Senior Ty Blackman won the Group 1 race by over a minute and led Glassboro to its first sectional cross country title in 43 years Saturday morning at DREAM Park in Logan Township.
Blackman ran 15:42 – 2nd-fastest ever by a Group 1 runner at DREAM Park – and Glassboro edged Haddon Township by two points.
Last time Glassboro won a South Jersey title was 1981, when Brian Kirkpatrick and Jim Davis both placed in the top 10 and the Bulldogs defeated Maple Shade 70-88 at Pennsauken.
Blackman finished about 250 meters ahead of 2nd-place junior Shaun Maloney of Haddon Township, who ran 16:47.
His 65-second margin of victory is the largest in the 59-year history of the South Jersey Group 1 meet. In 2005, James Buinicky of Maple Shade won by 63 seconds over teammate Dave Delisi in the Group 1 sectional at Delsea.
Blackman is Glassboro’s 3rd straight individual winner. Former teammate Elijah Whittaker won in 2022 and 2023
Junior Jaeden Wesley, freshman Joseph Saicic and junior Jason Martin also placed in the top 10 for Glassboro, Wesley 5th in 16:53, Saicic 9th in 16:57 and Martin 10th in 17:00.
Freshman Aaron Johnson clinched the team title with his 17th-place finish in 17:28.
For Haddon Township, senior Manolo Foote placed 4th in 16:53, junior Luke Wolfram 11th in 17:09, freshman James Strimel 12th in 17:11 and junior Aidan Curran 15th in 17:25. Sixth man junior James Clausen gave Township six in the top 16 in 17:27.
Glassboro’s two-point is closest in Group 1 since 2009, when Haddon Township edged Pennsville on a 6th-runner tiebreaker. Haddon Township had won SJ-1 12 of the previous 16 years
Woodstown was a close 3rd with 63 points.
Also in the top 10 were Woodstown Karson Chew [3rd in 16:53], Woodstown Jacob Marino [6th in 16:55], Woodstown Cole Lucas [7th in 16:56] and Audubon Logan Camm [8th in 16:57].
Others under 18 minutes: Schalick Salvatore Longo [13th in 17:19], Pitman Rhys Blackman [14th in 17:20], Maple Shade Jack Wessner [18th in 17:38], Maple Shade Ries Fox [19th in 17:46], Audubon Brayden Ervin [20th in 17:54] and Paulsboro Stephen Lane [12st in 17:57].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 