Schalick senior Julia Smith on Saturday joined some elite company, becoming only the second girl to win three straight South Jersey Group 1 sectional XC titles.

Smith ran 20:10 over 5,000 meters, finishing more than a minute ahead of the field at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Smith ran 19:59 in 2018 and 19:40 in 2019 at Delsea to win her first two sectional titles.

The only other girl to win three straight in SJ-1 is Allyson Krayl of Point Pleasant Beach, who won four straight from 1999 through 2002.

Smith is the 15th girl to win at least three straight South Jersey sectional titles and the 13th from a South Jersey school.

Here’s a look at every repeat winner in South Jersey girls sectional XC history:

Four in a row
Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], Group 2 [1999, 2000], Group 1 [1997, 1998]
Allyson Krayl [Point Pleasant Beach], Group 1 [1999, 2000, 2001, 2002]
Vanessa Wright [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2002, 2003, 2004, 2005]
Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2006, 2007, 2008, 2009]
Briana Gess [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2013, 2014, 2015, 2016]

Three in a row
Monique Purcell [Holy Spirit], Group 3 [1976, 1977, 1978]
Eva Marie Berardi [Williamstown], Group 2 [1977, 1978, 1979]
Mindy Rowand [Sterling], Group 3 [1983, 1984, 1985]
Liz Moore [Shawnee], Group 4 [1992, 1993, 1994]
Brittany McCann [Delsea], Group 3 [1999, 2000, 2001]
Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], Group 3 [2002, 2003, 2004]
Danielle Tauro [Southern Reg.], Group 4 [2004, 2005, 2006]
Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], Group 3 [2007, 2008, 2009]
Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], Group 3 [2015, 2016, 2017]
Julia Smith [Schalick], Group 1 [2018, 2019, 2020]

Two in a row
Renee DeFeo [Clayton], Group 1 [1976, 1977]
Michelle Rowan [Washington Twp.], Group 4 [1981, 1982]
Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], Group 1 [1984, 1985]
Mary Jo Dougherty [Ocan City], Group 3 [1986, 1987]
Mihele Owen [Clearview], Group 2 [1986, 1987]
Janet Rue [Pitman], Group 1 [1990, 1991]
Megan Hartman [Ocean City], Group 3 [1992, 1993]
Amy Beykirch [Pinelands Reg.], Group 2 [1995, 1996]
Alicia Pipkin [Haddon Twp.], Group 1 [2001, 2012]
Lindsey Ritchings [Point Pleasant Beach], Group 1 [2003, 2004]
Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], Group 3 [2005, 2006]
Jillian Smith [Southern Reg.], Group 4 [2007, 2008]
Megan Lacy [Cherokee], Group 4 [2010, 2011]
Danielle Leavitt [Lacey Twp.], Group 3 [2011, 2012]
Meghan Malloy [Haddonfield], Group 2 [2011, 2012]
Vicky Ajimoko [Williamstown], Group 4 [2012, 2013]
Isabella Turner [Shawnee], Group 4 [2017, 2018]

Schalick placed three runners in the top 10 and scored 43 points, finishing second to Haddon Township, which went 2-3-6-7-11 for 29 points and won its sixth sectional title in the last 14 years and seventh overall.

Smith also won sectional titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state Group 1 track meet last spring, so she’s now a five-time South Jersey champion.

Smith’s 20:10 is fastest by a Group 1 girl in the three years the DREAM Park course has been in use.

For Haddon Township, junior Regan Shemeley ran 21:13 and sophomore Meghan Lax 22:23 for second and third place. Freshman Genieve Gentlesk and junior Kaelin Marshall ran 23:03 and 23:07 for 9th and 10th, and junior Ellie Sennhenn completed Township’s scoring group with a 16th place in 24:15.

Junior Mia LaMarra was Schalick’s second finisher, taking 5th in 22:23 after placing 8th as a sophomore.

Others in the top 10 included Pennsville junior Taylor Burchfield [4th in 22:23], Pitman senior Nicole Murphy [6th in 22:44], Audubon senior Greta Davis [7th in 22:50] and Cape May County Tech senior Lindsay Robbins [8th in 22:55].

Cherokee packed its five scorers in 40 seconds Saturday and rolled to its 10th sectional title Saturday and second in a row.

Seniors Nico Grilli and Brett Shea led the way for the Chiefs, Grilli in 3rd in 16:28 and Shea in 6h in 16:33 over the water-logged 5K DREAM Park course in Logan Township.

The race featured three of the state’s top-14 ranked teams going in: No. 6 Cherry Hill East, No. 11 Cherokee and No. 14 Southern Regional.

Cherokee outscored Cherry Hill East 48-63, with Southern third third on a 6th-runner tiebreaker with Cherry Hill East.

Cherokee went 3-6-11-12-16, Southern 1-4-14-21-23 and Cherry Hill East 7-8-10-18-20. Cherry Hill East had beaten Cherokee by three in the Olympic Conference Championships last month.

Sophomore Patrick Ditmars, senior Dylan Odud and sophomore Conor Jacob clinched the win for the Chiefs, Ditmars 11th in 16:53, Odud 12th in 16:54 and Jacob 16th in 17:08. Freshman Nick Kuenkel was Cherokee’s sixth finisher, 19th in 17:16, and junior Bradley Popler also raced, taking 36th in 17:44.

This is the first time Cherokee has won consecutive sectional titles since 1999 and 2000, when the Chiefs won their fourth and fifth in a row. Cherokee also won SJ-4 titles in 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2019. The Chiefs went on to win the state title last year.

Cherokee’s 10 sectional titles trails only Haddonfield [40], Haddon Township [20] and Cinnaminson [12] among South Jersey schools and is most among South Jersey Group 4 schools, three more than Cherry Hill East and Toms River North.

Southern’s Jackson Braddock, the state Group 4 champion last year and an 8:54 two-miler on the track, won the race in 16:02, matching Brady Shute of Gateway-Woodbury for fastest time of the day [The FAT  camera gave Shute a 2-100ths-of-a-second edge, 16:02.97 to 16:02.99.]

Clearview senior Anas Bensaoud ran 16:25 for 2nd, and Washington Township senior Julian Lawson was 5th at 16:31. Seniors Gabe Rodriguez and Aidan Eyre took 7th and 8th for Cherry Hill East in in 16:39 and 16:43, Egg Harbor Township senior Nick Valdivieso was 9th in 16:48, and Aidan Groff of Cherry Hill East took 10th in 16:52.

The Cherokee girls packed five runners in 30 seconds and rolled to a record-setting team title in the South Jersey Group 4 XC sectionals Saturday.

Cherry Hill East Alexis Tepper was the overall winner in 19:51, but Cherokee had five of the next seven finishers on the water-logged 5K course at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Freshman Kerry O’Day, sophomore Kelsey Niglio and junior Nicole Clifford placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th for Cherokee, with freshmen Olivia Parkinson and Alaina Bromley not far behind in 7th and 8th.

O’Day ran 19:56, Niglio 20:08 and Clifford 20:19. Parkinson and Bromley crossed the line in 20:24 and 20:26. Noelle Falzone and Allison Rathman also ran sub-21 and gave Cherokee all seven finishers in the top 17.

It was the first time this year O’Day was Cherokee’s first finisher.

Cherokee finished the season undefeated.

The title is Cherokee’s second and first since 2003, when the Lady Chiefs had overall winner Lisa Burkholder squeaked by Shawnee, 63-64.

This one wasn’t nearly as close. Cherokee finished with a 24-61 margin over Cherry Hill East, with Clearview third with 90 points.

Scoring against the entire field, Cherokee would have won 24-31. 

Cherokee, ranked No. 9 in the state, equalled the second-lowest score in South Jersey Group 4 sectional history and tied the lowest score ever by a South Jersey school.

Brick Township won the 1987 race with 21 points, and Shawnee won the 1994 race with 24 points. Long-time Seneca coach (and now athletic director) Karen O’Neill was on that team and placed second in that race behind teammate Liz Moore.

Here’s a look at the lowest team scores in South Jersey Group 4 sectional history:

21 … Brick Township, 1987
24 … Cherokee, 2020
24 … Shawnee, 1994
27 … Brick Township, 1978
28 … Toms River North, 1977
28 … Toms River East, 1984
30 … Brick Township, 1985
31 … Brick Township, 1986
32 … Shawnee, 1983
33 … Shawnee, 1993
35 … Toms River North, 1976
35 … Shawnee, 2001
36 … Toms River North, 1979
36 … Toms River North, 1978 [2nd]
37 … Shawnee, 1995
37 … Brick Township, 1988
37 … Paul VI, 1987 [2nd]
40 … Shawnee, 1991
40 … Paul VI, 1989
41 … Paul VI, 1986 [2nd]
42 … Shawnee, 1990
42 … Brick Township, 1989 [2nd]
43 … Shawnee, 1996
46 … Toms River East, 1980
49 … Shawnee, 1991

Last time Audubon won a sectional XC title was 1978, and the Green Wave’s first three runners went 2-4-7 on the way to a huge win in South Jersey Group 1.

Why is that relevant? Get this: On Saturday Audubon won its first sectional title since 1978 and their first three runners? Went 2-4-7.

In 1978, Ed Wickersham, Al Colburn and Lee Widman  finished 2-4-7 and the Green Wave won Group 1 by a 37-104 margin over Pitman over a 3-mile course at Pennsauken. 

Some 42 years later, senior Zachary Williams placed 2nd, senior Enrique Herrera 4th and sophomore Joseph Gaspari 7th as Audubon repeated that 2-4-7 finish. In 1978, Audubon’s fourth runner, Jeff Gross, was 10th. This time around, senior Jonathan Lapp did one spot better, taking ninth.

Audubon finished with a 34-65 margin of victory over Haddon Township, with Maple Shade taking third with 67 points.

Junior Tyler Wells was Audubon’s fifth finisher Saturday, taking 12th in 18:12. Also racing for the Green Wave were junior Aaryn Myers [16th in 18:50] and junior Clifford Gilmore [23rd in 19:27].

Until 2018, Audubon hadn’t placed in the top three at sectionals, but the 2018 team took 3rd and las years Audubon was 2nd.

Haddon Township finished in the top 3 for the 16th consecutive year.

Junior Brady Shute finished an undefeated season with his first sectional XC title Saturday, racing away from Collingswood senior Josh Forrest to win the South Jersey Group 2 sectional race.

Shute, a senior at Woodbury who competes for the combined Gateway-Woodbury Co-Op program, ran 16:02, fastest time of the day with the Group 4 race still to come. 

Forrest ran 16:11, an all-course 5K personal-best, for second.

Shute is the first Woodbury student ever to win a sectional XC title. The best previous finish at sectionals by a Woodbury runner was Seymour Hayes’ 2nd-place in Group 1 in 1982 behind Haddonfield’s Blair Murphy. 

Since Shute is also competing for Gateway, he joins Greg Stremmel and Paul Greenhalgh as Gateway’s third sectional champ. Stremmel won Group 2 in 1972 and 1973 and went on to win the Meet of Champions in 1973. Greenhalgh won SJ-2 in 1984.

It was a good day all around for Gateway-Woodbury, which placed third behind Haddonfield and Haddon Heights and would have earned a trip to states in a normal season.

Gateway-Woodbury’s best previous finish as a joint program was a 5th place in 2012. Gateway and Woodbury have competed as a single program since 2010.

Woodbury’s last top-3 team finish was a third place in 1988 and the Thundering Herd’s last superior finish was a 2nd-place in 1970. Looking at it through a Gator lens, it’s Gateway’s best finish since a second in 1985. Gateway won S.J. Group-2 in 1973 behind overall winner Greg Stremmel.

Freshman Peyton Shute ran 11th for Gateway-Woodbury in 17:04, senior Griffin Campbell and junior Mike Torelli finished 29th and 30th in 18:14 and 18:15 and senior Josh Baxter took 49th in 19:16.

Peyton Shute ran just two seconds off the course record for freshmen set last year by Cherokee’s Conor Jacob, who ran 17:02 at the Olympic Conference JV meet.

Haddonfield went 3-5-6-7-10 for the team title, which you can read about here.

Also in the top 10 were Lower Cape May Regional junior Zeb Hinker [16:21 for 4th] and the West Deptford duo of senior Zach Rhoda [8th in 16:39] and Jacob Cobb [9th in 16:45].

Senior Cole Wassell became the second member of his family to win a sectional title on Saturday and the third member of his family to win one in the last 25 years.

Wassell ran 16:06 over the DREAM Park 5K course in Logan Township Saturday morning, running away with the South Jersey Group 3 individual title and leading Highland to the team title.

Wassell outran junior Dennis Fortuna of Triton by 150 meters. Fortuna took second in 16:38. Highland recorded a 47-66 win over Ocean City, with Mainland third at 91.

Wassell’s younger sister, Grace, a Highland sophomore, won her second straight sectional title earlier in the day. Their father Jay Wassell was a sectional champ for Highland with S.J. Group 3 titles in 1994 and 1995.

Senior Tom Raws ran 16:47 for 4th for Highland and then sophomores Gavin Gallo, Cole Knoedler and Anthony Imperatore finished 11th, 15th an 16th in 17:17, 17:44 and 17:46. Seniors Joseph DeBeaumont and Steven Sherill also raced for the Tartans.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Ocean City junior Owen Ritti [5th in 16:52], Timber Creek senior Michael Henry [6th in 16:54], Ocean City senior Tyler Greene [7th in 17:07], Triton junior Caleb Messenger [9th in 17:15] and Ocean City senior Brendan Schlatter [10th in 17:17].

Highland’s other sectional champs are Jerry Andrews in 1979 and Josh Clark in 2015, although Nate Miller went on to win the 1998 Meet of Champions after placing second to Murad Campbell at sectionals.

The team title was Highland’s 4th since 2013 and 7th overall. That’s tied for 4th-most in South Jersey sectional history, behind Haddonfield [40], Haddon Township [20] and Cinnaminson [13] and tied with Cherokee.

Highland also won Group 3 in 2003 and 2013, 2014 and 2015 and Group 4 in 1993 and 1994.

Mainland unseated Ocean City, which had won the last three South Jersey Group 3 sectional titles, with Mainland finishing second twice and third once.

Mainland finished with a 47-73 margin of victory over Ocean City, with Toms River South edging Highland for fourth, 103-104.

The team title is Mainland’s third. The Mustangs won Group 3 in 1981 with Becky Leon and Trish Levin in the top 10 and 2016 behind Alyssa Aldridge, Emily Dirkes and Emily Forester.

Highland sophomore Grace Wassell successfully defended her individual title, running 19:24 on the 5K course at DREAM Park in Logan Township and edging Lily Oliver of Toms River South by 20 meters. More on Wassell’s race soon.

For Mainland, freshman Claudia Booth, junior Lily Malone and freshman Gillian Lovett led the way in 5th, 7th and 8th, Booth in 20:21, Malone 20:44 and Lovett 20:56.

The Mustangs then placed senior Giselle Obergfell, freshman Chloe Malone and sophomore Sydney Luff in 12th [21:36], 15th [21:59] and 16th [22:01]. Seventh runner junior Savannah Hodgens wasn’t far back, in 23rd in 22:29.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Highland junior Princess Nwoga [3rd in 19:59], Timber Creek junior Vanessa Marinero [4th in 20:19] and Ocean City senior Alexa Palmieri [6h in 20:28].

Sophomores Alex Boyko, Matt McCarron and Tyler Schill packed between 17:27 and 17:32 to lead the Cinnaminson boys to their 13th sectional XC title and first in 12 years.

Cinnaminson won a wild three-team race in the Central Jersey Group 2 meet at Thompson Park in Jamesburg, scoring 103 points to 107 for Robbinsville and 110 for Rahway.

Only Haddonfield [40] and Haddon Township [20] have won more sectional titles among South Jersey schools.

Cinnaminson’s four-point margin of victory is the closest in Central Jersey Group 2 since 2009, when Delaware Valley beat Red Bank by one point – 49-50.

With three teams finishing within eight points, it was the closest three-way finish ever in Central Jersey Group 2. In 1980, Holmdel [80], Princeton [87] and Voorhees [88] finished within nine points of one another.

Boyko ran 17:27 for 8th, McCarron 17:31 for 9th and Tyler Schill 17:32 for 12th for the Pirates, and sophomore Ryan Coceano and senior Sergey Boyko ran 18:38 and 18:40 in 39th and 40th. Sophomore Dean Clark was a few steps back in 45th in 18:45.

Here’s a look at Cinnaminson’s 13 sectional titles: 
1971 SJ-4
1973 SJ-3
1974 SJ-3
1982 SJ-3
1986 SJ-3
1987 SJ-2
1989 SJ-2
1990 SJ-2
1991 SJ-2
1992 SJ-2
2003 SJ-2
2008 CJ-2
2020 CJ-2

Haddonfield placed all five scorers in the top 10 and won its 17th straight South Jersey Group 2 XC title Saturday at DREAM Park.

Think about that for a second.

Seventeen in a row.

This is the 45th consecutive year — nearly half a century – that Haddonfield has placed in the top five at sectionals, meaning it would have been the 45th consecutive year that the Bulldogs advanced to states, if there were a state meet this fall.

The last time Haddonfield didn’t finish in the top 5 was 1974, when they were 9th.

Despite losing its top three runners to graduation, Haddonfield went 3-5-6-7-10 for 31 points, winning by 70 points over second-place Haddon Heights.

Brady Shute of Co-Op Gateway/Woodbury [16:02] and Collingswood’s Josh Forrest [16:11] ran 1-2, but sophomore George Andrus [3rd in 16:15], junior Tobias Janssen [5th in 16:26], senior Caleb Clevenger [6th in 16:34], senior John Hurly [7th in 16:36] and senior Sean Eisenhower [10th in 16:58] packed in 52 seconds for Haddonfield with a 16:34 average – No. 5 in course history.

Haddonfield has won 40 sectional titles in all, the most of any program in the state. Since 1999, Haddonfield has won 21 of 22 in Group 2, with the only loss coming in 2003, when they were second to Jon Anderson and Cinnaminson.

Haddonfield also won Group 2 in 1995 and 1996 and Group 1 from 1997 through 1996, so that’s 24 titles in the last 25 years.

The last time Haddonfield didn’t finish first or second was 1994, when they were 3rd in Group 2 behind Pinelands and Haddon Township.

The Bulldogs have finished in the top three 39 consecutive years dating back to a 4th-place finish in Group 2 in 1981 behind Clearview, Moorestown and Delran.

Haddonfield’s streak of 17 consecutive sectional titles is the longest in state history. Ridgewood’s current streak of 11 straight going into today is the next-longest streak in history state-wide. The second-longest streak ever by a South Jersey school is eight straight by Haddon Township from 2008 through 2015 in Group 1.

Haddonfield! Again!

The Haddonfield girls coasted to their 11th straight sectional title and 26th overall Saturday morning, racing to a 20-92 win over second-place Cedar Creek in the South Jersey Group 2 race.

Haddonfield has won more sectional titles than any girls program in the state. Ridgewood will be shooting for their 25th in North Jersey Section 1 Group 4 later Saturday.

Haddonfield averaged 19:29 on the 5K course at DREAM Park in Logan Township, breaking the course single-race record of 19:46 set by Cherry Hill East last year in the Olympic Conference Championships.

Senior Sarah Naticchia won her second straight individual title in 18:36, winning by 100 meters over senior teammate Allison Colflesh, who ran 18:59. 

Naticchia and Colflesh move into the No. 4 and No. 6 spots on the all-time DREAM Park performance list. The course has only been in use since 2018.

Senior Payton Weiner was 4th in 19:19, freshman Anne Earp 6th in 20:11 and senior Lindsay Colflesh 7th in 20:18. 

Haddonfield’s 6th and 7th runners were sophomore Sabrina Miller [8th in 20:21] and junior Jess Goode [11th in 21:03], who gave Haddonfield seven of the first 11 finishers.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Collingswood senior Sophie Steidle [3rd in 19:13], Delsea senior Carly Nicholson [5th in 19:31] and Delsea senior Lilie Widmer [10th in 20:50].

We’ll have more on the South Jersey Group 2 race later, but first a few notes on Haddonfield’s team title:

⇒ Since 2005, Haddonfield has won 15 of 16 South Jersey Group 2 sectional XC titles, the only loss coming in 2009, when they were second to Moorestown.

⇒ The 11 straight sectional titles is the 3rd-longest streak in state history, behind only Ridgewood’s streak of 12 straight in North 1 Group 4 from 1992 through 2003 and Shawnee’s streak of 12 straight in South Jersey Group 4 from 1990 through 2001.

⇒  The 20 points is the 8th-lowest total in South Jersey sectional history. Of the 12 scores of 21 or fewer points, eight belong to Haddonfield.
15 … Moorestown, Group 2, 2001
15 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2005
16 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2007
19 … Haddonfield, Group 1, 1982
19 … Ocean City, Group 3, 1988
19 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2008
19 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2010
20 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2020
21 … Brick Township, Group 4, 1987
21 … Manchester Twp., Group 1, 1980
21 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2006
21 … Haddonfield, Group 2, 2019

⇒ Here’s a look at all 26 of Haddonfield’s titles!
1979 – SJ-Group 2
1982 – SJ-Group 1
1985 – SJ-Group 1
1990 – SJ-Group 1
1991 – SJ-Group 1
1992 – SJ-Group 1
1993 – SJ-Group 1
1994 – SJ-Group 2
1995 – SJ-Group 2
1999 – SJ-Group 2
2003 – SJ-Group 2
2005 – SJ-Group 2
2006 – SJ-Group 2
2007 – SJ-Group 2
2008 – SJ-Group 2
2010 – SJ-Group 2
2011 – SJ-Group 2
2012 – SJ-Group 2
2013 – SJ-Group 2
2014 – SJ-Group 2
2015 – SJ-Group 2
2016 – SJ-Group 2
2017 – SJ-Group 2
2018 – SJ-Group 2
2019 – SJ-Group 2
2020 – SJ-Group 2