From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Bishop Eustace senior Arianna Cane recorded the first major XC championship of her career Saturday morning when she crossed the line first in the Division 1 race at the South Jersey Open.

Cane ran an all-course PR of 19:33 at DREAM Park in Logan Township, finishing 75 meters ahead of Haddon Township senior Meghan Lex, who was second in 19:51.

Cane won a state 1,600 title at the 2021 Parochial B meet in Neptune, but she hadn’t won a varsity XC title although she placed 2nd at states last fall at Holmdel, behind only St. Rose’s Tilly O’Connor.

Eustace placed four scorers in the top eight and all five scorers in the top 20 to win the team title. Official results haven’t bene posted yet, but unofficially it looks like 34-70 over Camden Catholic. (That score is now official.)

Senior Elena Cicchini was 3rd in 20:00 and junior Anya Kazemi 5th in 20:45, junior Amelia Ingersoll 8th in 21:58 and junior Cassidy Dunk 17th in 22:58. Eustace’s No. 6 and 7 runners both finished in the top 26, freshman Sophia Kaloustian 22nd and soph Donna Presenza 26th.

Also in the top 10 were Haddon Township junior Genevieve Gentlesk [4th in 20:25], Schalick sophomore Taylor Behrens [6th in 21:07], Camden Catholic sophomore Nilaa Ponnappan [7th in 21:21], Lower Cape May senior Kaitlyn Crouthamel [9th in 22:11] and Maple Shade junior Yaretzy Rodriguez-Parras [10th 22:12].