With four girls in the top 20, the Egg Harbor girls placed second in the Stockton Invitational Friday, just one point behind Toms River North.
Egg Harbor, ranked 13th in the state, fell 71-72 to No. 10 Toms River North but finished 15 points ahead of No. 19 Southern Regional in a meeting of three top-20 programs.
EHT’s top 5 averaged 20:15 on the 5,000-meter course on Stockton University’s campus in Galloway Township.
It was certainly a promising performance for EHT, which was led by junior Michaela Schlemo, who ran an all-course 5,000 PR of 18:46 for 3rd place. Her previous 5,000 best was 18:53 at last year’s Cape Atlantic Championships on the same course in Galloway Township.
Senior Lindsay Taylor [9th in 19:49], junior Taylor Rooney [16th in 20:34] and sophomore Bithania Andemariam [19th in 20:41] also finished in the top 20, and freshman Page Pacquing – in her first varsity 5,000 ever – was EHT’s 5th finisher in 34th in 21:27.
All five EHT runners ran an all-course 5,000 PR. Andemariam’s previous 5K PR was a 23:27 from last year’s CAL meet, so she PR’d by nearly three minutes in her first 5,000 of the fall.
Rooney has run track previously but this is her first season of cross country, so two of EHT’s top five had never run a varsity 5,000 before.
Mainland sophomore Sofia Day placed 2nd overall in 18:23, behind only T.R. North freshman Jessica Abbott, who won the race in 18:03.
Also in the top 10 were Wildwood sophomore Macie McCracken [4th in 18:49], Mainland junior Gillian Lovett [5th in 19:08], Atlantic City senior Madeline Dischert [6th in 19:19], Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally [7th in 19:33] and Camden Catholic sophomore Nilaa Ponnappan [10th in 19:52].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 