Peyton Barger became the first freshman winner in six years and Paul VI recorded the lowest winning score in 30 years Saturday morning at the Bob Kiessling parochial school championships in Logan Township.
Barger ran 18:39 at DREAM Park and PVI , ranked No. 11 in New Jersey, went 1-3-4-5-6 to win the team title with 19 points, lowest score since Bishop Eustace won the 1996 meet at Kingsway with 17 points.
The 19 points are the 4th-lowest total in meet history. Paul V scored a perfect 15 to win the 1982 meet and 18 to win in 1984. The title is Paul VI’s 4th in a row and 14th in the last 23 years.
Sophomore Isabella Suarez was 3rd in 18:52, junior Morgan Kuzma 4th in 19:19, senior Grace Gutowski 5thin 19:20 and sophomore Emilia Grelli 6th in 20:13.
Paul VI had 11 runners in the top 15, with sophomore Mia Waldby 8th in 20:50, senior Kara Salamone 10thin 21:18, freshman Rose Pasqua 11th in 21:19, freshman Erin Spang 12th in 21:20, sophomore Riley Sheppard 14th in 21:43 and junior Francesca Cianfrani 15th in 21:45.
Stella Blanchard, a senior at Princeton’s Wilberforce School and a 2:03 half-miler last spring, placed 2nd in 18:41.
Barger is the first freshman to win the Kiessling meet since Paul VI’s Shaelan McNally in 2020. She’s the fastest South Jersey freshman at DREAM Park since Haddonfield’s Riley Austin ran 18:23.24 at 2022 Group 2 Sectionals.
PVI won the team title 19-63 over Camden Catholic, with Wilberforce 3rd at 77 and Bishop Eustace also under 100 in 4th with 86 points.
Paul VI averaged 19:17.02 for its top five, the 9th-fastest time in course history and 2nd-fastest in the Kiessling meet, behind PVI’s 19:02.58 last year.
Camden Catholic placed two in the top 10 with junior Erin Callinan 7th in 20:38 and senior Maddy O’Neal 9th in 20:52.
Also in the top 20: Camden Catholiic freshman Burke Beyer [13th in 21:28], Eustace sophomore Charlotte Clinthorne [16th in 22:00], Camden Catholic freshman Lizzie Sammis [17th in 22:09], Eustace freshman Josephine Kelly [18th in 22:09], Eustace junior Haylee Marakovits [19th in 22:12] and Wildwood Catholic junior Shea McIlhinney [20th in 22:18].
The meet does not serve as a qualifier for states. Parochial Schools qualify automatically for the state Parochial A and B meets next weekend at Holmdel.
