The 2026 team trophy will be named the Alex Kemp Memorial Boys Eastern States Team Championship Award. Kemp, a key member of CBA-Lincroft’s 2022 & 2023 Eastern States team champions, was tragically killed in a skiing accident in 2025.

The first Alex Kemp award was won by his former CBA teammates who captured the prestigious Boys Eastern States team award for a record 21st time.

The Alex Kemp announcement was made by Manhattan Race Director Lou Vazquez and Todd Witzleben, the Head Coach for Cross Country, Track & Field at Manhattan University that hosts the 54-year old event.

"The 2026 Boys Eastern States team title at the Manhattan Invitational will again honor Alex Kemp, a cherished former CBA Colt runner who exemplified the spirit, determination, and camaraderie of this esteemed race. Given the shared Christian Brothers connection between CBA and Manhattan University, it is fitting that this honor aligns with the Lasallian values envisioned by Meet Founder Ed Bowes and the Christian Brothers at both Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School and Manhattan when they established this meet" stated Vazquez and Witzleben in a joint statement.

“Alex was an exemplar of Lasallian education. And a true student athlete. His academic work at CBA was highly respected; and as a state champion, few runners could compare. Alex and his family loved the Manhattan University Cross Country Invitational, especially the Eastern States Race. He ran the best race of his career on the storied Van Cortlandt course in 2023. Alex pushed through the rain and cold to help us win the Eastern States. I will never forget his last straight away on Broadway. It was an epic charge that will go down in CBA folklore. Alex will forever be part of the history of this great meet,” said longtime CBA Head Coach Sean McCafferty. “Our CBA team and coaches are excited to go again after this trophy. It is a great honor for Alex and was thrilling last year when we won the inaugural award." 

The 2026 Boys Eastern States Championship will be contested in historic Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday, October 10. And Kemp’s CBA-Lincroft team will be among the favorites. CBA Colt cross country squads have captured 21 team Eastern States team crowns including the last four. Kemp graduated from CBA in 2024. He placed ninth as a CBA senior at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) cross country championships that was won by the CBA Colts. He also was the 2024 Non-Public A State champion at 3,200 meters. In his first year at Williams, Kemp was a consistent varsity contributor and finished 63rd – and first freshman – in the 2024 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships.

The Manhattan University Invitational was founded in 1972 by renowned Bishop Loughlin High School coach and Manhattan University Hall of Fame runner Ed Bowes, and quickly grew into the nation’s largest, single-day, scholastic cross country meet. 

The 2026 Invitational includes both boys’ and girls’ varsity, junior varsity, sophomore, freshman, intermediate and youth races. The featured events are the Ed Bowes Girls Eastern States and Peter Aquilone Boys Eastern States championship races along with the induction of the 2026 Van Cortlandt Park Cross Country Hall of Fame class.