Senior Riley Austin won her 3rd straight sectional title and led the Haddonfield girls to their 33rd South Jersey championship and 16th in a row.
Austin joined Vanessa Wright, Marielle Hall, Briana Gess as Haddonfield’s 4th triple winner, and Haddonfield packed its five scorers in the top seven to outscore 2nd-place Barnegat, 19-80 … This is the 7th straight year Haddonfield has won with fewer than 25 points.
Haddonfield is the first girls program in New Jersey history to win 16 consecutive sectional titles in any group.
Austin ran 18:16.94 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township, and juniors Devon Gervasi and Madison Kelsey, freshman Dylan Hosty and junior Harper Benjamin placed 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th for Haddonfield.
Gervasi ran 19:28.87, Kelsey 19:36.69, Hosty 19:53.28 and Benjamin 19:58.23. Freshman Tatum Russo in 9th place in 20:03.32 made it six Lady Bulldogs in the top 10, and 7th runner senior Elizabeth Pappas was 15th in 20:35.01.
Last time Haddonfield did not win South Jersey Group 2 was 2009, when they were 2nd to Delsea by eight points.
The top five teams and the first 15 individuals advance to the state championships at Holmdel County Park next Saturday.
Other South Jersey girls in the top 15: West Deptford senior Kayla Romanoski [3rd in 19:26.37], Middle Township senior Olivia Orton [8th in 19:59.97], West Deptford junior Taylor Sierzega [10th in 20:03.94], Collingswood sophomore Hazel Straight [12th in 20:26.21], Sterling junior Brianna Gilligan [13th in 20:23.14], Sterling sophomore Riley Sharp [14th in 20:34.52].
Joining Haddonfield and Barnegat at the state Group 2 meet next Saturday at Holmdel County Park are 3rd-place Sterling [84], 4th-place Seneca [100] and 5th-place Middle Township [116].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 