From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Villanova freshman Maeve Smith from Ocean City led the South Jersey contingent Friday at the 51^st annual Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh.

Smith covered the challenging 6,000-meter course mostly in Bethlehem and partly in Lower Saucon Township in a lifetime all-course best 21:03 in the Women’s Gold Race.

She was the 8^th-fastest of nearly 400 freshmen women in the four college races and placed her 80^th-fastest out of nearly 1,400 runners in the race merge.

Smith was Villanova’s 6^th finisher, and the Wildcats – unranked last week in the national poll – won the team title 110-115 over No. 15 Penn State. PSU is ranked No. 1 in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region, followed by West Virginia, Georgetown, Princeton and Villanova. Georgetown was 3^rd with with 143 points. West Virginia didn’t race at Paul Short. Princeton competed in a non-scoring race.

For Smith, her time over 6,000 meters was almost the same pace as her fastest race ever over 5.000 meters. And she did it on a challenging course that hosted the NCAA Championships in 1979, 1983 and 1993.

A 21:03 on a 6,000-meter course is 17:32 pace for 5,000 meters. Smith’s 5,000 PR is 17:27 from the 2023 Cape-Atlantic Conference Championships on the flat, fast Stockton University course in Galloway Township.

Eastern graduate Alexis Tepper, a junior at Maryland-Baltimore County, was the Retrievers’ top finisher and ran 21:17 in the Women’s Gold Race and was the 2^nd-fastest South Jersey runner.

East Stroudsburg junior Payton Falkenstein from Burlington Township placed 15^th in the Women’s Brown Race and ran 21:25, some 89 seconds faster than she ran last year.

Penn State freshman Liliah Gordon from Northern Burlington ran 21:28, an all-course PR in the Women’s Gold Race. She ran 21:30 in a home meet in State College last month.

La Salle junior Helene Usher ran 21:30 and was the Explorers’ 2^nd placer, finishing 1.2 seconds behind Gordon in the Gold Race.

Delsea grad Carly Nicholson, a Rutgers grad student from Elk Township and a transfer from Louisiana State, ran 21:31 in the Gold Race and was the Scarlet Knights’ 2^nd finisher. Her previous all-course 6,000 PR was 22:08 from a meet last month in East Lansing.

Villanova’s Maeve Smith from Ocean City is 9^th-fastest out of 400 freshman at Paul Short, fast times also for Alexis Tepper, Carly Nicholson, Payton Falkenstein, Liliah Gordon, Helene Usher!

Also, senior Gabriella Pagano from Sparta High placed 8^th in the Women’s White Race in 21:14, leading Rowan and smashing her all-course 6,000 PR of 21:25 set in Salisbury, Md., in August.