Woodbury senior Peyton Shute ran 9:12.13 and led five runners under 9:20 at the Cherokee Night of 3200s Friday night.
Nearly 500 runners raced in 21 sections, with more than three-quarters of them running PRs.
Shute was out in 4:42.23 for 1,600 meters and then came back in 4:29.91, closing in 2:14.98 and 67.83.
This was Shute’s 3,200 or two-mile since he ran a PR 9:05.99 at the indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze. He actually ran within a second of his outdoor PR of 9:11.11, which he set this past May at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford.
Colts Neck junior Hunter Celkupa, who came in with a PR of 9:27.31 from the Shore Conference Championships at the Bubble in January, was 2nd in 9:15.27, followed by the Cherokee pair of seniors Nick Kuenkel [9:16.54] and Robert Poplau [PR 9:18.82]. Haddonfield junior Bennett Wright [17-second PR 9:19.81] also dipped under 9:20.
Other South Jersey runners in the top 20: Ocean City senior Matt Hoffman was 8th [9:27.16], Cherokee freshman Benjamin Realley 12th [PR 9:32.85], Cherokee junior Liam Tindall 13th [9:34.15], Cherokee sophomore Logan Bromley 15th [PR 9:36.40], Washington Township senior Daniel Torres 17th [PR 9:37.46] an Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales 19th [9:40.24].
As we wrote about last night, Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally was the fastest girl with a 10:18.93, the 2nd-fastest time ever by a South Jersey girl and fastest in 41 years.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 