By TOM WILLIAMS

The calendar year 2023 just ended and Ocean City High School sports continued to succeed. OCHS teams won 13 championships during the last 12 months.

That included a pair of teams that frequently competed together and had seasons almost filled with identical success.

Once again, the runners get the nod in 2023 – the boys cross country and girls cross country teams are the OCHS Teams of the Year..

The boys were 10-0 in dual meets, won easily at both the Cape May County and Cape-Atlantic League meets and won the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 championship. They also finished first in their division of the Manhattan College Invitational Meet.

The boys are no strangers to success, especially over the last 16 seasons under Matt Purdue. This was his 13th undefeated dual meet season, his 14th first place finish in the county and CAL meets and the 15th time his team has finished either first or second in the South Jersey meet. Purdue’s dual meet record is 144-3 and his .980 winning percentage is not only the highest by a coach in any sport with at least five seasons in CAL history, it is likely the best in South Jersey history.

Of course, girls coach Tim Cook has a pretty good career record (17-1) in his second season at the helm. That is a .944 winning percentage. His girls won the county championship for the 35th time in 38 years and the second time in his two seasons. They also went on to win the South Jersey Group 3 title.

The complete boys season log is available HERE. And you can see the girls record, meet-by-meet, HERE.

Senior Matt Hoffman led the way for the boys. He finished first in the county and CAL meets, second in South Jersey. Hoffman will move on to St. Joseph University.

Juniors Ethan Buck, Kal Heyman and Zach Hutchinson; sophomores Erik Preisner and Robert Cesari; and freshman Nathan Aschmann frequently swept across the finish line in the first seven spots behind Hoffman.

Hoffman, Buck, Hutchinson, Heyman and Preiser were first team selections in the CAL.

The girls were just as young, featuring a terrific season by junior Maeve Smith. She led the Raiders to a first place finish in the county meet, finishing almost a minute ahead of the field. She was followed by senior Frankie Ritzel; juniors Chloe Care and Zoe Zammit; sophomores Gabrielle Henry and Emily Russo; and freshman Lillian Flora. Smith was first in the CAL Meet, first in the South Jersey meet and third in the state meet.

Smith and Care were first team all stars in the CAL.

Ocean City’s success in cross country, which started with coaches Mike Naples and Bill Moreland, is continuing. The 2023 Raiders again had seasons that will add to that reputation.

They are the 2023 OCHS Teams of the Year – Boys Cross Country and Girls Cross Country.

Coming tomorrow – the 2023 OCHS Athletes of the Year.