The Haddonfield and Kingsway girls will be racing at the inaugural East Coast Cross Country Championships at Holmdel next month.

The meet, designed to unofficially replace major inter-state meets like Nike Invitational and Foot Locker East Regionals, will feature some of the top teams from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Virginia and Maryland.

With the state meet program cancelled beyond sectionals, which were held this past Saturday, the Holmdel Invitational https://sjtrackblog.com/2020/11/17/four-south-jersey-xc-teams-will-get-to-race-at-holmdel/ next Wednesday and the East Coast Championships on Dec. 5 on the same course will give the top teams and individuals additional chances to race.

The boys field hasn’t been announced yet, but the girls field will feature some of South Jersey’s best runners.

The Haddonfield girls, ranked No. 1 in the state, are unbeaten this year and coming off a commanding win in the South Jersey Group 2 race. The Kingsway girls, ranked No. 10, were unable to compete at sectionals.

Also entered in the girls meet is sophomore Grace Wassell of Highland, who won her second straight South Jersey Group 3 XC title this past Saturday at DREAM Park in Logan Township. 

Collingswood senior Sophie Steidle, who ran an 18:09.30 on the track in September, and was third in the Group 2 sectional race, will compete as part of the Garden State Athletic Club all-star team, which includes Camryn Wennersten of Ridgewood, the outdoor Meet of Champions 3,200 runner-up at 10:43.72, and junior Charlotte Bednar of the Lawrenceville School, who ranked 4th nationally last indoor season with a 10:22.64 for 3,200 meters and ran a U.S. No. 1 16:25.90 on the track last month.

Although all-star club teams such as GSAC are allowed to run and will be scored with the participating high school teams, they are not eligible for awards.

 

Junior Luke Overbeck became Haddon Township’s sixth sectional XC champion in the last 10 years Saturday when he won the South Jersey Group 1 title.

Overbeck ran 16:34 through the puddles at DREAM Park in Logan Township and won by 175 meters over senior Zachary Williams of Audubon, who led the Green Wave to the team title.

Overbeck joins Tim Kenna [2011], Trey Thatcher [2012], Luke Petela [2013 and 2014] and Owen Long [2015] as sectional XC champ from Haddon Township.

Teammates Matt Conaway, a senior, and Max Tomashek, a junior, also placed in the top 10 for the Hawks, Conaway in 3rd in 17:19 and Tomashek in 6th in 17:43. Haddon Township took second in the team battle behind Audubon.

Overbeck finished either first or second in every race this year, winning five times and finishing second to Brady Shute of Gateway-Woodbury Co-Op twice.

Overbeck placed 5th at sectionals last year an 12th at states, helping the Hawks win team titles in both events.

The Haddonfield and Cherry Hill East boys and Haddonfield and Cherokee girls cross country programs have all accepted invitations to the inaugural Holmdel Invitational, a non-NJSIAA-affiliated scaled-down replacement for the cancelled Meet of Champions.

Haddonfield swept the boys and girls sectional races in Group 2, Cherokee won the girls Group 4 race and the Cherry Hill East boys were second in Group 4.

The Haddonfield and Cherokee girls are ranked No. 1 and No. 9 in the state. The Haddonfield and Cherry Hill East boys are ranked No. 5 and No. 6 in the state. Those rankings were all before sectionals.

The Cherokee boys, who won South Jersey Group 4, declined an invitation because of injuries among their top seven.

Only 10 boys teams and 10 girls teams and about a dozen individuals will compete in the meet, scheduled for a week from Wednesday at legendary Holmdel County Park. The fields will be limited to about 85 runners per race.

The invitations were based on results of this past Saturday’s sectional meets, which were the final step of the NJSIAA season this fall with states and the M-of-C both eliminated.

The Holmdel Invitational will run on the same historic 5,000-meter course that has hosted the Meet of Champions since 1976.

Teams accept invitations must run as club teams not affiliated with their high schools, although only runners who participated for that school’s team this fall can compete.

The girls race is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. and the boys race at 3:30 p.m.

Spectators are not allowed.

Paul VI freshman Shaelan McNally had a big race at the Non-Public A cross country sectionals Sunday, placing 4th with an all-course 5K PR of 19:35.

McNally’s previous PR was 19:54 earlier this month at the Bob Kiessling South Jersey parochial championships at Pennypacker Park in Haddonfield, which she won by half a minute.

At sectionals, McNally finished 28 seconds behind Red Bank Catholic sophomore Cate DeSousa, who won the race in 19:07 on the Oak Ridge Park course in Clark.

McNally’s time is 4th-fastest in course history by a freshman, only 11 seconds off the freshman course record of 19:24 set by Union Catholic’s Abby Granrath at the 2018 Union County Championships.

Eleni Alvarez of St. Thomas Aquinas was second in 19:22 and Granrath third in 19:30.

Red Bank Catholic won the team title with 42 points, with Union Catholic second at 51 and Paul VI third with 96.

Senior Katie Sparks was PVI’s No. 4 runner in 13th place in 20:54, and another freshman, Gisella Croge, took 23rd in 21:49. Junior Katlyn McDonald [27th in 22:12] and freshman Madison Pedicelli [29th in 22:26] also scored for Paul VI.

Sophomore Kamryn Cieslik [30th in 22:45] finished one spot behind Pedicelli, and junior Carlyann Carey [34th in 23:38} gave Paul VI seven across the line before any other school.

Camden Catholic also raced, with sophomores Casey Bednarek and Leah Clear placing 16th and 18th in 21:10 and 21:18.

Sophomores Arianna Cane and Elena Cicchini and freshman Carly Troy recorded top-10 finishes and Bishop Eustace raced to third place in the https://nj.milesplit.com/meets/395242-njsiaa-sectionals-non-public-south-2020/results/714150/raw#.X7Fmvi9h1o5 Sunday at Oak Ridge Park in Clark.

Trinity Hall of Tinton Falls won with 44 points, followed by St. Rose of Belmar with 80, Eustace with 82, the Wilberforce School of Princeton with 99 and Wildwood Catholic 5th with 111 points.

Cane ran 20:50 for 5th place, Cicchini 21:06 for 7th place and Troy 21:36 for 10th place. Eustace’s other scorers were freshman Amelia Ingersoll [25th in 25:32] and senior Charlotte Gottilla [37th in 25:42]. Junior Emma Barger also raced for Eustace Sunday.

St. Rose sophomore Tilly O’Connor, 3rd in the state Parochial B meet last fall, won the race in 19:03.

Also in the top 10 was Wildwood Catholic senior Julia Sorensen, who ran 21:07. Sorensen was a state medalist at 1,600 and 3,200 meters last spring.

Senior Alyia Gray-Rivera also finished in the top 20 for Wildwood Catholic, taking 18th in 22:41.

The Haddonfield girls took three of the top four spots in the sectional merge and have six runners in the top 20!

Haddonfield, ranked No. 1 in the state, and No. 9 Cherokee account for 11 of the top 22 times in https://tomahawktiming.com/11-14-njsiaa-south-girls-merged/ compiled by Tomahawk Timing from the four South Jersey sectional XC races held Saturday at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

The four-fastest times come (and 7 of the top 14) from the Group 2 race, which is in part due to the level of talent in the race but also because the condition of the course gradually deteriorated throughout the day.

Haddonfield seniors Sarah Naticchia, Allison Colflesh and Payton Weiner ran 18:37, 18:59 and 19:19, the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 times of the day.

Collingswood senior Sophie Steidle, the Group 1 indoor 1,600 state champion, ran 19:13.

Naticchia’s time is No. 4 in course history, Colflesh is No. 7, Steidle is No. 10 and Weiner is No. 11.

Freshman Anne Earp [20:11] and senior Lindsay Colflesh [20:18] were 13th- and 14th-fastest of all the races, which means Haddonfield scores 1-2-4-13-14 in a merge for 34 points.

Cherokee went 9-11-15-21-22 for 78 points in the seventh race of the day, with Kerry O’Day [19:56], Kelsey Niglio [20:08], Nicole Clifford [20:19], Olivia Parkinson [20:24] and Alaina Bromley [20:26].

Other South Jersey girls under 20 minutes were Highland sophomore Grace Wassell [5th in the merge, 19:24], Delsea senior Carly Nicholson [7th, 19:31], Cherry Hill East sophomore Alexis Tepper [8th, 19:51] and Highland junior Princess Nwoga [10th, 19:59].

Also in the top 25 in the merge:

Schalick senior Julia Smith [12th, 20:10], Timber Creek junior Vanessa Marinero [16th, 20:19], Haddonfield sophomore Sabrina Miller [17th, 20:21], Mainland freshman Claudia Booth [18th, 20:21], Cherry Hill East senior MaryKathleen McCurdy [19th, 20:23], Washington Township senior Maura Keene [20th, 20:24], Ocean City senior Alexa Palmieri [23rd, 20:28], Clearview sophomore Abigail Waddington [24th in 20:30] and Clearview senior Katherine Byrne [25th, 20:31].

Here’s the top 10 in team scoring in the merge: Haddonfield 34, Cherokee 78, Cherry Hill East 141, Clearview 196, Mainland Regional 198, Ocean City 298, Southern Regional 323, Williamstown 324, Shawnee 348, Eastern 378.

Here’s an updated look at the all-time top-25 on the DREAM Park course, which has only been in use for three years:

17:52 … Isabella Turner [Shawnee], 2018 South Jersey Shootout
18:22 … Kate Rathman [Cherokee], 2018 Olympic Conference Championships
18:29 … Kate Ruona [Shawnee], 2020 Olympic Conference Batch Meet
18:37 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020 Sectionals
18:49 … Katy Storti [Bishop Eustace], 2018 Olympic Conference Championships
18:59 … Claire Hauser [Shawnee], 2019 Olympic Conference Championship
18:59 … Allison Colflesh [Haddonfield], 2020 [Sectionals
19:04 … MaryKathleen McCurdy [Cherry Hill East], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:07 … Clare Morelli [Bishop Eustace], 2018 Olympic Conference Championships
19:13 … Sophie Steidle [Collingswood], 2020 Sectionals
19:19 … Payton Weiner [Haddonfield], 2020 Sectionals
19:21 … Katie Sparks [Paul VI], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:23 … Sarah Pierce [Cherry Hill East], 2018 Olympic Conference Championships
19:24 … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2020 Sectionals
19:25 … Samantha Apanovitch [Hunterdon Central], 2019 S.J. Shootout
19:29 … Maura Keane [Washington Twp.], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:29 … Lily Oliver [Toms River South], 2020 Sectionals
19:31 … Carly Nicholson [Delsea], 2020 Sectionals
19:33 … Cassidy Quinn [Hunterdon Central], 2019 S.J. Shootout
19:34 … Alexa Palmieri [Ocean City], 2018 S.J. Shootout
19:37 … Alexis Tepper [Cherry Hill East], 2020 Olympic Conference Championships
19:41 … Emma Klouchek [Seneca], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:43 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:44 … Kate Cochran [Washington Twp.], 2019 Olympic Conference
19:45 … Madison McNiff [Cherry Hill East], 2019 Olympic Conference Championships
19:46 … Angela Bannan [Holy Spirit], 2018 S.J. Shootout
19:47 … Princess Nwoga [Highland], 2020 S.J. Open
19:50 … Kerry O’Day [Cherokee], 2020 Olympic Conference Championships
19:50 … Allison Helkowski [Kingsway], 2019 S.J. Shootout
19:58 … Shelby Whetstone [Lenape], 2018 Olympic Conference Championships
19:59 … Alyssa Turner [Mainland Regional], 2018 S.J. Shootout

Here are the fastest runners by county:

Atlantic: Claudia Booth [Mainland Regional], 18th, 20:21
Burlington: Kerry O’Day [Cherokee], 9th, 19:56
Camden: Sarah. Naticchia [Haddonfield], 1st, 18:37
Cape May: Alexa Palmieri [Ocean City], 23rd, 20:28
Cumberland: Cassidy Blough [Millville], 147th, 24:08
Gloucester: Carly Nicholson [Delsea], 7th, 19:31
Salem: Julia Smith [Schalick], 12th, 20:10

Schalick senior Julia Smith on Saturday joined some elite company, becoming only the second girl to win three straight South Jersey Group 1 sectional XC titles.

Smith ran 20:10 over 5,000 meters, finishing more than a minute ahead of the field at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Smith ran 19:59 in 2018 and 19:40 in 2019 at Delsea to win her first two sectional titles.

The only other girl to win three straight in SJ-1 is Allyson Krayl of Point Pleasant Beach, who won four straight from 1999 through 2002.

Smith is the 15th girl to win at least three straight South Jersey sectional titles and the 13th from a South Jersey school.

Here’s a look at every repeat winner in South Jersey girls sectional XC history:

Four in a row
Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], Group 2 [1999, 2000], Group 1 [1997, 1998]
Allyson Krayl [Point Pleasant Beach], Group 1 [1999, 2000, 2001, 2002]
Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2002, 2003, 2004, 2005]
Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2006, 2007, 2008, 2009]
Briana Gess [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2013, 2014, 2015, 2016]

Three in a row
Monique Purcell [Holy Spirit], Group 3 [1976, 1977, 1978]
Eva Marie Berardi [Williamstown], Group 2 [1977, 1978, 1979]
Mindy Rowand [Sterling], Group 3 [1983, 1984, 1985]
Liz Moore [Shawnee], Group 4 [1992, 1993, 1994]
Brittany McCann [Delsea], Group 3 [1999, 2000, 2001]
Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], Group 3 [2002, 2003, 2004]
Danielle Tauro [Southern Reg.], Group 4 [2004, 2005, 2006]
Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], Group 3 [2007, 2008, 2009]
Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], Group 3 [2015, 2016, 2017]
Julia Smith [Schalick], Group 1 [2018, 2019, 2020]

Two in a row
Renee DeFeo [Clayton], Group 1 [1976, 1977]
Michelle Rowan [Washington Twp.], Group 4 [1981, 1982]
Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], Group 1 [1984, 1985]
Mary Jo Dougherty [Ocan City], Group 3 [1986, 1987]
Mihele Owen [Clearview], Group 2 [1986, 1987]
Janet Rue [Pitman], Group 1 [1990, 1991]
Megan Hartman [Ocean City], Group 3 [1992, 1993]
Amy Beykirch [Pinelands Reg.], Group 2 [1995, 1996]
Alicia Pipkin [Haddon Twp.], Group 1 [2001, 2012]
Lindsey Ritchings [Point Pleasant Beach], Group 1 [2003, 2004]
Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], Group 3 [2005, 2006]
Jillian Smith [Southern Reg.], Group 4 [2007, 2008]
Megan Lacy [Cherokee], Group 4 [2010, 2011]
Danielle Leavitt [Lacey Twp.], Group 3 [2011, 2012]
Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2011, 2012]
Vicky Ajimoko [Williamstown], Group 4 [2012, 2013]
Isabella Turner [Shawnee], Group 4 [2017, 2018]

Schalick placed three runners in the top 10 and scored 43 points, finishing second to Haddon Township, which went 2-3-6-7-11 for 29 points and won its sixth sectional title in the last 14 years and seventh overall.

Smith also won sectional titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state Group 1 track meet last spring, so she’s now a five-time South Jersey champion.

Smith’s 20:10 is fastest by a Group 1 girl in the three years the DREAM Park course has been in use.

For Haddon Township, junior Regan Shemeley ran 21:13 and sophomore Meghan Lax 22:23 for second and third place. Freshman Genieve Gentlesk and junior Kaelin Marshall ran 23:03 and 23:07 for 9th and 10th, and junior Ellie Sennhenn completed Township’s scoring group with a 16th place in 24:15.

Junior Mia LaMarra was Schalick’s second finisher, taking 5th in 22:23 after placing 8th as a sophomore.

Others in the top 10 included Pennsville junior Taylor Burchfield [4th in 22:23], Pitman senior Nicole Murphy [6th in 22:44], Audubon senior Greta Davis [7th in 22:50] and Cape May County Tech senior Lindsay Robbins [8th in 22:55].

Cherokee packed its five scorers in 40 seconds Saturday and rolled to its 10th sectional title Saturday and second in a row.

Seniors Nico Grilli and Brett Shea led the way for the Chiefs, Grilli in 3rd in 16:28 and Shea in 6h in 16:33 over the water-logged 5K DREAM Park course in Logan Township.

The race featured three of the state’s top-14 ranked teams going in: No. 6 Cherry Hill East, No. 11 Cherokee and No. 14 Southern Regional.

Cherokee outscored Cherry Hill East 48-63, with Southern third third on a 6th-runner tiebreaker with Cherry Hill East.

Cherokee went 3-6-11-12-16, Southern 1-4-14-21-23 and Cherry Hill East 7-8-10-18-20. Cherry Hill East had beaten Cherokee by three in the Olympic Conference Championships last month.

Sophomore Patrick Ditmars, senior Dylan Odud and sophomore Conor Jacob clinched the win for the Chiefs, Ditmars 11th in 16:53, Odud 12th in 16:54 and Jacob 16th in 17:08. Freshman Nick Kuenkel was Cherokee’s sixth finisher, 19th in 17:16, and junior Bradley Popler also raced, taking 36th in 17:44.

This is the first time Cherokee has won consecutive sectional titles since 1999 and 2000, when the Chiefs won their fourth and fifth in a row. Cherokee also won SJ-4 titles in 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2019. The Chiefs went on to win the state title last year.

Cherokee’s 10 sectional titles trails only Haddonfield [40], Haddon Township [20] and Cinnaminson [12] among South Jersey schools and is most among South Jersey Group 4 schools, three more than Cherry Hill East and Toms River North.

Southern’s Jackson Braddock, the state Group 4 champion last year and an 8:54 two-miler on the track, won the race in 16:02, matching Brady Shute of Gateway-Woodbury for fastest time of the day [The FAT  camera gave Shute a 2-100ths-of-a-second edge, 16:02.97 to 16:02.99.]

Clearview senior Anas Bensaoud ran 16:25 for 2nd, and Washington Township senior Julian Lawson was 5th at 16:31. Seniors Gabe Rodriguez and Aidan Eyre took 7th and 8th for Cherry Hill East in in 16:39 and 16:43, Egg Harbor Township senior Nick Valdivieso was 9th in 16:48, and Aidan Groff of Cherry Hill East took 10th in 16:52.

The Cherokee girls packed five runners in 30 seconds and rolled to a record-setting team title in the South Jersey Group 4 XC sectionals Saturday.

Cherry Hill East Alexis Tepper was the overall winner in 19:51, but Cherokee had five of the next seven finishers on the water-logged 5K course at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Freshman Kerry O’Day, sophomore Kelsey Niglio and junior Nicole Clifford placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th for Cherokee, with freshmen Olivia Parkinson and Alaina Bromley not far behind in 7th and 8th.

O’Day ran 19:56, Niglio 20:08 and Clifford 20:19. Parkinson and Bromley crossed the line in 20:24 and 20:26. Noelle Falzone and Allison Rathman also ran sub-21 and gave Cherokee all seven finishers in the top 17.

It was the first time this year O’Day was Cherokee’s first finisher.

Cherokee finished the season undefeated.

The title is Cherokee’s second and first since 2003, when the Lady Chiefs had overall winner Lisa Burkholder squeaked by Shawnee, 63-64.

This one wasn’t nearly as close. Cherokee finished with a 24-61 margin over Cherry Hill East, with Clearview third with 90 points.

Scoring against the entire field, Cherokee would have won 24-31. 

Cherokee, ranked No. 9 in the state, equalled the second-lowest score in South Jersey Group 4 sectional history and tied the lowest score ever by a South Jersey school.

Brick Township won the 1987 race with 21 points, and Shawnee won the 1994 race with 24 points. Long-time Seneca coach (and now athletic director) Karen O’Neill was on that team and placed second in that race behind teammate Liz Moore.

Here’s a look at the lowest team scores in South Jersey Group 4 sectional history:

21 … Brick Township, 1987
24 … Cherokee, 2020
24 … Shawnee, 1994
27 … Brick Township, 1978
28 … Toms River North, 1977
28 … Toms River East, 1984
30 … Brick Township, 1985
31 … Brick Township, 1986
32 … Shawnee, 1983
33 … Shawnee, 1993
35 … Toms River North, 1976
35 … Shawnee, 2001
36 … Toms River North, 1979
36 … Toms River North, 1978 [2nd]
37 … Shawnee, 1995
37 … Brick Township, 1988
37 … Paul VI, 1987 [2nd]
40 … Shawnee, 1991
40 … Paul VI, 1989
41 … Paul VI, 1986 [2nd]
42 … Shawnee, 1990
42 … Brick Township, 1989 [2nd]
43 … Shawnee, 1996
46 … Toms River East, 1980
49 … Shawnee, 1991

Last time Audubon won a sectional XC title was 1978, and the Green Wave’s first three runners went 2-4-7 on the way to a huge win in South Jersey Group 1.

Why is that relevant? Get this: On Saturday Audubon won its first sectional title since 1978 and their first three runners? Went 2-4-7.

In 1978, Ed Wickersham, Al Colburn and Lee Widman  finished 2-4-7 and the Green Wave won Group 1 by a 37-104 margin over Pitman over a 3-mile course at Pennsauken. 

Some 42 years later, senior Zachary Williams placed 2nd, senior Enrique Herrera 4th and sophomore Joseph Gaspari 7th as Audubon repeated that 2-4-7 finish. In 1978, Audubon’s fourth runner, Jeff Gross, was 10th. This time around, senior Jonathan Lapp did one spot better, taking ninth.

Audubon finished with a 34-65 margin of victory over Haddon Township, with Maple Shade taking third with 67 points.

Junior Tyler Wells was Audubon’s fifth finisher Saturday, taking 12th in 18:12. Also racing for the Green Wave were junior Aaryn Myers [16th in 18:50] and junior Clifford Gilmore [23rd in 19:27].

Until 2018, Audubon hadn’t placed in the top three at sectionals, but the 2018 team took 3rd and las years Audubon was 2nd.

Haddon Township finished in the top 3 for the 16th consecutive year.