Junior Sofia Day became the first South Jersey girl in 10 years to run sub-17 on any course and Mainland packed its five scorers in the top 10 to win the Cape-Atlantic Conference Championship Thursday.
Day ran 16:59.37 over Stockton University’s 5,000-meter course in Galloway Township, fastest by a South Jersey girl since Briana Gess of Haddonfield ran 16:57 in 2013 at the Colonial Conference meet at Pennypacker Park in Haddonfield.
She broke the course record of 17:29.56, set at the 2021 Osprey Invitational by Red Bank Catholic’s Cate DeSousa, who was a Nike Cross Nationals qualifier and Meet of Champions 3,200 winner at 10:16.20 – 4th-fastest in New Jersey history – and is now at Virginia.
Day’s previous PR on any 5K course was a 17:38.96 on the same course at the same meet in 2021. Day didn’t race last year at the CAL Championships.
Day finished about 125 meters ahead of 2nd-place Ocean City junior Maeve Smith, who ran an all-course PR of her own with 17:27.80. Smith pushed the pace for most of the race, pushing Day to a historic time and finishing with a blazing time of her own.
Smith’s previous-fastest time over 5,000 meters was 17:58.87 last week when she won the Cape May County Championships at Cap May Park in Middle Township.
According to MileSplit’s database, Day and Smith now own the two-fastest times by New Jersey girls on any course. Emma Zawatski of Freehold Township, the Meet of Champions indoor 1,600 champ last winter, ran 17:29.48 Thursday at the Shore Conference meet at Ocean County Park in Lakewood.
Mainland, ranked 7th in the state, averaged 18:58.42 at Stockton, with senior Gillian Lovett 3rd in 18:12.46, junior Ava McDole 6th in 19:35.71, freshman Cecilia Foreman 7th in 19:52.46 and senior Sophie Goldstein 10th in 20:12.10.
Mainland outscored Ocean City 27-45, with Egg Harbor 3rd with 65 points. Mainland, Ocean City and Egg Harbor accounted for 17 of the first 20 finishers.
Ocean City had all seven runners finish in the top 20, with junior Chloe Care 5th in 18:58, senior Frankie Ritzel [11th in 20:29], junior Zoe Zammit [13th in 20:35]
Also in the top 10 were Egg Harbor Townsip senior Michaela Schlemo [4th in 18:53], EHT sophomore Paige Pacquing [8th in 20:08] and Vineland senior Nicolette Guiliana placed 9th in 20:11.84
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 