From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Julia Flanagan became Holy Cross’s 1st Burlington County Open champion in 45 years and the Cherokee girls won their 7th team title in eight years Friday in Mansfield Township.

Flanagan won the race in 17:54 over 5,000 meters at Crystal Lake Park, the fastest winning time on any course since Megan Lacy won in 2010 at Mill Creek Park in 17:53.

Flanagan is Holy Cross’s first county champion since Michy Reinbold won the 1980 title in 19:01 at Burlington County College in Pemberton. Reinbold led a 1-2-3-4 Holy Cross sweep with Karen Fileshifter, Rachel McGuire and Mary Kay Zarrillo.

So far this fall, Flanagan has won titles at the Battle of Ocean County Park, Six Flags Wild Safari and Burlington County.

Cherokee packed its five scorers between 2nd and 8th place, with seniors Alyssa Suriano , Madeline Meder and Sofia Recinto running 18:23, 19:18 and 19:20 in 2nd through 4th, senior Maya Kumar 6th in 19:35 and sophomore Erin Healy 8th in 19:41. They were backed up by freshman Casey Leisse [12th in 20:34] and junior Gabrielle Urban [15th in 20:50].

This is Cherokee’s 3rd straight title and 10th overall. Cherokee scored 19 and Moorestown was 2nd with 50. Northern Burlington, with four freshmen in its top five, placed 3rd with 129 points.

The rest of the top 10 looked like this: Delran Ashley Doyle in 5th [19:31], Moorestown junior Sophia DiFiore in 7th [19:36], Maple Shade junior Juliana Catalani in 9th [20:00] and Moorestown sophomore Makayla Zell in 10th [20:07]

Erik Preisner, Nathan Aschmann and Michael Romano swept the top three spots and Ocean City raced to its 10th straight Cape May County Championship and 24th in the last 25 years.

Preisner ran 16:06 over 5,000 meters along the Wildwood boardwalk to win his 2nd straight county title after a 4th-place finish in 2023. Aschmann also ran 16:06 and Romano ran 16:11 as Ocean City packed its five scorers in 45 seconds and outscored 2nd-place Middle Township 17-51.

Middle Township senior Jamar Mack broke up the Ocean City pack in 4th place in 16:14. It was Mack who broke up a top-seven Ocean City sweep last year with a 6th-place finish.

The Red Raiders packed their next four runners from 5th through 8th, with Keenan Neuman, Benjamin McCarthy, Hayden Tarves and Ryan Jefferson running from 16:43 through 17:31.

The Red Raiders have won nine straight county titles and 23 of the last 24 dating back to 2000. Middle Township edged Ocean City 29-34 to break up the streak in 2014.

Ocean City has won 43 of 51 team titles and 42 of the last 48 dating back to 1977. The Raiders have placed 1st or 2nd in 48 consecutive county meets since taking 4th in 1976.
They’ve also scored fewer than 40 points in 26 consecutive meets. During their current streak of nine straight wins they’ve averaged 18.1 points.

Others under 19 minutes were Middle Township Champion McNeal [9th in 18:00], Cape May Tech Evan Feliciano [10th in 18:00], Middle Township Rey Cruz Bruno [11th in 18:35], Lower Cape May Regional Chris Saini [12th in 18:38], Middle Township Josh Heck [13th in 18:46] and Middle Township Darp Patel [14th in 18:49].

Senior Riley Fayer and juniors Lydia Gravante and Isabella Legatie swept the top three spots and Audubon won its first-ever Camden County Championship Friday in Gloucester Township.

It was the first 1-2-3 finish since Megan Venables, Jenn Rawls and Gabrielle Prendergast of Highland swept the top three spots at the 2008 meet at Glouester County College in Deptford Township.

Fayer won the rae in 19:11 over 5,000 meters at Timber Creek Park, Gravante was 2nd in 20:29 and Legatie 3rd in 20:43.

Audubon outscored Winslow Township 24-62 to win the team title. Camden Catholic (68) and Pennsauken (74) were 3rd and 4th.

Audubon freshman Emma Camm ran 21:23 and placed 5th and junior Sophia Rizzo ran 23:13 for 16th.

Others in the top 10 included Pennsauken sophomore Hope Edwards [4th in 21:04], Winslow sophomore Amariah Arango [6th in 21:40], Highland junior Toni-Loren Powell [7th in 21:44], Camden Catholic sophomore Erin Callinan [8th in 21:49], Pennsauken sophomore Rai’ana Rucker [9th in 21:59] and Camden Catholic senior Brynn Deiwert [10th in 22:14].

Led by a 1-2 finish by sophomores Joe Saicic and Zacchaeus Harrigan, the Glassboro boys won their first Gloucester County championship in the meet’s 60-year history Thursday in West Deptford.

Saicic ran 16:01 and Harrigan 16:11 over 5,000 meters at West Deptford Park in the first 1-2 finish at the county meet in 17 years, since Ryan Culbreath and Daniel Fitzgerald finished 1st and 2nd for Kingsway at the 2008 meet at Gloucester County College in Deptford.

In the meet’s first 59 years, Kingsway won 14 titles, Williamstown and Washington Township 11 each, Clearview seven, Deptford and Delsea four apiece, Gateway three, West Deptford and Woodbury two and Pitman one.

With four in the top 10, Glassboro finished with a 39-point margin of victory over Washington Township. Nobody has repeated since Kingsway won its ninth straight county title in 2020.

Senior Jaeden Wesley placed 5th in 16:29 and sophomore Aaron Johnson 10th in 17:11 for the Bulldogs. Fifth man senior Jason Martin was 24th in 18:13.

Glassboro’s previous-best finish was 2nd place twice, most recently in 1993, when Tom Horne and Tim Graves finished 1-2 at Kingsway. The Dragons topped Glassboro 69-87 that year. That was also Glassboro’s last 1-2 finish. Glassboro was 2nd to Clearview in 1981, 40-84, behind Brian Kirkpatrick’s 2nd-place finish.

Washington Township, which won the Gloucester County meet in 2021 and 2023, was led by sophomore Trevor Szilier in 8th place in 16:54.

Williamstown seniors Dominic Burgio and Logan Pavelik ran 3rd and 4th in 16:22 and 16:27. Also in the top 10: Kinsgway sophomore Michael Beaver [6th in 16:32], Gateway senior David Houck [7th in 16:45] and Gateway senior Curtis Stokes [9th in 17:10].

Cherry Hill West Rex Takakjy was the overall winner, and Highland outraced Timber Creek for the team title Saturday at the boys Division 2 race at the South Jersey Open.

Takakjy and Highland senior Andrew Dopkin both ran sub-16 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township, Takakjy wining in 15:48 and Dopkin 35 meters back in 15:55.

Joining Dopkin in Highland’s top five were junior Liam Murphy [6th, 16:31], sophomore Oluwanifemi Fadulu [13th, 17:06], junior Pierce Dopkin [14th, 17:12] and freshman Richard Lorenz [19th, 17:18], with 6th man junior aTyler Boice just behind Lorenz in 20th in 17:29.

Timber Creek didn’t have a runner in the top 10 but placed all five in a 37-second span between 11th and 22nd.

Junior Leandro Santiago, senior Ryan Pancoast, senior Blair Duckrey-Furbert and junior Michael Zechman all ran between 16:56 and 17:13, and 5th man senior Matthew Chambers was 22nd in 17:33.

Others in the top 10 were Middle Township junior Jamar Mack [3rd, 16:19], Sterling junior Brady Kay [4th, 16:24], Gateway-senior David Houck [5th, 16:27], Sterling junior Giovanni Fuchs [7th, 16:41], Moorestown sophomore Zander Kane [8th, 16:49], Gateway senior Curtis Stokes [9th, 16:51] and Moorestown junior Ethan Taylor [10th, 16:53]

Overall winner senior Jacob Marino and Woodstown teammates senior Karson Chew, junior David Farrell and junior Pacey Hutton all finished in the top 10, and the Wolverines won the Division 1 title Saturday at the South Jersey Open.

Marino was 1st across the line on the 5,000-meter course at DREAM Park in Logan Township, home of the South Jersey sectionals next month. He ran 16:06, 3rd-fastest ever by a Group 1 runner at DREAM Park.

Chew placed 4th in 16:31, Farrell was 6th in 16:37 and Hutton 10th in 17:05 for Woodstown. Fifth runner sophomore Torsten Duva placed 17th in 17:21, and they were backed up by junior Jackson Perry in 21st in 17:33 and sophomore John Hearst in 32nd in 18:11. That’s a 16:44 average at DREAM Park.

Woodstown outsored Haddon Township, 35-44, to win the team title, with Camden Catholic 3rd with 84 points.

Others in the top 10, all seniors: Haddon Township’s Shaun Maloney [3rd, ] and James Clauson [4th, ], Gloucester’s Vincent Kelly [5th, ], Collingswood’s Landon Forero [6th, ], Pitman’s Rhys Blackman [7th, ] and Audubon’s Logan Camm [9th, ].

Freshman Brooke Mashburn placed 3^rd with a huge all-course PR for 5,000 meters and Delsea placed all five scorers in the top 15 on the way to the Division 2 team title Saturday at the South Jersey Open.

Mashburn ran 19:42 at DREAM Park in Logan Township, lowering her all-course PR from 20:51 from a batch meet last month at Salem Tech in Pittsgrove Township.

Sophomore Angelina Colavita of Barnegat was the overall winner in 18:51 and Mainland junior Cecilia Foreman was the top South Jersey runner in 2^nd place in 19:39.

Mashburn led Delsea to a close 49-62 team win over Mainland, with Sterling 3^rd with 66 points.

Delsea’s four other scorers packed from 11^th through 14^th between 21:29 and 21:49. Senior Olivia Mashburn placed 11^th in 21:29, senior Isabella Moran was 12^th in 21:30, senior Sofia Moran 13^th in 21:43 and freshman Ziada Nassradine 14^th in 21:49.

Also in the top 10: Sterling junior Brianna Gilligan [4^th, 19:49], Middle Township senior Olivia Orton [5^th, 19:50], Highland senior Lyana Gutierrez [6^th, 19:55], Mainland junior Lauren LaMonaca [7^th, 20:11], Highland junior Toni-Loren Powell [8^th, 20:21], Sterling sophomore Riley Sharp [9^th, 20:33] and Mainland junior Ella Mokienko [10^th, 20:57].

Ryan Gibson, Peter Simpson and Benjamin Andrus all placed in the top 10, and Haddonfield finished 2^nd in the Varsity D race Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational.

Gibson was 3^rd in 12:49 over the 2 ½-mile course at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Simpson placed 7^th in 13:11 and Andrus was 9^th in 13:16.

Haddonfield, competing without two of their projected top group, still finished only 12 points behind team winner St. John’s Prep in Astoria, Queens.

Senior Augie Coley was 30^th in 13:41 and junior Andrew Blum 36^th in 13:45 for the Bulldogs, who even at less than full strength finished 4^th in the overall team merge of seven varsity races with 547 points, behind only Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft, [101], Bishop Hendricken of Warwick, R.I. [201] and St. John’s College of Washington, D.C. [331], with Haddonfield 4^th and St. John’s Prep 5^th[548].

In that Varsity D race, Egg Harbor placed 4^th with 204 points, packing their five scorers in 25 seconds and their top six in 26 seconds.

Sophomore Liam Aspenberg led the Eagles in 27^th in 13:39, followed by sophomore Timothy Rooney 40^th in 13:47, senior Matthew McDevitt 43^rd in 13:48, junior Daniel Svec 47^th in 13:54 and junior Ben Gettings 52^nd in 14:04. They were backed up by senior 6^th man Matthew Reed in 53^rd in 14:05.

Egg placed 28^th in the merge with 1,119 points but 6^th among New Jersey schools, behind only CBA, Haddonfield, Ridge [14^th in 785], Ocean City [15^th with 785] and West Windsor-Plainsboro North [20^thwith 922] .

Senior Erik Preisner and juniors Nathan Aschmann and Keenan Neuman all placed in the top 12 and Ocean City raced to the Varsity F team title Saturday at the Manhattan Invitational.

Preisner ran 12:59 and placed 4^th, Aschmann ran 13:15 and was 7^{th and Neuman was 12th in 13:33} for Ocean City, who outscored 2^nd-place Sherwood of Sandy Spring, Md., 78-98.

Junior Michael Romano and senior Benjamin McCarthy made up the rest of Ocean City’s top-five, Romano in 24^th in 13:52 and McCarthy 31^st in 14:01.

Neuman finished 10 spots ahead of Sherwood’s 3^rd runner and McCarthy nine spots ahead of Sherood’ 5^th runner, and that was most of the difference in the 20point win.

Ocean City is ranked 12^th in New Jersey and 3^rd in South Jersey.

Woodstown graduate Ryan Dennison, a junior at Alvernia, placed 5^th in the Green and Gold Invitational Saturday at Delaware Valley College.

DVC is in Doylestown, but it appears that their XC course, located across Rte. 202 from campus, is entirely in New Britain, Pa.

Dennison ran an all-course best 28:32 over 8,000 meters at Delaware Valley College and was Alvernia’s 3^rd runner. His previous all-course 8K best was 29:20 last November at the NCAA Division 3 Mid-Atlantic Regional in Lock Haven, Pa.

Dennison’s fastest 5,000 in high school was 19:10 in a meet at Stockton University in Galloway, so he ran faster per mile Saturday over just under five miles than he did in high school over 3.1 miles.

Kean College edged Alvernia of Reading, 47-49, to win the team title.