Liliah Gordon continued her terrific freshman season by not only winning the individual title at Wednesday’s BCSL Championships Liberty Division race but leading Northern Burlington to its first team title since the inception of the girls meet in 1987.

Gordon ran 18:03 at New Egypt – an all-course personal best for any 5,000-meter course – finishing 2 1/2 minutes ahead of second-place Maeve Timms of Burlington Township.

She broke the course record of 18:10 set at the 2015 Burlington County Scholastic League Championships by Pennsauken’s Briana Roberts, and she broke the freshman course record of 18:55 set in 2017 by Moorestown’s Kate Inglis.

But bigger than the individual title was Northern’s team title. The Greyhounds outscored Moorestown 35-39, going 1-3-7-13-20 overall but 1-2-6-10-16 for team points.

Moorestown had won 21 consecutive BCSL Liberty Division titles going back to 1999. The meet wasn’t held from 1991 through 1998 or last year. The last time a school other than Moorestown won the Liberty title was 1990, when Shawnee won.

For Northern, senior Paige Thier placed 3rd in 21:02, freshman Zoe Chou ran 21:56 for 7th, senior Olivia Cranmer was 13th in 22:55 and freshman Addison Liwacz rounded out NBC’s top five taking 20th overall in 24:07.

Northern’s best previous finish was second in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2015 and 2019.

Also in the top 10 were Rancocas Valley sophomore Bea Faigal [4th in 21:10], Moorestown freshman Aanya Khairari [5th in 21:21], Moorestown sophomore Mary Laufer [6th in 21:48], Moorestown sophomore Paige McCabe [8th in 21:57], R.V. senior Jordyn McArthur [9th in 22:09] and R.V. soph Kelly Ashton [10th in 22:13].

In the Patriot Division meet, junior Stephanie Renouf and senior Grace Coller ran 1-2 and Cinnaminson edged Bordentown, 28-29 for its sixth straight title. Renouf ran 19:14 and Coller 20:26.

Sophomore Anna Marino [8th in 23:21], freshman Francesca Romei [11th 23:59] and sophomore Madison Willers [15th 25:13] also scored for Cinnaminson.

Also in the top 10 were seniors Anise Howard and Haley Gardner of Delran, 3rd and 4th in 20:45 and 20:46, Bordentown senior Hannah Hornbeck [5th in 21:22], Delran freshman Shannon Waters [6th 21:55], Bordentown senior Catrina Wahner [7th 23:06], Bordentown Faith Berenato [9th 23:43] and Bordentown sophomore Isabella Basile [10th 23:54].

New Egypt junior Cassidy Burr won the Freedom girls race in 21:47, just ahead of Palmyra sophomore Cadence Anderson, who ran 21:59. Maple Shade senior Taylor McCue [3rd in 24:24], Riverside freshman Sydney Greenidge [4th in 25:01], New Egypt senior Jenna Uster [5th 25:03], Palmyra junior Olivia McGovern [6th 25:49], New Egypt senior Anna Markey [7th 25:50], Riverside senior Taylor Dill [8th 27:21], Palmyra senior Andrea Garcia [9th 27:28] and Westampton Tech sophomore Janella Sanabria [10th 27:35] rounded out the top 10.

No school had five runners in the Freedom girls so no team title was awarded.

With senior Nicole Clifford and sophomore Olivia Parkinson both running sub-19, Cherokee won the Olympic Conference girls XC title Wednesday with the fastest team time in DREAM Park course history.

Clifford was the overall winner, covering the 5,000-meter course in Logan Township in 18:24, Parkinson ran 18:48 for second, and Cherokee’s five scorers averaged 19:19.

That broke the course record of 19:29 set by Haddonfield at last year’s South Jersey Group 2 meet.

Cherokee went 1-2-8-9-13, outscoring Cherry Hill East 33-51 for its second straight team title. Cherokee also won in 2004, 2009 and 2010.

Clifford’s time is No. 3 in course history, behind only Isabella Turner’s course-record 17:52 for Shawnee at the 2018 South Jersey Shootout and Kate Rathman’s 18:22 for Cherokee at the 2018 Olympic Conference Championships.

Junior Kelsey Niglio and sophomore Kerry O’Day ran 8th and 9th for the Chiefs in 19:33 and 19:36, and freshman Megan Niglio was Cherokee’s fifth finisher in 20:17. The times were all-course 5K PRs for Clifford, Parkinson, O’Day and Megan Niglio.

Cherokee is ranked 5th in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Haddonfield, who is No. 3 in the state rankings. Cherry Hill East is No. 6 in South Jersey.

Eastern senior Sophia Staiger placed third in 19:17 and three Cherry Hill East runners were next across the line – senior Madison McNiff in 19:17, junior Alexis Tepper in 19:18 and freshman Kiley Walsh in 19:31. Paul VI sophomore Shaelan McNally [7th in 19:31] and Camden Catholic junior Casey Bednarek [10th in 19:41] rounded out the top 10. Tepper won the race last year but ran 19 seconds faster this year.

Also running sub-20 were Bishop Eustace junior Arianna Cane [19:43] and Camden Catholic freshman Nilaa Ponnappan [19:51].

Here’s a look at the all-time top-10 team times (I think) in the brief history of DREAM Park:

19:19 … Cherokee, 2021 [Olympic Conference Championships]
19:29 … Haddonfield, 2020 [South Jersey Group 2]
19:46 … Cherry Hill East, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]

19:48 … Cherokee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
19:52 … Shawnee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
19:57 … Cherry Hill East, 2021 [Olympic Conference Championships]

20:09 … Cherokee, 2020 [Olympic Conference Championships
20:15 … Cherry Hill East, 2018 [Olympic Conference Championships]
20:15 … Cherokee, 2020 [South Jersey Group 4]
21:17 … Shawnee, 2021 [Olympic Conference]


Camden Catholic senior Billy Clewell edged Cherokee junior Patrick Ditmars for the individual title but Cherokee placed six runners in the top 14 and ran away with the team title Wednesday at the Olympic Conference XC Championships.

Clewell ran 15:46, 3rd-fastest ever on the 5,000-meter DREAM Park course in Logan Township. Cherokee’s Ethan Wechsler ran 15:12 at the 2019 Olympic Conference meet and Nick Loffredo of Manchester Township ran 15:40 earlier this month at the South Jersey Open.

Cherokee won its fifth title in six years by packing its five scorers in 40 seconds and averaging 16:22 at Dream Park.

Ditmars placed 2nd in 15:56, seniors Joe Natoli and Bradley Popler took 5th and 6th in 16:24 and 16;25, and junior Conor Jacob ran 8th in 16:30 and sophomore Robert Poplau was 12th in 16:36, backed up by junior Thomas Bromley in 14th in 16:42.

The Chiefs outscored 2nd-place Washington Township 33-79, with Cherry Hill East 3rd with 101 points and Lenape fourth at 107.

Others in the top 10 included Lenape senior Jake Buniva [3rd in 16:01], Washington Township senior Chris Colavita [4th 16:16], Lenape senior Justin Penny [7th 16:29], Eastern sophomore Owen Karcsh [9th 16:31] and Lenape junior Colin Hermack [10th 16:31].

Cherokee’s 16:22 average is 3rd-fastest ever at DREAM Park, behind Cherokee’s 2019 team [16:00 at Olympic Conference meet) and 2018 team (16:14 at Olympic Conference).

here’s a look at all the sub-16:50 times (I think) since the inception of the DREAM Park course:

16:00 … Cherokee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:14 … Cherokee, 2018 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:22 … Cherokee, 2021 [Olympic Conference]
16:23 … Cherry Hill East, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:32 … Cherry Hill East, 2020 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:34 … Haddonfield, 2020 [S.J. Group 2]
16:35 … Cherokee, 2020 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:38 … Cherry Hill East, 2020 [Olympic Conference Batch Meet]
16:42 … Washington Twp., 2020 [Olympic Conference Championships
]
16:43 … Cherokee, 2020 [Olympic Conference Batch Meet]
16:46 … Cherry Hill East, 2021 [South Jersey Open]
16:47 … Washington Twp., 2020 [Olympic Conference Batch Meet]
16:47 … Cherokee, 2020 [S.J. Group 4]
16:48 … Haddon Heights, 2021 [South Jersey Open]

Kingsway’s Aubrey Pierontoni and Clearview’s Abby Waddington renewed their rivalry Thursday, and for the first time this fall Waddington came out ahead, winning the Gloucester County Championships at West Deptford Park.

But Pierontoni’s Kingsway Dragons won their seventh straight team title, 37-67, over Clearview.

Pierontoni and Waddington have raced four times this year, and each time the two juniors have finished next to each other. 

Pierontoni edged Waddington in the first three meetings, but on Thursday, in the Gloucester County Championships, Waddington got the edge, covering the 5,000-meter course in 19:14. Waddington finished 60 meters ahead of Pierontoni, who ran 19:26.

Waddington became the first Clearview girl to win the Gloucester County XC title in 18 years, since Andrea Shute ran 18:52 to win the 2003 title on Kingsway’s course in Woolwich Township.  

Here’s a quick look at the four meetings so far this fall between Pierontoni and Waddington:

Sept. 15, Tri-County Batch Meet, at Cumberland Regional
1. Aubrey PIerontoni [Kingsway], 19:12
2. Abby Waddington [Clearview], 19:33
Oct. 2, Shore Coaches B race, at Holmdel County Park 
3. Aubrey PIerontoni [Kingsway], 19:41
4. Abby Waddington [Clearview], 19:49
Oct. 5, Tri-County Batch Meet, at Delsea 
1. Aubrey PIerontoni [Kingsway], 18:53
2. Abby Waddington [Clearview], 19:33
Oct. 14, Gloucester County Championships, at West Deptford Park
1. Abby Waddington [Clearview], 19:14
2. Aubrey PIerontoni [Kingsway], 19:26

Kingsway had three of the first six finishers and placed six runners in the top 15. Junior Nicole Lipieta was third in 19:46, junior Shelby Dyer 7th in 21:03, senior Erin Tracey 13th in 21:43 and sophomores Kendall Cramer and Cassidy Dunk placed 15th and 16th in 21:57 and 21:01. Junior Sarah Hover ran a season-best 24:25 for 25th. For team scoring purposes, Kingsway went 2-3-6-12-(13-24).

Last time Kingsway did not win the county title was 2014, when Clearview won 37-73 over Delsea. Kingsway was 3rd on a 6th-runner tiebreaker.

Other runners in the top 10: Clearview jun for Abby Kotran [4th in 20:39], West Deptford senior Hope Winer [5th in 20:51], Delsea junior Lillie Widmer [6th in 20:58] and Washington Township juniors Allyson Wernik, Gabrielle Maletta and Sophia Bostwick, who placed 8th through 10th, all between 21:07 and 21:16.

Haddon Township graduate Jacob Dinerman ran 15:51 to win the Penn Relays 5K Saturday in West Philly.

The 23-year-old Dinerman, who competed for one year at The College of New Jersey, edged former Muhlenberg runner Declan Walkush by two seconds for the win. They were the only runners who went sub-17 minutes on the 5,000-meter course that wound through Penns Park and finished inside Franklin Field.

We wrote last year about Dinerman, who at the time was competing for the Moody Park Track Club, after he ran a 4:08.49 indoor mile in Boston. You can find that story here.

Also, Greg Spellmeyer of Haddonfield was 5th in the 50-54 age group with a time of 21:57.

 

Syracuse freshman Ethan Wechsler finished 15th out of over 100 runners Saturday in the Penn State National Open in State College.

Wechsler ran 26:06 over 5.2 miles at Penn State’s Blue/White golf course, finishing just 40 seconds behind overall winner Evan Dorenkamp of Penn State, who ran 25:26.

Wechsler was the third freshman across the line, just seven seconds behind the first freshman, Cornell’s Damian Hackett.

Also racing was Rutgers sophomore Will Berger, a graduate of Lower Cape May Regional. He finished 64th overall in 27:31. He was Rutgers’ third finisher.

Senior Nicole Clifford edged Northern Burlington freshman Liliah Gordon to win her second straight individual title and lead Cherokee to the team title Friday at the Burlington County Open.

Cherokee went 1-3-4-7-10 for 25 points, topping 2nd-place Shawnee, who scored 54. Northern was third with 96. The team title was the third straight for Cherokee.

Clifford ran 18:37 over 5,000 meters at the Rancocas Valley Sports Complex in Eastampton, finishing about 35 meters ahead of Gordon in the first head-to-head matchup of two of South Jersey’s top runners. Clifford ran 19:50 to win last year’s County Open on the same course.

Sophomore Olivia Parkinson and junior Kelsey Niglio placed 3rd and 4th for Cherokee in 19:15 and 19:45, sophomore Kerry O’Day ran 7th in 20:00 and freshman Megan Niglio was 10th in 21:01.

According to the MileSplit database, Clifford, Gordon and Parkinson all ran under the course record of 19:36, set in 2018 by Collingswood’s Sophie Steidle at the Ray Hoagland Invitational.

This is the second year the Burlco Open has been held at R.V.’s athletic fields after being held at Mill Creek Park in Willingboro from 1981 through 2019.

Cherokee runners have won the last four individual titles. Kate Rathman won in 2018 and 2019 and Clifford in 2020 and 2021.

Also in the top 10 were Cinnaminson junior Stephanie Renouf [5th in 19:51], Shawnee junior Kate Ruona [6th in 19:54], Shawnee senior Madelyn Valasek [8th in 20:43] and Cinnaminson senior Grace Coller [9th in 20:54].

Senior Scott Hubbard placed 3rd and junior Joseph Gaspari, senior Tyler Wells and senior Clifford Gilmore finished within three seconds of each other in 7th, 8th and 9th, and Audubon won its first Camden County XC title in 50 years Saturday.

Hubbard ran 17:15 over 5,000 meters at Timber Creek Park in Lindenwold and Gloucester Township. Gaspari was 7th in 18:08 and Wells and Gilmore 8th and 9th, both in 18:11. Junior Aaron Myers rounded out the Green Wave’s scoring pack with 16th place in 19:03, and sophomore Aiden Williams and freshman Leo Davis also raced for Audubon, placing 16th and 25th.

Audubon outscored 2nd-place Highland 32-54, with Camden Catholic (86) and Paul VI (92) also under 100.

Audubon’s only previous team title came in 1961, the second year the meet was held, when the Green Wave outscored Woodrow Wilson 39-81 for the team title. Audubon went 3-5-6 that year, with Gordon Shindle 3rd, Tony Benevento 5th and Mike Bruzzese 6th.

Audubon’s 32 points are the lowest winning total since Cherry Hill East won the 2013 race 27-90 over Cherry Hill West. 

Triton senior Dennis Fortuna, second last year in 16:30, ran 16:13, finishing 200 meters ahead of 2nd-place Billy Clewell of Camden Catholic, who ran 16:54.

Fortuna became the first individual winner from Triton since Robert Rawls ran 16:15 at Gloucester County College to win the 2010 race.

Others in the top 10 were Timber Creek Cole Mylan [4th in 17:20] and Highland junior Gavin Gallo [5th in 17;53], Pennsauken junior Joel Oquendo [6th in 18:04] and Cole Knoedler [10th 18:12].

Shawnee grad John Ruona, a freshman at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., placed 15th out of nearly 300 runners Saturday at the Aubrey Shenk Gettysburg (Pa.) XC Invite.

Ruona ran 27:17 over 8,.000 meters on Gettysburg’s on-campus course and was the Mount’s 4th runner in a 45-65 team victory over Messiah College of Grantham, Pa.

Ruona was the first freshman across the line, finishing one second ahead of Kyle Costello of Messiah.

At Shawnee, Ruona placed 3rd in last year’s County Open XC race and 4th in the Olympic Conference Championships.

Gloucester Catholic grad Adam Stetser also raced for Mt. St. Mary’s.

Haddonfield grad Isabella Miller, a senior at Haverford, finished first of nearly 300 runners Saturday at Rowan University’s Border Battle at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Miller ran 21:33 over 6,000 meters, finishing 35 meters ahead of Johns Hopkins sophomore Ashley Heidenrich, who was second in 21:41.

This was Miller’s second straight invitational win. She was first across the line last weekend at the Main Line Invitational over 5,000 meters at Haverford. She was also the first collegiate finisher in her first race, the Haverford Alumni Race last month.

For Catholic University, freshman Kate Inglis of Moorestown was first across the line in 60th place with a time of 24:09.

Top finisher for host Rowan was senior Lyndsay Boyd from Pitman, who ran 24:49 and placed 102nd overall.

Some 292 runners from 35 colleges raced Saturday morning.