If you’ve ever stood on the rail at Holmdel Park or felt the humid air vibrating at a high school track in June, you know the vibe. It is electric. It’s the kind of intensity you only get when the absolute best athletes in the state—regardless of school size or "Group" classification—finally face off. In 2024, the Meet of Champions (MOC) wasn't just another date on the calendar. It was a statement.
For those who aren’t track junkies, the Meet of Champions 2024 basically serves as the "Super Bowl" for prep sports in regions like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Delaware. There are no excuses left at the starting line. No "well, they’re in a smaller division." It’s just the clock, the tape, and the person in the next lane.
The NJSIAA Meet of Champions 2024: A Historic Run at Holmdel
Honestly, the cross country scene in New Jersey this past fall was kind of ridiculous. If you follow the sport, you already know the name CBA—Christian Brothers Academy. But even for their standards, 2024 was something else.
At the NJSIAA XC Meet of Champions 2024, held on November 16, CBA didn’t just win; they dismantled the competition. Joe Barrett, their frontrunner, took the individual title with a blistering 15:24. That’s moving. But the real story was the team. They put up a historic 16 points. In cross country, a "perfect" score is 15. They were one point away from absolute perfection in a field of the state’s elite.
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- Joe Barrett (CBA): 1st Place Individual (15:24)
- CBA Team Score: 16 points (Team Average: 15:42)
- Paige Sheppard (Union Catholic): Girls Individual Winner (18:02)
- Union Catholic Girls: Secured a historic 3-peat team title.
Paige Sheppard is a name you're going to hear for a long time. She’s only a sophomore, and she's already dictating the pace of the biggest races in the Northeast. Watching her lead Union Catholic to their third straight title, you get the sense that we’re watching a generational talent.
What Happened on the Track in June
Rewind a few months to the outdoor season. On June 12, 2024, the track and field stars descended on Pennsauken High School. This is where the Meet of Champions 2024 shifts from the "strength" of cross country to pure, unadulterated speed.
The standout performance that day? It had to be Giuliana Ligor from North Reading. She set a meet record in the 400-meter hurdles with a 58.97. If you’ve ever tried to sprint while jumping over waist-high barriers, you know that breaking a minute is the "gold standard." Breaking 59 seconds as a high schooler? That’s elite on a national level, not just a state level.
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Why these results matter
People often think these meets are just for bragging rights. They aren't. For many of these kids, the Meet of Champions 2024 was the final audition for D1 scholarships. When a recruiter sees a sub-1:50 in the 800m or a 10-second flat in the 100m at this specific meet, the phone starts ringing.
The pressure is high because the qualification process is brutal. You can’t just sign up. You have to survive your sectional and then your group championship. By the time you get to the MOC, you've already peaked, recovered, and peaked again. It's a test of mental endurance as much as physical speed.
The New England Connection
While Jersey usually grabs the headlines, the New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championship (essentially their MOC) in Durham, NH, was equally wild this year. The depth in the distance events in New England is always deep.
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We saw records being chased in the 1600m and the 3200m. It's interesting to see how the different states—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Mass, RI, and CT—stack up. Usually, the Massachusetts schools dominate the relays, but 2024 saw some surprising parity, especially in the field events.
Actionable Insights for Athletes and Fans
If you're an athlete looking toward the 2025 season or a fan trying to keep up, here is what you should take away from the 2024 results:
- Consistency beats "the big game": The winners at the Meet of Champions 2024 weren't "one-hit wonders." They were the athletes who posted consistent times throughout April and May.
- The "CBA Model": If you're a coach, look at Christian Brothers Academy's "pack running" style. Their 29-second split between their first and fifth runner is why they won. It's better to have five "very good" runners than one superstar and four average ones.
- Watch the Sophomores: 2024 was the year of the underclassmen. Names like Paige Sheppard and Addy Gebhart (who dominated the swimming MOC earlier in the year) prove that the "seniority" rule is dead in high school sports.
- Venue matters: Holmdel Park remains the ultimate "equalizer" in cross country. You can't just be fast; you have to be strong enough to handle the "Bowl" and the "Roller Coasters."
The Meet of Champions 2024 lived up to the hype. It provided a clear bridge between local legends and future collegiate stars. To stay ahead of the curve for the next season, start tracking the indoor results coming out of the Armory and the Reggie Lewis Center this winter—that's where the 2025 champions are currently being made.
To prepare for the upcoming season, your next move should be to analyze the returning rankings on sites like MileSplit or TFRRS to see which of these 2024 champions are coming back to defend their titles. Pay close attention to the "Groups Merge" data, as that is the truest indicator of who will actually stand on top of the podium when the Meet of Champions rolls around again.