Junior Madeline Meder and senior Megan Niglio placed 1st and 3rd and led Cherokee to its second consecutive Olympic Conference title and the 4th-fastest team average in DREAM Park history.
Meder covered the 5,000-meter DREAM Park course in 18:15 and Niglio ran 18:24, and the Chiefs won the team title 45-55 over Paul VI. Cherokee is ranked 4th in New Jersey, Paul VI 5th. Cherry Hill East, ranked 17th, was 3rd with 77 points.
Freshman Erin Healy and junior Maya Kumar ran 11th and 12th in 19:25 and 19:28 for Cherokee and senior Grace Wojciechowski locked up the team title with an 18th-place finish in 19:52.
Junior Macy Huber, sophomore Grace Gutwoski and freshman Peyton Blake all finished in the top 10 for Paul VI, Huber in 2nd in 18:20, Gutowski 4th in 18:52 and Blake 9th in 19:22. Freshman Morgan Kuzma and sophom,ore Kara Salamone rounded out PVI’s top 5, Kuzma in 17th in 19:51 and Salamone 24th in 20:24, with 6th runner freshman Johanna Trampe one place and one second back.
Perfect conditions and some very talented runners combined to produce three of the 10-fastest team averages in the seven-year history of the course in Logan Township in southern Gloucester County.
Cherokee averaged 19:05.31, 4th-fastest in course history and fastest ever in a meet other than sectionals, Paul VI averaged 19:22.26, 7th-fastest ever, and Cherry Hill East averaged 19:45.20, 10th-fastest. An updated list of top times is below.
Cherry Hill East was led by sophomore Ryleigh Budsock in 10th in 19:25 and senior Cate Feudtner in 13th in 19:31.
The rest of the top 10 included Camden Catholic senior Nilaa Ponnappan [5th in 19:07], Eastern sophomore Theresa Albertson [6th in 19:08], Eastern junior Natalie Dumas – the U.S. intermediate hurdles champ last spring [7th in 19:11] and Lenape sophomore Audrey McCorkle [8th in 19:19].
Also under 20 minutes: Winslow senior Ava Millner [14th in 19:43], Cherry Hill East sophomore Gabriella Pizzo [15th in 19:47], Shawnee senior Paige Cline [16th in 19:49], Cherry Hill East freshman Emmie Wang in her first high school varsity 5K race [19th in 19:54] and Cherry Hill East junior Ella Davidson [20th in 19:54].
All-Time DREAM Park fastest team averages
18:19.90 … Haddonfield, 2022 South Jersey Group 2
18:51.74 … Haddonfield, 2021 South Jersey Group 2
18:53.19 … Clearview, 2022 South Jersey Group 3
19:05.31. … Cherokee, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:19.92 … Cherokee, 2021 Olympic Conference
19:22.22 … Cherokee, 2021 South Jersey Group 4
19:22.26 … Paul VI, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:29.2 … Haddonfield, 2020 South Jersey Group 2
19:34.31 … Haddonfield, 2023 South Jersey Group 2
19:45.20 … Cherry Hill East, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:46.76 … Cherry Hill East, 2019 Olympic Conference
19:46.78 … Cherokee, 2023 Olympic Conference
19:48.07 … Cherokee, 2019 Olympic Conference
19:48.15 … Cherry Hill East, 2021 South Jersey Group 4
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 