Ocean City Girls Cross Country Captures Group 3 State Championship

The Ocean City High School girls’ cross country team achieved a historic victory, winning the NJSIAA Group 3 State Championship at Holmdel Park. This remarkable feat marks the program’s second state title in history. The first state title was in 1988.

The Red Raiders secured the championship with a winning score of 94 points, outpacing second-place Middletown South (110 points) and third-place North Hunterdon (117 points) in the 19-team field. In cross country, the top five runners on the team “score.” Your place in the race equals the number of points you score.  Like in Golf, the lowest score wins.

Sophomore Riley Tolson led the team with a phenomenal third-place finish in 19 minutes, 13.65 seconds. Junior Carley Godfrey also secured a top-ten finish, coming in eighth at 19:39.87. Crucial scoring efforts came from junior Peighton Clemens (27th, 20:42.18), sophomore Lenna Driscoll (37th, 21:02.97), and freshman Bella Cera (38th, 21:03.22).

Head Coach Tim Cook was quick to highlight the unique attributes of his championship squad. “This team is special in many ways. I believe the toughness of this group stands out. They have been able to push through adversity and get the job done. We had a few girls run their Holmdel PR. Peighton Clemens really stepped up, passing Middletown South’s 3rd girl. It really helped swing the points in our direction.”

The atmosphere at Holmdel was tense as the team awaited the official scores. Cook described the surreal moment the championship was confirmed: “When the results were official, I felt both relief and excitement. Due to poor cell phone service, no one could see the results for what felt like an eternity. There is no scoreboard, so you need to wait for a printout or to see results online. It was a surreal moment for sure.”

Cook, who has been the head coach for the past four seasons, also gave credit to the great Red Raider teams of recent years. “We have been blessed with many talented athletes and teams over the years. Each team has helped shape the next, and I believe the experiences added up to this year’s success.”

With the state title secured, the team quickly refocused on the next challenge: the Meet of Champions (MOC). Cook explained the shift in focus: “We have some goals set for the meet of champions, so thankfully, it helped the girls shift to the next objective. They are ready!”

The future of the program looks exceptionally bright, as the championship roster is set to remain largely intact:  Of our top 8, we are only graduating 1 senior. We basically will have our entire lineup returning,” says Cook.

This championship season also included earlier team titles in the South Jersey Group 3 Sectional (their third consecutive), the Cape-Atlantic League Championship, and the Cape May County Championship, solidifying the Ocean City Red Raiders’ status as a dominant force in New Jersey high school cross-country.