The top-ranked Haddonfield girls remained unbeaten against true high school competition with a team win Saturday in the East Coast Cross Country Championships.
Haddonfield split up its team Saturday, with its top three – seniors Sarah Naticchia, Allison Colflesh and Payton Weiner – racing in the so-called Gold Race and the rest of the team competing in the Navy race at Holmdel County Park.
On a cold, rainy morning that made the course even more challenging than usual, Naticchia ran 19:06, Colflesh 19:20 and Weiner 19:43 in the Gold race, placing 14th, 22nd and 34th among some of the fastest runners from five states.
In the Navy race, freshman Anna Earp and sophomore Helene Usher ran 20:34 and 20:48, junior Jess Goode 21:05 and senior Lindsay Colflesh 21:13.
In a merge of the two races, Haddonfield averaged 19:55 and placed third in team scoring behind two all-star teams comprised of runners from different high schools. Among teams of runners from a single school, Haddonfield was first and finished the XC season unbeaten against high school teams.
Nutmeg All-Stars and Garden State Track Club finished first and second with 36 and 39 points, but Haddonfield – with only girls from Haddonfield High School – scored 74 points in scoring only from runners competing for a specific team.
Colts Neck (94), Mendham (121) and Kingsway (152) were the next intact high school teams in team scoring.
Kingsway sophomore Aubrey Pierontoni won the Navy race by half a minute in 19:37, and junior teammate Allison Helkowski was fourth in 20:15.
Collingswood senior Sophie Steidle, running for GSTC, ran 19:23, and Highland sophomore Grace Wassell ran 19:48.
The original fields had to be pared down because of New Jersey’s updated travel restrictions.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 