MTCA All-County Boys Selections for XC 2025

Presenting the all-county boys cross country teams! These individuals were selected by coaches from the Mercer Track Coaches Association, and Track Mercer just added some commentary and highlights below. Congrats to all these amazing runners on their great seasons!

Note: The first team, second team, and honorable mentions each consist of seven CVC runners, plus any deserving non-CVC runners.

Runner of the Year: Agrim Jha (WWP North)

Agrim Jha had high expectations coming off a fabulous freshman year, and his sophomore XC season lived up to the type. He swept the local competitions with fast times, winning divisionals in 15:35 and CVCs in 16:08, and then his season just kept getting better.

After a narrow runner-up in a tactical race at sectionals, he let loose with two phenomenal races at Holmdel: 4th place in 16:11 at the Group 3 Championships and then 14th place in 15:58 at the Meet of Champions. He was the top returner in both races! And his 15:58 is the 15th-fastest Holmdel time ever by a New Jersey sophomore. For good measure, he then went to NXR Northeast to pick up some valuable experience at the challenging Bowdoin Park course, where he ran an impressive 16:23 to finish 34th.

Team of the Year: WWP North

WWP North poses after winning the Central Group 3 sectional title. | @athleticswwp

Despite graduating four varsity runners from last year’s all-county squad, WWP North reloaded with new talent and additional starpower to repeat as the Team of the Year. In fact, based on postseason results, this was the best Mercer County boys team from any school since 2021. They won the Central Group 3 sectional title with an exciting five-point victory over Colts Neck, they took 4th at the Group 3 Championship to qualify for the Meet of Champions, and then they finished the year as the 10th-best team in the Garden State with an excellent race at MOCs. 

Coach of the Year: Dan Johnson (Ewing)

Coach Dan Johnson (far right) poses with his boys after qualifying for the Group 3 Championship. | @ewingxctrackandfield

Coach Dan Johnson led the Ewing boys to a historic season, where they qualified for the Group 3 Championships for the first time since 1979. Beyond giving his runners the technical tools and training to get stronger and faster, he helped his boys cultivate a newfound sense of belief in themselves and in each other. It was that team chemistry that carried Coach Johnson’s program to new heights.

First Team

Agrim Jha (WWP North, So.) was the Runner of the Year, see above.

Paul Wittenberg (WWP North, Jr.) had an incredible breakout season and transformed himself into one of the best distance runners in the state. Some highlights included taking 19th in the championship race at the Manhattan Invitational, earning silver at CVCs and bronze at sectionals, and, of course, finishing 23rd in the entire state at the Meet of Champions. That last result came with a spectacular Holmdel PR of 16:14, which is the 5th-fastest Mercer County time in at least the last five years.

Saboor Qureshi (Princeton, Sr.) stepped up to the 5K for the first time ever and had a dream debut season. He finished 3rd behind WWP North’s top duo at both divisionals (in a blistering PR of 15:55) and CVCs, and then went on to take 4th at Central Group 4 sectionals (in 16:13), 13th at groups, and 58th at the Meet of Champions. For good measure, he went to NXR Northeast and broke 17:00 at Bowdoin Park, running 16:56 for 94th place.

Finnegan Curley (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) kicked off his junior season with a fast win at TCNJ in 16:08 and never slowed down. He was 4th at CVCs, 5th at Central Group 3 sectionals, 11th at groups, and 41st at the Meet of Champions. His Holmdel PR of 16:31 was the 3rd-fastest out of Mercer County boys this fall.

John O’Leary (Allentown, Sr.) set the tone as the senior leader of a young, strong Redbird squad. He won the Valley Division race (in a 5K PR of 16:01), finished 5th at CVCs, and took 4th in the Central Group 2 sectionals (in a Thompson Park PR of 16:27). He delivered a great performance at the Group 2 Championship to take 13th in 17:00.

Ryan Heissler (Allentown, So.) had a spectacular first season of high school running. He got better and better in every race, eventually closing it out with two superb performances at Holmdel. He finished 11th at the Group 2 Championships and then 53rd at the Meet of Champions in a speedy Holmdel PR of 16:41, which was #4 among Mercer County boys.

Finn Wedmid (Princeton, Jr.) was a key returner from Princeton’s squad last year, and his consistency was key for the Tigers again this year. He took 9th at CVCs before really breaking through at sectionals, where he ran 16:25 for 6th place in Central Group 4. He then placed 28th at groups to qualify for the Meet of Champions, where he finished 95th. He topped off the year with a 17:19 at Bowdoin Park at NXR Northeast.

Second Team

Lachlan Arnold (Princeton, So.) had an incredible race at groups — after getting 25th at sectionals, he got 25th again at the Group 4 Championships and qualified for the Meet of Champions with a 17:06. He also took 7th at CVCs in 16:49 and ran a quick 5K PR of 16:19 at divisionals. 

Aron Zola (WWP South, So.) stepped up big time at sectionals to finish 14th in 16:39 in Central Group 4 and lead his team to a spot at groups. He ran great at groups too, taking 38th in 17:14. He set a 5K PR of 16:20 at divisionals.

Sean Maina (WWP South, So.) bounced back from some missed time with a clutch performance at sectionals, taking 17th in 16:47 to help carry the Pirates to groups.  He also ran 16:38 for 8th at Six Flags and 17:37 for 63rd at groups.

Braedyn Capone (Princeton, Sr.) was a big reason for Princeton winning the CVC Championship, where he grabbed 8th place in 16:49. He went even faster at sectionals and earned a well-deserved medal, taking 10th in Central Group 4 with a 16:30.

Silas Allevik (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) missed the first half of the season with an injury, but he came back in time to finish 15th at CVCs and then throw down a Thompson Park PR of 16:49 for 6th at Central Group 3 sectionals.

Harsh Sharma (WWP South, So.) delivered a great breakout season, which was highlighted by a 17th-place finish at CVCs and then the perfect peak at sectionals, where he took 28th in Central Group 4 with a 16:55.

Rohan Varma (WWP North, So.) was impressive all season, but it was his late-season surge that helped carry WWP North far this postseason. He finished 11th at sectionals, 39th at groups, and then 96th at the Meet of Champions in 17:14 — which was the 9th-best Holmdel time among Mercer County boys.

Bastian Bocklage (Lawrenceville, Sr.) had a strong season as Lawrenceville’s senior leader. Highlights include a Holmdel PR of 17:18 for 3rd in the Shore Coaches Varsity G race and top-10 finishes at the county prep meet (4th), prep states (8th), and MAPLs (5th). He also lowered his 5K PR to 16:32.

Honorable Mention

Ashvin Avineni (WWP North, Fr.) made a big, immediate impact for the Knights as a freshman. He finished 11th at CVCs (going 16:56 at Thompson Park), 15th at sectionals, 47th at groups, and then 116th MOCs (in a Holmdel PR of 17:32). He also set a 5K PR of 16:26 at divisionals.

Soham Shah (WWP North, So.) had a great breakthrough season, which included a 5K PR of 16:36 for 11th at divisionals, a Thompson Park PR of 16:58 for 13th at at sectionals, and a Holmdel PR of 17:37 for 42nd at groups. His last-season surge was a big reason for WWP North’s postseason glory.

Aleric Deess (Princeton, So.) was a crucial #5 runner for Princeton. Not only did his 20th-place finish at CVCs help Princeton pull off that team title, but he had even bigger races at sectionals (34th in 16:59) and groups (61st in 17:36).

Reed Huggins (Allentown, Fr.) had a phenomenal freshman XC season. He ran a 5K PR of 16:24 at divisionals and a Thompson Park PR of 16:59 for 13th at CVCs, and then he followed that up with an 11th-place finish at Central Group 2 sectionals.

Julian Hiraldo (Hopewell Valley, So.) took a huge step up from his freshman year. Highlights include a 5th-place finish in the Valley Division race with a PR of 16:38 and a 7th-place medal at Central Group 3 sectionals in 16:51.

Mason Johnson (Hightstown, Sr.) had an incredible finish to his senior XC season. At Central Group 4 sectionals, he set a PR — not just a Thompson Park PR, but an overall 5K PR — of 16:49 to place 24th. That was #13 among all Mercer County boys at Thompson Park this fall. 

Tyler Hurst (Steinert, Sr.) finished 10th at the CVC Championships and then 12th at Central Group 3 sectionals, which carried him to his third straight XC group championships meet.

Hejyule Bae-Robinson (Lawrenceville, Jr.) lowered his 5K to 16:39 this year, and he led the Big Red at Prep States with his 6th-place finish with a 17:11.

Julius Jordan (Lawrenceville, So.) ran 16:36 on Peddie’s course to get 4th place at MAPLs, in addition to going 17:29 at Holmdel for 6th place in the Varsity G race at Shore Coaches.