Senior Erik Preisner and juniors Nathan Aschmann and Keenan Neuman swept the first three spots and the Ocean City boys won their 7th straight Cape-Atlantic Conference Championship Tuesday at Egg Harbor Township High School.
Preisner, who won last year on the same course in 15:45, ran 15:32 this year. He’s the first repeat champion since Mainland’s Kevin Antczak in 2018 and 2019. Past results from this meet are incomplete and it appears it wasn’t held from 1983 through 1997, but from all available records Preisner is Ocean City’s first CAL XC repeat winner.
Aschmann was 2nd in 15:40 and Neuman 3rd in 15:57. Junior Michael Romano and sophomore Nevin Millstein were also in Ocean City’s top 5, Romano in 7th place in 16:10 and Millstein 10th in 16:21.
Sophomores Benjamin McCarthy [14th in 16:33] and Hayden Tarves [19th in 16:57] also ran sub-17 for the Red Raiders.
Ocean City topped 2nd-place Egg Harbor 23-59, with Cedar Creek edging Vineland for 3rd, 115-129 and Bridgeton 5th with 132.
Middle Township junior Jamar Mack placed 4th in 16:04 and Cedar Creek senior Sean Martino 5th in 16:08.
Egg Harbor placed its top five in 34 seconds, led by sophomore Liam Aspenberg in 6th in 16:09 and senior Matthew Reed in 8th in 16:12. Cedar Creek senior Vincenzo Vecchio placed 9th in 16:18.
Others under 17 minutes: Bridgeton junior Dylan Benitez Gonzalez [11th, 16:25], Egg Harbor junior Daniel Svec [12th, 16:28], Cedar Creek senior Ryan McCann [13th, 16:32], Bridgeton junior Alex Chavez Santiago [15th, 16:34], Egg Harbor sophomore Timothy Rooney [16th, 16:40], Egg Harbor senior Matthew McDevitt [17th, 16:43] and Vineland junior Maximelio Giardino [18th, 16:48].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 