From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Sophomore Keira Epstein on Thursday became the Glassboro girl in meet history to win the Tri-County Conference Showcase.

Epstein, a 1^st-year runner, ran an all-course best 19:00 at DREAM Park in Logan Township to become Glassboro’s first conference winner since the meet’s inception in 1986.

Her previous 5,000-meter best was a 19:21 at West Deptford Park last Thursday. That was her first race under 20 minutes.

Epstein won by nearly half a minute over Kingsway junior Kaitlyn Orazi, who was 2^nd in 19:24. Senior Katelyn Gallinaro and senior Aubrey Bishop placed 3^rd and 4^th in 19:27 and 19:34 and Kingsway, with six in the top 11 (and top 9 in team scoring) won the team title 20-88 over Highland.

Glassboro hadn’t even had a girl in the top 10 in the conference meet in 39 years. In the 1987 meet at Kingsway, Charlette Washington placed 4^th for a 2^nd straight year in 19:57.

For Kingsway, freshman Aubrey Scheeper was 7^th in 20:25, freshman Alyssa Stankovich was 10^th in 20:47 and 6^th runner senior Ava Buchanan was 11^th in 20:48.

Also in the top 10 were Woodstown junior Abby Marino [5^th in 20:07], Williamstown senior Julia Burgio [6^th in 20:19], Delsea sophomore Brooke Mashburn [8^th in 20:40], Gloucester County Tech junior Jordan Moczydlowski [9^th in 20:44].

Also under 22 minutes: Highland sophomore Isabella Prendergast [12^th in 20:49], Clearview senior Julianne Roes [13^th in 21:04], Highland junior MaKayla McHutchison [14^th in 21:14], Williamstown sophomore Kennedy Hartwyk [15^th in 21:31], Gloucester Tech freshman Savannah Vai [16^th in 21:40], Clearview senior Leah Hagerman [17^th in 21:46], Highland senior Toni-Loren Powell [18^th in 21:49], Woodstown freshman Reese Madiraca [19^th in 21:56] and Pennsville junior Sawyer Slad [20^th in 21:58].

In a letter to parents and coaches, the president of the Cape Atlantic League has apologized for the catastrophic results breakdown at the Cape Atlantic League meet on Tuesday at Egg Harbor Township High School.

Robert Wagner, athletic director at Atlantic County Institute of Technology in Mays Landing, took responsibility for hiring a timing company that was not equipped to work a major championship meet.

Results of the girls race weren’t available until more than 24 hours after the race and boys results have still not been distributed nearly 48 hours after the race.

“First, as president of the Cape Atlantic League, I take full responsibility for the failings of the race, more specifically, the finish and results collection,” Wagner wrote. “I want to apologize for this failure, and I am sorry that this negatively affected your children/athletes who raced yesterday. Everyone’s frustration with the outcome of the event yesterday is well deserved and understood. This event was not representative of the league, and moving forward, it will be corrected.

“Second, this was in no way a reflection on EHT’s staff; they did their best to help rectify the situation given the time they had to make it right. They did all they could.  I appreciate the efforts of the CAL cross-country coaches, Chair Jason Kessler, and the officials, who stepped in to help with collecting finish information from the competitors for both races to make the best of this situation on the day of the race. Awards were handed out but not in a manner consistent with our other events. Due to the lack of full results, many teams left prior to the awards ceremony.

“I have been in touch with the timing company, and results for the girls should post this evening (Wednesday). The boys are being worked on now, and the timing company is still gathering information from coaches so that the results can be completed. The FinishLynx system that the company uses has collected the times for each runner that finished. The company is now cross-referencing the names provided by the coaches with their finish line pictures. The finish picture also has the official time of finish, so they can put the name together with the placing and time to finalize the results.

“Please let me know if there are any other concerns.”

Senior Keenan Neuman led a 1-2-3-4-5 Ocean City sweep Tuesday at the Cape Atlantic Conference Championships at Egg Harbor.

Because of a timing catastrophe, there are still no official results or full results two days after the meet.

We would love to provide more information, but it simply does not exist. In an era where any timing company is able to provide live results with splits, en route team scores and a scoring grid, we can’t even find out who was in the top 10 in a championship race that was held nearly 48 hours ago.

Thanks, Cape-Atlantic athletic directors. You ruined a perfectly good cross country meet.

We don’t know a lot, but we do know that Ocean City won the boys race with a perfect 15 points. Neuman won the race in 15:29, senior Nate Aschmann was 2^nd in 15:42, junior Nevin Millstein took 3^rd in 15:46, junior Ben McCarthy ran 16:11 for 4^th and senior Michael Romano was 5^th in 16:14.

That’s a 45-second pack and a 15:52 team average for the No. 2-ranked team in the state.

Ocean City’s 6^th and 7^th runners also placed in the top 20, with junior Hayden Tarves 13^th in 16:53 and junior Ryan Jefferson 17^th in 17:04.

The sweep is only the second since the inception of the Cape Atlantic League meet in 1973. The first was just three years ago, when Ocean City’s Matt Hoffman, Ethan Buck, Erik Preisner, Kal Heyman and Zach Hutchinson swept the top five spots. Aschmann was Ocean City’s 6^th runner that day as a freshman and placed 11^th.

If anyone has any information about the rest of the race I’d love to add it. But at least we know about a terrific race by the Red Raiders heading into South Jersey Group 3 Sectionals a week from Saturday.

Senior Juliana Catalani, 2^nd to Julia Flanagan last year, won the Freedom Division race and led Maple Shade to its 3^rd straight team title at the Burlington County Scholastic League Championships Wednesday in Palmyra.

Catalani ran 19:27 and led a 1-3-4-6-11 Wildcat finish, although for team scoring purposes Shade swept the top five spots for 15 points since no other schools had five finishers.

Sophomores Johana Perez and Magaly Benito placed 3^rd and 4^th for Maple Shade in 20:11 and 20:51 and senior Alyssa Arencibia was 6^th in 22:08. Senior Yaide Robles ran 24:40 for 11^th and 6^th runner Valeria Bueno-Sosa was just behind in 13^th place in 25:39.

Also in the top 10 were Holy Cross junior Alexis Buonanno [2^nd in 20:08], Moorestown Friends junior Yuri Wallace [5^th in 21:58], Moorestown Friends junior E’Lon Rodwel-Simon [7^th in 23:37], Palmyra junior Maya Richmond-Dupont [8^th in 23:48], Riverside senior Kylee Ryan [9^thin 24:12] and Moorestown Friends senior Madelyn Lovequist [10^th in 24:17].

Eddy Farez Yunga, a Maple Shade junior, was the overall winner Wednesday and led the Wildcats to their 14^thBurlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division title since the meet was revived in 1999.

Maple Shade had won eight straight Freedom Division titles before finishing 2^nd to Moorestown Friends last year, but on Wednesday they outscored Riverside by six points to reclaim the title. The meet wasn’t held in 2020, but Maple Shade won it from 2016 through 2019 and 2021 through 2024.

The Wildcats outscored 2^nd-place Riverside 66-58, with Moorestown Friends 3^rd with 81 points.

Including two meets before the BCSL Championships were eliminated in 1991 – 1983 and 1986 – Maple Shade has now won 16 Freedom Division titles.

For Shade, junior Steve Guinansaca was 5^th in 18:02, senior Sunjid Sium 11^th in 19:25, senior Lucas Diehl 18^thin 19:59 and freshman Jonran Sanchez 30^th in 21:59.

The rest of the top 10 looked like this: Doane Academy senior Marlon Addison [2^nd in 17:38], Riverside senior Ronald McMahon [3^rd in 17:42], Palmyra senior Justin Clemons [4^th in 17:46], Riverside junior Jason Russo [6^th in 18:16], Palmyra freshman Cooper Caione [7^th in 18:32], Pemberton senior Aaron Arocho [8^th in 18:47], Westampton Tech sophomore Brayden Bodine [9^th in 18:50] and Riverside junior Zachary Plum [10^th in 19:06].

Addison’s 2^nd-place finish is the best ever by a Doane Academy runner at the BCSL meet. In 2019, Connor McHugh was 4^th.

Even without their top runner, the Northern Burlington girls easily won their 6^th straight Liberty Division title Wednesday at the Burlington County Scholastic League meet in Palmyra.

Northern went 1-3-4-5-9 with a junior, three sophomores and a freshman, topping 2^nd-place Cinnaminson 22-48.

Overall winner junior Junior Kamiyah Vergo ran 19:28 at Palmyra Cove, leading 4 NBC girls in the top 5. Sophomores Abigail Leonhardt and Adelina Floyd ran 19:48 and 19:49 and placed 3^rd and 4^th, freshman Mary-Kate Boyle was 5^th in 19:50 and sophomore Kelly Coughlin placed 9^th in 21:30.

Freshman Molly Cataline, the Burlington County Open winner, rested Wednesday as she prepares for Central Jersey Group 3 sectionals a week from Saturday.

Also in the top 10: Pennsauken junior Rai’ana Rucker [2^nd in 19:48], Cinnaminson junior Madeline Farrell [6^th in 19:59], Pennsauken senior Natalia Sanchez [7^th in 21:00], Cinnaminson senior Mia Hartley [8^th in 21:24], Cinnaminson freshman Ruthann Wai [10^th in 22:07].

Also under 23 minutes: Cinnaminson senior Jayla Jenkins [11^th in 22:09], Bordentown sophomore Cassandra Louis [12^th in 22:21], Cinnaminson freshman Gabriela Moyer [13^th in 22:22], Northern junior Kiera Dyson [14^th in 22:28], Medford Tech senior Hailey Fedezko [15^th in 22:36], Pennsauken junior Sophia Vega [16^th in 22:37], Pennsauken junior Dana Zamorano [17^th in 22:46] and Cinnaminson senior Emme Keeports [18^th in 22:53].

Junior Addison Weiss and senior Ryleigh Budsock finished 1-2 and Cherry Hill East girls edged Paul VI by two points in a battle of two of the state’s top teams Wednesday at the Olympic Conference meet in Logan Township.

Cherry Hill East finished with a 43-45 edge, the closest Olympic Conference finish in the histoy of a meet that dates back to 1978 on the girls side [although team scoring wasn’t incorporated until 1988].

East went 1-2-11-13-16 and PVI 4-5-9-12-15, with Moorestown 3^rd with 72 points. PVI is ranked 8^th in New Jersey by MileSplit and Cherry Hill East is 13^th.

Weiss ran 19:11 at DREAM Park to win her 2^nd straight conference title, and Budsock 19:29 to lead the race. Other Cherry Hill East scorers were Katherine Grottini [11^th in 20:54], Noelle Terry [13^th in 20:57] and Austyn Semar [16^th in 21:17], with 6^th runner Rebecca Tibbetts just behind Semar [17^th in 21:20].

For PVI, Isabella Suarez and Morgan Kuzma placed 3^rd and 4^th in 19:55 and 19:57, Peyton Barger ran 20:34 for 9^th, Emilia Grelli was 12^th in 20:56 and Grace Gutowski placed 15^th in 21:02.

Cherokee Ava Guarini ran 19:46 for 3^rd, Lenape Audrey McCorkle was 6^th in 20:03, Moorestown’s Makayla Zell and Catherine Hipple took 7^th and 8^th in 20:11 and 20:17 and Seneca Jaden Eberman placed 10^th in 20:49.

Others under 21:30: Winslow Zion Ebisike [14^th in 20:58], Moorestown Sophia DiFiore [18^th in 21:22] and Moorestown Juliet Stack Maya [19^th in 21:26].

Freshman James McKeon led 6 Cinnaminson runners in the top 7 and the Pirates won their 3rd straight Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division title Wednesday in Palmyra.

McKeon became the first freshman BCSL Liberty Division winner ever, running 15:48 at Palmyra Cove.

His time is 3rd-fastest on record at any course by a South Jersey freshman, behind only Cherokee’s Jack Tindall [15:26 in 2024 at DREAM Park] and Kingsway’s Ryan Duffy [15:46 at DREAM Park in 2023].

Cinnaminson went 1-2-3-4-6-7 for 16 points, the lowest winning score ever in the Liberty Division meet, which dates back to 1963 but didn’t have team scoring until 1977. The previous low score was 18 points by Cinnaminson last year.

Bordentown placed 2nd with 76 points, edging Northern Burlington, who scored 82.

After McKeon for Cinnaminson, senior Edward Abu-Adas was 2nd in 15:52, senior Ryan Scaricaciottoli placed 3rd in 15:56 and senior Owen Castanheira was 4th in 16:04.

After Bordentown senior Nathan Krinsley broke up th Cinnaminson sweep in 5th place in 16:12, junior Keith Fried and sophomore Luke Feeley placed 6th and 7th in 16:24 and 16:29.

Cinnaminson packed its five scorers in 36 seconds, averaged 16:24.8 over 5,000 meters at Palmyra Cove and placed all seven runners in the top 10.

Also under 17:30: Medford Tech senior Chris Davis [8th in 16:40], Northern Burlington junior Trevor Johnston [9th in 16:41], Cinnaminson senior Alexander Lonardo [10th in 16:48], Pennsauken senior Santiago Morales [11th in 17:22] and Bordentown senior Mathew Haje [12th in 17:26].