Led by sophomore Riley Austin and senior Ava Thomas, the Haddonfield girls on Saturday continued a remarkable stretch with their 5th consecutive top-5 finish at the Meet of Champions.
Austin placed 31st in 19:39 and Thomas was 32nd in 19:40 and Haddonfield scored 166 points and finished as the top South Jersey program and the No. 3 public school in the field.
Only 30 points separated 2nd-place Middletown South and 8th-place Summit.
After Austin and Thomas, senior Riley Slootsky [65th in 20:16], senior Anna Stolarick [74th in 20:25] and junior Dylan Melcher [130th in 21:06] finished Haddonfield’s scoring group. Freshman Madison Kelsey and freshman Harper Benjamin also broke 22 minutes for Haddonfield, Kelsey in 21:32 and Benjamin in 21:53.
Overall, Haddonfield has now placed in the top 10 some 10 times in the last 19 years, including the Bulldogs’ win in the 2020 Holmdel Invitational, an unofficial Meet of Champions at Holmdel after the NJSIAA cancelled the official race:
2023
5. Haddonfield 166
2022
2. Haddonfield 88
2021
5. Haddonfield 179
2020 [Holmdel Invitational]
1. Haddonfield 52
2019
4. Haddonfield 172
2016
9. Haddonfield 249
2013
5. Haddonfield 164
2007
8. Haddonfield 221
2006
10. Haddonfield 222
2005
6. Haddonfield 162
Haddonfield’s current streak of five straight top-5 finishes is tied for 2nd-longest ever by a South Jersey schools.
Shawnee placed among the top 5 at the Meet of Champions every year from 1993 through 1999 – seven straight years. Even more impressive, from 1990 through 2003, the Renegades placed 6th or better for 14 consecutive years. Here’s what that streak looked like:
2003: 1st
2002: 1st
2001: 3rd
2000: 6th
1999: 4th
1998: 4th
1997: 1st
1996: 2nd
1995: 3rd
1994: 5th
1993: 4th
1992: 6th
1991: 1st
1990: 5th
Even if you don’t include the 2020 race, Haddonfield’s current streak of four straight top-5 finishes is tied for 3rd-longest ever by a South Jersey school. Paul VI went 3rd-2nd-1st-3rd-5th from 1989 through 1993. Moorestown went 2nd-3rd-1st-4th from 1999 through 2002.
Cherokee was the only other South Jersey program to advance to the Meet of Champions as a full team, and the Chiefs placed 9th with 211 points. This was Cherokee’s 5th top-10 finish at the Meet of Champions, following 8th place, in 2004, 6th place in 2010, 2nd place in the unofficial 2020 race and 1st in 2021.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 