UNION COUNTY, NJ — Girls tennis began last week with tennis balls just beginning to be hit back and forth.
This week the remainder of the fall sports in New Jersey began practice on Monday, Aug. 21 as we creep nearer and nearer to the beginning of the 2023-2024 school season.
The other sports that began practicing on Monday included boys and girls soccer, field hockey, cross-country, gymnastics and girls volleyball.
2022 fall UCT champions
• Boys soccer: Westfield High School
• Girls soccer: Westfield High School
• Field hockey: Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child
• Boys cross-country: Union Catholic High School
• Girls cross-country: Union Catholic High School
• Gymnastics: Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School
• Girls tennis: Kent Place School
• Girls volleyball: Westfield High School
The top field hockey teams in Union County last year were Union County Tournament champion Oak Knoll, Kent Place, Westfield and Arthur L. Johnson High School.
Competing in the newly-formed Essex-Union Conference, Oak Knoll finished second in the Red Division at 17-6 and Kent Place third at 15-8. West Essex finished first at 20-3-1. Livingston High School was first in the Blue Division at 10-7 and Montclair Kimberley Academy first in the White Division at 14-8.
Union Catholic won both the boys and girls UCT cross-country team championships.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood won the UCT gymnastics meet and, as a result, will host the UCT this year on Oct. 19. Westfield was second and Cranford High School third.
Kent Place captured another UCT girls tennis crown, which was its fourth straight outright. The Lady Dragons have either won the UCT outright or shared the title every year since 2016.
Westfield won the Union County Conference’s Watchung Division title at 15-4, then won the North 2, Group 4 championship before falling in the Group 4 final to Marlboro. Kent Place placed second at 14-3.
Oak Knoll was first in the Mountain Division at 12-6 and Jonathan Dayton High School was first in the Valley Division at 11-2.
Westfield was the girls volleyball UCT champion and finished 24-1, also winning the UCC’s Watchung Division. Rahway High School was first in the Mountain Division at 17-6 and Jonathan Dayton first in the Valley Division at 19-6.
The regular season in all of these sports commences the first week in September following Labor Day.
From unioncountyconference.com
Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Fall 2023 tournament dates
UCT boys soccer
• Play by Thursday, Oct. 5: first round at higher seed
• Saturday, Oct. 7: second round at higher seed
• Wednesday, Oct. 11: quarterfinals at higher seed
• Saturday, Oct. 14: semifinals at Arthur L. Johnson
• Saturday, Oct. 21: final at Arthur L. Johnson
UCT girls soccer
• Play by Tuesday, Oct. 3: play-in at higher seed
• Play by Thursday, Oct. 5: first round at higher seed
• Saturday, Oct. 7: second round at higher seed
• Tuesday, Oct. 10: quarterfinals at higher seed
• Friday, Oct. 13: semifinals at Arthur L. Johnson
• Saturday, Oct. 21: final at Arthur L. Johnson
UCT girls tennis
• Wednesday, Sept. 27 at Donald Van Blake Tennis Facility in Plainfield
• Thursday, Sept. 28 at Donald Van Blake Tennis Facility in Plainfield
• Friday, Oct. 2: Rain date
UCT field hockey
• Thursday, Oct. 18 and Friday, Oct. 19: preliminary and first round
• Saturday, Oct. 21: quarterfinals at higher seed
• Wednesday, Oct. 25: semifinals at Arthur L. Johnson
• Saturday, Oct. 28: final at Arthur L. Johnson
UCT cross country
• Thursday, Oct. 19: Warinanco Park, Roselle
UCT gymnastics
• Thursday, Oct. 19: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
UCT girls volleyball
• Tuesday, Oct. 12: first round
• Thursday, Oct. 14: second round
• Saturday, Oct. 16: quarterfinals
• Wednesday, Oct. 18: semifinals at Arthur L. Johnson
• Friday, Oct. 20: final at Kean University