Pennsauken junior Joel Oquendo placed fifth out of more than 100 runners Saturday in the junior class race at the Thompson Park Class Meet.
Oquendo ran 17:26 over the 5,000-meter course in Jamesburg. Blaik Slavinski of Point Pleasant Boro was the overall winner in 16:44.
Also in the top 20 was Northern Burlington’s Gavyn Messenger, who placed 16th in 18:08. Just outside the top 20 was Pennsauken’s Nouman Farhat, who ran 18:41 for 23rd.
Also, Northern’s Colin Brennan finished 13th in the freshman class race, covering the 2 1/2-mile course in 14:59.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 