but the Blue Devils also punched their ticket to Portland Meadows in Portland, Ore next weekend.   

Westfield is among the 22 elite teams that will compete in the Nike Cross National Championship race. Also earning a spot from New Jersey was Christian Brothers Academy, currently ranked as the nation's number one team. CBA won the regional race with 38 points.  

The Pembroke, Mass team narrowly edged Westfield for second place with 117 points. Westfield was seven points behind, with 124, to take third in the eight-state Northeast region. Westfield soundly defeated Don Bosco Prep, who squeaked past the Blue Devils by one point in last week’s Meet of Champions. Don Bosco finished the day in fifth place with 145 points.

The top two teams from each of nine regions earn automatic berths to the championship race. Four additional at-large are awarded nationally. The difference between the second and third teams in the regional races ranged from seven to 101 points.  

In addition to Westfield, teams from Palantine (Ill.), Santa Clarita (Calif.), and Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) also received at-large berths to Portland.  

The Boys and Girls Nike Cross National Championship Races will be webcast live by Nike.

Jack Leahy led the Blue Devils with a spectacular race to finish in first place. Leahy, the Union County Champion, put on a memorable performance to beat Tyler Gibbons of Basking Ridge to earn the Northeast individual crown in 16:08.9. Gibbons finished in 16:11.5.

Leahy was in tenth place at the midway point, 17 seconds out of first place, but had by far the best second half of the race to catch the leaders before the loop around the baseball fields, emerging from the woods pulling away from the field. Gibbons earned a trip to Portland by being among the top five individual finishers.

The entire Blue Devils team put in a fantastic effort to extend their season. John Kirna continues to post strong times despite hip issues since the Union County Conference race.  

Kirna’s accomplishments this season include wins in the Roxbury Invitational and the Union County Conference races, as well as a course record on the Tamaques Park dual course. Joining Leahy and Kirna in the national race are: Matt Luppino, Kevin Ingram, Kevin Smith, David Carville, and Evan Tarlow.

Competing in the National Championship race will be the crowning achievement in the stellar coaching career for Westfield Cross Country legend Jack Martin.   

Coach Martin has led Westfield to five Group 4 championships, including the current streak of three straight with Coach Chris Tafelski.  Martin is retiring at the end of the season.

In addition to the Regional Championship race on Saturday, Westfield's eight through 12 runners made an impressive showing in the Northeast Open Race. This race included 32 teams consisting of the reserve runners for the championship race teams and varsity teams not participating in the championship race.  

The Blue Devils placed fifth in this race, only one point behind fourth-place
finisher West Windsor-Plainsboro South. 

Finishing first in the race was CBA, followed by varsity teams Hackensack  in second and Maudslay (Mass) in third. Running for Westfield were Michael Reilly, Jack Campbell, Jason Colasanti, Tommy Edwards, and Dan Luzzi.

Results of the Nike Cross Northeast Region Championship Race:
3.  124 Blue Devil TC-NJ (16:50.2 84:10.8 1:02.1)
=============================================

1 1 Jack Leahy SR 16:08.9
2 24 John Kirna SR 16:55.3
3 25 Matt Luppino SO 16:55.5
4 31 Kevin Ingram SR 17:00.1
5 43 Kevin Smith JR 17:11.0
6 (52) David Carville SR 17:19.4
7 (77) Evan Tarlow SR 17:41.5   

Results of the Nike Cross Northeast Region Open Race:
5. 164 Blue Devil TC-NJ (18:07.1 90:35.5 0:34.9)
=============================================

1 19 Michael Reilly JR 17:49.9
2 23 Jack Campbell JR 17:56.2
3 32 Jason Colasanti JR 18:03.2
4 42 Tommy Edwards SR 18:21.4
5 48 Daniel Luzzi JR 18:24.8

National Race Info Details: http://www.nikecrossnationals.com

The Meet Info link shows the schedule below, but also notes that the times are subject to change, so keep checking before the race.

NXN RACE SCHEDULE:
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 Portland Meadows, Portland, Ore

(Times are listed in Pacific Standard Time)

9:00am: Open Race
9:30am: Webcast Starts
10:05am: Girl's Championship Race
11:35am: Boy's Championship Race
* Awards to follow each race
* Schedule subject to change