Cherokee graduate Abby Gilmore earned All-America honors Friday when she ran a leg on Olivet Nazarene’s 6th-place 3,200-meter relay team at the NAIA Indoor Nationals.

Gilmore ran a personal-best 2:21 split and Olivet Nazarene University of Bourbonnais, Ill., ran 9:32.45 at the Ruth Donohue First Dakota Fieldhouse on the campus of Mount Marty University in Yankton, S.D.

Gilmore ran the third leg. The Tigers ran 9:35.64 Wednesday, the 7th-fastest time in the trials, to qualify for the final. This is the third time the Tigers have earned indoor All-America honors in the 4-by-8. They placed 6th in 2014 and 7th in 2016.

Bishop Eustace graduate Connor Melko was Lehigh’s No. 2 runner and placed 17th overall at the Patriot League Cross Country Championships Friday in Bethlehem.

Melko ran 22:40 over the 4.7-mile course on Lehigh’s south campus, an average of 4:49 per mile and finished just five seconds behind senior Bradford DeMassa, Lehigh’s No. 1 runner.

Melko, a Mickleton, Gloucester County native, placed 46th in the Patriot League XC meet as a freshman in November of 2019, so he improved 29 spots in one year. This was only Melko’s second race in the last year.

Army went 1-2-8-9-21 and won the team title 41-49 over Boston University. Lehigh finished fifth.

Richie Castaneda finished 15th, Ben Woodard 20th and Sebastien Reed 26th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference XC Championships Friday.

Castaneda, a Rider sophomore from Camden Catholic, ran 25:32 over 8,000 meters at Seaview Golf Club in Galloway Township, outside Absecon in Atlantic County. He finished 90th in the conference meet as a freshman in the fall of 2019, so he improved 75 spots since his last MAAC meet. His 25:32 is a 5K or 8K PR on any course, shattering his previous PR set in October of 2019 at West Windsor Fields near Princeton by more than a minute and a half.

Woodard, a Rider junior from Highland, ran 25:39, which was also a PR, breaking his 5M or 8K best of 25:43 set in that same race at Princeton in the fall of 2019.

Reed, a Monmouth freshman from Pitman, ran 25:59 in his second career college race and first over 8,000 meters.

Castaneda was Rider’s top finisher and Woodard was the Broncos’ third man. Reed was Monmouth’s fifth finisher and the 4th freshman overall across the line.

Iona of New Rochelle, N.Y., won with a perfect 15 points, sweeping the top seven spots. Monmouth outraced Rider 77-94 for second place.

Delsea grad Colin Kane, a St. Joe’s sophomore, recorded a top-20 finish Friday in the Atlantic 10 XC Championships.

Kane ran 25:04 over five miles at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va., just outside of Richmond. He was out slowly – in 45th place through one mile and in 30th at the 3.4K before picking up 11 spots over the final 5.6K.

Kane was St. Joe’s No. 2 runner, finishing behind only senior Matt Scarpill, who was 4th in 24:41. 

Camden Catholic graduate Matt Coffey, another St. Joe’s sophomore, finished 68th in 26:20 and St. Joe’s freshman Max Kelly from Ocean was three seconds back of Coffey.

Richmond won with 44 points. St. Joe’s took 4th with 88 points.

In only her second college race, Kingsway graduate Allie Pierontoni, a freshman at Monmouth, placed 6th out of over 100 runners Friday at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference XC Championships.

Pierontoni ran 22:15 over 6,000 meters at Seaview Golf Course in Galloway Township, Atlantic County. She was Monmouth’s No. 1 runner and finished only 32 seconds behind conference champion Gemma Nuttall of Iona.

In her only previous race as a collegian, Pierontoni ran 18:22 over 5,000 meters to win the Jasper Invitational in Montgomery, N.Y. two weeks ago.

In her race Friday, she ran 18:32 5,000 pace over 6,000 meters.

Pierontoni ran 2:17, 5:02 and 10:52 at Kingsway and was 5th at the 2020 indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze with that 10:52.53.  

Iona scored 36 points to win the team title. Monmouth was 4th of 10 teams with 83 points, behind Iona, Siena (58) and Quinnipiac (70).

Lenape senior Ian Camerato moved into the No. 8 spot in New Jersey in the shot put Wednesday when he threw 51-7 in a dual meet against Cherokee at the Bubble.

His previous indoor PR was a 46-6 from a meet in Virginia Beach in January.

Camerato surpassed his previous PR of 50-11 3/4, which he hit competing unattatched at an outdoor all-shot put meet in September at Kutztown (Pa.) High School.

Camerato is one of 10 50-foot throwers in New Jersey so far during this curtailed indoor season, and his 51-7 ranks No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Joe Metezger of Delea, who threw 54-8 3/4 at the Bubble last month.

His throw is the best indoors by a Lenape athlete since Ray Stinsman hit 53-1 1/2 at the 2009 Meet of Champions, also at the Bubble.

Lenape’s school record is 53-5 1/2, set 42 years ago by Dave DeMattia when he won the state Group 4 title at Jadwin Gym in 1979 in a 1-2 Burlington County finish over Cinnaminson’s Mike Stonebeck, who threw 53-1.

Kingsway sophomore Aubrey Pierontoni added an 800 PR to her 1,600 PR from a few days earlier, both races at the Bubble.

Last week, Pierontoni ran 5:10.01 in the 1,600, winning by about 60 meters over Delsea sophomore Lillie Widmer. Pierontoni’s previous 1,600 PR was a 5:13.74 at Group 4 sectionals last winter. Widmer ran a near-PR of 5:22.74 – less than half a second off her PR from a week earlier.

And then on Tuesday, Pierontoni ran 2:23.21, again unpressed. Her previous 800 PR was also indoors, a 2:24.58 last year at a SJTCA meet at the Bennett Center.

The 2:23.21 makes Pierontoni the top underclassman in New Jersey so far during this abridged indoor season and No. 5 overall and also No. 3 in South Jersey. She’s also No. 5 in the state in the 1,600 and No. 2 in South Jersey.

Pierontoni is coming off a short but terrific XC season that saw her run 19:37 at Holmdel, when she won the “Navy Race” at the East Coast XC Championships by half a minute. 

There was quite a competitive 55-meter dash in a quad meet between Rancocas Valley, Pennsauken and Northern Burlington Monday at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

R.V. junior Herbert Quarterman, a transfer from St. Joe’s Prep, won in 6.72 in his first 55 as a Red Devil, and Pennsauken freshman Elijah Jennings was second in 6.83 in his first high school 55. James McGhee of R.V. was third in 6.86, just off his PR of 6.83 from last year’s Easterns.

Quarterman’s time is No. 2 so far this year in South Jersey, behind Deptford senior John Adams, who ran 6.63 last month at the Bennett Center. Jennings’ time is No. 1 among New Jersey freshmen, and McGhee’s time is No. 6 so far in South Jersey.

R.V. junior David Murry ran a 53.68 PR for 400 meters, edging Pennsauken sophomore Premier Wynn, who ran 53.79 in his first lifetime 400.

In his first meet in almost two years, Kamron Kobolak posted a shot put PR at the Big Ten Championships.

Kobolak, a Cinnaminson graduate and a sophomore at Rutgers, last competed at the 2019 outdoor Big Ten meet in Iowa City in May of 2019.

Kobolak threw 52-4 3/4 with the 16-pound ball at the Big Ten meet at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Kobolak’s previous best was a 52-2 3/4 outdoors at the 2019 Metropolitan Championships at A.P. Randolph in New York. His previous indoor PR was a 51-11 3/4 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University in February of 2019.

Kobolak’s throw is best by a Rutgers athlete indoors since James Plummer of Toms River South threw 57-11 1/4 at the 2013 Great Dane Classic in Albany. (There was also a James Plummer who threw the shot for Egg Harbor around the same time, but the Egg Harbor James Plummer went to Clemson).

Rutgers junior Adam Hunt of Collingswood [season-best 51-4 1/4] and Penn State freshman Lucciano Pizarro from Cherokee [50-1 3/4] also surpassed 50 feet in the competition.

Delsea senior Carly Nicholson became the first New Jersey half-miler to break 2:20 this year Sunday at the adidas Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach

Nicholson ran 2:19.04 and placed 17th overall in the championship 800.

Nicholson lowered her indoor PR by more than two seconds from 2:21.32, which she ran at the state Group 3 meet in 2019 at the Bubble in Toms River. She’s run 2:18.48 outdoors, at the 2018 state meet at Central Regional in Bayville.

Her time Sunday is 3rd-fastest in Delsea history indoors and fastest since Celine Mazzi ran 2:16.84 seven years ago. 

This was Nicholson’s third 800 this indoor season. She ran 2:24.59 at the Armory back in October and 2:21.85 on the same track at the Virginia Beach Sports Center earlier this month. 

Here’s a look at where Nicholson ranks on the all-time Gloucester County indoor list:

2:09.56 … Megan Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2010
2:14.5h … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
2:14.99 … Kami Joi Hickson [Washington Twp.], 2017
2:15.90 … Felicia O’Donnell [Delsea], 2009
2:16.60 … Gabbi Kirsch [Williamstown], 2015
2:16.71 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2015
2:16.84 … Celine Mazzi [Delsea], 2014
2:17.15 … Nicole Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2011
2:17.21 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
2:17.43 … Cassie Hagstoz [Kingsway], 2013
2:17.76 … Destiny Stanford [Kingsway], 2017
2:18.57 … Liz Locke [Kingsway], 2009
2:18.72 … Hailey Tabar [Clearview], 2020
2:18.77 … Samantha Budd [West Deptford], 2012
2:18.91 … Vickie Ajimoko [Williamstown], 2013
2:18.9h … Ursula Eder [Gateway], 1974
2:18.9h … Patti Addis [Williamstown], 1984
2:09.04 … Carly Nicholson [Delsea], 2021