Devan Kipyego Sprints Away To No. 5 All-Time Performance At Bowdoin Park

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

VIDEOS | RESULTS

Devan Kipyego used some of his 1:51 800-meter speed to get away from defending champion Aidan Cox and Byron Grevious in the final 400 meters to win the NXR Northeast title Saturday in 15:34.6. 

The time is the fifth-fastest ever on the difficult course and ahead of New Jersey legend Jim Rosa on the list. 

It was an elite race up front and Kipyego's victory puts him in the conversation as a national championship contender next weekend at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland. 

"I just wanted to have fun out there and kick to go to the championship," Kipyego said.

Brothers TC (Christian Brothers Academy NJ) overcame the absence of third man Jack Falkowski to win the team title with 62 points. Senior Nicholas Sullivan and sophomore Joe Barrett were eighth and 11th overall for Brothers. Sullivan will return to NXN, where he competed as a freshman in 2019. 

The real battle was for the second automatic spot and Episcopal of Pennsylvania pulled it out with 128 points. Phillips Exeter of New Hampshire was a surprising third with 142 points and Hawks (Bishop Hendricken RI) was third with 143. 

Jolena Quarzo from Pennsylvania was the class of the field in the girls race and the Class AA state champion won by 13 seconds in 18:30.7.

Wexford Flats (North Allegheny PA) put together a strong effort to blow out the team race, scoring 23 points with sophomore Wren Kucler taking second overall in the race. Wexford Flats went 1-4-5-6-7 in the team scoring. The team will be the first to represent Pennsylvania at NXN on the girls side since 2015 and just the third girls program from the state in history to advance, joining Pennsbury and Unionville.

Union Catholic NJ, which has overcome the loss of top runner Peyton Hollis to injury, edged out in-state rival Haddonfield, 71-73, and Champlain Valley VT (84).

Union Catholic, a track and field national power, will send its first cross country team to Nike Cross Nationals. Kaleigh Gunsiorowski and Courtney Kaiser stayed connected as teammates and finished sixth and seventh overall to help Union Catholic get second place. 

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