Track season is finally over, and for those of you Jonesing for something, anything running related, you only have to wait two more weeks.
The TCNJ Blue/Gold Invitational is the earliest cross country meet we found, slated for two weeks from today at the Mike Walker-designed Green Lane Fields XC course in Ewing. A 5:30 p.m. starting time is listed on the TCNJ web site.
Among the schools scheduled to compete this year along with TCNJ are Bard College of Red Hook, N.Y., Bergen Community College of Paramus, Drew University of Madison, East Stroudsburg (Pa.), FDU-Florham of Madison, Holy Family of Northeast Philly and Montclair State (of Montclair, Little Falls and Clifton).
Looking for local runners? We’ve got ’em!
TCNJ has 12 runners from South Jersey on its 2026 roster – eight men and four women.
Top South Jersey returners for TCNJ are sophomore Simon Bernhardt from Shawnee and junior Silas Matteson from Cherokee, who placed 27th and 29th in the NJAC Championships in Galloway Township last Nov. 1.
Other South Jersey runners on their roster are sophomore Sean Alemi from Audubon, freshman Vincent Kelly from Gloucester, freshman Ryan McCann from Cedar Creek, freshman Matthew McDevitt from Egg Harbor Township, freshman Will Nelson from Cherry Hill East and senior Tyler Smith from Paul VI.
South Jersey women on TCNJ’s roster include juniors Ella Feehan of Atlantic County Tech and Anna Marino from Cinnaminson, sophomore Lilla Porter of Clearview and junior Taylor Rooney of Egg Harbor Township. Feehan and Rooney placed 6th and 7th in the steeplechase at the NJAC Championships this past spring.
Most of the other schools scheduled to race in Ewing haven’t posted their 2026 rosters, but one of East Stroudsburg’s top runners has been Payton Falkenstein from Burlington Township, who is presumably a senior this fall. Falkenstein was runner-up last spring in the 10,000 at the PSAC Championships in Slippery Rock, 4th in the PSAC cross country meet at Edinboro and 5th at the NCAA Division 2 Atlantic Region meet in Lock Haven.
Holy Family hasn’t posted a roster but Olivia Moyer of Cinnaminson and Andrae Johnson of Oakcrest were both underclassmen last year, and Moyer would be a sophomore now and Johnson a senior. Johnson was 4thin the 800 at the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference meet in Lakewood.
Fourteen days to go and we’ll have racing in Ewing Township!
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 