Mercer County Boys Team Rankings for November 21
Here is the third and final installment of the Track Mercer cross country rankings! Below are the top boys teams from Mercer County. Click here for the girls team rankings. And stay tuned for an article about the CVC coaches’ all-conference individuals!
1. West Windsor-Plainsboro North
There was never a huge amount of separation between the top four Mercer County boys teams this season, but West Windsor-Plainsboro North consistently came out on top. After winning the CVC Championship with a 17:12 average at Thompson Park, the Knights ran even faster on the same course a week later, averaging 16:57 to place 2nd at Central Group 3 sectionals. At the group championships, they averaged 17:20 and took 6th in Group 3. They were also 20th in the group championships merge, their best finish since 2019. In both the sectionals merge and the groups merge, they finished just one place ahead of WW-P South.
2. West Windsor-Plainsboro South
Last year, the West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys just barely missed out on qualifying for groups. This year, they turned themselves into one of the best teams in not just the Central Jersey section but in the whole state. They averaged 16:58 at sectionals to finish 3rd and make groups. Then, at groups, they averaged 17:20 to place 8th in Group 4 and 21st in the statewide merge. This all-senior squad put together an impressive finale to their high school XC careers!
3. Hopewell Valley
Princeton and Hopewell Valley were evenly matched all season. Princeton narrowly beat Hopewell Valley in the sectionals merge (399 to 423), but Hopewell Valley edged Princeton in both the CVC Championship (94 to 95) and the groups merge (1060 to 1093). Can’t get much closer than that!
Hopewell Valley brought back its varsity lineup from last season, and they did a great job of improving across the board. At sectionals, they averaged 17:32 and finished 3rd to qualify for the group championships for the second straight year. They averaged a strong 17:41 at groups, which helped them upgrade from 14th place last year to 10th place this year.
4. Princeton
Princeton finished 4th at sectionals, which sent them to Holmdel for the 14th time in the last 15 group championships. They finished 11th in Group 4 with a 17:43 average, matching their result from last season. Considering they graduated their top two runners from last year, that’s an impressive feat! Finn Wedmid, a sophomore in his first year of XC, played a big role in replenishing that lost talent.
5. Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville didn’t run at the same venues as the CVC schools, so comparisons are a little difficult. Still, it’s clear that the Big Red had a talented squad that could both run fast (they averaged 16:59 on their home course in a dual meet against the Hill School) and perform well at postseason meets (they finished second at Prep States to NJ #17 Pingry and then won MAPLs by 3 points).
6. Notre Dame
Notre Dame took 3rd place at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference championship against a few of the best teams in the state. Their team average on the Greystone course – which NJ.com considers tougher than Thompson Park – was an impressive 17:24. If they had run that time at Central sectionals, they would have finished right with Princeton and Hopewell Valley. While the Irish finished behind those two schools in the group championships merge, they still finished ahead of other qualifiers from Central Groups 3 and 4, like Steinert, Northern Burlington, and Freehold.
7. Steinert
Last year, Steinert secured the last qualifying spot for groups by a mere 3 points. This year, a greatly improved Steinert left no doubt, crushing their sectionals race and taking 4th place – and almost even catching Hopewell Valley for 3rd place. Although the Spartan didn’t run quite as well at Holmdel the next week, they still averaged a faster time and scored the same point total as they did at last year’s group championships.