Glassboro senior Elijah Whitaker ran away from Audubon senior Aiden Williams to win the state Group 1 title Saturday at Holmdel County Park.
Whitaker ran 16:07, fastest time by a Gloucester County runner at Holmdel in 13 years – Williamstown’s Paul Szulewski ran 15:55 and Washington Township’s Anthony Dentino 16:00, both in 2010 – and fastest winning time in the Group 1 state meet since Walkill Valley’s Craig Corti ran 15:40 in 2014.
Williams placed 2nd in 16:22 and Whitaker’s teammate, Glassboro junior Ty Blackman, made it a 1-2-3 South Jersey finish by placing 3rd in 16:37.
Whitaker ran 16:14 at Shore Coaches in September, which stood as fastest race ever by a Glassboro runner at Holmdel until he broke his own record Saturday.
Whitaker is Glassboro’s third state XC champion and first in 28 years. Tom Horne won the 1993 Group 1 race in 16:28 and Pat Ryan was 1st in the 1995 race in 17:05.
Last spring, Whitaker placed 3rd in the 1,600 and 5th in the 3,200 at the state Group 1 track championships with PRs of 4:29.39 and 9:53.04.
This fall, he’s won four consecutive major weekend invitationals – Gloucester County Championships, Tri-County Showcase, sectionals and states. His time Saturday was 18th-fastest among every runner in the six state championship meets. He’ll race next Saturday back at Holmdel in the Meet of Champions.
Whitaker, Williams and made up the first South Jersey 1-2-3 finish in a state meet since 2019, when Austin Gabay of Cinnaminson won the Group 2 race and Haddonfield’s Martin Riddell and Andrew Gostovich were 2nd and 3rd.
Last time it happened in Group 1 was in 1993 and oddly enough Glassboro runners placed 1st and 3rd in that race as well. Horn won the race, Maple Shade’s Chuck Nolte placed 2nd in 17:10 – leading the Wildcats to the team title – and Glassboro’s Tim Graves took 3rd in 17:22.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 