From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

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].

Seniors Finley Smith and Ethan Taylor and junior Zander Kane all ran within 1 ½ seconds of each other to lead a Moorestown sweep of the top eight places in an Olympic Conference batch meet Tuesday at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Smith and Taylor ran 18:36.30 and 18:36.94 and Kane ran 18:37.61 to lead the Quaker pack.

Freshman Alexander Gubanov [4th in 18:46], sophomores Ryan Callahan and Braden Castner [5th and 6th, both 19:07] and juniors An Zheng [7th in 19:25] and Hunter Glenn [8th in 19:58] rounded out Moorestown’s top eight.

Also finishing in the top 10 were Winslow senior Cody Lam [9th in 20:11] and Winslow sophomore Devon Kozak [10th in 20:13].

In a separate race, senior Kyler Johnson led a 1-5 Seneca sweep in 18:54 with freshman Douglas Umbehauer [2nd in 19:02], sophomore Tyler Levondosky [3rd in 19:05], junior Jonah Schmitz [4th in 19:05] and senior William Emmons [5th in 19:10].

Others in the top 10 were Cherokee senior Jonathan Merkel [6th in 19:27], Lenape senior Aaron Smith and junior Jayden Carn [7th and 8th, both in 19:28], Cherokee sophomore Gavin Quinn [9th in 19:28] and Lenape junior Jake Haskins [10th in 19:29].

Julian Rich and Reggie Hernandez, sophomores at Wilmington (Del.), placed 4th and 5th in the Philadelphia Cross Classic at Belmont Plateau.

Rich attended Camden County Tech and competed in track for Winslow,and Hernandez attended Haddon Heights. Rich ran 28:52 over 8,000 meters and Hernandez 28:56, helping Wilmington win the team title 32-35 over Jefferson of Philadelphia.

Rich and Hernandez were Wilmington’s second and third finishers, behind overall winner Kenai Black, who ran 27:37.

Wilmington sophomore Kevin Gonzalez from Bridgeton placed 14th in 30:27 and was the Wildcats’ fifth finisher.

In the women’s race over 5,000 meters, freshman Hailie Bellone from Buena was 5th in 21:15 and senior Angie Chomo from Schalick placed 10th in 23:20. Jefferson topped Wilmington, 26-44, for the women’s team title.

Bishop Eustace’s Connor Logan placed 2nd in the freshman class race Saturday at the TCNJ High School Invitational on the Green Lane Fields in Ewing.

In his first high school race, Logan ran 11:50 over 3,200 meters and placed 2nd to Steinert’s Elliot Scheps, who ran 11:28.

Winslow freshman Tyler Williams finished 3rd in 12:11. Matteo Fitch, another Eustace freshman, was 10th in the race in 12:52. Winslow also had Xavier Holmes in the top 20, 14th overall in 13:40.

In the varsity race, Rancocas Valley senior Jonathan Arreaga placed 7th in 17:05, a 31-second all-course 5,000-meter PR.

Also in the top 20 were R.V. senior Cody Habeck [18th in 17:56], Winslow senior Cody Lam [19th in 18:02] and Winslow sophomore Devon Kozak [20th in 18:05].

Rancocas Valley placed 4th among 12 schools that fielded a full team with 133 points.

Sophomore Teagan Emmer, junior Autumn Cannon and senior Eden Geisel finished 1st, 3rd and 4th and led Middle Township to the team title Saturday at the annual Big 5 Championships in Lower Township.

Emmer ran 23:05 over 5,000 meters at Cape May County Park, Cannon 23:40 and Geisel 23:56 and Middle won the team title with 15 points as the only school that fielded a full team.

Wildwood Catholic junior Shea McIlhiney placed 2nd in 23:09 to break up the Middle Township sweep.

Also in the top 10 were Wildwood sophomore Sabryn Fathi [5th in 24:44], senior Sloane Manni [6th in 25:20], Middle freshman Vera Bono [7th in 26:53], Wildwood sophomore Charlotte Booth [8th in 26:54], Lower Cape May Regional sophomore Abigal Simpkins [9th in 27:01] and Middle senior Isabella Frame [10th in 27:39].

Senior Jamar Mack led a 1-through-7 Middle Township sweep, finishing first for a 2nd straight year at the annual Big 5 Championships in Lower Township.

Mack, a Group 3 sectional medalist at 800 meters last spring, finished 400 meters ahead of the field, running 17:42 over 5,000 meters at Cape May County Park.

Junior Joshua Heck [2nd in 19:01], senior Champion McNeal [3rd in 19:18], senior Darp Patel [4th in 19:38], freshman Lyric Brown [5th in 19:59], junior Rey Cruz Bruno [6th in 20:34] and sophomore Sean Himstedt [7th in 20:42] rounded out Middle’s top seven.

Wildwood Catholid junior Jonny Livingston [8th in 21:02], Cape May Tech senior Axel McCoy [9th in 21:20] and Lower Cape May Regional junior Mike DeVito [21:29] also finished in the top 10.

Middle scored a perfect 15 points, with Cape May Tech 2nd with 50 as the only other school with five finishers.

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.