Led by individual runner-up junior Joseph Saicic, the all-underclass Glassboro boys recorded one of the fastest team averages ever at Holmdel County Park by a South Jersey Group 1 school in placing 2nd Saturday in the Varsity F race at the 51st Shore Coaches Invitational.
Glassboro, ranked 7th in New Jersey and one of the top Group 1 teams ever assembled, averaged 16:50, the 2nd-fastest team average ever by a South Jersey Group 1 school at Holmdel. In 2014, Haddon Township won Group 1 and averaged 16:41.96 at the state Group 1 meet and 16:42.40 at the Meet of Champions. Haddonfield has had several faster averages but only in the years it was in Group 2.
Glassboro’s average is by far the fastest in program history. The Bulldogs ran 17:07 at last year’s Meet of Champions.
Saicic placed 2nd in 16:24, junior Zacchaeus Harrigan was 7th in 16:35, junior Gavin Rakitis 8th in 16:48, junior Aaron Johnson 10th in 16:54 and freshman Christian Hughes 23rd in 17:27.
Parochial B Union Catholic’s state-wide all-star team, ranked No. 2 in New Jersey, only beat Glassboro by 10 points, 39-49.
Paul VI placed 4th, Camden Catholic 6th, Haddon Township 8th and Woodstown 11th.
Senior Max Long led Paul VI in 5th place in 16:34, Woodstown senior David Farrell was 14th in 17:02 and Audubon junior John Robinson 15th in 17:03.
Other South Jersey runners under 18 minutes: Sophomore Jim Rotaeche of Camden Catholic [21st in 17:16], Camden Catholic junior Declan Walsh [25th in 17:32], Paul VI senior Jason Smith [27th in 17:32], Haddon Township junior James Strimel [31st in 17:42], Paul VI junior Nick Ablaza [32nd in 17:42], Camden Catholic junior Kevin Dever [33rd in 17:42], Paul VI senior Chris Monaghan [36th in 17:49] and Paul VI junior Daniel Russella [37th in 17:54]
