From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Washington Township’s Chris Colavita opened his senior year of cross country at Florida Southern by placing 9th out of 119 runners at the University of Northern Florida Invitational.

Colavita ran 25:04 over 8,000 meters at Cecil Field in Jacksonville and was the Moccasins’ 2nd finisher, crossing the line less than a second behind sophomore Michael Toppi.

Colavita placed 2nd in the Sunshine State Cross Country Championships last fall at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla., and was 15th in the NCAA Division 2 South Region Championships in Huntsville, Ala.,

Indoors, Colavita is Florida Southern school record holder at 3,000 meters [8:26.76] and outdoors he’s 3rd at 10,000 meters [30:38.36], 4th at 5,000 meters [14:33.96] and 8th at 1,500 meters [3:54.70].

UMBC junior Alexis Tepper from Cherry Hill East won her 2025 XC opener in an eight-team meet at Mount St. Marys.

Tepper ran 18:29 over 5,000 meters in Emmitsburg, Md., and finished 40 meters ahead of Delaware’s Ella Peterson, who was 2nd in 18:40.

Camden Catholic’s Leah Clear, a junior at Delaware, placed 4th in 18:50 and was Delaware’s No. 2 runner. The Blue Hens won the team title, 30-54, over Maryland Baltimore County.

UMBC junior Katelyn Deal from Woodstown, a 2:14 half-miler last spring, ran 19:50 and finished 26th overall.

Madison Pratt, in her first lifetime cross country race, was Stockton’s 2^nd finisher in the Ospreys’ season-opening race at the Stevens Back to the Bowl Invitational Saturday.

Pratt, who didn’t run cross country at Absegami, placed 10^th out of 74 runners, covering 5,000 meters on the challenging Holmdel County Park course in 21:48.3.

Pratt ran track at Absegami with PRs of 5:46.21 for 1,600 meters and 13:31.09 for 3,200 meters. But she helped Stockton place 4^th Saturday out of 10 teams.

Stockton’s first four finishers are all from South Jersey high schools.

Moorestown graduate Paige McCabe, a sophomore with freshman eligibility, was Stockton’s first finisher, taking 8^th overall in 21:24. It was her first XC race since the 2023 state Group 3 meet over the same course. McCabe placed 6^th in South Jersey Group 3 sectionals as a senior at Moorestown.

Junior Sarah Rutledge from Egg Harbor placed 12^th in 21:52 and freshman Grace Wojciechowski from Cherokee was 13^th in 21:57.

Stockton is ranked 5^th in the USATFCCCA preseason Metro Region poll and 3^rd among NJAC schools, behind No. 2 TCNJ and No. 3 Rowan.

Several of Stockton’s top runners, including four-time All-America middle-distance runner Kayla Kass and Shawnee’s Maddy Valasek, the NJAC 5,000 and 10,000 runner-up, as well as Evelyn Austin and Guinevere Kennedy, did not race Saturday.

Delsea’s Matthew Littlehales and Holy Cross’s Julia Flanagan posted the fastest South Jersey times at the 30th annual Cherokee Challenge Saturday.

Littlehales ran 9:42 to place 2nd in the Senior Boys Race, and Flanagan ran 11:21 to take 3rd in the Senior Girls Race. Both were over 3,200 meters.

Littlehales’ time is fastest by a Delsea runner since Nick Costello ran 9:38 when he placed 2nd to Shawn Wilson of Cherokee in the 2012 Senior Race. Flanagan’s time is fastest ever by a Holy Cross girl.

Team scoring is determined by adding the top placer in each of the four races. If a school doesn’t have at least one runner in each race, they don’t have a team score.

Salesianum of Wilmington, Del., won the boys race with 45 points [5-9-4-27], followed by Allentown with 50 points [2-14-26-8], with Egg Harbor Township the top South Jersey school in 7th with 87 points [36-6-24-21]. Conestoga won the girls race with 37 points [12-17-6-2], followed by Penn Charter with 43 [1-35-2-5]. Top South Jersey school was Ocean City in 3rd place with 51 points [21-1-5-24].

In combined scoring, Pingry edged Germantown Friends 137-139 with Egg Harbor [160] and Cherokee [177] the top South Jersey programs in 4th and 5th.

Here’s a look at all the South Jersey boys who ran sub-11 and girls who ran sub-13.

BOYS
9:42 … Matthew Littlehales [Delsea], 2nd, senior race
10:07 … Rex Takakly [Cherry Hill West], 5th, senior race
10:08 … Shaun Maloney [Haddon Twp.], 6th, senior race
10:09 … Trevor Szilier [Washington Twp.], 1st, sophomore race
10:21 … Ryan Scaricaciottoli [Cinnaminson], 5th, junior race
10:26 … Hamza Salahuddin [Cherokee], 1st, freshman race
10:26 … Logan Pavelik [Williamstown], 12th, senior race
10:29 … James Clauson [Haddon Twp.], 14th, senior race
10:30 … Dominic Burgio [Williamstown], 15th, senior race
10:31 … Landon Forero [Collingswood], 16th, senior race
10:32 … Teddy Jones [Rancocas Valley], 17th, senior race
10:35 … Marcus Flagg [Gloucester], 19th, senior race
10:35 … Matthew Reed [Egg Harbor Twp.], 21st, senior race
10:37 … Aaron Smith [Lenape], 11th, junior race
10:38 … Vincent Kelly [Gloucester], 24th, senior race
10:40 … Edward Abu-Adas [Cinnaminson], 13th, junior race
10:43 … Liam Aspenberg [Egg Harbor Twp.], 6th, sophomore race
10:44 … Duke Snyder-Shellito [Gloucester Twp. Tech], 18th, junior race
10:44 … Logan Camm [Audubon], 28th, senior race
10:49 … Giovanna Fuchs [Sterling], 22nd, junior race
10:51 … Jaden Carn [Lenape], 10th, sophomore race
10:51 … Daniel Svec [Egg Harbor Twp.], 24th, junior race
10:52 … Timothy Rooney [Egg Harbor Twp.], 12th, sophomore race
10:53 … Gabin Danielewicz [Cherokee], 25th, junior race
10:54 … Dominic Lera [Seneca], 31st, senior race
10:55 … Vincent Dougherty [Haddon Heights], 27th, junior race
10:56 … Leo Vyvyan [Cherokee], 29th, junior race

GIRLS 
11:21 … Julia Flanagan [Holy Cross], 3rd, senior race
11:42 … Alyssa Suriano [Cherokee], 4th, senior race
11:42 … Riley Tolson [Ocean City], 1st, sophomore race
11:54 … Sophia Aldridge [Williamstown], 7th, senior race
11:59 … Madeline Meder [Cherokee], 8th, senior race
12:01 … Riley Fayer [Audubon], 9th, senior race
12:09 … Sofia Recinto [Cherokee], 10th, senior race
12:19 … Lillian Flora [Ocean City], 5th, junior race
12:29 … Devyn Per [Egg Harbor Twp.], 13th, senior race
12:31 … Juliana Catalani [Maple Shade], 8th, junior race
12:32 … Makayla Zell [Moorestown], 4th, sophomore race
12:35 … Ashley Doyle [Delran], 14th, senior race
12:37 … Lenna Driscoll [Ocean City], 5th, sophomore race
12:37 … Audrey McCorkle [Lenape], 10th, junior race
12:41 … Carly Godfrey [Ocean City], 11th, junior race
12:41 … Taylor Sierzega [West Deptford], 12th, junior race
12:42 … Kayla Romanoski [West Deptford], 15th, senior race
12:44 … Cecilia Foreman [Mainland Regional], 14th, junior race
12:50 … Erin Healy [Cherokee], 8th, sophomore race
12:52 … Addison Lambert [Egg Harbor Township], 17th, junior race
12:55 … Celia Frederico [Moorestown], 18th, senior race
12:56 … Juliet Stack Maya [Moorestown], 9th, freshman race
12:57 … Meghan Johnson [Egg Harbor Township], 19th, junior race
12:58 … Olivia Masucci [Vineland], 20th, junior race
12:58 … Lydia Gravante [Audubon], 21st, junior race

Washington Township’s Trevor Szilier ran away from the field to win the Sophomore Race at the Cherokee Challenge Saturday morning.

Szilier ran 10:09 over 3,200 meters, finishing 80 meters ahead of 2nd-place Nikhil Shah of Pingry School of Bernards Township, who ran 10:25.

Szilier is Washington Township’s 2nd winner at the Challenge and first in 22 years, following Carmen Cavella, who won the Senior Race in 2003 in 9:58.

Szilier was the 6th-fastest freshman in New Jersey last year with a 4:34.81 [converted from full mile at Greensboro Nationals] and the 4th-fastest freshman at 3,200 meters in South Jersey with a 10:03.58 at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Egg Harbor’s Liam Aspenberg [6th in 10:43] and Lenape’s Jayden Carn [10th in 10:51].

Washington Township’s Trevor Szilier ran away from the field to win the Sophomore Race at the Cherokee Challenge Saturday morning.

Szilier ran 10:09 over 3,200 meters, finishing 80 meters ahead of 2nd-place Nikhil Shah of Pingry School of Bernards Township, who ran 10:25.

Szilier is Washington Township’s 2nd winner at the Challenge and first in 22 years, following Carmen Cavella, who won the Senior Race in 2003 in 9:58.

Szilier was the 6th-fastest freshman in New Jersey last year with a 4:34.81 [converted from full mile at Greensboro Nationals] and the 4th-fastest freshman at 3,200 meters in South Jersey with a 10:03.58 at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Egg Harbor’s Liam Aspenberg [6th in 10:43] and Lenape’s Jayden Carn [10th in 10:51].

Holy Cross’s Julia Flanagan ran the fastest time by a South Jersey girl in 12 years at the 30th annual Cherokee Challenge Saturday morning, placing 3rd in the Senior Race in 11:21 over 3,200 meters.

That’s fastest by a South Jersey runner in any race at the Challenge since 2013, when Haddonfield’s Briana Gess won the freshman race in 10:55. Flanagan is fastest by a South Jersey girl in the senior race since Megan Lacy of Cherokee ran 10:55 in 2011.

Flanagan, the state Parochial A 3,200 champ last spring at 10:52.74, finished behind only Anna Bockus of Padua Academy in Wilmington, Del., who won the senior race in 11:08, and Alexia Tubbs of Conestoga High of Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pa., who ran 11:13.

Flanagan’s time is fastest ever by a Holy Cross girl at the Cherokee Challenge. She’s the first Lancer girl to place in the top three in any Cherokee Challenge race in 26 years, since Deanna Kloss ran 12:19 and placed 2nd in the Junior Race in 1999. Kloss went on to an outstanding swimming career at Gettysburg.

Cherokee’s Alyssa Suriano placed 4th in the Senior Race in 11:42, sharing the No. 2 time among South Jersey girls with Sophomore Race winner Riley Tolson of Ocean City.It was the first lifetime cross country race for the former soccer player.

Other South Jersey girls in the top 10 in the Senior Race: Williamstown’s Sophia Aldridge [7th in 11:54], Cherokee’s Madeline Meder [8th in 11:59], Audubon’s Riley Fayer [9th in 12:01] and Cherokee’s Sofia Recinto [10th in 12:09].

Ocean City’s Riley Tolson recorded her second straight Cherokee Challenge victory Saturday morning, winning the sophomore girls race a year after winning the freshman race.

Tolson ran 11:42 over 3,200 meters at Cherokee, finishing 150 meters ahead of 2nd-place Krissa Woods of Tatnall School in Wilmington, Del.

Last year, Tolson ran 12:07 to win the freshman race.

Tolson is the 2nd straight Ocean City girl to win the sophomore race at the Challenge. Carly Godfrey won last year. Ocean City’s other sophomore girls winner in the meet’s 30-year history was Alexa Palmieri in 2018.

Also in the top 10 from South Jersey were Moorestown’s Makayla Zell [4th in 12:32], Ocean City’s Lenna Driscoll [5th in 12:37] and Cherokee’s Erin Healy [8th in 12:50].

Also notable that Hope Edwards, who was the 3rd-fastest freshman 400-meter hurdler in the U.S. last year at 1:00.32 as a Moorestown freshman, is now a sophomore at Pennsauken. She placed 14th in 13:13.

Hanza Salahuddin became the 6th Cherokee runner to win the freshman boys race at the 30th annual Cherokee Challenge Saturday morning.

Salahuddin ran 10:26.36 over 3,200 meters at Cherokee and won by a fraction of a section over Allentown’s Reed Huggins, who was 2nd in 10:26.67.

Other Cherokee freshmen to win the Challenge on their home course are Mike Caputi in 1996, Keith Krieger in 1999, Sean McLaughlin in 2021, Alex Yersak in 2004 and Jack Tindall last year.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Braden Bernardini of St. Augustine, who was 4th in 11:06, and Luke Feeley of Cinnaminson, 10th in 11:20.

Clearview graduate Abby Waddington began her junior year at Boston University by placing 5^th out of 45 runners Friday at the Providence College Friar Invitational.

Waddington ran 14:43 over 4,000 meters at the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass.

Waddington finished just 36 seconds behind winner Gabby Schmidt of Providence, who ran 14:07. Waddington was B.U.’s first finisher.

Providence won the team title with 20 points, and Boston College was 2^nd with 46.

Liliah Gordon, in her first collegiate race, finished first Friday afternoon in the Dolan Duels, the annual season-opening Penn State-Lock Haven dual meet on the West Branch Cross Country Course across the Susquehanna River West Branch from Lock Haven in Woodward Township, Clinton County.

Gordon, a PSU freshman from Northern Burlington, ran unattatched, which seems to indicate she won’t be officially racing this fall for Penn State, potentially saving her last year of eligibility until the fall of 2029.

The official results don’t say how long the course was, so it seems pointless to mention her time, but she won by five seconds over PSU sophomore Ada Rand of Australia, who has run 4:15.24 for 1,500 meters. An article previewing the meet on Lock Haven’s web site also doesn’t say how long the course is.

Can you imagine this sort of information lapse in any other sport? Embarrassing.