5. Mike McCabe, Union Catholic (NJ)
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Stats:
NJSIAA Group Non-Public winners
NJSIAA Meet of Champions winners
New Balance Shore Coaches winners
Fourth at Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships
Eastbay Cross Country Championship qualifier in Shane Brosnan
Naming the fifth and final coach on this list was a legitimately hard decision.
While we landed with McCabe for obvious reasons, we also could have gone with Cheyenne Mountain's Stan Lambros, who led his boys program in his final season with the Red Hawks to a CHSA Class 4A title over Niwot, and then a second-place finish at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships.
Cheyenne Mountain was without question the second-best team in cross country this fall.
But ultimately, McCabe's work touched more than just season. He annually develops group (state) championship contenders -- his boys team was second at the Non-Public Group Championships in June -- across indoor and outdoor seasons in New Jersey, and certain individuals and relays achieve national-level status, too.
What was somewhat new, however, was his success in cross country. This fall, McCabe's boys program began to achieve some historic heights in New Jersey, winning its first NJSIAA Non-Public Group Championship and its first NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
Figuring the season wasn't finished just yet, the squad traveled out to Alabama in December and absolutely rolled at John Hunt Park, finishing fourth overall in the field. Then, senior Shane Brosnan qualified for the Eastbay Cross Country Championships, where he finished seventh overall.
