Jaden Sweely, a 2020 Cherokee graduate, helped Widener win the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region Championship over the weekend.

Sweely placed 28th out of nearly 200 runners over the 6,000-meter course at Union Canal Tunnel Park in Lebanon, Pa.

She was named to the USTFCCCA All-Metro Region second team.

She ran 24:23 and was 6th runner for Widener, which outscored 2nd-place Swarthmore, 61-97, to win the first NCAA regional title in program history.

Sweely, a sophomore, bumped the 5th runners from every other school and the 4th runners from every 22 of the 23 other schools. She finished ahead of the 3rd runners from all but three schools in the 24-team race.

A week earlier, Sweely placed 16th out of more than 130 runners as Widener won its first Middle Atlantic Conference Championship. Widener outscored 2nd-place Misericordia of Dallas, Pa., 40-101. Sweely was Widener’s 5th finisher in the conference meet.

Widener is ranked 31st in the country in the most recent United States Track and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.

Widener will race at the NCAA Division 3 National Championships for the first time in program history Saturday at Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich.

Anna Sasse of Williamstown was Rowan’s first finisher, taking 24^th place in 24:14. Rowan placed 9^th in team scoring.

Junior Jessie Klenk of Sterling placed 29^th in 24:25 for Stockton, which placed 3^rd with 127 points.

Freshman Savannah Hodgens from Mainland Regional was No. 5 runner for The College of New Jersey, which placed 4^th in team scoring. Hodgens ran 24:37 and placed 36^thoverall. She was the 6^th freshman across the line.

Now that we’ve had a couple days to digest their races, let’s take a look at just how rare the performances of Patrick Ditmars and Nick Kuenkel were on Saturday.

As we wrote over the weekend, Ditmars and Kuenkel finished 2nd and 4th in the 50th annual Meet of Champions at Holmdel County Park, leading Cherokee to a 3rd-place finish – its best in 22 years.

Here’s what’s most remarkable about their races: Ditmars and Kuenkel became the first South Jersey teammates – and only the 6th teammates in meet history – to both finish among the top four finishes in the same Meet of Champions. Only four programs can claim that rare achievement.

It had been 13 years since any two runners from the same school both finished in the top four, and they were two of the greatest runners in New Jersey history.

In 2009, identical twins Joe Rosa and Jim Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North went 1-2 in 14:56 and 15:15 – the No. 2 and 3 performances in course history [behind Edward Cheserek’s 14:53 in 2011]. Fortunately, NJSIAA officials did not stop that race with 400 meters to go!

It happened three times in the 1980s – Brad Hudson and Andy Martin of North Hunterdon went 1-2 in 1983 and then Martin and Hudson went 1-2 in 1984. And in 1987, CBA’s John Coyle and Matt Mitchell placed 2nd and 4th.

In the 33 races from 1988 through 2021 – there was no MoC in 2020 – it only happened twice. In 1999, Brian Kerwin and Jeff Dichiara of CBA placed 1st and 4th and the Rosas in 2009.

So Ditmars and Kuenkel are only the third set of teammates to both place 4th or better in a Meet of Champions in the last 35 years – or the last 34 races.

And Cherokee is only the 4th school in meet history to have two in the top four, joining three of the other all-time great programs in state history – North Hunterdon, West Windsor-Plainsboro North and Christian Brothers Academy.

Of the six sets of teammates to place 4th or better in a Meet of Champions, only the Rosas ran as fast or faster than  Ditmars and Kuenkel. The full list is below.

Ditmars and Kuenkel also joined Shawn Wilson – who ran 15:40 at the 2021 state Group 4 meet – and Ethan Wechsler – who ran 15:41 at the 2019 Meet of Champions – as the 3rd and 4th Cherokee runners to go 15:41 or faster at Holmdel.

That makes Cherokee only the 3rd school in state history with four at 15:41 or faster on the historic Holmdel 5,000-meter course. The list is below.

Here’s a look at the schools with two finishers in the top four in meet history:

Cherokee, 2022
15:39 … Patrick Ditmars [2nd]
15:41 … Nick Kuenkel [4th]

West Windsor Plainsboro-North, 2009
14:56 … Joe Rosa [1st]
15:15 … Jim Rosa [2nd]

Christian Brothers Academy, 1999
15:52 … Brian Kerwin [1st]
16:16 … Jeff Dichiara [4th]

Christian Brothers Academy, 1987
16:05 … John Coyle [2nd]
16:17 … Matt Mitchell [4th]

North Hunterdon, 1984
15:52 … Andy Martin [1st]
15:57 … Brad Hudson [2nd]

North Hunterdon, 1983
15:38 … Brad Hudson [1st]
15:59 … Andy Martin [2nd]

And here’s a look at the three schools who’ve had at least four runners at 15:41 or faster at Holmdel County Park (Haddonfield just missed, with three at 15:41 or faster and a 4th at 15:42!):

Christian Brothers Academty
15:19 … Mike Mazzaccaro [2010 Meet of Champions]
15:26 … Mike McClemens [2013 Meet of Champions]
15:35 … Blaise Ferro [2015 Meet of Champions]
15:37 … George Kelly [2011 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … Shaw Powell [2019 Meet of Champions]

North Hunterdon
15:30 … Matthew McDonald [2010 Meet of Champions]
15:31 … Brendan Heffernan [1991 Meet of Champions]
15:38 … Brad Hudson [1983 Meet of Champions]
15:35 … Andy Martin [1984 state Group 3] `

Cherokee
15:39 … Patrick Ditmars [2022 Meet of Champions]
15:40 … Shawn Wilson [2012 state Group 4]
15:41 … Nick Kuenkel [2022 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … Ethan Wechsler [2019 Meet of Champions]

Finally, here’s the updated all-time South Jersey Holmdel County Park list, with all sub-16 performances:

15:16 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1988 Parochial A
15:29 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Regional], 2019 Meet of Champions
15:32 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Regional], 2019 Shore Coaches Group A
15:33 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1988 Meet of Champions
15:33 … Josh Clark [Highland], 2015 Meet of Champions
15:36 … Louis Corgliano [Hammonton], 2013 Meet of Champions
15:36 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1987 State Parochial A
15:36 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 2021 Meet of Champions
15:37 … Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2015 State Group 4
15:38 … Gregory Hughes [Mainland], 2003 Meet of Champions
15:39 … Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2014 Meet of Champions
15:39 … Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2015 Meet of Champions
15:39 … Patrick Ditmars [Cherokee], 2022 Meet of Champions
15:40 … Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 2012 State Group 4
15:40 … Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 2008 State Group 3
15:40 … Steve Maine [Highland], 2013 State Group 3
15:40 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022 Meet of Champions
15:41 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], 2009 Meet of Champions
15:41 … Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 2022 Meet of Champions
15:42 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2010 Meet of Champions
15:41 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2019 Meet of Champions
15:42 … Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace], 2014 Meet of Champions
15:43 … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2001 Meet of Champions
15:43 … Miles Schoedler [Ocean City], 2010 Shore Coaches
15:44 … Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 2008 Shore Coaches C
15:45 … Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 2002 State Group 4
15:45 … Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 2011 Meet of Champions
15:46 … Jack Shea [Cherokee], 2015 Meet of Champions
15:46 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2021 Meet of Champions
15:47 … Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 1988 Meet of Champions
15:48 … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 2001 Meet of Champions
15:48 … Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 2002 Meet of Champions
15:48 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2019 State Group 2
15:48 … Oliver Adler [Cherry Hill East], 2019 Meet of Champions
15:49 … Gregory Hughes [Mainland], 2003 State Group 4
15:49 … Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2014 State Group 1
15:50 … Mike Myers [Eastern Reg.], 2000 Meet of Champions
15:51 … Jon Anderson [Cinnaminson], 2003 2003 Meet of Champions
15:51 … Murad Campbell [Overbrook], 1998 Shore Coaches
15:51 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2019 State Group 4
15:52 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 2019 State Parochial A
15:54 … Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1978 State Group 2
15:54 … Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2010 Meet of Champions
15:54 … Skip Stiles [Haddonfield], 2001 Meet of Champions
15:54 … Mike Myers [Eastern], 2000 State Group 4
15:55 … Dominick Munson [Timber Creek], 2014 Meet of Champions
15:55 … Breton Bonnett [Haddonfield], 2001 Meet of Champions
15:55 … Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2014 State Group 4
15:55 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 2021 Shore Coaches Group E
15:56 … David Forward [Shawnee], 2008 Shore Coaches B
15:56 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2018 Meet of Champions
15:56 … Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 2008 Meet of Champions
15:56 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], 2009 State Group 2
15:56 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2010 Shore Coaches Championship
15:56 … Kyle Kirk [Camden Catholic], 2012 Meet of Champions
15:56 … Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 2022 Meet of Champions
15:57 … Nate Miller [Highland Reg.], 1998 Meet of Champions
15:57 … Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2009 Meet of Champions
15:57 … Connor Herr [Shawnee], 2010 Meet of Champions
15:57 … Michael Ungvarsky [Cinnaminson], 2016 State Group 2
15:58 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1987 Meet of Champions
15:58 … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2000 Shore Coaches A
15:58 … Jack Shea [Cherokee], 2016 Meet of Champions
15:58 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2019 Shore Coaches Group E
15:58 … Oliver Adler [Cherry Hill East], 2019 Shore Coaches Group A
15:58 … Martin Ridell [Haddonfield], 2019 Meet of Champions
15:58 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2021 Meet of Champions
15:59 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2010 State Group 4
15:59 … Steve Maine [Highland], 2012 Meet of Champions
15:59 … Robert Edwards [Bridgeton], 2002 Meet of Champions
15:59 … Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace], 2014 State Parochial A

Northern Burlington sophomore Liliah Gordon on Saturday became the 14th South Jersey girl in the 50-year history of the Meet of Champions to place in the top eight in consecutive years.

Gordon was the top South Jersey runner for a second straight year, placing 7th in 19:05 at Holmdel County Park a year after placing 8th as a freshman in 18:29 in much faster conditions.

She’s the first South Jersey girl to finish in the top eight in back-to-back years since Mainland Regional’s Alyssa Aldridge placed 2nd in 2014, 1st in 2015 and 2016 and 2nd in 2017.

Gordon became only the 4th Burlington County girl to place in the top eight in consecutive years. Rancocas Valley’s Cathy Young was 5th in 1972 – the first year the meet was held – and then 4th in 1973, Shawnee’s Liz Moore placed 6th, 5th and 2nd from 1991 through 1993 and Cherokee’s Megan Lacy’s was 4th in 2010 and 7th in 2011.

She’s also only the 7th girl to lead all South Jersey runners with a top-10 finish in back-to-back years.

The full list of South Jersey girls with back-to-back top-10 finishes is below.

Gordon was the 1st sophomore across the line, finishing 17 seconds ahead of Mainland’s Sofia Day, the 2nd sophomore finisher. Day placed 11th, four spots ahead of her 15th-place finish as a freshman.

Clearview senior Abigail Waddington ran 19:24 for 13th place, the best finish by a Clearview girl in 33 years – since Michele Owen took 9th in the 1989 race in 20:10. The only other Clearview girls with top-25 finishes are Carrie Thompson (14th in 1988) and Owen’s 22nd in 1986.

Egg Harbor junior Michaela “Kiki” Schlemo ran 19:26 for 15th, finishing just behind Waddington. She’s the third EHT girl to place in the top-25 in meet history, following Jennifer O’Donohue, who was 18th in 1985, and Olivia Schaefer, who placed 6th in 2019.

We wrote earlier about Haddonfield, which had junior Ava Thomas 16th, junior Riley Slootsky 21st and freshman Riley Austin 25th. You can read their race here.

Delsea senior Lillie Widmer placed 17th in 19:31, the best finish by a Delsea girl since Amanda Goetschius ran 18:51 for 11th place in 2006. Other Delsea top-25 finishers are Paige Senatore (25th in 2011) and Brittany McCann (25th in 2000, 16th in 2001),

Other South Jersey girls in the top 50: Cinnaminson senior Stephanie Renouf [30th in 19:49], Cherry Hill East senior Alexis Tepper [33rd in 19:56], Paul VI junior Shaelan McNally [38th in 20:04], Cherokee junior Kerry O’Day [40th in 20:05] and Clearview junior Margaret Wisniewski [47th in 20:14].

Here’s a look at the repeat top-25 finishers in South Jersey history:

Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington]
8th … 2021 [18:29]
7th … 2022 []

Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Regional]
2nd … 2014 [18;21]
1st … 2015 [18:07]
1st … 2016 [17:55]
2nd … 2017 [18:18]

Briana Gess [Haddonfield]
3rd … 2015 [18:25]
2nd … 2016 [18:35]

Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace]
2nd … 2010 [18:08]
1st … 2011 [18:12]

Megan Lacy [Cherokee]
4th … 2010 [18:12]
7th … 2011 [18:29]

Megan Venables [Highland]
5th … 2008 [18:38]
2nd … 2009 [18:00]
1st … 2010 [17:45]

Chelsea Ley [Kingsway]
3rd … 2007 [18:07]
2nd … 2008 [18:01]
1st … 2009 [17:55]

Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East]
9th … 2005 [18:46]
3rd … 2006 [18:18]

Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield]
2nd … 2004 [18:21]
4th … 2005 [18:23]

Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City]
5th … 2002 [18:43]
1st … 2003 [18:42]
1st … 2004 [18:11]

Lisa Burkholder [Cherokee]
8th … 2003 [19:23]
9th … 2004 [18:52]

Erin Donohue [Haddonfield]
10th … 1997 [19:44]
2nd … 1998 [18:27]
1st … 1999 [18:44]
1st … 2000 [18:27]

Liz Moore [Shawnee]
6th … 1991 [19:46]
5th … 1992 [19:34]
2nd … 1993 [19:29]

Michelle Rowen [Washington Township]
5th … 1981 [18:36]
1st … 1982 [17:40]

Monique Purcell [Holy Spirit]
3rd … 1977 [18:23(3m)]
8th … 1978 [19:51]

Cathy Young [Rancocas Valley]
4th … 1973 [12:59]
5th … 1972 [13:21 (2m)]

The Haddonfield girls posted the 6th-lowest score ever by a South Jersey XC team and placed 2nd to Union Catholic Saturday in the 50th annual Meet of Champions at Holmdel County Park.

Union Catholic edged Haddonfield 79-88 to win the team title. Haddonfield’s 88 points are the fewest by a South Jersey program in the Meet of Champions since Bishop Eustace placed 2nd to Red Bank Catholic with 77 points in 1995. Moorestown also scored 88 in 2001 when the Quakers won the team title.

Haddonfield was led by the trio of junior Ava Thomas, junior Riley Slootsky and freshman Riley Austin, who placed 16th, 21st and 25th in 19:27, 19:40 and 19:45 and tallied 10, 11 and 13 team points. Senior Helene Usher (53rd, 23rd) ran 20:18 and junior Audrey Naticchia (76th, 31st) 20:32 rounded out Haddonfield’s top-5.

This was Haddonfield’s 8th top-10 finish at the Meet of Champions since 2005 – 9th if you include the 2020 Holmdel Invitational, which was an unofficial replacement after the Meet of Champions was cancelled.

Haddonfield won the Holmdel Invitational, but 2nd place is the program’s best official Meet of Champions finish ever. Haddonfield’s best previous official M-of-C finish was 4th place in 2019.

Clearview, the only other South Jersey school to qualify as a full team, placed 9th with 209 points with Abigail Waddington 13th overall (8th in team scoring) in 19:24. It was Clearview’s first trip to the Meet of Champions as a team.

Northern Burlington sophomore Liliah Gordon was South Jersey’s top finisher, in 6th place in 19:03.

Also in the top 20 were Mainland sophomore Sofia Day [11th in 19:22], Egg Harbor junior Michaela Schlemo [15th in 19:26], Delsea senior Lillie Widmer [17th in 19:31] and Mainland junior Gillian Lovett [18th in 19:31].

More on Gordon and the other individuals soon!

Senior Patrick Ditmars and junior Nick Kuenkel finished 2nd and 4th and led Cherokee to 3rd place in the 50th annual Meet of Champions Saturday at Holmdel County Park.

Ditmars ran 15:39 and Kuenkel 15:41, the fastest and 3rd-fastest times ever by Cherokee runners at Holmdel. Shawn Wilson ran 15:40 at the 2012 state Group 4 meet. Their times are No. 8 and 14 in South Jersey history at Holmdel.

Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft won the team title with 44 points, and Union Catholic scored 98 to 106 for Cherokee.

This was Cherokee’s 17th top-10 finish at the Meet of Champions in the last 25 meets and the Chiefs’ best finish since the 2000 team placed 2nd to CBA. Cherokee also finished in the top 3 in 1997 and 1999 (3rd) and 1998 and 2000 (2nd).

Ditmars and Kuenkel scored one and three team points. Senior Connor Jacob ran 16:25 for 21st overall (13 team points) and junior Robert Poplau ran 16:39 for 31st (19th). Sophomore Liam Tindall was Cherokee’s 5th man in 126th (70th) in 17:58, followed closely by sophomore Anthony DiBatista (130th, 74th) in 18:04 and senior Daniel Hassall (133rd, 76th) in 18:13.

This is the first time two runners from the same South Jersey school have ever placed in the top four in a Meet of Champions race. The closest previously was in 2001, when Chris Platt of Haddonfield was 2nd and teammate Skip Stiles was 5th (and Breton Bonnette was 6th).

In 1988, Urie Ridgeway of Bridgeton and teammate Lance Hess placed 3rd and 6th, and in 1994, John Williams and Joe DiGiacomo of Paul VI placed 2nd and 6th.

Cherokee averaged 16:28 on the challenging 5,000-meter Holmdel County Park course, 2nd-fastest of the day behind CBA’s 16:07. That 16:28.40 is 8th-fastest ever by a South Jersey school at Holmdel and Cherokee’s fastest time, a bit faster than their 16:30.72 at the 2019 Meet of Champions.

More on him soon, but Haddonfield’s George Andrus placed 2nd overall in 15:40, and the Bulldogs placed 6th in team scoring with 183 points.

This is the 5th straight year Haddonfield has placed 6th or better at the Meet of Champions – six straight years if you include the 2020 Holmdel Invitational, which was an unofficial Meet of Champions held on the same course after the MoC was cancelled because of COVID.

In all, Haddonfield has placed among the top-6 in the Meet of Champions 16 times and in the top 10 a total of 18 times.

Cinnaminson placed 12th led by senior Alex Boyko in 47th (30th) in 16:48 and senior Matt McCarron 67th (39th) in 17:01. That’s Cinnaminson’s 5th top-12 finish in the M-of-C. The 1989 team was 7th, 1990 was 10th and the 2002 team placed 5th. The Pirates were also 12th in 1986.

Cinnaminson graduate Austin Gabay, a freshman at Duke, placed 49th out of more than 200 runners Friday at the NCAA Division 1 Southeast Regional Championships Friday.

Gabay ran 30:55 over 10,000 meters at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville and finished as Duke’s 6th runner. The Blue Devils placed 5th out of 32 schools with 135 points. North Carolina won the race with 61 points.

Gabay was the 4th finisher across the line, three places and seven seconds behind Virginia freshman Gary Martin from Archbishop Wood in Warminster. Martin ran a 3:57.89 mile last spring, fastest ever by a high school runner in an all-high school race.

Last spring, Gabay ran 3:46.10 for 1,500 meters at the ACC Championships in Raleigh, equivalent of a 4:04.19 mile.

Yesterday, we posted the all-time South Jersey boys top combined Holmdel County Park times, and as promised here’s the girls list.

As always, please drop any corrections, additions or omissions in the comment section!

Click here for the boys list!

18:18.4 … Haddonfield A
17:45 .. Briana Gess [2013 Meet of Champions]
18:17 … Marielle Hall [2009 Meet of Champions]
18:22 … Vanessa Wright [2004 Meet of Champions]
18:27 … Erin Donohue [1998 Meet of Champions]
18:41 … Shelby Cain [2011 State Group 2]

18:46.6 … Cherokee A
17:55 … Megan Lacy [2010 Group 4]
18:43 … Nicole Clifford [2021 Meet of Champions]
18:52 … Lisa Burkholder [2004 Meet of Champions]
19:02 … Kate Rathman [2019 Meet of Champions]
19:21 … Alison Weeks [2006 Meet of Champions]

18:49.2 … Kingsway A
17:44 … Chelsea Ley [2008 Shore Coaches Group C]
18:29 … Rachel Vick [2016 State Group 4]
19:02 … Alexis Mullarkey [2015 Meet of Champions]
19:24 … Aubrey Pierontoni [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:27 … Ashlynne Burke [2018 Shore Coaches Group B]

18:50.4 … Highland
17:28 … Megan Venables [2010 State Group 3]
18:48 … Grace Wassell [2021 Meet of Champions]
18:57 … Arianna McKinney [2004 State Group]
19:14 … Jenn Rawls [2008 Meet of Champions]
19:45 … Robin Van Auken [1999 Meet of Champions]

18:56.8 … Cherry Hill East A
18:18 … Theresa Cattuna [2006 Meet of Champions]
18:28 … Grace Yoon [2016 State Group 4]
19:16 … Sarah Pierce [2016 Shore Coaches Group A]
19:18 … Missy Shower [2007 Meet of Champions]
19:24 … Alaina Chodoff [2006 Meet of Champions]

18:59.6 … Shawnee A
18:38 … Casey Doyle [2007 Meet of Champions]
18:59 … Kara Bonner [2015 State Group 4]
19:02 … Julia Despirito [2013 Meet of Champions]
19:06 … Kate Ruona [2019 Group 4]
19:13 … Isabella Turner [2018 Meet of Champions]

19:03.4 … Haddonfield B
18:50 … Sarah Naticchia [2020 Holmdel Invitational]
18:50 … Meghan Malloy [2011 Meet of Champions]
19:07 … Allison Colflesh [2020 Holmdel Invitational]
19:08 … Peyton Weiner [2020 Colt Invitational]
19:22 … Anne Earp [2021 Meet of Champions]

19:06.0 … Mainland Regional
17:55 … Alyssa Aldridge [2016 Meet of Champions]
18:49 … Sofia Day [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:24 … Gillian Lovett [2022 Shore Coaches B]
19:39 … Andrea Campbell [2003 State Group 4]
19:43 … Kelly Gross [2005 Meet of Champions]

19:16.8 … Delsea A
18:51 … Amanda Goetschius [2006 Meet of Champions]
19:10 … Paige Senatore [2011 State Group 3]
19:25 … Celine Mazzi [2013 Shore Coaches Group C]
19:26 … Lillie Widmer [2022 Group 2]
19:32 … Ashley Deckert [2009 Meet of Champions]

19:20.8 … Bishop Eustace
18:08 … Holly Bischof [2010 Meet of Champions]
19:10 … Katy Storti [2018 Meet of Champions]
19:34 … Montana DiPietrantonio [2010 Parochial A]
19:55 … Courtney Kelly [2010 Shore Coaches Group E]
19:57 … Elena Cicchini [2022 Shore Coaches Group E]

19:20.8 … Seneca A
18:49 … Mara Schiffhauer [2013 Meet of Champions]
19:19 … Paige McCauley [2012 Meet of Champions]
19:24 … Joey Webb [2013 State Group 2]
19:29 … Sydny Warner [2017 State Group 2]
19:43 … Nicole McGrainer [2008 State Group 2]

19:22.2 … Washington Twp.
17:40 … Michelle Rowen [1982 Meet of Champions]
18:40 … Dina Iacone [2011 Shore Coaches Group A]
19:49 … Maura Keane [2019 Meet of Champions]
20:00 … Lexie Taylor [2012 State Group 4]
20:42 … Kate Cochran [2018 Shore Coaches Group A]

19:25.4 … Shawnee B
19:19 … Nikki Theimann [1996 Group 4]
19:24 … Kim Bonner [2003 Meet of Champions]
19:28 … Liz Moore [1993 Group 4]
19:28 … Karen O’Neill [1993 Group 4]
19:28 … Jenna Darcy [1999 Shore Coaches A

19:28.6 … Cherokee B
19:22 … Kelsey Niglio [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:24 … Kerry O’Day [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:27 … Olivia Parkinson [2021 Shore Coaches A]
19:35 … Megan O’Leary [2004 Meet of Champions]
19:35 … Kristin Lewis [2006 Meet of Champions]

19:33.6 … Clearview
19:04 … Abigail Kotran [2022 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:06 … Abigail Waddington [2022 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:49 … Kaitlin Donahue [2016 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:50 … Julia Rothstein [2015 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:59 … Andrea Shute [2004 State Group 3]

19:34.0 … Haddonfield C
19:29 … Helene Usher [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:30 … Audrey Naticchia [2022 Group 2]
19:31 … Riley Austin [2022 Group 2]
19:34 … Ava Thomas [2022 Group 2]
19:46 … Sabrina Miller [2021 State Group 2]

19:38.8 … Shawnee C
19:30 … Michelle DiMuro [1984 Group 4]
19:33 … Robin McDowell [2003 Meet of Champions]
19:38 … Morgan Arena [2014 State Group 4]
19:43 … Claire Hauser [2018 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:50 … Claire Rankin [2015 State Group 4]

19:39.6 … Moorestown
19:23 … Genevieve Cickavage [2014 State Group 3]
19:27 … Meghan Hughes [2001 State Group 2]
19:44 … Kelsey Rinehart [2000 Meet of Champions]
19:51 … Tara Monihan [2011 Shore Coaches Group B]
19:53 … Brianna Rogers [2007 Shore Coaches Group C]

19:46.4 … Kingsway B
19:27 … Allie Pierontoni [2019 State Group 4]
19:35 … Lauren Krott [2017 Meet of Champions]
19:50 … Destiny Stanford [2016 State Group 4]
20:00 … Liz Locke [2008 Shore Coaches Group C]
20:00 … Sydney Watts [2018 Shore Coaches Group B]

19:48.0 … Seneca B
19:45 … Lyndsy Horn [2009 State Group 2]
19:45 … Kayla Martin [2015 Meet of Champions]
19:46 … Emma Klouchek [2017 State Group 3]
19:48 … Stephanie Flemming [2013 Meet of Champions]
19:56 … Carley Tool [2016 State Group 3]

19:51.4 … Haddonfield D
19:49 … Elizabeth Sikkema [2007 State Group 2]
19:49 … Riley Slootsky [2022 Group 2]
19:51 … Jess Goode [2021 State Group 2]
19:53 … Jackie Sikkema [2008 Shore Coaches]
19:55 … Alexa Gostovich [2013 Meet of Champions]

19:53.8 … Delsea B
19:39 … Felicia O’Donnell [2009 Meet of Champions]
19:47 … Brittany McCann [2001 Meet of Champions]
19:48 … Kaitlyn Rauscher [2016 Shore Coaches Group C]
19:57 … Ashlee Hitchner [2010 Shore Coaches Group C]
20:18 … Carly Nicholson [2018 State Group 2]

19:54.2 … Cherry Hill East B
19:41 … Alexis Tepper [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:54 … Meghan Marro [2008 Meet of Champions]
19:54 … Madison McNiff [2021 Meet of Champions]
19:55 … Monica Lee [2014 State Group 4]
20:07 … Kiley Walsh [2021 Meet of Champions]c

20:02.2 … Cinnaminson
19:49 … Meghan Malloy [2009 Meet of Champions]
19:46 … Stephanie Renouf [2021 Meet of Champions
20:04 … Haley Adams [2014 Meet of Champions
20:13 … Anna Marino [Shore Coaches Group E
20:19 … Madison Edwards [2017 State Group 2

20:03.4 … Cherokee C
19:44 … Malia Lyles [2002 Group 4
19:51 … Megan Charbeneau [2010 Meet of Champions
19:58 … Megan Niglio [2021 Meet of Champions
20:22 … Melissa Arnold [2011 Group 4
20:22 … Erin O’Leary [2010 Meet of Champions

When George Andrus ran 15:41 at Holmdel Saturday, he did more than just win the state Group 2 title.

He bumped Haddonfield past Cherokee for the No. 1 spot on the all-time South Jersey Holmdel County Park performance list.

Last week we posted the all-time South Jersey single-race performance lists – the boys list is here and the girls list is here.

But what about the all-time lists?

Going into states, Cherokee’s five-fastest runners ever at Holmdel had a 15:43 average  and Haddonfield’s top five had a 15:44.2 average. But Andrus’s 15:41 dropped Haddonfield to 15:41.6 and a bit faster than Cherokee, who has a 15:43 average.

With the talent Haddonfield and Cherokee are bringing back to Holmdel for the Meet of Champions Saturday, we could get more changes atop the list.

These lists weren’t easy to put together and I may be missing some performances and even some schools and quite possibly some B teams. If you see a runner or program missing please let me know ASAP in the comment section!

Girls list coming later today!

Haddonfield A 15:41.6  
15:36 … Seth Clevenger [2021 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … Jon Vitez [2009 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … George Andrus [2022 Group 2]
15:42 … Ben Potts [2010 Meet of Champions]
15:48 … Chris Platt [2001 Meet of Champions]

Cherokee A 15:43.0
15:40 … Shawn Wilson [2012 Group 4]
15:41 … Ethan Wechsler [2019 Meet of Champions]
15:43 … Marc Pelerin [2001 Meet of Champions]
15:45 … Keith Krieger [2002 Group 4]
15:46 … Jack Shea [2015 Meet of Champions]

Highland 15:55.8
15:33 … Joshua Clark [2015 Meet of Champions]
15:41 … Steve Maine [2013 Group 4]
15:57 … Nate Miller [1998 Meet of Champions]
16:13 … Kevin Pumphrey [1984 Meet of Champions]
16:15 … Jay Wassell [1995 Meet of Champions]

Haddonfield B 15:58.6
15:54 … Skip Stiles [2001 Meet of Champions
15:55 … Breton Bonnette [2001 Meet of Champions]
15:58 … Martin Ridell [2019 Meet of Champions]
16:01 … Matt Nussbaum [2010 Meet of Champions]
16:05 … Jim Smith [1979 Meet of Champions]

Ocean City 15:59.0
15:41 … Brett Johnson [2008 Group 3]
15:44 … Miles Schoedler [2010 Shore Coaches]
16:03 … John Fennekohl [2006 Meet of Champions]
16:10 … Ryan Birchmeier [2007 Group 3]
16:17 … John Richardson [2002 Group 3]

Cinnaminson 15:59.4
15:48 … Austin Gabay [2019 Shore Coaches]
15:51 … Jon Anderson [2003 Meet of Champions]
15:57 … Michael Ungvarsky [2016 Shore Coaches]
16:08 … Steve Grabowski [2005 Meet of Champions]
16:13 … Matt Poskus [2006 Meet of Champions]

Paul VI 16:00.6
15:17 … Jason DiJoseph [1988 Parochial A]
16:08 … Ron Faith [1984 Meet of Champions]
16:09 … Tom Keefer [1991 Meet of Champions]
16:13 … Joe Cranston [1989 Meet of Champions]
16:16 … Pete Dougherty [1990 Meet of Champions]

Cherry Hill East 16:00.6
15:37 … Aaron Groff [2015 Group 4]
15:48 … Oliver Adler [2019 Meet of Champions
16:01 … Bruce Miller [1981 Shore Coaches]
16:18 … Dan Helfand [2014 Group 4]
16:19 … Bill Stewart [1982 Meet of Champions]

Mainland 16:02.6
15:29 … Kevin Antczak [2019 Meet of Champions]
15:39 … Greg Hughes [2003 Meet of Champions]
16:06 … Jimmy Wyner [2003 Meet of Champions]
16:07 … Scott Keyser [1995 Meet of Champions]
16:20 … Kurt Wayton [1993 Group 3]

Eastern 16:05.6
15:51 … Mike Myers [2000 Meet of Champions]
16:05 … Dan Deichert [2001 Meet of Champions]
16:06 … Karl Savage [1996 Group 4]
16:10 … Nicholas Pschunder [2014 Group 4]
16:16 … Barry Shea [1984 Shore Coaches]

Cherokee B 16:05.8
15:56 … Nick Kuenkel [2022 Shore Coaches A]
15:59 … Patrick Ditmars [2022 Group 4]
16:09 … Joe Halin [1999 Group 4]
16:12 … Justin Kelly [2016 Group 4]
16:13 … Tom Yersak [2004 Meet of Champions]

Shawnee 16:08.4
15:57 … David Forward [2008 Shore Coaches]
15:58 … Connor Herr [2010 Meet of Champions]
16:13 … Peter Murray [2010 Shore Coaches]
16:14 … Adam Ambrus [2000 Group 4]
16:20 … Matt Talbot [1984 Group 4]
16:20 … Keith O’Brien [1991 Meet of Champions]

Haddon Twp. 16:10.6
15:39 … Luke Petela [2014 Meet of Champions]
16:15 … Owen Long [2015 Group 1]
16:17 … Jason Fiscus [1988 Meet of Champions]
16:19 … Randy Ladd [2015 Meet of Champions]
16:23 … Dave Donohue [1988 Group 1]

Haddonfield C 16:11.8
16:06 … Greg Halla [2012 Meet of Champions]
16:10 … Greg Eisenhower, [2018 Meet of Champions]
16:11 … Greg Pelose [2015 Group 2]
16:12 … Andrew Gostovich [2019 Group 2]
16:20 … Brian Goldberg [2003 Meet of Champions]

Kingsway 16:15.4
16:09 … Noah Culbreath [2014 [Group 4]
16:15 … Ryan Magnus [2012 Meet of Champions]
16:17 … Jonathan Connor [2017 Group 4]
16:17 … Joe Grandizio [2017 Meet of Champions]
16:19 … Stone Caraccio [2018 Shore Coaches Group A]

Cherokee C 16:17.8
16:14 … Greg Malloy [2010 Meet of Champions]
16:18 … Greg Bredeck [2005 Meet of Champions]
16:18 … Chase Miller [2019 Meet of Champions
16:19 … Conor Jacob [2021 Meet of Champions
16:20 … Alex Yersak [2007 State Group 4]

16:23.8 … Haddon Heights
16:18 … Mickey Borsellino [2007 Group 1]
16:21 … Josh Black [2007 Shore Coaches]
16:24 … Matt Mitchell [2005 Group 2]
16:27 … John Salisbury [1992 Meet of Champions]
16:29 … Jack Bolling [2021 Meet of Champions]

16:24.8 … Haddonfield D
16:21 … Mike Burke [2004 Shore Coaches]
16:24 … Tobias Janssen [2021 Group 2]
16:24 … Joe Shanahan [1987 Meet of Champions]
16:27 … Chad Evans [2014 Meet of Champions]
16:28 … Austin Stoner [2015 Group 2]

16:27.8 … Highland B
16:21 … Ben Woodward [2017 Group 3]
16:26 … Cole Wassell [2020 Holmdel Invitational]
16:27 … Robert Lacovara [2021 Meet of Champions]
16:30 … Kyle Gorcyznski [2007 Group 3]
16:35 … Jerry Franks [1989 Meet of Champions]

Peter Simpson ran his first lifetime cross country race two months ago.

Now he’s the New Jersey’s fastest freshman.

Simpson, a freshman at Moorestown, began his high school XC career in an Olympic Conference batch meet on Sept. 14 on his home course and placed 4th in 18:18, only 27 seconds behind teammate Colin Shand, who won the race.

He ran 17:30 in his second race on the DREAM Park super-speedway before a real breakthrough in the Olympic Conference Championships, also at DREAM Park, where he ran 16:20 and placed 9th.

Simpson lowered his all-course PR to 16:10 with a 9th at sectionals, also at DREAM Park, and then tore up Holmdel County Park this past Saturday in 17:14 for 25th in the state Group 3 race on a very warm day that made fast times difficult.

That was the fastest time by a freshman at Holmdel this year, six seconds faster than the 17:20 run by Manalapan’s Clay Stevens in the Group 4 race. Haddonfield’s Ryan Gibson, who ran 17:30 in the Group 2 race, wasn’t far behind.

Simpson is the fastest Burlington County freshman at Holmdel since Shawnee’s Connor Herr ran 17:09 at the Group 3 state meet in 2008.

Interestingly, the fastest freshman on any course in New Jersey this year was Delsea’s Matthew Littlehales, who ran 16:03 in a Tri-County Conference batch meet at Salem Tech in Mannington Township. I don’t know anything about that Salem Tech course but safe guess it’s flat.

Littlehales actually finished one place behind Simpson at sectionals, taking 10th in 16:12. That should be a terrific rivalry for a long time.

Simpson just missed qualifying for Meet of Champions as a wild-card, but a terrific option if he chooses to continue his season would be what’s now a combined freshman/sophomore race at the Eastbay (formerly Kinney and Foot Locker) Northeast Regionals at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Nov. 26.

Senior Ryan Smith recorded the best finish by a Rancocas Valley runner at states in 29 years and will become R.V.’s first runner at the Meet of Champions in 28 years.

Smith ran 16:25 – fastest in school history at historic Holmdel County Park – and placed 5th in a very fast, very deep state Group 4 race Saturday. Racing in the worst of the unseasonably warm mid-day heat, Smith posted the 5th-fastest time among South Jersey runners in the six championship races and the 24th-fastest time ov erall of more than 800 runners.

The only faster South Jersey runners were Group 2 winner George Andrus of Haddonfield [15:41], senior Patrick Ditmars [15:59] and junior Nick Kuenkel [16:08] from Cherokee in Group 4 and junior Peyton Shute of Woodbury [16:24] in Group 3.

Smith broke his own R.V. Holmdel record of 16:31 that he ran last month at Shore Coaches.

Smith’s 9th-place finish was the best by an R.V. runner at states since Jon Harris ran 9th in the 1993 Group 3 meet in 16:50. R.V. qualified as a team that year and placed 5th overall. The last R.V. runner to place higher than 9th was Mike Clayton, who was 5th in Group 3 in 1985 in 17:19.

On Saturday, Smith will race in the 50th annual Meet of Champions on the same Holmdel course. He’ll be R.V.’s first runner at the M-of-C since Mike Walker – now the College of New Jersey track distance coach and XC assistant coach – placed 40th in the 1994 meet at Holmdel in 17:15.

The best finish ever by a Rancocas Valley boy at the MoC was Jon Harris’s 33rd in 17:11 in the 1992 meet.