Junior Julian Rich of Gloucester Township Vo-Tech edged junior Luke Damato of Medford Vo-Tech Monday to win the New Jersey Technical Athletic Conference championships.
Rich ran 17:28.20 and finished half a step ahead of Damato, who ran 17:28.52, at Salem County Vo-Tech in Woodstown.
But Gloucester County Vo-Tech of Deptford, with five scorers in the top 11, won the team title 40-67 over Passaic County Vo-Tech of Wayne. Burlington was 3rd with 93 points.
Rich, 5th in last year’s race, beat a field of nearly 100 runners. Damato, who runs track for Lenape, was 24th last year.
For Gloucester, senior Gavin Hoover led the way in 4th place in 17:50, with senior Luke Clodfelter 6th in 17:54. Then junior Gavin Kravchuck [18:16], freshman Duke Snyder-Shellito [18:22] and junior Patrick Monaghan [18:27] came across in 10th, 11th and 12th. For team scoring purposes, Gloucester went 4-6-9-10-11.
Junior Connor Auge and junior Owen LeLuca placed 15th and 19th, giving Glocuester seven in the top 20.
Other South Jersey runners in the top 20: Atlantic County Vo-Tech senior Shawn Tamanini [8th in 18:14], Burlington junior Cole Malinowski [13th in 18:30], Atlantic County junior Thomas Wodazak [14th in 18:35], Atlantic County senior Eni Fakolade [16th in 18:41] and Camden County junior Leo Vargas-Trinidad [17th in 18:45].
In the girls race, Atlantic County Vo-Tech placed 2nd with 82 points, behind only Morris County Tech of Denville, which scored 33. Gloucester was 4th with 118 points.
South Jersey runners in the top 20: Gloucester County senior Ave Dixon [6th in 22:05], Salem County junior Sarah Seiden [8th in 22:23], Atlantic County senior Ava Macchione [10th in 22:37], Westampton Tech junior Janelle Sanabria [13th in 22:59], Atlantic County seniors Emma Feehan and Ella Feehan [14th and 15th in 23:07 and 23:21], Westampton senior Soleil Casseus [17th in 23:28], Atlantic County senior Alissa Taylor [18th in 23:30].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 