What makes a sports season historic? It could be winning championships, demonstrating dedication, hard work, and consistency, or the uncanny way a team gels in the trenches of long, grueling afternoon practices. By any of these measures, the 2024 PDS boys’ cross-country team has had a historic season.
This fall, the varsity boys’ cross-country team won two major championships: the Prep B Championship at Blair Academy, and the ultimate prize—the NJSIAA New Jersey State Championship for Non-Public B at Holmdel Park. Both courses are challenging tests of endurance for teams from across the state, with the terrain making it nearly impossible for the runners’ to achieve their best times. Despite the adversity, the victory at Holmdel marked the first boys’ state championship in PDS history, while the Prep Championship was the first since 2009. The team’s perseverance shone through, with standout performances such as Junior Grayson McLaughlin setting a PDS school record by completing a 5K course at the Colonial Valley Conference in Robbinsville, clocking in at an impressive 16:47.60.
“Winning state and preps felt great,” said McLaughlin. “It feels amazing because I know that it’s all due to hard work. It’s everyday practice, our team showing up.” McLaughlin also highlighted the camaraderie of the team. “The PDS cross-country culture is the perfect blend of competitiveness and fun. We have fun at practice, after practice, and at many social events. We’re pretty much friends who happen to run as a unit.”
Trying out for and succeeding in cross country at PDS is for more than elite runners. Head Coach Mike Mazzei noted that many of the runners simply tried out for the team to see how they could do. “We are filled with a team of people who just tried out the sport and wanted to get their feet wet—people who have never run cross country and ended up being super successful. A big thing is you never know what you can be as long as you’re committed. As long as you come to practice every day, have the mindset of a champion, and win like a champion.”
Freshman and varsity runner, Michael Zhou (‘28) experienced this firsthand. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to be doing that well because I was really bad in middle school,” said Zhou. “During that first high school workout, I didn’t expect to run that fast. I felt more comfortable because the team was so welcoming. It really is like a family environment.” To Zhou, being on a championship varsity team was both a shock and a chance to contribute to something greater, “I didn’t expect to get this far. In middle school, it didn’t matter. Here, it matters; you do it for your team, it’s not just for yourself. With this team, I feel like I had to push myself further because we could actually win! It felt great when we achieved our goal.”
Team unity and spirit were evident across the PDS cross-country program. Coach Mark Adams pointed out that during the varsity state championship race, both the JV and the girls’ teams came to Holmdel to support the boys’ varsity team. “They cared,” said Adams. “They wanted to be there to support. I think that’s the coolest thing.” Coach Mazzei agreed, “The boys’ team couldn’t have done it without the support of the girls’ team and everyone on junior varsity as well. The team culture seemed to out-rival any other activity.”
Looking ahead, the future of PDS cross country appears bright, as all of the boys’ varsity runners are expected to return. The coaches specifically are looking to the continuity and expansion of the program. Coach Mazzei pointed to the Prep trophy that showed Newark Academy winning five years in a row, stating that “I want to keep the ball rolling, to keep defending our titles, to keep putting PDS on the map by growing the program and bettering ourselves.” Next year, Mazzei envisions more students competing for varsity spots and hopes for the team to continue to win preps and states Coach Adams would like to see elements of the cross-country culture expand throughout PDS. “It’s a great example for any program in the school to see that kids treat each other with respect. It’s not an easy ask, of course, but I love the way, no matter how different people were, that everybody was super-super inclusive and accepting of everyone.”
Interested in trying out for the cross-country team next year? Team Captain McLaughlin has some advice: “I’d tell them how good our environment is. I’d tell them they would be running for the team. I’d tell them that our team is competitive, so if you want to make varsity, they’re going to have to work hard.”
