Senior Sarah Rutledge from Egg Harbor Township, sophomore Madison Pratt from Absegami, junior Paige McCabe from Moorestown and sophomore Grace Wojciechowski from Chrokee all finished in the top 10 to help the Stockton women win the season-opening Jersey Pines Challenge.
Rutledge, Pratt, McCabe and Wojciechowski finished 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th and were Stockton’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th finishers as the Ospreys won the title, 23-76 over Felician, with Holy Family 3rd at 79.
Stockton is ranked 5th in the NCAA Division 3 Metro Division, behind Swarthmore, TCNJ, Rowan and Moravian.
Rutledge ran 16:14 over 4,000 meters at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, Pratt ran 16:28, McCabe 17:02 and Wojciechowski 17:08. Also, freshman Shaelea Conway from Cherry Hill West placed 15th in 18:03 and was Stockton’s 9th finisher.
Gloucester graduate Dejia Robert, a Rutgers-Camden freshman, placed 12th in 17:33 and was the Scarlet Raptors’ 1st finisher.
Former Wildwood Catholic teammates Angelina Richardson, a Felician freshman, and Azucena Martinez Panesso, a Georgian Court freshman, finished 14th and 23rd, Richardson in 17:50 and Panesso in 19:02. Panesso was not a distance runner at Wildwood Catholic but placed 2nd in the state Parochial B meet last spring at Buena in the 400-meter hurdles.
Also, Cinnaminson’s Olivia Moyer, a Holy Family sophomore, placed 21st overall in 18:40 and was Holy Family’s 3rd finisher.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 