From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Ocean City’s Nick Scarangelli, a senior at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach, Fla., placed 3^rd of more than 220 runners Friday in the Florida State Pre-Regional at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.

Scarangelli finished behind only two runners from host Florida State and covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:34, only three seconds off his 8K all-course lifetime best of 24:31 from a race last October in Huntsville, Ala.

Embry-Riddle, ranked 4th in the NCAA Division 2 South Region, placed 4^th out of 23 schools with 121 points, behind only FSU [26], Florida Southern [97] and Florida Gulf Coast [108].

Scarangelli finished only six seconds behind winner Hudson Betts, who ran 24:28 in his first race for Florida State after running 13:57 on the track last spring for Alabama.

In her first high school 5,000-meter race, Northern Burlington freshman Molly Cataline tore up the Holmdel County Park course in 19:16 to place 2^nd in the inaugural Holmdel Invitational and lead Northern to the team title.

Northern went 1-4-7-8-11 in team scoring places and topped Moorestown and Kingsway 31-51, with Moorestown getting 2^nd on a 6^th-runner tiebreaker. Washington Township placed 5^th.

Cataline’s time is 10th-fastest all-time at Holmdel by a South Jersey freshman and 4^th-fastest all-time by a Burlington County freshman, behind Northern’s Liliah Gordon [18:29 in 2021], Shawnee’s Casey Doyle [18:39 in 2007] and Shawnee’s Kate Ruona [19:05 in 2019]. Gordon is the only Northern girl to run faster than Cataline did on Saturday. Cataline’s time is fastest the year by a New Jersey 9^th-grader on any course, and it happened to come on the fastest course in the state.

Junior Kamiyah Vergo placed 7^th for Northern in 20:45, sophomore Adelina Floyd was 12^th in 21:26, freshman Mary-Kate Boyle 13^th in 21:26 and sophomore Abigail Leonhardt 17^th in 21:57.

Northern averaged 20:58, fastest in school history on the historic Holmdel County Park course.

Also in the top 20: Kingsway junior Kaitlyn Orazi [4^th in 20:26], Moorestown junior Makayla Zell [5^th in 20:42], Moorestown senior Caroline Hipple [10^th in 21:02], senior Katelyn Gallinaro [11^th in 21:20], Kingsway senior Ava Buchanan [16^th in 21:41], Moorestown senior Siyana Sheth [18^th in 22:07] and Moorestown sophomore Juliet Stack-Maya [19^th in 22:08].

Cherokee placed five in the top 13 and ran away with the team title Saturday at the inaugural Holmdel Opener at historic Holmdel County Park.

Washington Township junior Trevor Szilier was the overall winner, covering the hilly 5,000-meter course in 16:11, the fastest time at Holmdel by a Washington Township runner in 16 years, since Anthony Dentino ran 15:59 in the 2010 state Group 4 race.

Cherokee was led by senior Benjamin Realley, 4^th in 16:44, with senior Gavin Danielewicz 6^th in 16:48, senior Sean Sooy 8^th in 17:05, sophomore Hamza Salahuddin 9^th in 17:10 and senior Maximo Harada 13^th in 17:16. They were backed up by senior Leo Vyvyan [16^th in 17:28].

Cherokee averaged 17:01 in its first race this year with its lead group. The Chiefs, ranked 4^th in New Jersey, defeated No. 17 Bergen Catholic 39-61. Kingsway [3^rd at 115], Moorestown [6^th with 158], Washington Township [8^th with 191] and Haddon Township [9^th with 196] also finished in the top 10.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Moorestown junior Zander Kane, who placed 5^th in 16:46, and Kingsway junior Michael Beaver, 7^th in 16:59.

Also under 18 minutes: Kingsway sophomore Logan McKeever [15^th in 17:18], Highland sophomore Richard Lorenz [17^th in 17:35], Kingsway senior Payton Veilleux [19^th in 17:40], Haddon Township junior James Strimel [22^nd in 17:47], Highland senior Liam Murphy [24^th in 17:53] and Moorestown senior Ethan Taylor [27^th in 17:59].

In his first high school 5K, Cinnaminson’s James McKeon ran one of the fastest times ever over 5,000 meters by a South Jersey freshman.

McKeon placed 12^th in the Council Rock Invitational in Newtown Township, Bucks County, Saturday morning in 16:29 over a challenging course at Tyler State Park.

The only other Burlington County freshmen who have run that fast according to the MileSplit database, which goes back to 2000, are former Cherokee runner Jack Tindall [15:26 in 2024 at DREAM Park], Peter Simpson when he was still at Moorestown before transferring to Haddonfield [16:10 in 2022] and Cherokee’s Benjamin Realley [16:20 in 2023 at DREAM Park].

The fastest previous time by a Cinnaminson freshman on any 5,000-meter course was sub-4 miler Austin Gabay’s 16:42 in 2016 at New Egypt. Doesn’t look like Jon Anderson came close to sub-17 as a freshman.

In his only previous high school race, McKeon ran 10:40 over 3,200 meters and placed 2^nd in the freshman race at the Cherokee Challenge behind Noah Smith of Council Rock South, which is two miles from the starting line at Tyler Park. Smith was 3^rd Saturday in 16:04.

McKeon’s time is fastest by any New Jersey freshman this year, according to the MileSplit database. He’s the only freshman under 17 minutes.

With all five scorers in the top 40 out of 132 runners, Cinnaminson placed 5^th with 123 points. Manheim Township of Lancaster County won the race with 73 points.

Also for Cinnaminson, senior Ryan Scaricaciottoli was 18^th in 16:40, senior Edward Abu-Adas placed 22^nd in 16:49, senior Owen Castanheira ran 34^th in 17:04 and junior Keith Fried was 37^th in 17:15.

Sophomore Luke Feeley [43^rd in 17:22] and senior Sean Ruggiero [54^th in 17:40] both also ran well under 18 minutes.

Rowan senior Aidan Brad from Williamstown ran an all-course 8,000 PR Saturday leading Rowan to 2^nd place at the Osprey Invitational in Galloway Township.

Brad was the Profs’ top finisher, placing 6^th in 25:53 and dropping his 8K PR from 26:07 from last October in a meet at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Moravian, ranked 3^rd in the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region, won the team title, 28-47, over Rowan, which is ranked 5^thin the region. Stockton, ranked 4^th in the Metro Region, was 4^th with 84 points.

Also for Rowan, sophomore Dylan Saber, Brad’s teammate at Williamstown in 2021 and 2022, placed 12^th in 26:28. Stockton’s James Clauson from Haddon Township placed 9^th in 26:11 and was the top freshman in the field.

Also in the top 25 out of 151 finishers for Rowan: Junior Gervasi from Haddonfield [18^th in 24:46], freshman Zach Fayer from Audubon [19^th in 26:48], senior Colin Patterson from Haddon Heights [22^nd in 27:01] and freshman Kal Heyman from Ocean City [25^th in 27:10].

Senior Allyson Wernik from Washington Township and sophomore Juliana Sieminski from Delsea both finished in the top 10 out of 124 runners to help the Rowan women win the team title at the Osprey Invitational Saturday in Galloway Township.

Rowan, ranked 3rd in the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region, had five of the first eight finishers and outscored 2nd-place Jefferson of Philadelphia, 22-59.

Wernik placed 5th in 22:57 over 6,000 meters and Sieminski was 8th in 23:15. Also for Rowan, Rowan’s Kayla Romanoski from West Deptford was the Profs’ 7th finisher and the 3rd freshman finisher out of 32 starters. She was 21st in 24:03 in her first 6K.

For Stockton, senior Sarah Rutledge from Egg Harbor Township placed 15th in 23:49 and sophomore Madison Pratt from Absegami was 20th in 24:03. Moravian placed 3rd with 61 points and Stockton was 4th with 100.

Egg Harbor junior Timothy Rooney broke 16 minutes for the first time on any 5,000-meter course Friday and led South Jersey runners with a 2nd-place finish in Stockton’s Osprey Invitational in Galloway Township.

Rooney ran 15:51 and took 2nd to senior Gavin Oliver of Donovan Catholic, who won the race in 15:39. Rooney’s previous 5K PR was 16:40 from last year’s Cape-Atlantic Conference Championships on his home course at Egg Harbor.

Woodstown senior David Farrell and Egg Harbor junior Liam Aspenberg also finished in the top 5, Farrell 3rd in 16:10 and Aspenberg 5th in 16:19.

Egg went 2-5-11-16-32.

Also in the top 20 out of 200 runners: Eastern senior Timothy Shack [6th in 16:21], Mainland junior Jack Preissman [7th in 16:22], Vineland senior Maximelio Giardino [8th in 16:24], West Deptford senior Lane McClintock [9th in 16:32], Egg Harbor senior Daniel Svec [11th in 16:35], Eastern senior Nathaniel Friebel [12th in 16:35], Gloucester Tech Duke Snyder-Shellito senior [14th in 16:436], Egg Harbor senior Stephen Slusarski [16th in 16:52] and Bridgeton senior Kevin Perez [19th in 17:05].

Woodstown junior Abby Marino ran a big 5,000-meter all-course PR Friday and was the top South Jersey finisher in Stockton’s Osprey High School Invitational in Galloway Township.

Marino ran 18:58 and placed 2nd to Toms River East freshman Addison Sheehy, who ran 18:17 in her 3rd high school race.

Marino’s previous 5K all-course PR was a 19:28 last October at DREAM Park in Logan Townshp.

There were nearly 200 finishers in the race.

It doesn’t appear that team scoring was kept, but Egg Harbor Township went 9-10-11-14-33, with senior Meghan Johnson [9th in 19:43], sophomore Corrine Conley [10th in 19:56] and junior Molly Rooney [11th in 19:57] all under 20 minutes.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 20: Mainland freshman Quinlan Smith [15th in 20:11], Gloucester Tech junior Jordan Moczydlowski [16th in 20:12] and Mainland senior Lauren LaMonaca [20th in 20:29].

Delaware freshman Riley Fayer from Audubon ran a huge all-course 5,000-meter PR Friday at the Southern Showcase.

Fayer ran 17:40 over 5,000 meters at John Hunt Cross Country Park in Huntsville, Ala. This was Fayer’s second collegiate race and broke her all-course lifetime best for 5K, which was 18:18 at the DREAM Park speedway in Logan Township, the fastest course in South Jersey. And she beat that by 38 seconds. Fayer ran 18:58 in her first college race two weeks ago in New Castle County, Del.

Fayer was the 8th freshman finisher Friday and placed 40th overall in a field loaded with top Division 1 runners. There were 280 finishers.

Fayer was Delaware’s first finisher and helped the Blue Hens finish 10th in team scoring out of 31 schools. No. 11 Alabama, Clemson and Auburn, two schools in the SEC and one in the ACC, went 1-2-3.

Julia Flanagan, another Delaware freshman from South Jersey, ran 17:59 in her 2nd college race. She ran 18:50 two weeks ago in a home meet in Newark. She was Delaware’s second finisher.

Also for senior Delaware Leah Clear from Camden Catholic ran an all-course PR of 18:05 and was Delaware’s fifth runner. Clear, who never broke 21 minutes in high school, had a previous all-course PR of 18:09 on the same course last September.

Senior Andrew Blum and junior Connor Brand both broke 17 minutes on the Pennypacker Park 5,000-meter course Tuesday to lead a Haddonfield sweep of the top nine places in a five-team batch meet.

Blum and Brand each ran 16:49 – 16:49.20 specifically for Blum and 16:49.64 for Brand – for the Bulldogs.

Sophomores Lucas Larson [3rd in 17:04] and Logan Tripician [4th in 17:11] were next, followed by junior Graham Dodson [5th in 17:13], senior Luke Patterson [6th in 17:22], junior Luke Lindner [7th in 17:27], junior Ian Rodriguez [8th in 17:32] and sophomore Nathan Bollard [9th in 17:36].

Paulsboro senior Jeffery Taylor was 10th in 17:50. Audubon’s top finisher was junior John Robinson [14th in 18:09] and Haddon Heights’ first across the line was junior Henry Platt [17th in 18:18]. Lindenwold’s first runner was junior Xander Gomez-Rhodes [21st in 19:39].