From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Lafayette junior Anya Kazemi of Bishop Eustace, Rider senior Maddie Dischert from Atlantic City and Lafayette senior Ava Severino from Haddon Heights placed 2^nd, 4^th and 5^th and Friday at the Lafayette Invitational in Easton.

Kazemi ran an all-course lifetime-best 21:44 over 6,000 meters on the Metzger Fields and placed 2^nd to Lehigh junior Kaitlyn Highduch, who won the race in 21:33. Dischert ran 22:16 and was Rider’s 2^ndfinisher and Severino ran 22:28 and was Lafayette’s 3^rd finisher.

Kazemi’s previous 6K best was 21:50 in a meet last November at Lehigh’s south campus course in Bethlehem and Lower Saucon Township.

Rider’s 4^th finisher was freshman Ashley Doyle from Delran, who was 12^th in 23:03 in her 2^nd college race and first 6K.

Lafayette won the team title, 28-47, over Rider, with Lehigh 3^rd with 59 points.

Stockton freshman Jimmy Clauson from Haddon Township placed 3^rd – just three seconds out of 1^st – in his 2^nd collegiate cross country race Friday.

Clauson ran 19:50 over 6,000 meters at the 4th annual Herb Lorenz Invitational on the Mike Walker-designed Green Lane Field course near The College of New Jersey in Ewing. Sophomore teammate Sam Szczepanski won the race in 19:47, and TCNJ freshman Tyler Hurst was 2^nd in 19:50.

Clauson opened his season with a 2^nd-place finish in the Jersey Pines Challenge in Lakewood, where he covered 6,000 meters 50 seconds slower.

The College of New Jersey went 2-4-5-6-7-(8-9) to win the team title, 24-37, over Stockton with Holy Family of North Philly, Brooklyn and Caldwell 3^rd through 5^th with 110, 114 and 112 points.

Freshman Will Nelson from Cherry Hill East was TCNJ’s 3^rd runner, in 4^th place with 20:13. Also for TCNJ, junior Silas Matteson from Cherokee was 6^th in 20:27,

The meet honors the memory of masters running star Herb Lorenz, who grew up in Pemberton, competed for TCNJ, taught at Burlington Township for years and coached at several South Jersey high schools, including Burlington Township and Lenape, in a legendary running and coaching career. He died in 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Senior Sarah Rutledge from Egg Harbor, sophomore Madison Pratt from Absegami and sophomore Grace Wojciechowski from Cherokee finished 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th to lead the Stockton to the team title Friday at the 4^th annual Herb Lorenz Invitational in Ewing.

Stockton won 17-48 over host TCNJ, with Holy Family of Northeast Philly [102] edging Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham Park and Caldwell 102-108-112.

Stockton junior Evelynn Austin won the race in 19:26 over 5,000 meters on the Mike Walker-designed Green Lane Fields course. She was followed by Rutledge [19:52], Pratt [19:52] and Wojciechowski [20:12].

Stockton sophomore Paige McCabe of Moorestown [9^th in 20:26] and freshman Shaelea Conway of Cherry Hill East [13^th in 20:44] also placed in the top 15.

The meet honors the memory of masters running star Herb Lorenz, who grew up in Pemberton, competed for TCNJ, taught at Burlington Township for years and coached at several South Jersey high schools, including Burlington Township and Lenape, in a legendary running and coaching career. He died in 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Kingsway junior Katelyn Gallinaro was the first overall finisher out of over 100 runners from 15 schools in a series of Tri-County Conference dual meets at Marlton Park in Pilesgrove Township, Salem County, just outside Woodstown.

Gallinaro ran an all-course 5,000-meter best 20:21.15 and finished 43 seconds ahead of sophomore teammate Kaitlyn Orazi, who was 2nd overall in 21:04.

Kingsway scored only against Washington Township, winning 15-50.

Also in the overall top 10: Delsea freshman Brooke Mashburn [3rd in 21:23], Williamstown ju ior Julia Burgo [4th in 21:49], Kingsway junior Ava Buchanan [5th in 22:18], Woodstown sophomore Abby Marino [6th in 22:44], Clearview junior Leah Hagerman [7th in 22:47], Triton junior Emily Lutner [8th in 22:51], Gloucester Tech sophomore Jordan Moczydlowski [9th in 23:06] and Kingsway freshman Avalon Pierson [10th in 23:15].

Dual meet scores: Schalick 15, Salem Tech 50; Clearview 25, Gloucester Tech 32; Highland 15, Cumberland Regional 50; Triton 24, Delsea 31; Gloucester Tech 26, Williamstown 29; Highland 15, Timber Creek 50; Kingsway 15, Washington Township 50; Pennsville 15, Pitman 50; Woodstown 15, Salem Tech 48

Freshman Bella DeFinis, sophomore Dylan Hosty, junior Devon Gervasi, junior Madison Kelsey, junior Harper Benjamin, junior Saya Sood and junior Molly Mills swept the top seven places and packed within 20 seconds for Haddonfield in a Colonial Conference batch meet Tuesday at West Deptford Park.

DeFinis, in her first high school race, ran 22:02, as did Hosty, in her first race since a 4:40.40 mile in Renton, Wash., last June.

Gervasi ran 22:07, Kelsey 22:17, Benjamin 22:18, Sood 22:21 and Mills 22:22. Also for Haddonfield, junior Penelope Matthews [22:38], junior Grace McCool [22:55] and sophomore Hadley Godwin [22:57] rounded out the top 10 for Haddonfield.

Audubon was led by junior Sophia Rizzo in 11th in 23:03 and West Deptford’s top runner was junior Taylor Sierzega in 15th in 23:27.

Haddonfield sophomore Connor Brand ran away with the individual title Tuesday at the Colonial Conference batch meet over 5,000 meters at West Deptford Park.

Brand ran 17:10 and won by about 150 meters over West Deptford junior Lane McClintock, who ran 17:42. Audubon sophomore John Robinson placed 3rd in 18:01.

Haddonfield had five of the first seven finishers, with sophomore Luke Lindner [4th, 18:22], Owen Snyder [5th, 18:24], sophomore Graham Dodson [6th, 18:25] and junior Andrew Blum [7th, 18:26] also in the Bulldogs’ lead group. Freshman Lucas Larson [9th in 18:53] and junior Luke Patterson [10th in 18:58] also finished in the top 10 for Haddonfield.

Also in the top 10 was Woodbury sophomore Elijah Smith [8th in 18:38].

In her first XC race for Bloomsburg, senior Alexis Tepper from Cherry Hill East placed 4th in the Father Bede Invitational Saturday.

Tepper ran 15:02 over 4,000 meters at B&D Acres in Warriors Mark Township, Blair County, northeast of St. Francis’s campus in Loretto, Cambria County.

Tepper spent her first three collegiate XC seasons at University of Maryland Baltimore County. She transferred to Bloomsburg after XC last fall and ran PRs of 4:33.93 for 1,500 meters, 4:54.15 for the mile and 10:01.20 for 3,000 meters and placed 2nd in the 800 and 1,500 at the PSAC Championships at Shippensburg. Her PRs at 800 [2:14.77] and 3,000 [9:56.83] are from her days at UMBC.

Duquesne sophomore Sylvia Kashak was the overall winner in 14:37. Tepper was Bloomsburg’s No. 2 finisher, behind only sophomore Olivia Magagna, 2nd in 14:42.

Tepper’s brother Peter, also a Bloomsburg senior, placed 16th in the men’s race in 21:03 over 6,000 meters

Another big race for Pleasantville’s Gabriel Moronta, who ran within 1-100th of a second of his PR at the Serbia Athletics Meeting at Atletski Stadion, Smederevo, Serbia.

Moronta ran 44.68, finishing just behind Javier Gómez, who won the race and set the Venezualan national record of 44.58.

Moronta ran his PR of 44.67 in Medellin, Columbia, in June. He has run sub-45 six times this summer.

Gomez broke his own Venezualan national record of 44.66 set in May at Estadio Monumental de Puerto La Cruz José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela.

Cherokee’s Ben Weiner, a Brandeis sophomore, placed 6th Saturday of 148 runners in the season-opening Bates Regional Preview at the Wainwright Sports Complex in South Portland, Maine.

Weiner covered 4.34 miles in 13:32, finishing just behind teammate and overall winner Hugh Licklider, who ran 13:21. Weiner was Brandeis’s 4th finisher.

Brandeis outscored Bowdoin of Brunswick, Maine, 22-68 to win the team title. Brandeis is ranked 9th in the NCAA Division 3 Northeast Region

[Random note: My dad grew up about two miles from the course in Portland and attended Bowdoin.]

Senior Sarah Rutledge from Egg Harbor Township, sophomore Madison Pratt from Absegami, junior Paige McCabe from Moorestown and sophomore Grace Wojciechowski from Chrokee all finished in the top 10 to help the Stockton women win the season-opening Jersey Pines Challenge.

Rutledge, Pratt, McCabe and Wojciechowski finished 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th and were Stockton’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th finishers as the Ospreys won the title, 23-76 over Felician, with Holy Family 3rd at 79.

Stockton is ranked 5th in the NCAA Division 3 Metro Division, behind Swarthmore, TCNJ, Rowan and Moravian.

Rutledge ran 16:14 over 4,000 meters at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, Pratt ran 16:28, McCabe 17:02 and Wojciechowski 17:08. Also, freshman Shaelea Conway from Cherry Hill West placed 15th in 18:03 and was Stockton’s 9th finisher.

Gloucester graduate Dejia Robert, a Rutgers-Camden freshman, placed 12th in 17:33 and was the Scarlet Raptors’ 1st finisher.

Former Wildwood Catholic teammates Angelina Richardson, a Felician freshman, and Azucena Martinez Panesso, a Georgian Court freshman, finished 14th and 23rd, Richardson in 17:50 and Panesso in 19:02. Panesso was not a distance runner at Wildwood Catholic but placed 2nd in the state Parochial B meet last spring at Buena in the 400-meter hurdles.

Also, Cinnaminson’s Olivia Moyer, a Holy Family sophomore, placed 21st overall in 18:40 and was Holy Family’s 3rd finisher.