From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Paul VI placed four runners in the top five to win its 3^rd consecutive team title Saturday at the 36^thannual Briarwood Invitational over 5,000 meters at historic Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.

Freshman Peyton Barger led PVI in 2^nd place in 20:14, junior Morgan Kuzma was 3^rd in 20:53, sophomore Isabella Suarez 4^th in 21:04 and senior Grace Gutowski 5^th in 21:23. Junior Peyton Blake rounded out Paul VI’s top five in 11^th place in 22:00.

Paul VI’s top five averaged 21:07 and PVI outscored 2^nd-place Marple Newtown, 25-41, with Audubon 3^rd with 87 points, one fewer than Germantown Friends.

Paul VI, ranked 8^th in New Jersey, also had sophomores Molly O. Smith and Emilia Greilli in the top 20. Smith ran 22:42 for 14^th and Grelli 22:57 for 16^th, giving Paul VI seven of the first 16 finishers.

Marple Newtown junior Sloane Smith, 4th last fall in the PIAA 3A state championships in Spring Run, Pa., won the race in 19:42.

This is PVI’s 3^rd straight team title at Briarwood. They won 57-63 in 2024 over South Western High of Penn Township in York County, Pa., and won last year 60-85 over Wissahickon High in Lower Gwyneed Township, Montgomery County.

They won by 25 points this year, 60-85, over Wissahickon High in Lower Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, of by six points last year over South Western High of Penn Township, York County, Pa.

Junior Johanna Trampe [20^th in 23:44], senior Kara Salamone [22^nd in 24:13] and sophomore Mia Waldby [24^th in 24:15] also ran 24:15 or faster.

PVI also won the JV race with junior Francesca Cianfrani and sophomores Riley Sheppard and Clare Callinan sweeping the top three spots.

Sophomore Emma Camm led Audubon in 12^th place in 22:30 with senior teammate Lydia Gravante in 13^th 11 seconds back. Senior Sophia Rizzo was 19^th in 23:40.

In the boys race, Audubon junior John Robinson placed 11^th in 17:24.

Pennsauken’s Rai’ana Rucker opener her junior year Saturday with a 4^th-place finish in the junior class race at the Thompson Two-Miler.

Rucker, a 2:17.98 half-miler last spring, ran 14:13 over two miles at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.

Pennsauken’s Natalia Sanchez placed 12^th in the senior race in 14:32

Highland’s Richard Lorenz won the sophomore race Saturday at the Thompson Two-Miler in Jamesburg.

Lorenz ran 10:41 and won by four seconds over Hunterdon Central’s Filippo Vasconi, who was 2^nd in 10:45.

In the junior race Oluanifemi Fadulu and William Sinn ran 3^rd and 4^th, both in 10:54, and Bordentown’s Peter Tober placed 18^th in 11:35.

Also for Highland, Colin Roznowski placed 3^rd in the senior race in 10:39 and Liam Murphy was 8^th in 10:54.

Joining Lorenz in the sophomore race, Samuel Arbelaez and Ryan Roznowski ran 16^th and 18^th in 11:38 and 11:44.

In the freshman race, Highland’s Mike Mayer ran 12:27 for 12^th place.

Bordentown’s Nathan Krinsley ran 10:41 and placed 4^th in the senior race, and Pennsauken’s Santiago Morales was 11^th in 11:29.

Williamstown’s Sophia Aldridge, a freshman at North Florida, ran a 5K PR for the second straight race Friday at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, N.C.

Aldridge placed 25^th out of more than 200 runners running 18:27 over 5,000 meters at McAlpine Creek Park.

Aldridge’s 5K PR at Williamstown was 18:35 at last year’s Gloucester County Championships at West Deptford Park.

She beat that in her college debut with an 18:30 last weekend in a meet in Jacksonville where was North Florida’s 5^th finisher as the Ospreys finished 2^nd to Central Florida.

On Friday, she was again North Florida’s 5^th scorer and the Ospreys placed 4^th of 26 teams.

Junior Trevor Szilier broke the Washington Township school record on the DREAM Park 5,000-meter course Saturday winning the Gold race at the 20^th annual South Jersey Shootout in 15:37.

The previous fastest time by a Washington Township runner at DREAM Park in Logan Township was 15:54 by Chris Colavita at 2021 South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals.

Szilier’s previous all-course 5K best was 16:12 at last year’s South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals on the same course.

Szilier has won his first two starts this fall after winning the Junior Class race at the Cherokee Challenge last week. He won the Sophomore race at the Shootout last year in 16:14.

Vineland senior Jordan Chandler took 2^nd in 15:40, which drops his all-course 5K PR all the way down from 17:10 from last year’s Cape Atlantic Championships at Egg Harbor Township.

Also under 17 minutes: Haddonfield senior Andrew Blum [8^th in 16:30], Camden Catholic sophomore Jim Rotaeche [11^th in 16:40], Shawnee sophomore Deven Lloyd [12^th in 16:47], Haddonfield sophomore Logan Tripician [13^th in 16:48], Haddonfield junior Graham Dodson [14^th in 16:49], Vineland senior Maximelio Giardino [17^th in 16:54] and Timber Creek seniors Leandro Santiago and Michael Zechman [18^th and 19^th in 16:59].

St. John’s College of Washington, D.C., went 3-5-7-9-10 and won the team title 34-96 over Haddonfield, with Paul VI 3^rd at 163.

Kingsway’s Aubrey Scheeper won the freshman race Saturday at the South Jersey Shootout.

Scheeper ran 16:23 over 4,000 meters at at DREAM Park in Logan Township, winning by about 85 meters over Savannah Vai of Gloucester Tech, who was 2^nd in 16:44.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10: Pennsville’s Peyton Michel [5^th in 16:55], Camden Catholic’s Burke Beyer [6^th in 17:03], Atlantic Tech’s Shalon Ricks-Martin [7^th in 17:08], Alexia and Avril Sandoval of Highland [8^th and 9^th in 17:22 and 17:27] and Williamstown’s Sophia Burgo [10^th in 17:31].

Gloucester County Tech won the team title with 15 points as the only school entered that had five finishers.

Christian Hughes of Glassboro ran away from the field by nearly half a minute to win the freshman race Saturday at the South Jersey Shootout at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Hughes ran the 4,000-meter course in 12:49, winning by 120 meters over Kingsway’s Brayden Strockbine, who was 2^nd in 13:13, and Shawnee’s Joseph Stapleton, who was 3^rd in 13:14.

Also in the top 10 from South Jersey: Kingsway’s James Perrotto [4^th in 13:18], Haddon Township’s Ryan Luke [6^th in 13:24], Pleasantville’s Brody Bailey [7^th in 13:45], Moorestown’s Alexander Gubanov [8^th in 14:11], Williamstown’s Chase Ambrose [9^th in 14:14] and Clearview’s Jack Hagerman [10^th in 14:21].

St. John’s College High School of Washington, D.C., won the freshman team title, 75-80, over Glassboro, followed by Shawnee [84] and Haddonfield [95].

4000 meters = 800 seconds
40 meters = 8 seconds

Lucas Clark won the freshman race and Cian Sherlock was 2^nd in the senior race to highlight Cherry Hill East’s performance Friday at the Battle of Ocean County Park.

Clark, in his first high school race, ran the two-mile course in 10:40 and won by 15 seconds, with teammate Jackson Grottini 3^rd in 10:56 in his first high school race.

Ryan Wetzel of Hammton placed 10^th in the freshman race in 11:19 in his 2^nd high school race following a 9^th-place finish in the Cherokee Challenge.

Sherlock ran an all-course 5,000-meter best of 15:21 to place 2^nd in the senior race. He finished 10-100ths of a second behind Owen James of Ridge, 15:21.07 to 15:21.17.

Also for Cherry Hill East,          took 7^th in the senior race in 16:13, Benjamin Dodulik was 5^th in the junior race in 16:28 and Adam Fuchs placed 17^th in the sophomore race in 17:52.

Bridgeton’s Dylan Benitiz Gonzalez placed 11^th in the senior race in 16:18, Seneca’s Jonah Schmitz was 17^th in the junior race in 16:59 and Hammonton had Alfred Biggio 13^th in the sophomore race in 17:46 and Ryan Wetzel 10^th in the freshman race in 11:19.

Cherry Hill East had five girls place in the top 12 in one of the four class races Friday at the Battle at Ocean County Park in Lakewood.

There are no combined results available, but it looks like Cherry Hill East would have scored 61 points not counting the shorter freshman race.

Addison Weiss, 13th in the Meet of Champions both in XC and the 3,200 last year, ran 18:06 for 3^rd place in a junior class race won by Leah Starkey of Ocean Township, whose winning time of 16:03 is fastest ever by a New Jersey girl over 5,000 meters. Her time was 7^th-fastest among the three 5,000-meter races.

Ryleigh Budsock placed 8^th in the senior race in 19:05, and Kathryn Grottini was 12^th in the senior race with a 19:47. East also had Noelle Terry 12^th in the sophomore race in 21:22 and Rebecca Tibbetts 26^th in the senior race in 21:04.

Austyn Semar placed 5^th in the freshman race in 13:09 over two miles.

In the freshman race, Sofia Sparacio from Seneca ran 13:25 and placed 9^th, Eastern’s Ella Austino ran 13:39 for 13^th, Morgan Nicklaw from Eastern was 18^th in 13:54 and Zion Ebiske from Winslow placed 19^th in 13:5.

In the junior race, Winslow’s Annabella Cassidy ran 20:01 for 13^th place, and in the senior race Seneca’s Jaden Eberman placed 10^th in 19:43.

Lehigh junior Will Mrozinski from Paul VI and Rider junior Matt McCarron from Cinnaminson both finished near the front at the Lafayette Invitational Friday in Easton.

Mrozinski placed 2^nd in an all-course 8,000-meter best of 25:08 at the Metzger Fields course, and McCarron was 6^th in 25:41. McCarron’s previous 8K best was 25:13 at Princeton last October.

Also in the top 20 was NJIT freshman Erik Preisner from Ocean City, who placed 18^th in 26:20 in his first collegiate 8K race. His high school teammate, Lafayette sophomore Ethan Buck, finished 16 seconds behind in 21^st place.