In a fall season with a reduced schedule, the Christian Brothers Academy cross country team found itself in a familiar spot on Wednesday: winning a meet at Holmdel Park.

This time, it was the CBA-hosted Colt Invitational, which gathered six top-ranked teams for a showdown at one of New Jersey's favorite running spots.

"It was an honor to host so many amazing student-athletes and teams at the Colt Invitational," said Director of Athletics Michael Mazzaccaro. "We were proud to offer the athletes an opportunity to compete as teammates and push their limits on a storied course."

The Colts, the state's top team, won the meet with a 16:34 average and put all five scorers in the top-12 of the race. CBA finished 26 points better than second place and second-ranked Ridge High School.

Senior Chris DeSousa was the top CBA finisher in fourth place with a Holmdel Park personal-best 16:05. Senior Ben Santos (6th, 16:33), sophomore Nicholas Sullivan (8th, 16:41), senior Chase Cauvin (9th, 16:44) and senior Sean Elliott (12th, 16:47) completed the Colts' top-five.

"Our boys were excited to host a meet of this level," said head coach Sean McCafferty. "Yesterday was a big step in the right direction. Our seniors took this race on and closed really well."

It is the second time in two weeks that Christian Brothers has defeated Ridge at an invitational meet. On October 10, the Colts beat Ridge by 19 points at the Colts Neck-hosted Cougar Invitational.

With the NJSIAA not holding cross country state championships or the Meet of Champions out of an abundance of caution, this was the last chance for the top two teams in the state to matchup.

CBA will have three dual meets, a quad meet and the sectional championship to wrap up this abbreviated fall season. The Colts' national record dual meet streak currently sits at 373 after Tuesday's victory over Howell.