By TOM WILLIAMS

This is a week or two late this year because of our technical problems that made it difficult to post online. But the calendar year 2024 ended three weeks ago and Ocean City High School sports continued to succeed. OCHS teams won 16 championships during the 12 months of 2024.

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 for 2024 – the boys cross country and girls cross country teams are the OCHS Teams of the Year..

The boys were 10-0 in dual meets and stretched their win streak to 34 meets over four seasons. OCHS won easily at both the Cape May County and Cape-Atlantic League meets and won the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 championship for the second straight year and the fourth time in seven years. They also finished 1st in the Van Cortlandt Invitational in the Bronx and second in the NJSIAA State Group 3 Meet.

The boys are no strangers to success, especially over the last 17 seasons under Matt Purdue. This was his 14th undefeated dual meet season, his 15th first place finish in the county and CAL meets and the 16th time his team has finished either first or second in the South Jersey meet. Purdue’s dual meet record is 154-3 and his .981 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 (26-1) in his third season at the helm. That is a .963 winning percentage. He was named South Jersey Girls Coach of the Year in 2024. His girls won the county championship for the 36th time in 39 years and the third time in his three seasons. They also went on to win the South Jersey Group 3 title and finish third in the state.

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

Junior Erik Preisner led the way for the boys, finishing first in the South Jersey Group 3 Meet. Seniors Ethan Buck and Zach Hutchinson; sophomores Keenan Neuman, Michael Romano and Nathan Aschmann; and freshman Nevin Millstein filled out the OCHS pack.

Preisner, Buck, Neuman, Hutchinson, Romano and Aschman were first team selections in the CAL. Preisner will have a chance next year to join Miles Schoedler, Brett Johnson and John Richardson as the only OCHS boys to win back-to-back individual South Jersey championships.

Senior Maeve Smith has already done that on the girls side, joining Brittany Sedberry (three straight), Megan Hartman and MaryJo Dougherty as back-to-back South Jersey champions. Smith led the Raiders to a first place finish in the county meet, finishing first herself. She was followed throughout the season by seniors Chloe Care and Zoe Zammit; junior Gabrielle Henry; sophomores Carly Godfrey, Lillian Flora and Peighton Clemens; and freshman Riley Tolson. Smith was second by six-tenths of a second in the CAL Meet, first in the South Jersey meet and ninth in the state meet.

Smith, Care, Godfrey, Tolson and Zammit 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 2024 Raiders again had seasons that will add to that reputation.

They are the 2024 OCHS Teams of the Year – Boys Cross Country and Girls Cross Country.

Coming tomorrow – the 2024 OCHS Athletes of the Year.