From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

The inaugral Shore Coaches Invitational was held Oct. 5, 1968, at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, and Overbrook’s Larry Rush out-raced Jack Webb of Randolph to the finish line to win the Varsity B race over 2 1/2 miles in 12:32, with Webb 2nd in 12:43.

Overbook placed 2nd to Bernards in the team battle, with Mike Flynn also in the top 20 – 12th overall. The Oct. 6 Asbury Park Press didn’t list times beyond the top 10. Top South Jersey runner in the Varsity A race was Sterling’s Ed Dobbins, who was 14th.

There were only two divisions at the inaugural Shore Coaches Invite 56 years ago, but when the 56th annual meet gets underway Saturday at Holmdel County Park (there was no meet in 2020) there will be seven boys divisions.

Winner of the J.V. A race at the first Shore Coaches meet was Roselle Catholic’s Bob Weir. Just one more Saturday night for ol’ Bobby.

South Jersey has had at least one individual winner every year the meet has been held since 2018 and at least one team winner every year since 2012.

Including freshman and JV races, there will be 26 races at Holmdel Saturday starting with boys JV E at 9 a.m. and finishing with boys JV A at 3:40 p.m.

Boys varsity race schedule looks like this:

9:30 a.m. – Group G
10 a.m. – Group F
10:30 a.m. – Group E
12:40 p.m. – Group D
1:10 p.m. – Group C
1:40 p.m. – Group B
2 p.m. – Group A

Here’s a look at all South Jersey individual and team winners in the boys race. We’ll post the girls all-time winners on Friday.

Boys
2023
Group E … Elijah Forrest [Collingswood], 16:22
Group F … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 15:43
Group G … Will Mrozinski [Paul VI], 16:44
2022
Group A … Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 15:56
Group E … Alex Boyko [Cinnaminson], 16:25
2021
Group D … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 16:02
Group E … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield] 15:55
2020
Not held
2019
Group A … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Regional] 15:32
Group E … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson] 15:58
Group G … Zachary Williams [Audubon] 16:36
2018
Group E … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson] 16:01
2017
None
2016
Group E … Mike Ungvarsky [Cinnaminson] 15:57
2015
Group A … Owen Long [Haddon Twp.] 16:20
Group D … Mike Ungvarsky [Cinnaminson] 16:25
Group F … Samuel Gerstenbacher [Schalick] 16:50
2014
Group B … Noah Culbreath [Kingsway] 16:15
Group D … Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace] 16:28
Group F… Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.] 16:21
2013
Group D … Louis Corgliano [Hammonton] 16:18
2012
None
2011
Group D … Nick Costello [Delsea] 16:30
2010
None
2009
Group C … Miles Schoedler [Ocean City] 16:18
2008
Group A … Ryan Garvin [Lenape] 16:14
Group C … Brett Johnson [Ocean City] 15:44
Group E … Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield] 16:05
2007
Group E … Josh Black [Haddon Heights] 16:20
2006
Group B … Brett Johnson [Ocean City] 16:13
2005
None
2004
None
2003
Group B … Greg Hughes [Mainland] 16:03
2002
Group A … Keith Krieger [Cherokee] 16:15.4
Group B … Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.] 16:19.9
Group C … John Richardson [Ocean City] 16:18.9
Group E … Jon Anderson [Cinnaminson] 16:14.5
2001
Group A … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee] 16:00
Group E … Chris Platt [Haddonfield] 16:21
2000
None
1999
Group A … Mike Myers [Eastern] 16:25.2
Group B … Joe Lacovara-Switzer [Abseg.] 16:53.3
Group E … Tom Brennan [Haddonfield] 16:44.7
1998
Group A … Murad Campbell [Overbrook] 15:51.0
Group E … Bill Mason [Cinnaminson] 16:24.8
Group F … Adrian Cline [Haddon Twp.] 16:44.1
1997
Group A … Murad Campbell [Overbrook] 16:05.98
Group E … Kevin Sacco [Sacred Heart] 16:40
1996
Group A … Earl Wise [Overbrook] 16:06
Group D … Mike McGowan [Bish. Eustace] 16:40
Group E … Kevin Sacco [Sacred Heart] 16:38
1995
Group C … Scott Keyser [Mainland Reg.] 16:27
Group E … Eric Bonnette [Haddonfield] 17:00
1994
None
1993
Group B … John Williams [Paul VI] 17:00
Group C … Kurt Wayton [Mainland Reg.] 16:27
1992
None
1991
Group D … Kevin Schilling [Pitman] 16:58
1990
Group B … Ray Beyer [Absegami] 16:44
1989
Group A … Albert Donawa [Camden] 16:19
Group B … Ray Beyer [Absegami] 16:48
1988
Group B … Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton] 16:18
1987
Group A … Joe Margre [Paul VI] 16:42
Group B … Ron Welcer [Absegami] 16:49
Group C … Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton] 16:42
1986
Group B … Kevin Pumphrey [Highland] 16:03
Group D … Dan Gough [Haddonfield]
1985
Group B … Kevin Pumphrey [Highland] 16:03
Group C … Steve McLaughlin [Absegami] 17:11
Group D … Dan Gough [Haddonfield] 16:44
1984
None
1983
None
1982
None
1981
Group A … Bruce Miller [Cherry Hill East] 16:01.4
1980
None
1979
Group A … Jerry Andrews [Highland] 16:24
Group C … Jim Smith [Haddonfield] 16:22
1978
Group C … Jim Smith [Haddonfield] 14:34.0
1977
None
1976
Not held
1975
None
1974
Group A … Marty Ludwikoski [Cherry Hill West] 14:27.6
1973
Group C … Greg Stremmel [Gateway] 14:55
1972
Group C … Mark Yellin [Haddon Twp.] 12:27
1971
Not held
1970
Group B … Mike Butynes [Sterling] 12:08
Group C … Don Adams [Gateway] 12:53
1969
Group A … Mike Butynes [Sterling] 12:32
1968
Group B … Larry Rush [Overbrook] 12:32

Team
2023
Haddonfield [Group E]
Paul VI [Group G]
2022
Cherokee [Group A]
Paul VI [Group G]
2021
Haddonfield [Group B]
Audubon [Group G]
2020
Not held
2019
Haddon Township [Group F]
2018
Kingsway [Group B]
Haddonfield [Group E]
2017
Kingsway [Group B]
Haddonfield [Group E]
Paul VI [Group G]
2016
Kingsway [Group B]
Paul VI [Group G]
2015
Pennsville [Group E]
2014
Kingsway [Group A]
Haddon Township [Group F]
2013
Cherry Hill East [Group A]
Schalick [Group F]
2012
Bishop Eustace [Group E]
2011
None
2010
None
2009
None
2008
Haddonfield [Group E]
Pennsville [Group F]
2007
Haddonfield [Group E]
Pennsville [Group F]
2006
Haddonfield [Group E]
Pennsville [Group F]
2005
Moorestown [Group C]
2004
None
2003
Cherokee [Group A]
Mainland [Group B]
2002
Mainland Regional [Group B]
Cinnaminson [Group E]
2001
Mainland Regional [Group C]
Haddonfield [Group E]
2000
Cherokee [Cherokee]
Paul VI [Group B]
Haddonfield [Group E]
1999
Washington Township [Group A]
Paul VI [Group C]
1998
Haddonfield [Group F]
1997
Delsea [Group C]
1996
Mainland [Group C]
1995
Paul VI [Group C]
Haddonfield [Group E]
1994
Paul VI [Group B]
Haddon Township [Group E]
1993
Paul VI [Group B]
Mainland Regional [Group C]
Delran [Group D]
Maple Shade [Group E]
1992
None
1991
Cinnaminson [Group C]
1990
None
1989
Paul VI [Group A]
Haddonfield [Group D]
1988
None
1987
Cinnaminson [Group C]
1986
None
1985
None
1984
None
1983
None
1982
None
1981
Paul VI [Group B]
1980
None
1979
Eastern [Group C]
1978
Haddonfield [Group C]
1977
None
1976
None
1975
None
1974
None
1973
None
1972
Haddon Township [Group C]
1971
None
1970
Sterling [Group B]
1969
None
1968
None

 

Matthew McDevitt of Egg Harbor edged Millville senior Arjun Patel by a second to win a quad meet with runners from four schools Wednesday at Mainland Regional.

McDevitt ran 17:03 and Patel 17:04. Egg Harbor packed its five scorers in 45 seconds and won team honors 29-40 Cedar Creek.

Junior Matthew Reed ran 17:15 and placed 4th for EHT, and then the Eagles packed sophomore Ben Gettings, freshman Liam Aspenberg, sophomore Daniel Svec, senior Aaron Wagner and senior Chris Minshall between 7th and 11th, all between 17:34 and 18:15.

Cedar Creek was led by juniors Sean Martino in 3rd in 17:11, Vincenzo Vecchio 5th in 17:25 and Ryan McCann 6th in 17:34.

In the girls race, Sofia Day, the state Group 3 champ at 800 meters last spring with her 2:12.55 PR, made her 2024 debut and ran 19:14.

Egg Harbor had six of the next nine runners and edged Mainland 26-30 in team scoring.

For EHT, junior Paige Pacquing ran 19:56 for 2nd place, sophomore Addison Lambert was 3rd in 20:20, junior Devyn Per 5th in 20:48, freshman Carlee Steet 7th in 21:34 and sophomore Meghan Johnson was 9th in 22:13, backed up by senior Bithania Andemariam in 10th in 22:18.

Also in the top 10 were Mainland sophomore Cecilia Foreman [4th in 20:31], Mainland freshman Ella Mokienko [6th in 20:57] and Mainland senior Ava McDole [8th in 21:53].

The Ocean City girls made the 200-mile trip to Cumberland County, Pa. for the 31st annual Carlisle Invitational and placed 4th of 42 schools with 205 points.

Senior Maeve Smith ran 18:31 over 5,000 meters on Travis Trail along the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail in Carlisle and West Pennsboro Township and placed 13th out of nearly 300 runners who were apparently all in the same race.

Senior Chloe Care [26th in 19:13], sophomore Carly Godfrey [52nd in 20:31], freshman Riley Tolson [55th in 20:02] and senior Zoe Zammit [78th in 20:26] also ran for the Red Raiders, who averaged 19:39, the 3rd-fastest average time in the race.

Padua senior Brianna Heffernan of Woolwich Township, ran 20:09 and was Padua’s 5th finisher.

The Ocean City boys placed 7th out of 54 full teams, with their first three – sophomore Keenan Neuman, senior Ethan Buck and junior Erik Preisner – all running between 16:26 and 16:32. Senior Zach Hutchinson [17:07] and sophomore Michael Romano [17:13] helped Ocean City average 16:46 and pack its first five runners in 47 seconds.

Schalick senior Jordan Hadfield ran an all-course 5K PR and won the Varsity D small-school race Saturday at the Six Flags Wild Safari in Jackson.

Hadfield ran 18:21 and won by 45 meters over Dagny Shiffler of Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Montgomery County, Pa. Shiffler ran 18:31.

Hadfield’s previous 5,000 PR was an 18:26 when she won last year’s Salem County Championships at Schalick in Pittsgrove Township.

Hadfield is defending state Group 1 XC champ and won state Group 1 titles last spring in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Her time is 3rd-fastest in meet history by a Group 1 runner, behind only South Hunterdon’s Kelly Shaffer [18:06 in 2012] and Point Pleasant Beach’s Brianna Feerst [18:17 in 2011]. Hadfield had the previous course best by a South Jersey Group 1 runner with her 19:18 when she won last year.

She tied the 2nd-fastest time ever by a South Jersey girl, behind only Washington Township’s Dina Iacone, who ran 18:09 in 2011. Haddonfield’s Shelby Cain also ran 18:21, also in 2011.

Her time is also fastest by any South Jersey girl on any 5,000-meter course this fall. Theresa Albertson of Eastern ran 18:24 last weekend at the Osprey Invitational at Stockton University in Galloway Township.

Also under 22 minutes Saturday in the D race were Maple Shade Crystal Benito [17th in 20:54], Maple Shade Juliana Catalani [20th in 21:06] and Haddon Township Blake Kemery [27th in 21:53]

Holy Cross junior Julia Flanagan broke 19 minutes for the 2nd straight race and placed 3rd Saturday morning in the Varsity B race at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson.

Flanagan ran an all-course 5K lifetime-best 18:54 when she finished first last weekend at the Ray Hoagland Invitational at the Rancocas Valley Sports Complex in Eastampton.

On Saturday, she ran 18:59, the 8th-fastest time ever recorded by a South Jersey girl on the 5,000-meter layout at Great Adventure.

Flanagan finished behind only freshman Leah Starkey of Ocean Township High and senior Elizabeth Scarpa of Colts Neck.

Also under 21:30 were Clearview senior Lilla Porter [15th in 20:01], Highland senior Audrey Musmeci [21st in 20:36], Clearview sophomore Rhea Remaly [27th in 20:46], Highland senior Katie Punch [30th in 21:02 and Highland junior Lyana Gutierrez [31st in 21:04].

Junior Luke Andresen, senior Bennett Wright, junior Ryan Gibson, junior Benjamin Andrus and junior Peter Simpson finished with a 20-second gap, and Haddonfield placed 2nd Saturday among some of the top schools on the East Coast Saturday in the Varsity II race at the Bowdoin Park Classic.

Haddonfield also placed 2nd in a merge of the two varsity races.

Despite wet, rainy conditions, all five Haddonfield runners ran between 16:32 and 16:52 over 5,000 meters at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Haddonfield was the top public school in the race.

Andresen ran 16:32 and took 10th, Wright and Gibson placed 12th and 13th in 16:33 and 16:35, Andrus was 16th in 16:37 and Simpson 22nd in 16:52.

Haddonfield, ranked 4th in New Jersey, will be seeking its 21st consecutive sectional title next month. Wright, Gibson, Andresen and Andrus all finished in the top seven at last year’s sectional race.

Overall winner Mason Wassell led Highland to a commanding team title in the Varsity B race Saturday at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson.

Wassell, a senior, ran 15:48 over 5,000 rainy, sloppy, wet meters at Great Adventure, finishing 35 meters ahead of 2nd-place Brandon Williams of Charter School of Wilmington, who ran 15:55.

That 15:48 is an all-course PR for Wassell, 11 seconds faster than his 15:59 at DREAM Park in Logan Township earlier this month. It’s also 4th-fastest by a South Jersey runner at Great Adventure and fastest since Sebastien Reed of Pitman ran 15:31 in 2019. Highland’s Steve Maine ran 15:38 in 2013.

Highland placed its first four finishers in the top 20 and all seven in the top 35 out of 171 runners, won by a whopping 88 points over East Meadow, 68-156, with Garden City a close 3rd with 157 and Clearview 4th at 168.

Junior Andrew Dopkin placed 6th for Highland in 16:34 and Colin Roznowski and sophomore Pierce Dopkin finished back-to-back in 16th and 17th, Roznowski in 17:11 and Dopkin in 17:12. Senior Andrew Kellern ran 17:27 for 28th and Highland’s top five were backed up by junior Daniel Gee [34th in 17:39] and sophomore Liam Murphy [35th in 17:42].

Clearview senior Ethan Worst, Cherry Hill East junior Rex Takakjy and Winslow junior Vincent Perri also finished in the top 10, Worst 4th in 16:28, Takakjy 5th in 16:29 and Perri 9th in 16:40. Also under 18:00 were Clearview’s senior Ryan Handley [21st in 17:16] and junior Quentin Gannone [38th in 17:47].

Senior Julian Rich of Camden County Tech in Sicklerville finished nearly a minute ahead of the field and won the South Jersey Vo-Tech Championships individual title Thursday.

Rich ran 16:45 over 5,000 meters at Westampton Tech and finished 250 meters ahead of 2nd-place Connor Auge, a senior at Gloucester County Tech in Gloucester Township. Auge ran 17:37 and led Gloucester to the team title.

Rich’s time is an all-course 5K PR. He had run 16:46 at the Battle of Ocean Park earlier this month in Lakewood.

Gloucester went 2-6-7-8-13, which became 2-5-6-7-12 when runners not representing full teams were removed for team scoring purposes. Gloucester outscored Burlington County Tech Medford 32-53, with Camden Sicklerville 3rd at 63.

Also in Gloucester’s top five were sophomore Duke Snyder-Shellito [6th in 18:20], senior Gavin Kravchuck [7th in 18:22], senior Owen DeLuca [8th in 18:25] and sophomore Liam Robles [13th in 18:51].

Others in the top 10 included senior Luke Damato of Burlington County Medford [3rd in 17:59], Medford soph Chris Davis [4th in 18:03], Atlantic County Tech senior Thomas Wodazak [5th in 18:18], Cape May Tech junior Evan Feliciano [9th in 18:33] and Medford Tech junior Marcus Paulino [10th in 18:37].

Ethan Wechsler finished as 5th man Friday for nationally ranked Syracuse at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisc.

Wechsler, a senior from Cherokee, ran 24:45 on the hilly, challenging Zimmer Championship Course at the University of Wisconsin and Syracuse placed 12th in the country in the annual pre-NCAA shown of the nation’s top programs. Wechsler ran 15 seconds faster than he ran on the same course last year.

Wechsler was Syracuse’s 7th man two weeks ago in Syracuse’s season opener at the Harry Groves Invitational at Penn State.

The Orangemen are ranked No. 2 in the Northeast Region (behind Harvard, which didn’t race Friday) in this week’s U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll and 19th nationally.

Syracuse finished with 325 points Friday, just 13 behind No. 17 Villanova and 12 behind No. 15 Virginia.

Iowa State sophomore Seth Clevenger from Haddonfield finished 7th Friday afternoon in the B race at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisc.

Clevenger ran 24:40 on the hilly, challenging Zimmer Championship Course at the University of Wisconsin and finished just 19 seconds behind winner Berkley Nance of Brigham Young.

Clevenger ran 38 seconds faster than he ran on the same course as a freshman, when he crossed the line in 25:18.

Last spring, Clevenger ran 4:07.14 for the mile and 8:12.00 for 3,000 meters.