Despite missing a week of training with a lingering illness, Cherokee sophomore Jack Tindall placed 14^th in the Brooks Northeast Regional in Boston Saturday morning, missing a qualifying spot for the National Championships by just 12 seconds.

Tindall ran 15:43.8 over 5,000 meters at Franklin Park. The top 10 runners qualify for the national meet in San Diego next month, and 10^th place was 15:31.8.

Brooks is the continuation of the Foot Locker and Kinney meets, which began in 1979.

Tindall won the state Group 4 XC title at Holmdel earlier this month but fell ill soon after the race and was still sick when he ran Meet of Champions to help the team. He wasn’t certain he was going to run Brooks until late in the week and is still well below peak form. So running 15:43 on a challenging course and placing 14^thamong some of the best runners in the entire northeast is remarkable.

Tindall was the first sophomore finisher and the only soph in the top-30.

Tindall goes into the indoor season with PRs of 4:14.92 in the 1,600 and 9:11.73 in the 3,200.

He was the only runner from a New Jersey high school in the boys race and the only South Jersey runner in either the boys or girls race.

Here’s a look at all the South Jersey top-20 finishers at Kinney / Foot Locker / Eastbay / Brooks:

2025
Jack Tindall [Cherokee], 14^th [15:43.8]

2024
None

2023
Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 5^th [15:08]
Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 12^th [15:40]
Aiden Williams [Audubon], 21^st [15:59]

2022
None

2021
Not Held
2020
Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 12^th [15:42.3]

2019
Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 4^th [15:24.0]
Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 22^nd [16:07.4]

2018
Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 16^th [16:02.8]
Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 23^rd [16:16.3]

2017
None

2016
Josh Clark [Highland], 4^th [15:28.4]

2015
None

2014
Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2^nd [15:33.4
Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace], 10^th [15:45.7]
Dominick Munson [Timber Creek], 23^rd [16:03.3]

2013
Lou Corgliano [Hammonton], 9^th [15:40.7]

2012
Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 3^rd[15:42.5]
Stephen Maine [Highland], 21^st [16:12.5]

2011
Nick Costello [Delsea], 19^th [16:26.5]
Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 21^st [16:31.1]

2010
Miles Schoedler [Ocean City], 15^th [16:03.5]
Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 20^th [16:19.1]

2009
Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 13^th [16:23.2]
Michael Rankin [Paul VI], 24^th [16:37.4]

2008
Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 8^th [15:50.1]
Dave Forward [Shawnee], 16^th [16:09.7]

2007
Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 25^th [16:07.8]

2006
None

2005
None

2004
None

2003
Jon Anderson [Cinnaminson], 7^th [15:30.4]
Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 17^th [16:04.1]

2002
Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 12^th [15:55.7]
Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 23^rd [16:12.9]

2001
Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 6^th [15:40.1]
Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 19^th [16:08.8]

2000
Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 9^th[15:50.1]
Mike Myers [Eastern], 14^th [15:58.3]
Chad Lyons [Overbrook], 25^th [16:04.5]

1999
None

1998
Nate Miller [Highland], 5^th [15:49]

1997
Murad Campbell [Overbrook], 2^nd [15:27]

1996
Matt Ruhl [Triton], 18^th [16:37.0]

1995
None

1994
Kurt Wayton [Mainland Reg.], 16^th [16:07.1]

1993
*Kurt Wayton [Mainland Reg.], 223^rd [16:23]

1992
None

1991
Tom Keefer [Paul VI], 11^th  [16:20.0]
Keith O’Brien [Shawnee], 21^st [16:33.2]
Pete Fixler [Vineland] 23^rd [16:34.6]

1990
Pete Dougherty [Paul VI], 9^th [16:16.5]

1989
Mark Sivieri [St. Augustine], 11^th  [16:23.0]
Joe Cranston [Paul VI], 19^th [16:29.6]
Vince Cieslik [Paul VI], 25^th  [16:38.3]

1988
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1^st [15:17.6]
Jason Fiscus [Haddon Twp.], 12^th [15:58.3]
Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 13^th [16:00.0]
Dave Donohue [Haddon Twp.], 20^th [16:10.7]

1987
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 4^th [15:46.7]
Eric Lorenz [Holy Cross], 8^th  [15:49.4]
Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 11^th [16:03.0]
Joe Shanahan [Haddonfield], 13^th [16:08.9]
Joe Magre [Paul VI], 25^th [16:22.1]

1986
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 6^th  [15:55]

1985
Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 2^nd [15:25.6]
Ron Faith [Paul VI], 6^th [15:46]

1984
Jeff Davis [Cumberland Reg.], 13^th [15:50]
Chris Hageman [Paul VI], 18^th [15:56]
Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 20^th [15:59]
George Steinhoff [Paul VI], 23^rd [16:03]
Ron Faith [Paul VI], 25^th [16:07]

1983
Bill Stewart [Cherry Hill East], 11^th [15:53]

1982
None

1981
None

1980
Dan Owens [Absegami], 12^th [16:06.3]

1979 [qualifying held at St. John’s Invitational]
Jerry Andrews [Highland], 1^st [15:34.0]
Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 3^rd [15:48]

Former Cherokee runner Ethan Wechsler placed 15^th in  his marathon debut Sunday morning.

Wehsler, 23, ran 2:37.18 at the Philadelphia Marathon and was 8^th in the 20-24 age group .

Wechsler finished his eligibility at Syracuse last spring. He ran 14:14.02 and 29:22.69 while he was at Syracuse. He was 4^th in the 2019 XC Meet of Champions and ran 15:41 at Holmdel. He ran 9:10.90 on the track for Cherokee.

Brett Milden of Mullica Hill, who attended Clearview but played soccer and never ran track or XC after middle school, ran 2:36.26 and was 41^st overall and 13^th in his last year in the 25-29 age group. His marathon PR is 2:34.52 in Boston in 2023.

Also in the top 100 were Leonard Bustos of Mays Landing [2:38.18, 49^th overall, 10^th in 20-24], Matthias Ngo of Galloway Township [2:39.16, 60^th overall, 11^th in 20-24], Nicholas Simila of Wenonah [2:41.34, 82^nd overall, 23^rd in 25-29] and Griffin Weiner of Haddonfield [2:43.09, 97^th overall, 24^th in 20-24].

Bustos ran and played soccer at Oakcrest and ran at Jefferson. Ngo ran at Absegami and ran at Stockton. Simila ran at St. Augustine and Rowan. And Weiner ran at Haddonfield and Rochester.

Here’s a crazy guess: Considering that Mays Landing and Galloway Township are just a mile apart and Bustos and Ngo live near each other and are in the same age group and ran nearly identical times, maybe they’re training partners?

The results site is down now so I can’t get anything from the weomen’s race but I will eventually!

Former Shawnee runner Jason Richwall placed 6^th in the 25-29 age group and 18^th overall out of more than 5,000 runners Saturday morning at the Philadelphia Half Marathon.

Richwall, 27, covered the 13.1-mile course in 1:12.46. He placed 16^th out of 5,193 men and 6^th out of 1,164 in the 25-29 age group.

Richwall graduated in 2016 from Shawnee, where he had PRs of 4:36.97 and 9:50.82, and ran for Muhlenberg, where he ran 8:34.90 for 3,000 meters in Lancaster and 15:02.58 in Collegeville.

Jacob Shoemaker of Haddon Township, 41, ran 1:16.58 and placed 3^rd out of 448 runners in the 40-44 age group and 40^th overall. Shoemaker ran for Dartmouth, where he ran 9:16.26 in the steeplechase in a meet at Princeton. He ran scholastically at Lincoln-Sudbury in Sudbury, Mass.

Also among the top 100 men were Omar Abdelhamid of Cherry Hill [2^nd in 45-49 in 1:1.39, 7^th overall] and Patrick Storti of Cinnaminson [2th in 20-24 age group, 84^th overall].

There’s no record I could find of Abdelhamid running in high school or college, although he may have. Storti, a 2023 Cinnaminson graduate, was on the 2022 Cinnaminson XC team that placed 2^nd at both South Jersey Group 2 sectionals and Group 2 states and 12^th at the Meet of Champions. He currently runs for Stockton University in Galloway Township.

Top South Jersey woman was Erin Guilfoyle of Burlington, who was 14^th in the 20-24 age group in 1:30.28 (nearly 16 minutes faster than her clock time!). Rancocas Valley graduate Abby Boggs ran 1:32.56 and placed 22^nd in the 20-24 division.

Guilfoyle graduated in 2020 from Burlington Township and attended West Chester. If appears she didn’t run at either school. Boggs was 2021 South Jersey Group 4 pole vault champ at 11-6 and a conference medalistt in both the vault and heptathlon and pentathlon at Monmouth.

Ben Andrus, Luke Andresen, Peter Simpson and Ryan Gibson ran within five seconds of each other and led Haddonfield to 2^nd place in the Nike Northeast Regional Saturday and a berth at the Nike Cross Nationals.

Andrus placed 18^th in 16:06.4, Andresen 20^th in 16:09.1, Simpson 21^st in 16:09.6 and Gibson 23^rd in 16:11.6.

Michael Sinnes ran 17:07.4 for 109^th and 74^th in team points, giving Haddonfield 133 points – 31 fewer than State College for 2^nd place. Also in Haddonfield’s lineup were senior Brandon Stoner [17:47.6] and junior Andrew Blum [17:49.4].

Haddonfield averaged 16:20.8 over 5,000 meters at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls and placed 2^nd only to U.S. No. 4 Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft, who went 2-3-7-9-12 for 33 points.

As top-two team finishers, both will represent the Northeast Region at Nike Cross Nationals Dec. 6 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore.

Although Haddonfield didn’t have a finisher in the top 10, their 4^th runner – Gibson – finished ahead of the 2^nd runner from 25 of the 27 other schools that entered.

Haddonfield is the first South Jersey boys team ever to reach Nike Cross Nationals. The Kingsway girls made it in 2017 and Cherokee girls in 2021.

Andrus, Andresen, Simpson and Gibson ran the 5^th, 7^th, 8^th and 10^th-fastest times ever by South Jersey athletes at Bowdoin Park. The sub-16:15 list is below.

It’s been a remarkable season for Haddonfield, which won its 23^rd state Group 2 title, ran the 2^nd-fastest average time at Holmdel ever by a public school and is now headed to Oregon to face the top schools in the country.

Hadonfield joins CBA, Don Bosco, Westfield and West Windsor-Plainsboro North as the 5th New Jersey school to reach Nike Cross Nationals.

Also Saturday, Cherry Hill East placed 10^th and Ocean City 14^th .

For Cherry Hill East, Junior Cian Sherlock, senior Alvin Lin and senior Milo Poerner placed 52^nd, 60^th and 67^th in 16:35.0, 16:41.7 and 16:46.5 – they were 31^st, 38^th and 43^rdin team scoring.

Freshman Conan Poerner [17:36.9], junior Aneesh Rajagopal [17:38.4] and senior Colin Moore [17:54.4] also raced for East. Poerner was the 7^th freshman across the line.

Ocean City was led by senior Erik Preisner [68^th in 16:46.8], junior Nathan Aschmann [90^th in 16:55.8], junior Keenan Neuman [105^th in 17:05.5] and sophomore Nevin Millstein [121^st in 17:12.5]. For team scoring purposes, they were 44^th, 60^th, 61^st and 81^st.

Sophomore Benjamin McCarthy [17:52.6], junior Michael Romano [18:03.6] and sophomore Hayden Tarves [18:46.8] also ran for Ocean City.

15:41.5 … Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2009
15:52.7 … Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2015
16:02.9 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022
16:05.0 … Jack Shea [Cherokee], 2015
16:06.4 … Benjamin Andrus [Haddonfield], 2025
16:06.9 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2019
16:09.1 … Luke Andresen [Haddonfield], 2025
16:09.6 … Peter Simpson [Haddonfield], 2025
16:11.4 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2009
16:11.6 … Ryan Gibson [Haddonfield], 2025
16:12.5 … Patrick Ditmars [Cherokee], 2022

The Haddonfield boys and Paul VI girls lead a large South Jersey contingent headed this weekend to Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., for the Nike Cross East Regionals.

Haddonfield is coming off a dazzling performance at the Meet of Champions, where they placed 2nd for the second year in a row and averaged 16:08.54 at Holmdel County Park, fastest ever by any South Jersey school at Holmdel and 2nd-fastest ever by any New Jersey public school.

Seniors Luke Andresen and Benjamin Andrus, who placed 5th and 6th at the MoC, lead Haddonfield, with seniors Ryan Gibson, Peter Simpson and Michael Sinnes also in the top 5 and senior Brandon Stoner and sophomore Augustan Coley also in the lineup.

The Paul VI girls, who placed 3rd at the Meet of Champions, are led by junior Grace Gutowski and senior Giovanna Mantuano, who placed 14th and 21st at Holmdel last weekend. Sophomore Morgan Kuzma, senior Macy Huber and sophomore Peyton Blake are also in PVI’s usual top 5 and freshman Isabella Suarez and junior Kara Salamone will also race for the Eagles.

The top two teams in each race automatically advance to Nike Cross Nationals. Additionally, the 3rd- and 4th-place teams in each of the nine regions are eligible for four at-large bids. The top five individuals who aren’t part of a qualifying team also advance to Nationals.

Also entered in the boys race are Cherry Hill East, Ocean City and Glassboro, who placed 7th, 9th and 12th at the Meet of Champions.

Likely lineups: senior Milo Poerner, junior Cian Sherlock, senior Alvin Lin, senior Colin Moore, freshman Conan Poerner, junior Aneesh Rajagopal and senior Adam Billet for Cherry Hill East; Erik Priesner, Nathan Aschmann, Keenan Neuman, Michael Romano, Benjamin McCarthy, Nevin Millstein and Hayden Tarves for Ocean City; and Joe Saicic, Jaeden Wesley, Zacchaeus Harrigan, Aaron Johnson, Gavin Rakitis, Jason Martin and Tyler Santiago for Glassboro.

Joining Paul VI in the girls race will be Cherokee, Cherry Hill East and Ocean City, who placed 4th, 8th and 10th in the Meet of Champions.

Likely lineups: Freshman Ava Guarini, sophomore Erin Healy, senior Maya Kumar, senior Madeline Meder, senior Sofia Recinto, senior Alyssa Suriano and junior Gabrielle Urban for Cherokee; junior Ryleigh Budsock, senior Shaelea Conway, senior Ella Davidson, junior Katherine Grottini, junior Gabriella Pizzo, junior Rebecca Tibbetts and sophomore Emmie Wang for Cherry Hill East; and Bella Cera, Peighton Clemens, Lenna Driscoll, Isabella Edwards, Lillian Flora, Carly Godfrey and Riley Tolson for Ocean City.

Note that sophomore Addison Weiss, 3rd in the Group 3 state meet and 13th at the Meet of Champions, is not listed in Cherry Hill East’s entry, which could mean she’s racing instead the following weekend at Brooks Northeast Championships at Franklin Park in Boston.

Nike Cross Nationals is scheduled for Dec. 7 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore.

Brooks Championships, a continuation of the Kinney / Foot Locker / Eastbay series which traces its lineage back to 1979, are scheduled for Dec. 13 at Balboa Park in San Diego. The entry list for East Regionals isn’t available yet.

There are 13 races in all, with the boys championship race scheduled for 1:50 p.m. and the girls race at 2:25 p.m. Full race schedule is here: https://nxrne.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=title&title_id=219&event_id=301

BOYS
Haddonfield
Cherry Hill East
Ocean City
Glassboro

GIRLS
Cherry Hill East
Ocean City
Cherokee
Paul VI

Haddonfield became one of the fastest schools ever at Holmdel County Park Saturday at the Meet of Champions, averaging 16:08.54 per scorer at the Meet of Champions.

Only three schools – CBA, Westfield and Union Catholic – have ever had a faster average on the hilly, windy 5,000-meter tour of Holmdel County Park, from the hill just beyond the start to the roller-coasters to the Bowl to the tennis courts to the woods and then the straight open-field finish.

Seniors Luke Andresen and Benjamin Andrus led the way for the Bulldogs in 5th and 6th place in 15:41.22 and 15:42.81, which put them squarely on the all-time Haddonfield top-5 at Holmdel. Several meets fractions of a second weren’t kept, so we have some runners on these lists with fractions and some without, which isn’t really fair, but it’s the best way to do it.

15:36 … Seth Clevenger [2021 Meet of Champions]
15:40 … George Andrus [2022 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … Jon Vitez [2009 Meet of Champions]
15:41.22 … Luke Andresen [2025 Meet of Champions]
15:42 … Ben Potts [2010 Meet of Champions]
15:42.81 … Benjamin Andrus [2025 Meet of Champions[
15:48 … Chris Platt [2001 Meet of Champions]

this is the 7th time two runners from the same South Jersey school have placed in the top 10 at the Meet of Champions and the first time Haddonfield has pulled that off in 24 years. Haddonfield is also the first school to do it twice:

1988: Bridgeton: 3. Urie Ridgeway 15:47, 6. Lance Hess 16:11
1989: Paul VI: 3. Joe Cranston 16:13, 9. *Pete Dougherty 16:32
2000: Eastern: 1. Mike Myers 15:50, 7. **Dan Deichert 16:15
2001: Haddonfield: 2. Chris Platt 15:48, 5. Skip Stiles 15:54, 6. Breton Bonnette 15:55
2003: Mainland Regional: 2. Greg Hughes 15:39, 10. James Wyner 16:06
2022: Cherokee: 2. Patrick Ditmars 15:39 4. Nick Kuenkel 15:41
2025: Haddonfield: 5. Luke Andresen 15:41.22, 6. Benjamin Andrus 15:42.81

Also in Haddonfield’s top 5 Saturday were seniors Ryan Gibson [16th in 16:01.21], Peter Simpson [43rd in 16:34.41] and Michael Sinnes [61st in 16:43.07]. Brandon Stoner [91st in 17:04.32] and sophomore Augustan Coley [132nd in 17:51.44] also raced for Haddonfield.

Simpson ran most of the race with only one shoe after getting spiked soon after the start and losing one of his shoes.  He ran 16:18 a week earlier at states, and with perfect conditions this past Saturday and virtually everybody running faster at M-o-C than states, you can only imagine how fast he would have run with two shoes and how much faster Haddonfield’s record-setting average would have been.

For team scoring purposes, Haddonfield went 4-5-12-30-39-(57) (82) for 90 points and 2nd place, well clear of 3rd-place Union Catholic, which scored 125.

Haddonfield, which was also 2nd in 2024, is only the 3rd South Jersey school and the first in 22 years to place in the top two in conseutive years:

Paul VI: 2nd in 1987, 1st in 1988, 1st in 1989, 2nd in 1990
Mainland Regional: 1st in 2002, 1st in 2003
Haddonfield: 2nd in 2024, 2nd in 2025

Incredibly, Haddonfield has now placed in the top-5 at the Meet of Champions 14 times, including 13 times in the last 25 years and six times in the last eight years (including the 2020 exhibition race):

2025: 2. Haddonfield
2024: 2. Haddonfield
2021: 3. Haddonfield
2020*: 4. Haddonfield
2019: 3. Haddonfield
2018: 2. Haddonfield
2015: 4. Haddonfield
2014: 5. Haddonfield
2010: 2. Haddonfield
2009: 4. Haddonfield
2008: 4. Haddonfield
2007: 3. Haddonfield
2006: 3. Haddonfield
2001: 1. Haddonfield
1989: 5. Haddonfield

Here’s my best attempt at an all-time New Jersey single-race team list:

15:40.13 … CBA, 2025 Meet of Champions
15:42.11 … CBA, 2024 Meet of Champions
15:50 … CBA, 2024 Parochial A
15:51 … CBA, 2023 Parochial A
15:52.2 … CBA, 2013 Meet of Champions
15:55.81 … CBA, 2023 Meet of Champions
15:59h … CBA, 2023 Shore Coaches
16:00.76 … CBA, 2025 Parochial A
16:01 … Westfield, 2023 Group 4
16:01 … Union Catholic, 2021 Meet of Champions
16:01.6 … Union Catholic, 2021 Meet of Champions
16:03.2 … CBA, 2012 Parochial A
16:04.4 … CBA, 2011 Meet of Champions
16:05.0 … CBA, 2013 Parochial A
16:05.8 … CBA, 2010 Meet of Champions
16:06 … CBA, 2022 Parochial A
16:07 … CBA, 2022 Meet of Champions
16:08.4 … CBA, 2011 Shore Coaches
16:08.54 … Haddonfield, 2025 Meet of Champions
16:09 … Westfield, 2023 Shore Coaches

West Deptford’s Jacob Cobb is off to the NCAA Championships after placing 7^th as MIT’s 3^rdfinisher in the Division 3 East Region race in Hopkinton, Mass.

Cobb ran 24:43.5, a lifetime best for 8,000 meters on any course. His fastest previous 6K was a 25:05.3 in September at a meet in Middletown, Conn.

MIT upset Tufts of Medford and Somerville, Mass., 42-49 to win its 5^th straight team title. The top two teams qualify automatically for Nationals.

Tufts was ranked No. 1 in the East Region and No. 4 national in Division 3 and MIT No. 2 in the region and No. 11 going into the race, so this is an impressive result for Cobb and the Engineers from Cambridge, Mass.

Cobb was MIT’s 3^rd finisher. Their top three finished 4-6-7, all finishing within eight seconds of each other. MIT’s five scorers had a 36-second gap.

Cobb, a junior, was an NCAA qualifier in the steeplechase last spring after running 8:53.62 in a meet at Williamstown, Mass.

The NCAA Division 3 cross country championships are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in Spartanburg. S.C.

How fast was the Meet of Champions girls race at Holmdel?

For South Jersey, it was the fastest ever. And it wasn’t even close

This fast:

♦ The race produced four of the 10-fastest single-race times ever recorded by South Jersey schools at the historic Holmdel County Park 5,000-meter course.

Paul VI averaged 19:25.34, 2^nd-fastest all-time, behind Cherokee’s 19:23.40 when it won the 2021 Meet of Champions, and Haddonfield and Cherokee posted the 5^th– and 6^th-fastest composite times, Haddonfield averaging 19:35.81 and Cherokee 19:35.88 (although Cherokee finished 4^th, one place ahead of Haddonfield). Cherry Hill East averaged 19:50.18, 10^th-fastest all-time. Additionally, 10^th-place Ocean City averaged 20:02.71, 23^rd-fastest all-time.

The all-time single-race list is below.

This was the first time five South Jersey schools finished in the top 10 in 35 years, since 1990, when Paul VI was 2^nd, Shawnee 5^th, Ocean City 8^th, Kingsway 9^th and Bishop Eustac 10^th.

♦ Seven girls ran sub-19, by far the most South Jersey girls ever under 19 minutes in one race at Holmdel:

18:33.43 … Julia Flanagan [Holy Cross] [10^th]
18:37.62 … **Addison Weiss [Cherry Hill East] [13^th]
18:39.67 … Riley Austin [Haddonfield] [14^th]
18:40.23 … Grace Gutowski [Paul VI] [15^th]
18:53.06 … Alyssa Suriano [Cherokee] [20^th]
18;53.38 … *Giovanna Mantuano [Paul VI] [21^st]
18:57.27 … Sophia Aldridge [Williamstown] [26^th]

The most South. Jersey girls under 19 minutes was four in the 2016 Meet of Champions: Mainland Regional’s Alyssa Aldridge won in 17:55, Haddonfield’s Briana Gess was 2^nd in 18:35, Kingsway’s Rachel Vick placed 3^rd in 18:41 and Timb Creek’s Alyssa Condell ran 8^th in 18:59.|
Let’s take a closer look at these seven girls:

♦  Flanagan’s 10^th-place finish was best by a Holy Cross girl since 1992, when Kari Vigerstol placed 2^nd in 19:22. Flanagan’s 18:33.45 broke her own Holy Cross Holmdel PR of 18:43.59 from a week earlier, when she won the state Parochial A title.

♦  Weiss’s 18:37.62 is 2^nd-fastest all-time by a Cherry Hill East girl at Holmdel, behind Theresa Cattuna’s 18:18.16, when she placed 3^rd at the 2006 Meet of Champions.  Her 13^th-place finish is best by a Cherry Hill girl also since Cattuna in 2006. The only other Cherry Hill East girl to finish higher than 13^th was Lori Watson, who was 7^th in the 1983 race in 18:57.

♦  Austin’s 18:39.67 is 5^th-best by a Haddonfield girl behind four pretty accomplished runners, including two Olympians: Briana Gess [17:45], Marielle Hall [18:16], Vanessa Wright [18:22] and Erin Donohue [18:27].

♦  Gutowski and Mantuano are the first Paul VI runners to both finish inside the top 25 at a Meet of Champions since 1991, when Ynette Feliciano and Danielle Rollick placed 13^th and 21^st in 20:08 and 20:25. Gutowski broke the Paul VI Holmdel record of 18:50, set by Dawn Cody when she placed 5^thin 1982. Mantuano is 3^rd-fastest.

♦  Alyssa Suriano, a 1^st-year cross country runner, ran the 5^th-fastest time in Cherokee history, and that’s awfully impressive considering how elite the program has been. Her 19:53.06 trails Megan Lacy [17:55 in 2010], Kerry O’Day [18:38 in 2021], Nicole Clifford [18:43 in 2021] and Lisa Burkholder [18:52 in 2004].

♦  Sophia Aldridge’s 26^th-place finish is the best by a Williamstown girl since Maria Ruiz ran 19:16 for 21^st place back in 2008. Her 18:57.27 is also fastest ever by a Williamstown girl. Ruiz ran 19:03 when she placed 8^th at the 2007 Meet of Champions.

There are now 52 South Jersey girls under 19 minutes at Holmdel, and
Flanagan, Weiss, Austin, Gutowski, Suriani, Mantuano and Aldridge rank 18, 20, 22, 25, 43, 44, 47 on that all-time list.

17:27.83 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010 Meet of Champions
17:40 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
17:44 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008 Shore Coaches
17:44.78 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013 Meet of Champions
17:54.51 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2010 State Group 4
17:55 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016 Meet of Champions
17:58 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2024 State Group 3
18:08.25 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010 Meet of Champions
18:11.50 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004 Meet of Champions
18:16.48 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2009 Meet of Champions
18:18.16 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006 Meet of Champions
18:19.26 … Devin Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2014 Meet of Champions
18:21.97 … Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], 2004 Meet of Champions
18:27.4 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 1998 Meet of Champions
18:28 … Grace Yoon [Cherry Hill East], 2016 Meet of Champions
18:29 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2016 State Group 4
18:33 … Maeve Smith [Ocean City], 2023
18:33.43 … Julia Flanagan [Holy Cross], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:34 … Sofia Day [Mainland Reg.], 2023
18:37.62 … Addison Weiss [Cherry Hill East], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:38 … Casey Doyle [Shawnee], 2007
18:39.67 … Riley Austin [Haddonfield], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:40 … Mindy Rowand [Sterling], 1984
18:40 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2011
18:40.23 … Grace Gutowski [Paul VI], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:41 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2011
18:41… Theresa Catuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
18:41 … Kerry O’Day [Cherokee], 2023
18:43 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2005
18:43 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2021
18:44 … Arianna McKinney [Highland], 2003
18:48 … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2021
18:49 … Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], 2011
18:49 … Mara Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2013
18:49 … Olivia Shafer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
18:50 … Dawn Cody [Paul VI], 1982
18:50 … Jamie Weisgerber [Woodstown], 1994
18:50 … Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], 2011
18:50 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
18:51 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2023
18:52 … Lisa Burkholder [Cherokee], 2004
18:53 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
18:53.06 … Alyssa Suriano [Cherokee], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:53.38 … Giovanna Mantuano [Paul VI], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:54 … Madison Coppolino [Sterling], 2017
18:57 … Lori Watson [Cherry Hill East], 1983
18:57.27 … Sophia Aldridge [Williamstown], 2025 Meet of Champions
18:58 … Abbey Hartman [Ocean City], 1996
18:59 … Monique Purcell [Holy Spirit], 1978
18:59 … Wendy Westphal [Highland], 1982
18:59 … Kara Bonner [Shawnee,], 2015
18:59 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2016

♦  In addition to the girls who broke 19 minutes, an additional 14 broke 20 minutes. Here’s that list:

19:01.36 … **Riley Tolson [Ocean City]: The 5^th sophomore finisher Saturday and 2^nd from South Jersey, behind Adison Weiss.
19:08:48 … *Aubrey Bishop [Kingsway]: No. 3 Kingsway girl all-time, behind Chelsea Ley [17:44 in 2008] and Rachel Vick [18:29 in 2016]
19:12.31 … Riley Fayer [Audubon]: Fayer’s time is fastest ever by a South Jersey Group 1 girl at Holmdel. She ran 19:17 at states.
19:16.81 … ***Dylan Hosty [Haddonfield]: Hosty’s time is 10^th-fastest ever by a South Jersey freshman at Holmdel. She was the No. 4 freshman in the race and No. 2 among public school 9^th-graders.
19:18.18 … *Ryleigh Budsock [Cherry Hill East]: Budsock is now 6^th-fastest all-time at Cherry Hill East, behind Theresa Cattuna [18:18 in 2006], Grace Yoon [18:28 in 2016], teammate Addison Weiss [18:51 Saturday], Lori Watson [18:57 in 1983] and Sarah Pierce [19:16 in 2016]. 19:30.68 … **Erin Healy [Cherokee]: 12^th-fastest sophomore in the race Saturday and 3^rd-fastest from South Jersey, behind Weiss and Tolson.
19:41.89 … *Madison Kelsey [Haddonfield]: A 36-second Holmdel PR for Kelsey
19:42.75 … Madeline Meder [Cherokee]: One of 15 Cherokee girls who’s broken 20 minutes at Holmdel.
19:45.31 … **Morgan Kuzma [Paul VI]: 4^th-fastest South Jersey sophomore Saturday.
19:46.36 … Macy Huber [Paul VI]: Ran 44 seconds faster than she did at states.
19:52.07 … *Carly Godfrey [Ocean City]: The Red Raiders’ 2^nd finisher Saturday behind Tolson.
19:52.89 … Sofia Recinto [Cherokee]: A 38-second Holmdel PR.
19:58.55 … **Peyton Blake [Paul VI]: The 3^rd-fastest 5^th runner in the field.
19:58.66 … **Emmie Wang [Cherry Hill East]: Teamed with Addison Weiss to make Cherry Hill East one of only four schools that had two sophomores under 20 minutes, along with Ridgewood, Paul VI and Toms River North.

Now let’s take a look at the South Jersey teams that raced Saturday:

Paul VI: We went into detail on Paul VI’s performance on Saturday. You can find that one here. https://sjtrackblog.com/2025/11/15/grace-gutowski-giovanna-mantuano-lead-paul-vi-to-3rd-at-meet-of-champions-south-jersey-has-5-teams-in-top-10-seven-girls-under-19/

Cherokee: Senior Alyssa Suriano led the way for Cherokee with her 18:53.06, with sophomore Erin Healy [19:30.68], senior Madeline Meder [19:42.75] and senior Sofia Recinto [19:52.89] also under 20 and senior Maya Kumar barely over  [20:00.03]. This was Cherokee’s 5^th top-10 finish in the last six years, including the 2020 exhibition race. The Chiefs were 2^nd in 2020, won in 2021, took 9^th in 2023 and 6^th last year before their outstanding 4^th-place finish Saturday.

Haddonfield: In addition to Austin, Hosty  and Kelsey, junior Dylan Gervasi [20:01.39] and senior Sofia Conrey [20:19.28 made up Haddonfield’s top five. Including the 2020 exhibition race, this was Haddonfield’s 6^th top-5 finish in the last seven years – 4^th in 2019, 1^st in 2020, 5^th in 2021, 2^nd in 2022 and 5^th in 2023.

Cherry Hill East: In addition to Weiss, Budsock and Wang, East had four girls between 20:38 and 21:07 – juniors Rebecca Tibbetts, Gabriella Pizzo and Katherine Grottini and senior Ella Davidson. East broke its own course record for fastest team average with its 19:50.18. The 2006 team averaged 20:56.20 at the MoC. That group was led by Theresa Cattuna in 3^rd [18:18.16] and Alaina Chodoff in 30^th [19:24.74]. East’s 8^th-place finish is its 2^nd-best ever behind that 2006 team, which was 7^th. Their only other top-10 finish came in 2021, when they were 10^th

Ocean City: This was the 9^th top-10 finish for Ocean City, following a 9^th in 1986, 4^th in 1987 and 1988, 8^th in 1990, 7^th in 1993, 9^th in 1995, 5^th in 2003 and 7^th last year. After Tolson and Godfrey, Ocean City had junior Lillian Flora [20:09], freshman Bella Cera [20:23] and sophomore Lenna Driscoll [20:49], who contributed to Ocean City’s 20:02.71 average of 20:02.71, fastest ever by Ocean City. Their previous Holmdel best average was 20:14.16 at the 2012 state Group 3 meet.

♦  Here’s the updated South Jersey all-time Holmdel single-race list!

19:23.40 … Cherokee, 2021 Meet of Champions [1]
19:25.34 … Paul VI, 2005 Meet of Champions [3]
19:31.00 … Haddonfield, 2020 Holmdel Invitational [1]
19:35.42 … Haddonfield, 2013 Meet of Champions [5]
19:35.81 … Haddonfield, 2005 Meet of Champions [6]
19:35.88 … Cherokee, 2005 Meet of Champions [5]
19:45.35 … Kingsway, 2017 Meet of Champions [2]
19:49.20 … Haddonfield, 2021 Meet of Champions [5]
19:49.67 … Shawnee, 2013 Meet of Champions [7]
19:50.18 … Cherry Hill East , 2025 Meet of Champions [8]
19:52.80 … Haddonfield, 2021 Group 2 [1]
19:56.01 … Haddonfield, 2013 Group 2 [2]
19:56.20 … Cherry Hill East, 2006 Meet of Champions [7]
19:56.36 … Kingsway, 2019 Group 4 [1]
19:57.01 … Haddonfield, 2005 Group 2 [1]
19:57.40 … Seneca, 2013 Group 3 [2]
19:58.88 … Kingsway, 2016 Meet of Champions [3]
19:59.10 … Moorestown, 2001 Meet of Champions [1]
19:59.70 … Cherokee, 2010 Meet of Champions [6]
20:00.43 … Shawnee, 2017 Group 4 [4]
20:01.40 … Cherokee, 2021 Group 4 [1]
20:02.28 … Seneca, 2012 Group 3 [2]
20:02.71 … Ocean City, 2005 Meet of Champions [10]
20:03.07 … Seneca, 2013 Meet of Champions [10]
20:03.35 … Kingsway, 2017 Group 4 [5]
20:03.90 … Haddonfield, 2007 Group 2 [1]
20:04.53 … Haddonfield, 2014 Group 2 [3]

Haddon Township graduates Jacob Dinerman and Matthew Conaway both placed in the top 10 Saturday at the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region race at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Dinerman, a junior at Rutgers-Camden, placed 4^th in 24:43.4 over 8,000 meters, and Conway, a senior at Rowan, was 7^th in 24:48.2.

Did they qualify for NCAA Division 3 Nationals? That’s a great question! The qualifying protocol is not listed anywhere that I could find. I checked half a dozen school web sites and even downloaded the 18-page “2015 DIII Cross Country Championships Participant 2025-26 Manual” and the advancement procedures aren’t listed there either.

In any case, TCNJ did mention on its web site that it earned an auto bid to nationals by winning its first regional title in 20 years, defeating Swarthmore 56-76. No South Jersey runners raced for TCNJ, but assistant coach Mike Walker is a Rancocas Valley graduate!

Rowan placed 5^th. Sophomore Colin Patterson of Haddon Heights was Rowan’s 2^nd finisher in 31^st in 25:52.8, and senior Sean Hice of Washington Township was the Profs 3^rd finisher in 26:02.3 in 36^th. Williamstown graduates junior Aidan Brad and freshman Dylan Saber were Rowan’s 4^th and 5^th runners.

Stockton’s 4^th runner was sophomore Patrick Storti from Cinnaminson.

In the women’s race, Rowan junior Allyson Wernik of Washington Township placed 15^th in 22:31.9 over 6,000 meters. TCNJ senior Savannah Hodgens from Mainland Regional ran 23:16.7 and placed 38^th.

Also in the top 50: Rowan freshman Julianna Sieminski of Delsea [44^th in 23:27.6] and Stockton senior Madelyn Valasek from Shawnee [48^th in 23:32.7].