Union Catholic proved Saturday night that it can compete with any team in the nation, no matter which athletes are in the lineup.

Despite not having all of its varsity runners on hand, ranked No. 1 in NJ.com’s statewide rankings, put on an strong showing at the 44th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine, California.

Led by junior Paige Sheppard’s fifth-place time of 15:59.4, Union Catholic took second overall in Bob Day Sweepstakes Championship race with a team score of 200.

Featuring several of the nation’s top girls cross-country teams, this year’s Woodbridge Classic saw J Serra Catholic (CA), ranked No. 20 in the nation by MileSplit, take the team title with a score of 193.

Sheppard’s fifth place effort was followed by a tremendous effort from Cayleigh Kaiser, who took 1

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