From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Haddonfield made a case for itself as the top girls XC team in the state Wednesday, roaring to a commanding win in the Colt Invitational.

With five of the state’s top-20 teams in the field, No. 2-ranked Haddonfield went 2-3-4-11-14 to top second-place and No. 8-ranked Colts Neck 30-54. No. 3 Middletown South was third with 58 points. No. 1 Ridgewood did not compete.

Haddonfield averaged 19:43 on the legendary 5,000-meter Holmdel County Park course.

That’s the second-fastest average ever by a South Jersey school at Haddonfield behind only the 2013 Haddonfield team that averaged 19:35 at the Meet of Champions with overall winner Briana Gess [17:45], Shelby Cain [19:37], Alexa Gostovich [19:55], Julia Fonshell [20:17] and Meg Schroeder [20:25].

Kingsway averaged 19:45 at the 2017 Meet of Champions and Shawnee 19:49 at the 2013 M-of-C.

Colts Neck junior Lily Shapiro, second in the Meet of Champions 1,600 last winter and a top-10 Meet of Champions finisher last fall, ran 18:42 for the win.

But Haddonfield swept the next three spots, with seniors Sarah Naticchia, Payton Weiner and Allison Colflesh running 18:57, 19:08 and 19:34. Senior Lindsay Colflesh and sophomore Sabrina Miller ran 20:31 and 20:36 for 11th and 14th.

Naticchia’s 18:57 is a Holmdel PR. Her previous best on the historic layout was 19:03, when she placed 15th at last year’s Meet of Champions.

Weiner, Allison Colflesh and Lindsay Colflesh all shattered  their Holmdel PRs. Weiner took six seconds off her 19:13 from last year’s Meet of Champions and Colflesh shaved 31 seconds off her 20:05 from the same race. Lindsey Colflesh’s previous Holmdel PR was 20:33 at last year’s Shore Coaches.

Miller, a first-year XC runner, was racing at Holmdel for the first time.

Without a Shore Coaches, state meet or Meet of Champions, this was the only invitational scheduled this fall at Holmdel County Park.

Naticchia’s 18:57 is No. 7 on the all-time Haddonfield list at Holmdel. Haddonfield’s all-time Holmdel average of 18:18 is fastest in course history. That list includes Gess [17:45], Olympian Marielle Hall [18:17], Vanessa Wright [18:22], Olympian Erin Donohue [18:27] and Cain [18:41].

Haddonfield’s Holmdel B team now includes Meghan Malloy [18:50], Naticchia [18:57], Weiner [19:08], Allison Colflesh [19:34] and Elizabeth Sikkema [19:49]. Naticchia, Weiner and Allison Colflesh lowered the B team average from 19:21.6 to 19:15.6 and moved Haddonfield B up from 66th-fastest Holmdel team average to 53rd.

Only North Hunterdon, Ridgewood, Voorhees, Bernards and Randolph have faster all-time Holmdel B teams.

Here’s a look at every South Jersey girl that’s ever run 19 minutes or faster at Holmdel!

Here’s a look at every South Jersey girl that’s run 19 minutes or faster at Holmdel. If you see anybody missing, let me know!

17:27 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010
17:40 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
17:44 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
17:45 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010
17:45 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013
17:50 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010
17:52 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2010
17:52 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
17:55 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
17:55 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2010
17:55 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016
17:58 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
18:01 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2009
18:01 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
18:02 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
18:07 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2007
18:07 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016
18:08 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:09 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:11 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2010
18:12 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
18:12 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2011
18:12 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
18:13 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2015
18:14 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2009
18:15 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013
18:16 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2009
18:17 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2009
18:18 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
18:18 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2017
18:18 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016
18:19 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2007
18:19 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
18:20 … Devin Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2014
18:20 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2015
18:21 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:21 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2014
18:22 … Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], 2004
18:23 … Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], 2005
18:24 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2007
18:25 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
18:25 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2015
18:26 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
18:27 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
18:28 … Grace Yoon [Cherry Hill East], 2016
18:20 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
18:29 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2016
18:29 … Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], 2005
18:30 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1999
18:33 … Devon Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2014
18:35 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2014
18:35 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
18:36 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1981
18:36 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1997
18:36 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013
18:38 … Casey Doyle [Shawnee], 2007
18:38 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2008
18:40 … Mindy Rowand [Sterling], 1984
18:40 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2011
18:41 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
18:41 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2011
18:41… Theresa Catuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
18:41 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2015
18:41 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2016
18:43 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2005
18:43 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2003
18:43 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
18:43 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
18:44 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1999
18:44 … Arianna McKinney [Highland], 2003
18:45 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:46… Theresa Catuna [Cherry Hill East], 2005
18:46 … Holly Bischof [Bischof Eustace], 2011
18:47 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2009
18:48 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1999
18:49 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1998
18:49 … Casey Doyle [Shawnee], 2007
18:49 … Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], 2011
18:49 … Mara Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2013
18:49 … Olivia Shafer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
18:50 … Dawn Cody [Paul VI], 1982
18:50 … Jamie Weisgerber [Woodstown], 1994
18:50 … Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], 2011
18:50 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2008
18:51 … Jamie Weisgerber [Woodstown], 1994
18:51 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2006
18:52 … Lisa Burkholder [Cherokee], 2004
18:52 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
18:53 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
18:53 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2008
18:54 … Mindy Rowand [Sterling], 1984
18:54 … Madison Coppolino [Sterling], 2017
18:55 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2003
18:55 … Olivia Shafer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
18:56 … Arianna McKinney [Highland], 2004
18:57 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1981
18:57 … Lori Watson [Cherry Hill East], 1983
18:57 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
18:58 … Abbey Hartman [Ocean City], 1996
18:58 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1998
18:58 … Arianna McKinney [Highland], 2003
18:59 … Monique Purcell [Holy Spirit], 1978
18:59 … Wendy Westphal [Highland], 1982
18:59 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2005
18:59 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2007
18:59 … Kara Bonner [Shawnee,], 2015
18:59 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2016
19:00 … Katie Van Horn [Triton], 2004
19:00 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009
19:00 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2009