By Josh Newman • STAFF WRITER

HOLMDEL — Running against a deep and talented NJSIAA Meet of Champions field, Manalapan High School senior Robby Andrews knew the race winner would go well below his Holmdel Park personal best of 16:01.59. If Andrews was to win the race, he would have to trim considerable time off that mark while doing it in cold and blustery conditions.

RESULTS

Andrews got his much sought after sub-16:00, but he could not overcome a monster effort by the competition.

Andrews was 13th when he went through the first mile in 5:28 and, after going through the 2-mile mark, still mired in 11th, he did what he has done so many times before as he began his finishing kick at the back woods. He came charging out of the woods down the final straightaway to finish fifth in a Holmdel Park personal best time of 15:58. Andrews was the last of five runners to crack 16:00, the most at the MOC since eight eclipsed the mark in 2003.

"I just really put it on at the back woods and the race was just so fast. I'm really glad I finally ran a personal best," Andrews said. "The last mile was all guts and I put it all out there. Everyone had to deal with the same conditions, so that's no excuse."

Millburn junior Tyler Udland, the reigning outdoor MOC winner at 3,200 meters, won the race in 15:40, No. 14 all-time on the venerable state championship course, while West Windsor-Plainsboro North sophomore Joe Rosa was second in 15:47. Holmdel senior George Galasso was the only other local runner to finish in the top 10, running 16:02 to finish seventh.

In the race for the boys team title, CBA sophomore Mike Mazzaccaro finished 12th overall and sixth among scoring teams in 16:11 to lead the Colts to a third-place finish with a team average of 16:47.80. The third-place team finish marks the 27th time in 32 trips to the MOC that the Colts have finished in the top 3.

Mazzaccaro's effort on......READ MORE