Seniors Nick Kuenkel and Robert Poplau finished 1-2 and Cherokee placed all five scorers in the top 10 to win its 3rd straight Olympic Conference title and 7th in the last 8 years.

Cherokee, ranked 10th in the state, topped 7th-ranked Cherry Hill East 24-54. Paul VI edged Shawnee on a 6th-runner tiebreaker after both finished with 106 points.

For Cherokee, Kuenkel ran 15:51 and Poplau 15:53. Junior Liam Tindall was 5th in 16:11, sophomore Logan Bromley 6th in 16:11 and freshman Benjamin Realley 10th in 16:21.

That’s a 30-second pack for Cherokee. Cherry Hill East had a 37-second pack and Shawnee a 26-second gap from 1 to 5.

Cherokee or Cherry Hill East has won the Olympic Conference team title every year since 2012, when Washington Township won by seven or Cherry Hill East.

Cherry Hill East was led by senior Raine Guidarelli in 3rd place in 15:57.4 and Brody Bogos in 8th in 16:20.

Others in the top 10: Paul VI Will Mrozinski [4th in 16:03], Moorestown sophomore Peter Simpson [7th in 16:14] and 1st-year junior XC runner Christian Rouzard of Rancocas Valley [9th in 16:20].

Cherokee’s 16:04.91 average for its five scorers is No. 6 in course history

Fastest Team Averages at DREAM Park
15:48 … Cherokee, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2021 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2022 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
16:00 … Cherokee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:00 … Southern Regional, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:05 … Cherokee, 2023 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:10 … Cherokee, 2022 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:13 … Cherokee, 2021 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:14 … Cherokee, 2018 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:15 … Highland, 2022 [South Jersey Group 3 Sectionals]
16:15 … Cherry Hill East, 2023 [South Jersey Open]

Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally ran the 6th-fastest time in DREAM Park history and won her 2nd straight Olympic Conference title Wednesday in Logan Township.

McNally, who won last year’s race in 18:13.17, lowered her time to 18:09.58 this year to become Paul VI’s first ever repeat winner in an Olympic Conference XC championship meet. Her time is fastest in the Olympic Conference meet since it was moved to DREAM Park in 2018.

Cherokee, led by senior Kerry O’Day, junior Megan Meglio and junior Grave Wojciechowski all in the top 10, won a close three-team battle for the team title.

O’Day placed 2nd in 18:28.0, her fastest 5,000 on any course [18:27.94 to 18:28 at Battle at Ocean County Park in Lakewood last month]. Niglio was 5th in 19:12 and Wojciechowski 10th in 19:59.

Cherokee also had senior Alaina Bromley 16th in 20:35 and senior Olivia Parkinson 18th in 20:42 and edged 2nd-place Paul VI 51-62, with Cherry Hill East 3rd at 70 points.

Paul VI sophomore Giovanna Mantuano finished 3rd in 19:08 and Bishop Eustace senior Anya Kazemi 4th in 19:12. Also in the top 10: Camden Catholic junior Nilaa Ponnappan [6th in 19:22], Eastern freshman Theresa Albertson [7th in 19:30], Cherry Hill East junior Cate Feudtner [8th in 19:37], Cherry Hill East sophomore Shaelea Conway [9th in 19:41].

With South Jersey alums Caleb Clevenger, Scott Hubbard and Giancarlo Vega all in the top five, Rowan placed all five scorers in the top 30 and raced to a big win at its own Rowan Interregional Border Battle over the weekend.

The Profs averaged 25:24 over the 8,000-meter course at DREAM Park in Logan Township and outscored 2nd-place DeSales of Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, by 87-135, with Moravian 3rd with 144 points.

With that result, Rowan moved up from 3rd to 2nd in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division 3 Metro Region rankings, behind only Haverford. DeSales moved up from 5th to 4th and Moravian of neighboring Bethlehem from 6th to 5th. The College of New Jersey dropped from 2nd to 3rd.

Junior Jacob Riley from North Warren High of Blairstown and Haddonfield’s Clevenger from Haddonfield led the way for Rowan with top-10 finishes in a field of nearly 300 runners.

Riley ran 25:11.0 for 8th place and Clevenger, a junior, was 10th in 25:14.9. Audubon’s Hubbard, a sophomore, [19th in 25:28.5], senior Dario Epifania from South Brunswick [21st in 25:31.9] and junior Giancarlo Vega from Timber Creek [30th in 25:38.0] made it five finishers in the span of 27 seconds.

Four other runners broke 26 minutes: junior Cole Kolodziej from Washington Township [41st in 25:49.3], sophomore Anthony Faust from Bishop Eustace [42nd in 25:49.9], sophomore Joshua Cason from Camden County Vo-Tech [44th in 25:50.5] and freshman Johannes Rivera from Bergenfield [54th in 25:58.6].

Rowan also won the open race, with seven in the top 20 in a field of more than 150: sophomore Tyler Green from Ocean City [5th in 26:02.9], sophomore Cole Mylan from Timber Creek [9th in 26:32.4], junior Cameron DiTroia from Ocean City [10th in 26:33.6], sophomore Sean Hice from WashingtonTownship [12th in 26:39.0], freshman Joshua Jackson from Williamstown [14th in 26:46.2], freshman Aidan Brad from Williamstown [17th in 26:50.9] and freshman Hunter Hughes from Monroe Township in Middlesex County [19th in 27:04.8].

Also in the championship race, Haddon Township graduate Jake Aylmer, a junior at Stevens in Hoboken was 24th in 25:33.6 and his former high school teammate at Haddon Township, Ian McCauley a Ramapo senior, was 35th in 35th in 25:43.7.

Former Kingsway runner Thomas Cooke, running under the Kingsway Track Club banner, won the Open race in 25:19.7.

The first collegiate runner was Woodstown graduate Xavier Seals, a senior at Georgian Court. Seals ran 25:35.6 and led Georgian Court to 2nd place in team scoring.

Maple Shade graduate Forrest Miller, a sophomore at DeSales, placed 39th in 27:47.4.

For the Rowan women, junior Anna Sasse of Williamstown placed 9th in the championship race in 22:15.5, and Isabelle Smith from Ocean City was 5th in the open race in 24:49.8.

Glassboro senior Elijah Whitaker recorded his 2nd straight invitational win Tuesday at the Tri-County Conference Showcase Championships at Cumberland Regional in Upper Deerfield Township.

Whitaker ran 15:47.48 over 5,000 meters, edging Kingsway freshman Ryan Duffy for the second straight meet. Duffy ran 16:00.57. Whitaker and Duffy ran 1-2 Thursday at the Gloucester County Championships at West Deptford Park.

Whitaker has now run under 15:50 in back-to-back races. His previous all-course 5K PR was a 16:14 in the Shore Coaches Varsity F race, where he placed second to Woodbury’s Peyton Shute.

Duffy’s time appears to be a freshman course record, according to the MileSplit database. Another Kingsway runner, Joe Grandizio, ran 16:07.41 at Cumberland Regional at the 2014 Tri-County Championship.

Duffy’s previous all-course 5K PR was a 16:07.2 last week at the Gloucester County meet. Duffy’s 16:00.57 is the fastest time on any course this year by a New Jersey freshman.

Washington Township placed five runners in the top 20 and all seven in the top 26 to win the team title, 67-81, over Clearview, with Kingsway [96] and Williamstown [99] also in double digits.

Senior Aaron Kolosowsky led the way for the Minutemen in 8th place in 16:44, and junior teammate Hunter Bostwick finished 10 seconds one spot back. Also in Township’s lead group were senior Patrick Lant [13th in 17:11], senior Evan Bongard [19th in 17:28] and senior Daniel Torres [20th in 17:34].

Senior Daniel Mumbower [21st in 17:35] and junior Joshua Baseshore [26th in 17:46] also raced for the Minutemen.

Washington Township’s 4th and 5th runners both finished of every other school’s 4th runner.

Others in the top 10 were Williamstown junior Dylan Saber [3rd in 16:06], Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales [4th in 16:24], Williamstown sophomore Dominic Burgio [5th in 16:32], Clearview junior Ethan Worst [6th in 16:35], Williamstown junior David Kershner [7th in 16:42] and Clearview senior Akshar Patel [10th in 17:00].

Washington Township won last year’s meet on a 6th-runner tiebreaker (Lant) with Williamstown at 49-apiece.

Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally placed 2nd in the Varsity B race Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

McNally ran 15:36.7 over 2 ½ miles at Vanny, 3rd-fastest time of the day by a New Jersey girl, behind only Middletown South’s Rosemary Shay [14:59.3] and Ocean City’s Maeve Smith [15:02.1].

She placed 2nd to junior Ella Cohen of Hunter College Campus Schools in Manhattan. Cohen ran 14:56.0.

McNally led Paul VI a close 2nd place in team scoring, behind only Hunter, which edged PVI by 75-81, with Monroe-Woodbury of Central Valley, N.Y., and Arlington High of LaGrangeville, N.Y., 3rd and 4th with 85 and 90 points.

Sophomore Giovanna Mangtuano placed 5th in 15:57.3 and sophomore Macy Huber was 12th in 16:37.6. Two freshmen were Paul VI’s 4th and 5th runners, Grace Gutowski 31st in 17:12.8 and Kara Salamone 38th in 17:37.3. Senior Madison Pedicelli and freshman Lucy Crothers also raced for the Eagles.

Junior Julian Rich of Gloucester Township Vo-Tech edged junior Luke Damato of Medford Vo-Tech Monday to win the New Jersey Technical Athletic Conference championships.

Rich ran 17:28.20 and finished half a step ahead of Damato, who ran 17:28.52, at Salem County Vo-Tech in Woodstown.

But Gloucester County Vo-Tech of Deptford, with five scorers in the top 11, won the team title 40-67 over Passaic County Vo-Tech of Wayne. Burlington was 3rd with 93 points.

Rich, 5th in last year’s race, beat a field of nearly 100 runners. Damato, who runs track for Lenape, was 24th last year.

For Gloucester, senior Gavin Hoover led the way in 4th place in 17:50, with senior Luke Clodfelter 6th in 17:54. Then junior Gavin Kravchuck [18:16], freshman Duke Snyder-Shellito [18:22] and junior Patrick Monaghan [18:27] came across in 10th, 11th and 12th. For team scoring purposes, Gloucester went 4-6-9-10-11.

Junior Connor Auge and junior Owen LeLuca placed 15th and 19th, giving Glocuester seven in the top 20.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 20: Atlantic County Vo-Tech senior Shawn Tamanini [8th in 18:14], Burlington junior Cole Malinowski [13th in 18:30], Atlantic County junior Thomas Wodazak [14th in 18:35], Atlantic County senior Eni Fakolade [16th in 18:41] and Camden County junior Leo Vargas-Trinidad [17th in 18:45].

In the girls race, Atlantic County Vo-Tech placed 2nd with 82 points, behind only Morris County Tech of Denville, which scored 33. Gloucester was 4th with 118 points.

South Jersey runners in the top 20: Gloucester County senior Ave Dixon [6th in 22:05], Salem County junior Sarah Seiden [8th in 22:23], Atlantic County senior Ava Macchione [10th in 22:37], Westampton Tech junior Janelle Sanabria [13th in 22:59], Atlantic County seniors Emma Feehan and Ella Feehan [14th and 15th in 23:07 and 23:21], Westampton senior Soleil Casseus [17th in 23:28], Atlantic County senior Alissa Taylor [18th in 23:30].

Rutgers teammates Kyle Rakitis of Kingsway and Zeb Hinker of Lower Cape May Regional went 1-2 to lead the Scarlet Knights to the team title Friday at the Delaware Invitational.

Rakitis, in his second race for Rutgers, ran 26:00.7 and Hinker 26:00.8 over 8,000 meters at White Creek State Park in Newcastle County, and Rutgers outscored 2nd-place Delaware State 17-59.

Rakitis, a three-time Meet of Champions winner in the 1,600 at Kingsway, is a transfer from Virginia but never raced the Cavaliers. He ran 4:08.58 at the 2021 outdoor Meet of Champions, No. 2 in South Jersey history.

Rancocas Valley graduate Ryan Smith, a Rutgers freshman, placed 26th in 28:55.1.

In the women’s race, Rutgers freshman Lillie Widmer of Delsea finished 24th in 25:18.6 over 6,000 meters

Ocean City’s Maeve Smith continued her terrific junior year with a dominating win in the Varsity F race Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational.

Racing in cold, rainy conditions, Smith ran the 2 ½-mile course at historic Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx in 15:02.1 to win by about 100 meters over senior Shaylen Goslar of Pine Bush High in Orange County, N.Y.

So far this year, Smith has placed 3rd in the Cherokee Challenge and Shore Coaches and won the Cape May County race and now the Manhattan Invite.

Even unpressed, Smith’s time Saturday was 14th-fastest among six varsity races and fastest by a girl from a New Jersey high school.

Ocean City, which wasn’t at full strength, still placed 3rd in team scoring with 154 points, behind only East Islip (N.Y.), which scored 88, and Somers High of Lincolndale, N.Y., which scored 100.

Junior Chloe Care also finished near the front, taking 6th place in 15:56.4.

Sophomore Gabrielle Henry [40th in 17:39.5], senior Frankie Ritzel [54th in 18:04.3] and freshman Lillian Flora [63rd in 18:15.2] made up the rest of Ocean City’s scoring group.

Peyton Shute shattered a historic 36-year-old record Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Shute, a senior at Woodbury, ran 12:18.1 in the championship race at the Manhattan Invitational – the boys Easterns – the fastest time in course history by a South Jersey runner.

Shute broke the record of 12:20.5 on the legendary 2 ½-mile layout set in 1987 by Paul VI’s Jason DiJoseph, the 1988 Kinney (Foot Locker / Eastbay) National champion.

His time is 11th-fastest ever by a New Jersey runner at Vanny and 27th-fastest ever run on a course that’s hosted major meets since 1957.

Shute placed 2nd to Joe Barrett of Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft, who won the race in 12:13.6, No. 6 in New Jersey history.

Here’s a start at an all-time South Jersey list at Van Cortlandt working from various sources, mostly connected with MileSplit but also from archives put together by the late New York State track stats guru Larry Byrne. There are definitely times missing from the 1970s and 1980s. Please let me know who else from South Jersey ran sub-12:50 at Vanny!

12:18.1 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
12:20.5 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1987
12:24.3 … Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2015
12:25.6 … Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2009
12:28 … Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 1985
12:30 … Bill Stewart [Cherry Hill East], 1983
12:31 … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1979
12:32 … Ed Blakeley [Haddon Twp.], 1974
12:32.3 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2019
12:35.1 … Josh Clark [Highland], 2015
12:35.9 … Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace], 2014
12:38.7 … Steve Maine [Highland], 2013
12:41.6 … Martin Riddell [Haddonfield], 2019
12:45.7 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2021
12:47.3 … Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 2008
12:47.3 … Mike Ungvarsky [Cinnaminson], 2016
12:47.7 … David Forward [Shawnee], 2009
12:48.6 … Connor Melko [Bishop Eustace], 2018
12:48.7 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022
12:49.2 … Greg Eisenhower [Haddonfield], 2018

Junior Bennett Wright, sophomore Ryan Gibson, senior Liam Dougherty, sophomore Benjamin Andrus and sophomore Luke Andresen all placed among the top 15 out of more than 150 runners, and Haddonfield easily won the Varsity C race Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational.

The Haddonfield boys, ranked 4th in New Jersey, raced just hours after learning that beloved, legendary Haddonfield coach Nick Baker had died following a battle with lung cancer. For more on Nick, he’s a remembrance I wrote this morning: https://sjtrackblog.com/2023/10/14/remembering-legendary-haddonfield-coach-nick-baker/

But the young Bulldogs, with only one senior in the scoring group, raced to a 45-93 win over Bishop Hendricken of Warwick, R.I., averaging 13:16.6 on the 2 ½-mile course at historic Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Wright ran 13:06.8 to place 4th overall, Gibson was 7th in 13:16.1, Dougherty 9th in 13:17.9, Andrus 11th in 13:19.9 and Andresen 14th in 13:22.0. Senior Reid Gervasi backed up the first five by placing 36th in 13:49.2.

Gibson, Andrus and Andresen finished 2nd, 3rd and 5th among sophomores in the race, and overall Haddonfield had four of the first nine underclassmen across the line.

Even if they had competed without Wright, their first finisher, Haddonfield would have won 72-88 over Bishop Hendricken.

So far this year, Haddonfield has won team titles at the Bowdoin XC Classic at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., Shore Coaches Invitational, the Camden County Championships (with its B team) and now the Manhattan Invitational.