Several alumni stars from the New Jersey Institute of Technology cross-country and track-and-field teams were among the top finishers at last month’s inaugural Brank Brook Park 15K race.
Anthony Dvorsky ‘25, ‘26 was the best Highlander finisher, running in third place overall of 1,027 runners and walkers, in 51 minutes and 2 seconds for an average pace of 5:29 per mile. Katherine Castaño ‘24 was the top female Highlander, finishing 39th overall and winning her age group at 59:53 for a 6:26 pace.
Fifteen kilometers is 9.3 miles. Collegiate cross-country races are typically 8 kilometers or 5 miles for men, and 6 kilometers or 3.75 miles for women. In track racing, college races for all genders go up to 10 kilometers, which is 6.2 miles.
“It was awesome to be back at Branch Brook racing. I felt right at home.
“It was awesome to be back at Branch Brook racing. I felt right at home. Seeing the park being flooded with hundreds of runners was an amazing sight, and I am glad so many others got to enjoy the park too,” Dvorsky said. “What inspires my passion for distance running is how it pushes you to be your best self everyday. Distance running is a sport where you can directly see the results of the work you put in, and I love that. The difficulty of chasing the goals you set, along with how rewarding it is, are what keep me going.”
Dvorsky graduated with B.S. and M.S. degrees in computer science. He now works for shipping giant UPS as a web developer. Castaño started running when she was 11. For her, the Branch Brook 15K was a workout in her preparation for the recent New York Marathon. It was her first marathon — 26.2 miles — and she finished in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 14 seconds. That performance earned 35th place out of 2,436 women in her age group. It also automatically qualified her for the Boston Marathon, which is a goal that most runners never reach because of strict time requirements.
“I knew I wanted to continue running post-college, and at that point it was part of my lifestyle. The inspiration is more my passion and love for the sport. After college I signed up for half marathons on my own and raced them just for the fun of it. Soon after I decided to join a running club near my hometown,” Castaño said. “When I got invited back to run at Branch Brook, the timing couldn’t have been any better. It was the perfect race that I could use as a workout. I was already running over 70 miles that week so my base foundation was there. It was an absolute blast and so heartwarming to see and catch up with old teammates.”
Castaño’s degree is a B.S. in business with a concentration in accounting. She works as an associate accountant at GAF Materials, which is a roofing company in Parsippany.
Matthew Morena ‘24 and Blake Brancato ‘18 joined Dvorsky in the top ten overall, running 51:31 and 51:58 for the fourth and seventh positions, respectively. Other impressive Highlander finishers were Brian McGlew '22, 14 overall, 54:21; Joey Mucci '25, 21 overall, 56:09; Norm Hamilton '16, 22 overall, 56:36; Teddy Smith '17, 32 overall, 58:06; Ryan Budhu '20, 47 overall, 1:00:21; Lucas Lamb '15, 145 overall, 1:13:44; and Chloe Budhu '20, 12 in age group, 1:23:34.
“We wanted to create a new fall road racing tradition in Northern New Jersey and fill a bit of a gap in the local racing calendar. There are a lot of runners looking for longer races as they prepare for fall marathons, and with so many New York Road Runners events selling out, we felt there was an opportunity to create something right here in New Jersey,” said race director David Alfano, whose company Trials by Miles Racing produced the event with more than 1,000 people entered. “Branch Brook Park felt like the perfect setting. It's a beautiful park with a relatively flat course … Our goal from the beginning was to build something that could eventually become one of the region's signature fall races.”
“NJIT was a great partner from the beginning. They understood what we were trying to build and were excited about bringing a new running event to Newark. Having a university with such strong ties to the city involved in a first-year event meant a lot to us, and we're looking forward to building on that relationship in the years ahead,” Alfano said.
“It felt like home away from home. We’ve all run and raced a couple thousand miles in Branch Brook, might as well add a few more,” said Brancato, who holds a B.S. in business with a concentration in marketing. He’s also now a coach, working with teams at Rutherford High School.
Brancato’s next race is the Indianapolis Marathon on Nov. 7. “Search for that special motivation,” he advises all runners. “Don’t just run for yourself, run for your teammates, your coach, the pride of your program, your family, your hometown.”
