XC Preseason Watchlist: Boys Individuals

We’re still a few days away from the first official meets of the 2025 XC season, but it’s not too early to start speculating on who the top runners in Mercer County will be this fall! Here are a few names you should get familiar with, because you’ll be seeing them towards the top of results.

These runners are loosely ranked into tiers based on last year’s XC results and recent track performances, especially in the 3200m. That said, preseason rankings don’t mean too much – wait until real results start rolling before judging who’s the best.

Also, these lists don’t account for new freshmen or transfers who will arrive and shake up the rankings. And, as always, there will be boys who were underestimated or who have breakout seasons. Stay tuned for a more informed set of rankings in a few weeks.

With several first-team all-county boys having graduated in the spring, there will be lots of new names crowding the top ranks this fall!

First Team

Silas Allevik (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) ran very well at Holmdel last fall, including a 17:00 for 28th at groups to lead Hopewell Valley to 10th place in Group 3. He was just four seconds away from qualifying for the Meet of Champions individually, so he’ll be extra motivated to get there this fall. Allevik didn’t race the 3200m at any major meets this past spring, but his 1600m PR of 4:24 was one of the best in the area.

Finnegan Curley (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) is right up with his teammate Allevik at Hopewell Valley’s helm. He finished 37th at last year’s Group 3 Championship, and he comes into this season with the 5th-fastest PRs on both Thompson Park and Holmdel. He focused on the 3200m during track, and it paid off: he made it to groups both indoors and outdoors, and his PR of 9:48 is #2 among Mercer County returners.

Tyler Hurst (Steinert, Sr.) burst onto the scene last year when, almost out of nowhere, he crushed a 15:55 at CVC divisionals, which is #3 all-time on the Robbinsville course. He followed that up by taking 2nd behind WWP South’s Shravan Pradeep at the CVC championship and then 4th at Group 3 sectionals. He comes into this season with the fastest Thompson Park PR in the county, a 16:36, as well as a Holmdel PR of 17:04.

Agrim Jha (WWP North, So.) had one of the best freshman campaigns in Mercer County history. During XC, he ran 16:06 at the divisionals, took 6th at Central Group 3 sectionals, then finished 26th at the Group 3 championships. His Holmdel PR of 16:57 is actually #1 out of all Mercer County returners. He turned up the heat even more during track season, running 4:22 for the 1600m and 9:21 for the 3200m. That 3200m time is #19 among returners across the entire state.

Grayson McLaughlin (Princeton Day, Sr.) led Princeton Day to last year’s Non-Public B group championship, and he’ll hope to do it again this year. The multisport star, who only runs in the fall, will also have his sights on the individual championship – he enters the season as the top returner in Non-Public B after placing 3rd at groups last year and then running 17:10 at the Meet of Champions, which is 4th-best among returners in Mercer County.

Finn Wedmid (Princeton, Jr.) had an excellent sophomore XC season. After grabbing 2nd place at the XC Fall Classic and 11th at CVCs – running an impressive but agonizing 17:00.1 both times – he absolutely crushed the 17:00 barrier at Thompson Park with a 16:36 for 12th place at sectionals. That massive PR actually ties him with Hurst as the county’s top returning performer at Thompson Park.

Paul Wittenberg (WWP North, Jr.) had a breakout race when he ran 16:19 for 6th place at CVC divisionals last fall, and he also impressed at the Group 3 championships with a time of 17:15 for 44th place. He skipped winter track but crushed the 3200m this past spring. He broke 10:00 four times, qualified for groups, and got 13th there in a PR of 9:48, one of the top times in Mercer County. He also flashed some middle distance chops with a big 1600m PR of 4:30.

Second Team

Mateo Abad-Delgado (Hightstown, Jr.) had a solid XC season last year, but his track seasons were next-level. Indoors, he ran a 10:04 3200m and qualified for the Group 3 Championships. Outdoors, he ran a 9:53 – which was #8 in the county overall and #4 among returners – along with a 4:33 1600m.

Braedyn Capone (Princeton, Sr.) highlighted his last XC season with a big race at the CVC championships, where he ran 16:58 to place 10th and lead his team. He’s one of just seven returners in the county who have gone sub-17 at Thompson Park.

Andy Chi (WWP North, Sr.) ran a clutch 3200m PR of 10:05 at winter track sectionals to qualify as an individual for the Group 3 championships. His 5K PR of 17:03 came on the Robbinsville course at divisionals last fall.

John O’Leary (Allentown, Sr.) ran his best race of the last XC season at Central Group 2 sectionals, where he got 10th place and qualified for groups as an individual. In the 3200m this past spring, he dipped under the 10:00 barrier with a big PR of 9:59.96. He capped the year with a 7-second 1600m PR of 4:35. 

Veejhay Roy (WWP North, Sr.) ended his junior XC season on a high note, running 16:59 for 14th place at Central Group 3 sectionals. In the 3200m this past spring, he ran a PR of 9:57 and finished the season at #9 in Mercer County. He also has a quick 1600m PR of 4:33.

Arunav Sarkar (Lawrenceville, Jr.) excels at middle distances, running 2:00 for the 800m and 4:29 for the full mile this past spring. But he’s also broken 17:00 on a few different 5K courses, and his PR of 16:44 from the Peddie golf course is actually 8th-best among returners in Mercer County.

Aron Zola (WWP South, So.) won a tight 3200m race at Six Flags Wild Safari with a 10:12, and he placed 7th in the Shore Coaches JV A race. In the spring, he got better in every race and ended the season with great PRs of 4:39 and 10:09. 

There were a lot of evenly matched boys around this level, so here are seven more names worth knowing this fall.

Third Team

Lachlan Arnold (Princeton, So.) won the 3200m at the Mercer County Freshman/Sophomore Meet this past spring, and he has track PRs of 4:37 and 10:11.

Mason Johnson (Hightstown, Sr.) placed 15th at CVC divisionals last year in 17:03, ran 17:31 at sectionals, and set big PRs of 4:38 and 10:14 this past spring.

Sean Maina (WWP South, So.) ran 10:13 in the Six Flags 3200m and got 2nd at the Freshman/JV State Meet with a time of 17:32 at Thompson Park.

Nish Seshadri (Robbinsville, Sr.), who qualified for the groups 800m indoors, had an abbreviated outdoor season but still PR’d in the 3200m with a 10:09. 

Soham Shah (WWP North, So.) ran a 10:03 3200m this past spring, which was #13 in Mercer County and #11 across all freshmen in New Jersey.

Colin Vickery (Hopewell Valley, Sr.) ran 16:58 at CVC Divisionals last year, which was 10th-best in a merge of returners.

Felix Yu (Princeton, Jr.) got 8th at the XC Fall Classic with a Thompson Park PR of 17:22, which is 12th-best among returners in Mercer County.