From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

The Glassboro boys led all Group 1 schools at Shore Coaches Saturday with a 17:23 average on the 5,000-meter course at Holmdel County Park.

Glassboro placed 4^th in the Varsity F race behind three parochials – Union Catholic, Pingry and Paul VI.

The Bulldogs’ average was 16^th-fastest of 188 schools in seven varsity races. Next-fastest Group 1 average was Woodstown at 17:59.

Glassboro was led by sophomores Joe Saicic and Zacchaeus Harrigan in 4^th and 9^th with a 16:39 for Saicic and 16:56 for Harrigan. They were the first two sophomore finishers in the race and 2^nd– and 7^th-fastest 10^th-graders in all the varsity races combined.

Saicic’s time is fastest ever at Holmdem by a South Jersey Group 1 sophomore, one second faster than Pitman’s Sebastien Reed ran at the 2017 state meet.

Also for Glassboro, senior Jaeden Wesley ran 17:33 for 27^th, soph Aaron Johnson 17:39 in 31^st and sophomore Gavin Rakitis 45^th in 18:08.

Glassboro won South Jersey Group 1 last year and then placed 3^rd at the state Group 1 meet last year behind Metuchen and Indian Hills.

Here’s a look at Glassboro’s sub-17 runners ever at Holmdel:

16:07 … Elijah Whitaker, 2023 state Group 1 [1^st]
16:28 … Tom Horne, 1993 state Group 1 [1^st]
16:31 … Ty Blackman, 2024 Shore Coaches [2^nd]
16:38 … Pat Ryan, 1995 Meet of Champions [15^th]
16:39 … Joe Saicic, 2025 Shore Coaches [5^th]
16:56 … Zacchaeus Harrigan, 2025 Shore Coaches [9^th]