Aiden Williams blazes a 15:24, becomes Audubon’s first Colonial Conference All-Star winner in at least 35 years!!!!!!

Audubon senior Aiden Williams led four runners under 16 minutes at the Colonial Conference All-Star Meet Thursday.

Williams ran a lifetime all-course best 15:24.48 for 5,000 meters at Pennypacker Park in Haddonfield and now has wins this year at the Six Flags Wild Safari, South Jersey Open and Colonial Conference meet to go with a 2nd-place at Shore Coaches.

Williams’ time is 6th-fastest in course history and only 16 seconds off the course-record 15:08 set by Sterling’s Sean McPherson at the 2014 Colonial Conference All-Star Meet.

He’s Audubon’s first Colonial Conference winner since at least 1987. Earlier results are not available.

Collingswood senior Elijah Forrest ran 15:40 for 2nd place, followed by five Haddonfield runners – junior Bennett Wright [3rd in 15:49], sophomore Ryan Gibson [4th in 16:00 (15:59.26)], sophomore Benjamin Andrus [5th in 16:04], sophomore Luke Andressen [6th in 16:18] and senior Reid Gervasi [7th in 16:32].

There is no team scoring at this meet, but if there were Haddonfield would have scored 25, Haddon Heights 74 and Haddon Township 85.

Also in the top 10 were Haddon Heights junior Reggie Hernandez [8th in 16:41], Haddonfield junior Linus Kucer [9th in 16:48] and Haddon Heights senior Jayden Gonzalez [10th in 16:52].

Also under 17 minutes were Haddonfield senior Matthew Sullivan [11th in 16:54] and sophomore Brandon Stoner [12th in 16:55].

Sofia Day runs fastest 5,000 on any course by S.J. girl in 10 years, leads Mainland past loaded Ocean City in Cape-Atlantic League Championships!!!!!!

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

Liliah Gordon becomes first girl ever to win 3 straight BCSL titles, leads NBC to 3rd straight Liberty championship!!!!!!

Liliah Gordon became the first girl – in any division – to win three consecutive BCSL cross country titles when she won her 3rd straight Liberty Division race Wednesday at New Egypt High in Plumsted Township, Ocean County.

Gordon, a junior at Northern, won the 2021 race as a freshman in 18:03.38 and set a course record of 17:56.10 last year before winning this year in 18:22.1.

The results are a complete disaster – this is sadly becoming the norm with track and XC results in South Jersey and New Jersey – but unofficially it looks like Northern went 1-3-5-9-13 to win the Liberty Division team title 31-60 over Cinnaminson.

It’s also Northern’s third consecutive team title.

Juniors Zoe Chou and Kayla Leonhardt also placed in the top 10 for Northern, Chou in 3rd with a 20:28 and Leonhardt in 5th with a 20:35. Northern’s other scorers were senior Abigail Duffy [12th in 21:52] and junior Sofia Dileo [20th in 22:45].

Our best attempt at the rest of the top 10 based on a mess of results: Cinnaminson senior Anna Marino [2nd in 19:48], Delran sophomore Ashley Doyle [4th in 20:34], Cinnaminson junior Oliwia Moyer [6th in 20:53], Cinnaminson junior Abigial Flannery [7th in 21:33], Bordentown sophomore Katherine Kovac [8th in 21:37] and Westampton Tech junior Janelle Sanabria [10th in 21:57].

Individual winner Caleb Widerholt paces Northern Burlington to BCSL Liberty Division title!!!!!!

Junior Caleb Widerholt was the overall winner, junior Colin Brennan placed 3rd and sophomore Jimmy Cataline 7th, and Northern Burlington raced to the team title Wednesday in the Liberty Division race at the Burlington County Scholastic League Championships.

Widerholt ran 16:53 and finished eight meters ahead of sophomore Jacob Wickersham of Cinnaminson, who was 2nd in 16:58, with Brennan a close 3rd in 16:59.

Northern outscored Medford Tech 43-59 to win the team title, with Cinnaminson 3rd with 66 points.

The team title is Northern’s first since 2018, when the Greyhounds beat Rancocas Valley 33-41 in the Liberty Division race on the same 5,000-meter course at New Egypt High School in Plumsted Township, Ocean County.

Widerholt is Northern’s first individual winner since Beepul Bharti won the 2014 Liberty Division race at New Egypt in 16:01.

Last time Northern won both the team title and had an individual winner was 2013, when Harrison Scott and Chris Martin went 1-2 in 15:32 and 15:34 and Northern outscored Moorestown 23-44 in the Liberty Division competition.

Cataline ran 17:22 for 7th place and NBC’s other scorers were junior Noah Taylor in 12th place in 17:36 and sophomore J.P. West, who placed 21st in 18:30.

Others in the top 10: Medford Tech junior Luke Damato [4th in 17:04], Palmyra senior Colin Broadbelt [5th in 17:15], Maple Shade senior Aidan Cloke [6th in 17:19], Medford Tech junior Cole Malinowski [8th in 17:33], Cinnaminson junior Brandon Smith [9th in 17:34] and Delran sophomore Chase Dubuque [10th in 17:35].

Jordan Hadfield is Schalick’s first winner at Tri-County Showcase in 27 years; Williamstown girls win first title in 14 years!!!!!!

Junior Jordan Hadfield became Schalick’s first winner at the Tri-County Showcase in 27 years Tuesday with a big win Tuesday at Cumberland Regional in Upper Deerfield Township.

Hadfield ran 18:50, with Williamstown senior Alyssa Boucher and sophomore Sophia Aldridge finishing 2nd and 3rd to lead the Braves to their first team title in 14 years.

Hadfield ran 5:14.80 and 11:17.17 and was a state Group 1 medalist in both races last spring, but this is her first season of cross country and she’s been consistently up front in every major race.

She placed 3rd in the South Jersey Shootout, 1st in her race at the Six Flags Wild Safari, 6th at Shore Coaches, 1st in the South Jersey Open, 1st in the Salem County Championships and now 1st in the Tri-County meet.

Hadfield has now run sub-19 in her last three races – 18:49.24 at the South Jersey Open at DREAM Park in Logan Township, 18:26 at the Salem County meet on her home course in Pittsgrove Township and her 18:50.24 Tuesday at Cumberland Regional.

She’s Schalick’s first Tri-County Showcase winner since Sandy Ogbin won the 1996 race at Kingsway in 19:17. Williamstown won the team title that year as well.

For this year’s Williamstown team, Boucher and Aldridge both ran 19:20 and change, Boucher edging her teammate for 2nd place by 41-100ths of a second (19:20.44 to 19:20.85).

Junior Delaney Harbison placed 11th in 21:0, freshman Julia Burgio was 15th in 21:25 and senior Paige Franklin 18th in 21:40.

The Braves outscored Clearview 44-54 to win their first title since the 2009 team – led by Kristen Mathis in 4th place – topped Clearview 38-50.

Others in the top 10 were Wildwood junior Macie McCracken [4th in 19:47], Clearview senior Allison Roes [5th in 20:12], Washington Township junior Rachael Wilson [6th in 20:14], Clearview senior Margaret Wisniewski [7th in 20:25], Washington Township junior Kaylee Russell [8th in 20:30], Delsea junior Juliana Sieminski [9th in 20:40] and Highland sophomore Lyana Gutierrez 10th in 20:51].

Individual winner Julia Flanagan leads Holy Cross girls to first BCSL title since 2017!!!!!!

Sophomore Julia Flanagan on Wednesday  became the first Holy Cross girl to win the BCSL Freedom Division title in six years and also led the Lancers to their first title in six years.

Flanagan became the first Holy Cross girl to win a BCSL title since 2017, when Julia Lloyd ran 21:39 to win the Freedom Division title on the same course.

That’s also the last time Holy Cross won a team title. The Lancers in 2017 outscored 2nd-place New Egypt 19-36 to win the Freedom Division title.

Flanagan finished 150 meters ahead of Maple Shade junior Crystal Benito, who was 2nd in 20:27.

This was Flanagan’s first time under 20 minutes on any course. She ran 20:23 earlier this month at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

The results are a mess – one set of results has no first names, the other set only lists the Liberty Division results with no times  – but it looks like Holy Cross edged Palmyra by a 26-29 score to win the team title.

For the Lancers, junior Anna Fonseca placed 5th in 22:07, junior Molly Frith 9th in 23:12, senior Sara Sherlock 12th in 25:54 and sophomore Hannah Crane 14th in 28:29. Sherlock was a state medalist last spring in track in the 400 hurdles and 800.

It appears from their MileSplit profiles that none of Holy Cross’s five scorers ever ran cross country before this fall. Only Sherlock and Crane have run track.

The rest of the top 10: Palmyra senior Cadence Anderson [3rd in 21:00], Maple Shade senior Yaretzy Rodriguez -Parras [4th in 21:12], Riverside junior Sydney Greenidge [6th in 22:22], New Egypt sophomore Alana Burnett [7th in 22:53], New Egypt senior Jenna Rountree [8th in 22:54] and Maple Shade senior Natalia Diaz [10th in 24:43].

Nick Kuenkel, Robert Poplar finish 1-2, Cherokee places 5 in top 10 to win Olympic Conference title!!!!!!

Seniors Nick Kuenkel and Robert Poplau finished 1-2 and Cherokee placed all five scorers in the top 10 to win its 3rd straight Olympic Conference title and 7th in the last 8 years.

Cherokee, ranked 10th in the state, topped 7th-ranked Cherry Hill East 24-54. Paul VI edged Shawnee on a 6th-runner tiebreaker after both finished with 106 points.

For Cherokee, Kuenkel ran 15:51 and Poplau 15:53. Junior Liam Tindall was 5th in 16:11, sophomore Logan Bromley 6th in 16:11 and freshman Benjamin Realley 10th in 16:21.

That’s a 30-second pack for Cherokee. Cherry Hill East had a 37-second pack and Shawnee a 26-second gap from 1 to 5.

Cherokee or Cherry Hill East has won the Olympic Conference team title every year since 2012, when Washington Township won by seven or Cherry Hill East.

Cherry Hill East was led by senior Raine Guidarelli in 3rd place in 15:57.4 and Brody Bogos in 8th in 16:20.

Others in the top 10: Paul VI Will Mrozinski [4th in 16:03], Moorestown sophomore Peter Simpson [7th in 16:14] and 1st-year junior XC runner Christian Rouzard of Rancocas Valley [9th in 16:20].

Cherokee’s 16:04.91 average for its five scorers is No. 6 in course history

Fastest Team Averages at DREAM Park
15:48 … Cherokee, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2021 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2022 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
16:00 … Cherokee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:00 … Southern Regional, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:05 … Cherokee, 2023 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:10 … Cherokee, 2022 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:13 … Cherokee, 2021 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:14 … Cherokee, 2018 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:15 … Highland, 2022 [South Jersey Group 3 Sectionals]
16:15 … Cherry Hill East, 2023 [South Jersey Open]

Another Olympic Conference title for Shaelan McNally, Cherokee girls edge Paul VI for team championship!!!!!!

Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally ran the 6th-fastest time in DREAM Park history and won her 2nd straight Olympic Conference title Wednesday in Logan Township.

McNally, who won last year’s race in 18:13.17, lowered her time to 18:09.58 this year to become Paul VI’s first ever repeat winner in an Olympic Conference XC championship meet. Her time is fastest in the Olympic Conference meet since it was moved to DREAM Park in 2018.

Cherokee, led by senior Kerry O’Day, junior Megan Meglio and junior Grave Wojciechowski all in the top 10, won a close three-team battle for the team title.

O’Day placed 2nd in 18:28.0, her fastest 5,000 on any course [18:27.94 to 18:28 at Battle at Ocean County Park in Lakewood last month]. Niglio was 5th in 19:12 and Wojciechowski 10th in 19:59.

Cherokee also had senior Alaina Bromley 16th in 20:35 and senior Olivia Parkinson 18th in 20:42 and edged 2nd-place Paul VI 51-62, with Cherry Hill East 3rd at 70 points.

Paul VI sophomore Giovanna Mantuano finished 3rd in 19:08 and Bishop Eustace senior Anya Kazemi 4th in 19:12. Also in the top 10: Camden Catholic junior Nilaa Ponnappan [6th in 19:22], Eastern freshman Theresa Albertson [7th in 19:30], Cherry Hill East junior Cate Feudtner [8th in 19:37], Cherry Hill East sophomore Shaelea Conway [9th in 19:41].

Haddonfield’s Caleb Clevenger, Audubon’s Scott Hubbard, Timber Creek’s Giancarlo Vega lead Rowan to team title at Border Battle and #2 Metro Region ranking!!!!!!

With South Jersey alums Caleb Clevenger, Scott Hubbard and Giancarlo Vega all in the top five, Rowan placed all five scorers in the top 30 and raced to a big win at its own Rowan Interregional Border Battle over the weekend.

The Profs averaged 25:24 over the 8,000-meter course at DREAM Park in Logan Township and outscored 2nd-place DeSales of Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, by 87-135, with Moravian 3rd with 144 points.

With that result, Rowan moved up from 3rd to 2nd in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division 3 Metro Region rankings, behind only Haverford. DeSales moved up from 5th to 4th and Moravian of neighboring Bethlehem from 6th to 5th. The College of New Jersey dropped from 2nd to 3rd.

Junior Jacob Riley from North Warren High of Blairstown and Haddonfield’s Clevenger from Haddonfield led the way for Rowan with top-10 finishes in a field of nearly 300 runners.

Riley ran 25:11.0 for 8th place and Clevenger, a junior, was 10th in 25:14.9. Audubon’s Hubbard, a sophomore, [19th in 25:28.5], senior Dario Epifania from South Brunswick [21st in 25:31.9] and junior Giancarlo Vega from Timber Creek [30th in 25:38.0] made it five finishers in the span of 27 seconds.

Four other runners broke 26 minutes: junior Cole Kolodziej from Washington Township [41st in 25:49.3], sophomore Anthony Faust from Bishop Eustace [42nd in 25:49.9], sophomore Joshua Cason from Camden County Vo-Tech [44th in 25:50.5] and freshman Johannes Rivera from Bergenfield [54th in 25:58.6].

Rowan also won the open race, with seven in the top 20 in a field of more than 150: sophomore Tyler Green from Ocean City [5th in 26:02.9], sophomore Cole Mylan from Timber Creek [9th in 26:32.4], junior Cameron DiTroia from Ocean City [10th in 26:33.6], sophomore Sean Hice from WashingtonTownship [12th in 26:39.0], freshman Joshua Jackson from Williamstown [14th in 26:46.2], freshman Aidan Brad from Williamstown [17th in 26:50.9] and freshman Hunter Hughes from Monroe Township in Middlesex County [19th in 27:04.8].

Also in the championship race, Haddon Township graduate Jake Aylmer, a junior at Stevens in Hoboken was 24th in 25:33.6 and his former high school teammate at Haddon Township, Ian McCauley a Ramapo senior, was 35th in 35th in 25:43.7.

Former Kingsway runner Thomas Cooke, running under the Kingsway Track Club banner, won the Open race in 25:19.7.

The first collegiate runner was Woodstown graduate Xavier Seals, a senior at Georgian Court. Seals ran 25:35.6 and led Georgian Court to 2nd place in team scoring.

Maple Shade graduate Forrest Miller, a sophomore at DeSales, placed 39th in 27:47.4.

For the Rowan women, junior Anna Sasse of Williamstown placed 9th in the championship race in 22:15.5, and Isabelle Smith from Ocean City was 5th in the open race in 24:49.8.

Glassboro’s Elijah Whitaker edges Kingsway’s Ryan Duffy to win Tri-County Showcase, tight Washington Township pack wins team title!!!!!!

Glassboro senior Elijah Whitaker recorded his 2nd straight invitational win Tuesday at the Tri-County Conference Showcase Championships at Cumberland Regional in Upper Deerfield Township.

Whitaker ran 15:47.48 over 5,000 meters, edging Kingsway freshman Ryan Duffy for the second straight meet. Duffy ran 16:00.57. Whitaker and Duffy ran 1-2 Thursday at the Gloucester County Championships at West Deptford Park.

Whitaker has now run under 15:50 in back-to-back races. His previous all-course 5K PR was a 16:14 in the Shore Coaches Varsity F race, where he placed second to Woodbury’s Peyton Shute.

Duffy’s time appears to be a freshman course record, according to the MileSplit database. Another Kingsway runner, Joe Grandizio, ran 16:07.41 at Cumberland Regional at the 2014 Tri-County Championship.

Duffy’s previous all-course 5K PR was a 16:07.2 last week at the Gloucester County meet. Duffy’s 16:00.57 is the fastest time on any course this year by a New Jersey freshman.

Washington Township placed five runners in the top 20 and all seven in the top 26 to win the team title, 67-81, over Clearview, with Kingsway [96] and Williamstown [99] also in double digits.

Senior Aaron Kolosowsky led the way for the Minutemen in 8th place in 16:44, and junior teammate Hunter Bostwick finished 10 seconds one spot back. Also in Township’s lead group were senior Patrick Lant [13th in 17:11], senior Evan Bongard [19th in 17:28] and senior Daniel Torres [20th in 17:34].

Senior Daniel Mumbower [21st in 17:35] and junior Joshua Baseshore [26th in 17:46] also raced for the Minutemen.

Washington Township’s 4th and 5th runners both finished of every other school’s 4th runner.

Others in the top 10 were Williamstown junior Dylan Saber [3rd in 16:06], Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales [4th in 16:24], Williamstown sophomore Dominic Burgio [5th in 16:32], Clearview junior Ethan Worst [6th in 16:35], Williamstown junior David Kershner [7th in 16:42] and Clearview senior Akshar Patel [10th in 17:00].

Washington Township won last year’s meet on a 6th-runner tiebreaker (Lant) with Williamstown at 49-apiece.