Sophomore Molly Mills won the 1,600 and placed 2nd in the 800, seniors Dylan Melcher and Rebecca Hoover also picked up wins and the Haddonfield girls swept the three relays on the way to their state-record 23rd sectional title.
Mills, the only Haddonfield distance runner entered in multiple individual events, won the 1,600 in 5:12.96 and ran 2:23.61 for 2nd in the 800, and Haddonfield scored 111 points on the way to its 10th title in the last 14 years.
Haddonfield outscored Barnegat 111-80. Sterling [47] and Haddon Heights [40] scored the 2nd– and 3rd-most points among South Jersey schools.
Haddonfield previously won South Jersey Group 1 in 1983, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1994 and 1998 and South Jersey Group 2 in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Teams with the next-most sectional titles are Metuchen [18], Columbia [18], Ridgewood [16] and Winslow [16].
Melcher ran 11:37.10 to win the 3,200 by 30 meters over senior Kaysie Luna of Sterling.
Hoover cleared 10-6 to win her 4th sectional title. She won the state Group 2 title indoors in 2024 and 2025.
Haddonfield scored a perfect 30 points in the relays, with senior Chloe Williams, Pinkerton, seniors Ava Poliafico and senior Molly Minor winning the 4-by-1 in 50.09, sophomore Penny Davis, junior Edith Green, Minor and sophomore Saya Sood running 4:05.55 to win the 4-by-4 and senior Tylin Regan, senior Caroline Barker, senior Katherine Asher and freshman Natalie Lacroce finishing 1st in the 4-by-8 in 9:58.86.
Senior Audrey Adams and Minor each picked up 2nd-place medals, Adams in the hurdles in 15.73 and Minor in the 400 with a lifetime-best 58.66.
Senior Maeve Hurly took 3rd in the triple jump with a 34-0 and sophomore Devon Gervasi ran 11:51.43 for 4th in the 3,200.
Sophomore Madison Kelsey ran 11:59.50 for 5th in the 3,200, senior Emalie Stanilla placed 5th in the discus with a 100-9 and senior Nicolette Pinkerton jumped 16-8 ¾ for 5th in the long jump.
Sood placed 6th in the intermediates with a PR 1:10.71, junior Elizabeth Pappas ran 5:34.25 for sixth in the 1,600 and sophomore Ansley Kazmarek, a 1st-year triple jumper, PR’d with a 33-4 for 6th place.
Amazing Pleasantville freshman Isabella Alvarez swept the long jump at 17-11 ¾, 1 ¼ inches ahead of Cedar Creek senior Daizhae Brown’s PR 17-10 ½, the high hurdles in 14.55 and the shot put at 39-1 ¾.
She’s the first Pleasantville girl to win three individual events at sectionals since Fateen Abdel-Baaith won the Group 2 100, 200 and 400 at the 1995 meet. And she’s the first freshman to triple at South Jersey sectionals since Haddonfield’s Briana Gess won the Group 2 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in 2014.
Haddon Heights senior Jayla Criss swept the short sprints, winning the 100 in 12.12 and the 200 in 25.43. She’s the first Haddon Heights sprinter to win either sprint at sectionals since Jamie Walker won both in 2007.
Lindenwold junior Egypt Bolan, the indoor Meet of Champions winner, cleared 5-8 on her 1stattempt, tying the Group 2 meet record set in 2012 by West Deptford’s Megan Kirschling. It also ties the overall Group 2 sectional record shared by Kirschling, Morristown’s Jordan Robinson in North 1 Group 2 in 2022, Rutherford’s Jenna Rogers in North 2 Group 2 in 2018 and Freehold Borough jumpers Latasha Keene in 2000 and Deb Vento in 2002 and 2003 in Central Jersey Group 2. Bolan has a PR of 5-8 ¾ from the Penn Relays last month.
Pemberton junior Olivia Serrano ran 57.63 to win the 400. She’s the first Pemberton runner to win a sectional title since Shaila Williams swept the 100, 200 and 400 in South Jersey Group 2 in 2012 and the first to win any event since Kyanna Dervain won the shot put in SJ-2 in 2014.
Other winners were Overbrook junior Rylee Clark [1:08.11 in 400 hurdles], West Deptford senior Kayla Romanoski [2:21.85 in 800], Sterling senior Ashe DeWalt by one inch in the discus [105-7] and Cedar Creek’s Brown [PR 37-1 ½ triple jump].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 