From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Freshman Evan Bongard from Washington Township and sophomore Branden Lachowicz from Delsea and sophomore C.J. Gilmore from Audubon all finished in the top 10 as Rowan College Gloucester County won the JUCO Region 19 Division 3 title Sunday in Newark.

Bongard ran 24:41 over what was apparently a 7.1K course at Branch Brook Park and placed 3rd and Lachowicz ran 25:17 and was 8th and Gilmore ran 25:30 and was 10th.

Gloucester won the team title 37-55 over Thaddeus Stevens of Lancaster and Brookdale of Lincroft, who both finished with 55 points.

I assume this performance qualifies the Roadrunners for the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships on Nov. 9 at Pole Green Park outside Richmond, but if the qualifying rules are listed anywhere I can’t find them.

Gloucester placed all seven starters in the top 16.

Freshman Sean Gallo from Clayton ran 26:04 and was 11th, freshman Walker Osborne from Deptford was 12th in 26:07, freshman Gary Schwegel from Pennsville 14th in 26:33 and sophomore Gavin Casella from Kingsway 16th in 26:53.

Rowan College Cumberland County freshman Matthew Tozer from Schalick placed 7th in 25:09.

The Rowan College Gloucester County women won 20-37 over Ocean County College.

Sophomore Courtney O’Hara from Gateway ran 22:31 over what was apparently a 3.3-mile course and placed 4th.

Also in their top 5: Freshman Gabriella Szwed from Delsea [9th in 26:33], sophomore Grace Wahl from Washington Township [10th in 26:52], sophomore Madison O’Donnell from Williamstown [11th in 27:00] and freshman Francesca Maccarone from Glassboro [15th in 30:07].

Haddonfield graduate Ian Romea, a sophomore at St. Joe’s, placed 4th out of 51 runners Saturday at the Haverford Invitational.

Romea ran 20:28 over four miles and finished just 20 seconds behind winner William Shaughnessy, a senior at Penn. That’s 15:51 pace for 5K over an extra 9-10ths of a mile.

Colton Johnson, a St. Joe’s senior from Paul VI, placed 13th in 21:00.

St. Joe’s races at the Atlantic 10 Championships Saturday at Pole Green Park in Hanover County, Va., outside Mechanicsville. The last South Jersey runner to win the A-10 title was Eastern’s Karl Savage of St. Joe’s .

Burlington Township’s Payton Falkenstein, a sophomore at East Stroudsburg, placed 6th out of 100 runners Saturday morning at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships in Maxatawn Township, Berks County.

Falkenstein ran an all-course best 22:43.6 over 6K at the Kutztown Farm Course and was East Stroudsburg’s No. 2 runner, behind senior Daniella Napoli, who was 5th. That’s 18:56 5K pace for an extra 1,000 meters.

East Stroudsburg placed 3rd of 17 schools with 91 points, just 21 behind team winner Slippery Rock. Shippensburg was 2nd with 88.

Falkenstein’s previous fastest time for 6,000 meters on any course was a 22:52.4 last November at the NCAA Division 2 Atlantic Region Championships in Lock Haven, Pa.

East Stroudsburg is ranked 5th in the Atlantic Region going into Regionals back at Lock Haven on Nov. 9.

Falkenstein was 35th in this race last year and ran 24:41 on a different course. She was runner-up last spring in the 5,000 on the track at the PSAC Championships at Lehigh.

Falkenstein did not run cross country at Burlington Township.

Holy Cross junior Julia Flanagan won her 2nd straight individual title and Maple Shade won its 6th team title Wednesday at the Burlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division meet in Palmyra.

Flanagan ran 18:57 at Palmyra Cove, finishing more than a minute clear of the field.

Flanagan is the first Holy Cross girl in meet history to win consecutive titles. The BCSL race began for girls in 1987 but it wasn’t held from 1991 through 1998.

Maple Shade scored a perfect 15 for the second time in four years. The Wildcats were the only entry to field a full team.

For Shade, senior Crystal Benito placed 2nd, sophomore Juliana Catalani 4th in 21:28, sophomore Alyssa Arenciba 6th in 22:32, sophomore Yaide Robles 10th in 26:50 and senior Melissa Gonzalez Silva 29:14 in 13th.

Maple Shade also won in 2003, 2008, 2011, 2015 and 2021. Their wins from 2003 through 2015 came by a total of 13 points.

Also in the top 10: Holy Cross senior Anna Fonseca [3rd in 21:09], Westampton Tech senior Janelle Sanabria [5th in 22:23], Holy Cross senior Molly Frith [8th in 24:03] and Palmyra freshman Maya Richman-Dupont [9th in 24:35].

Junior Madeline Meder and senior Megan Niglio placed 1st and 3rd and led Cherokee to its second consecutive Olympic Conference title and the 4th-fastest team average in DREAM Park history.

Meder covered the 5,000-meter DREAM Park course in 18:15 and Niglio ran 18:24, and the Chiefs won the team title 45-55 over Paul VI. Cherokee is ranked 4th in New Jersey, Paul VI 5th. Cherry Hill East, ranked 17th, was 3rd with 77 points.

Freshman Erin Healy and junior Maya Kumar ran 11th and 12th in 19:25 and 19:28 for Cherokee and senior Grace Wojciechowski locked up the team title with an 18th-place finish in 19:52.

Junior Macy Huber, sophomore Grace Gutwoski and freshman Peyton Blake all finished in the top 10 for Paul VI, Huber in 2nd in 18:20, Gutowski 4th in 18:52 and Blake 9th in 19:22. Freshman Morgan Kuzma and sophom,ore Kara Salamone rounded out PVI’s top 5, Kuzma in 17th in 19:51 and Salamone 24th in 20:24, with 6th runner freshman Johanna Trampe one place and one second back.

Perfect conditions and some very talented runners combined to produce three of the 10-fastest team averages in the seven-year history of the course in Logan Township in southern Gloucester County.

Cherokee averaged 19:05.31, 4th-fastest in course history and fastest ever in a meet other than sectionals, Paul VI averaged 19:22.26, 7th-fastest ever, and Cherry Hill East averaged 19:45.20, 10th-fastest. An updated list of top times is below.

Cherry Hill East was led by sophomore Ryleigh Budsock in 10th in 19:25 and senior Cate Feudtner in 13th in 19:31.

The rest of the top 10 included Camden Catholic senior Nilaa Ponnappan [5th in 19:07], Eastern sophomore Theresa Albertson [6th in 19:08], Eastern junior Natalie Dumas – the U.S. intermediate hurdles champ last spring [7th in 19:11] and Lenape sophomore Audrey McCorkle [8th in 19:19].

Also under 20 minutes: Winslow senior Ava Millner [14th in 19:43], Cherry Hill East sophomore Gabriella Pizzo [15th in 19:47], Shawnee senior Paige Cline [16th in 19:49], Cherry Hill East freshman Emmie Wang in her first high school varsity 5K race [19th in 19:54] and Cherry Hill East junior Ella Davidson [20th in 19:54].

All-Time DREAM Park fastest team averages
18:19.90 … Haddonfield, 2022 South Jersey Group 2
18:51.74 … Haddonfield, 2021 South Jersey Group 2
18:53.19 … Clearview, 2022 South Jersey Group 3
19:05.31. … Cherokee, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:19.92 … Cherokee, 2021 Olympic Conference
19:22.22 … Cherokee, 2021 South Jersey Group 4
19:22.26 … Paul VI, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:29.2 … Haddonfield, 2020 South Jersey Group 2
19:34.31 … Haddonfield, 2023 South Jersey Group 2
19:45.20 … Cherry Hill East, 2024 Olympic Conference
19:46.76 … Cherry Hill East, 2019 Olympic Conference
19:46.78 … Cherokee, 2023 Olympic Conference
19:48.07 … Cherokee, 2019 Olympic Conference
19:48.15 … Cherry Hill East, 2021 South Jersey Group 4

Junior Jacob Wickersham, senior Brandon Smith and sophomore Ryan Scaricaciottoli swept the top three spots and Cinnaminson topped Northern Burlington to win the BCSL Liberty Division title Wednesday in Palmyra.

Cinnaminson finished with a 34-43 margin of victory over Northern, with Medford Tech 3rd with 59 points.

Wickersham, Smith and Scaricaciottoli all ran 16:55 – 16:55.0 for Wickersham and 16:55.6 for Smith and Scaricaciottoli. Locking up the team title for Cinnaminson were sophomore Edward Abu-Abas in 6th in 17:09 and freshman Lucas Fried, who placed 22nd in 19:04.

Northern had junior Jimmy Cataline, senior Noah Taylor and senior Caleb Wiederholt all in the top 10. Cataline was 4th in 16:57, Taylor 5th in 17:07 and Wiederholt 8th in 17:22. They were backed up by senior Robert Lindes [12th in 18:10] and senior Colin Brennan [14th in 18:20]. Sophomore Kael Schilling [16th in 18:34] and junior J.P. West [18th in 18:50] gave Northern seven finishers in the top 20.

Medford Tech senior Luke Damato placed 7th in 17:15, Medford Tech sophomore Chris Davis was 9th in 17:24 and Medford Tech junior Marcos Paulino 10th in 18:00.

Also under 19:00 on the Palmyra Cove 5K course: Burlington Township senior Donald Cuczuzzella [11th in 18:05], Medford Tech freshman Illias Rosas [13th in 18:17], Bordentown sophomore Lucas Klama [15th in 18:26], Pennsauken sophomore Santiago Morales [17th in 18:44], Northern junior J.P. West [18th in 18:50], Burlington Township sophomore Teddy Sonnie [19th in 18:52], Medford Tech senior Dylan Emery [20th in 18:53] and Pennsauken sophomore Gabriel Algaba [21st in 18:54].

Freshman Jack Tindall, sophomore Benjamin Realley and senior Liam Tindall swept the first three places and Cherokee broke the single-race team record at DREAM Park at the Olympic Conference Championships in Logan Township.

Cherokee packed its top five runners in 22 seconds and averaged 15:44.6, breaking the record of 15:48.1 set by Cherokee at the 2022 South Jersey Group 4 sectionals.

In a battle of two of New Jersey’s top programs, No. 5 Cherokee topped No. 6 Cherry Hill East 17-47.

Paul VI edged Shawnee 104-106 for 3rd.

The team title is Cherokee’s 4th straight and 17th since 1997. Either Cherokee or Cherry Hill East has won each of the last 12 Olympic Conference championships.

Tindall won the race in 15:32, breaking the freshman course record of 15:46 set at South Jersey Group 4 sectionals last year by Kingsway’s Ryan Duffy. His time is 11th-fastest in course history.

Really placed 2nd in 15:40, the 2nd-fastest time in course history by a sophomore. Woodbury’s Peyton Shute ran 15:28 at 2021 South Jersey Group 1 sectionals.

Tindall was 3rd in 15:45, junior Logan Bromley 5th in 15:52 and sophomore Sean Sooy 6th in 15:54. Sixth man Enzo Corona, a senior, took 7th in 15:57, and senior Benjamin Weiner ran 12th in 16:07. That’s seven finishers in a 35-second gap.

Two other Cherokee runners finished in the top 20: Anthony DiBattista ran 16:23 for 19th and Tate Midora 20th in 16:29.

The top nine finishers were all from Cherokee or Cherry Hill East. For East, Brandon Lyons placed 4th in 15:47, Alvin Lin 8th in 15:58, Brody Bogos 9th in 16:01, Will Nelson 11th in 16:05 and Cian Sherlock 15th in 16:16 backed up by Colin Moore and Milo Poerner in 17th and 18th in 16:22 and 16:23.

Also under 16:30 on the DREAM Park speedway: Paul VI Sean Alemi [10th in 16:04], Shawnee Noah Stapleton [13th in 16:14], Cherry Hill West Rex Takakjy [14th in 16:14] and Shawnee Simon Bernhardt [16th in 16:22].

Also under 17 minutes: Paul VI Caden Briggs [21st in 16:31], Paul VI Max Long [22nd in 16:32], Rancocas Valley Christopher Gray [23rd in 16:33], Shawnee Yanni Ekatomatis [24th in 16:33], Sickerville Tech Julian Rich [25th in 16:34], Shawnee Elias Knoll [26th in 16:35], Rancocas Valley Alex Kinney [27th in 16:39], Paul VI Chase Cooley [28th in 16:40], Winslow Dominic Bassey [29th in 16:45], Eastern Ryan Haefele [30th in 16:49] and Cherry Hill East Nikhil Raman [31st in 16:54].

Cherokee also won titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Schalick senior Jordan Hadfield won her 2nd straight Tri-County Showcase title Thursday in Upper Deerfield.

Hadfield ran 18:57 at Cumberland Regional and finished 40 meters ahead of Williamstown junior Sophia Aldridge, who placed 2nd in 19:06.

Hadfield, the state Group 1 champ last spring at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters and last fall in XC, has raced eight times this year and hasn’t finished worse than 3rd in any race.

She also won titles at Six Flags Wild Safari in Jackson and Salem County Championships in Mannington Township.

For Aldridge, 19:06 is her fastest time ever on any course. Her previous all-course best for 5K was 19:09 at last year’s South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Despite having no finishers in the top seven, Delsea’s pack gave the Crusaders the team title, 57-71, over Williamstown, with Washington Township [74], Kingsway [78] and Clearview [79] making it five schools within 23 points.

Senior Juliana Sieminski led Delsea in 8th place in 20:11 and Laney senior Vecchio was 12th in 20:34, and then juniors Isabella Moran, Olivia Mashburn and Sofia Moran all finished in a pack – 19th, 20th and 22nd, all between 21:08 and 21:29.

The rest of the top 10 looked like this: Wildwood senior Macie McCracken [3rd in 19:22], Washington Township senior Kaylee Russen [4th in 19:34], Washington Township senior Rachael Wilson [5th in 19:50], Kingsway sophomore Aubrey Bishop [6th in 19:59], Highland junior Lyana Gutierrez [7th in 20:03], Williamstown senior Delaney Harbison [9th in 20:14] and Kingsway senior Alaina Zabielski [10th in 20:20].

Also under 21 minutes were Woodstown freshman Abby Marino [11th in 20:31], Clearview senior Lilla Porter [13th in 20:46], Williamstown sophomore Julia Burgio [14th in 20:52] and Triton sophomore Emily Lutner [15th in 20:57].

Isaac Linden ran 17:26 at Palmyra Cove and became Moorestown Friends’ 1st Burlington County Scholastic League cross country champion on Wednesday.

Moorestown Friends joined the BCSL last year and was competing in its first BCSL XC championship.

Linden finished 150 meters ahead of 2nd-place Jack Wessner, a Maple Shade senior, in the Freedom Division race.

Maple Shade outscored Moorestown Friends 31-52 to win the team title, with Westampton Tech 3rd with 76 points.

The Wildcats have won eight straight Freedom Division team titles. Last time Maple Shade didn’t win a BCSL team title was 2015, when they were in the Patriot Division – which no longer exists for XC – and took 2nd to Cinnaminson, 37-39.

Maple Shade went 2-3-6-9-11 in winning its 14th team title overall in various divisions.

Joining Wessner for the Wildcats in the top 10 were junior Ries Fox [3rd in 17:58], junior Michael Smith [6th in 18:20] and senior Dylan Davies [9th in 19:03]. 5th scorer was junior Kai Matis, 11th in 19:15.

Also in the top 10: Westampton Tech senior Elijah Rodriguez [4th in 18:11], Pemberton junior Jeremy Allen [5th in 18:19], Riverside sophomore Ronald McMahon [7th in 18:20], Westampton Tech senior Nasier Fields [8th in 18:49] and Moorestown Friends junior Allan Want [10th in 19:07].

Great race between two of South Jersey’s best Wednesday, with Mainland senior Sofia Day edging Ocean City senior Maeve Smith at the Cape-Atlantic Championships in Egg Harbor.

Day and Smith both ran 18:25, with Day officially crossing the line in 18:25.18 and Smith 18:25.84.

That difference – 66-100ths of a second – is the equivalent of about 2 ½ meters in a 5,000-meter race.

Day and Smith also went 1-2 in last year’s race at Stockton.

After Day, the next four runners were from Ocean City, and the Red Raiders won the team title 23-61 over Egg Harbor Township, with Mainland Regional 3rd with 74.

After Smith, senior Chloe Care, sophomore Carly Godfrey and freshman Riley Tolson all finished virtually together, Care 3rd in 19:12, Godrey 4th in 19:13 and Tolson 5th in 19:13. Senior Zoe Zammit clinched the team title with her 9th-place finish in 19:53. They were backed up by 6th and 7th runners sophomores Lillian Flora and Peighton Clemens, 11th and 15th in 19:56 and 20:13.

Egg Harbor was led by sophomore Addison Lambert and junior Devyn Per, who both finished in the top 10. Lambert was 6th in 19:39 and Per 10th in 19:54.

Mainland sophomore Cecilia Foreman [7th in 19:49] and Vineland senior Kylee Black [8th in 19:52] also placed in the top 10.

Also in the top 20: Egg Harbor junior Paige Pacquing [12th in 20:00], Egg Harbor senior Bithania Andemariam [13th in 20:11], Hammonton senior Natalie Clauhs [14th in 20:11], Vineland senior Gabrielle Brown [16th in 20:25], Vineland sophomore Olivia Masucci [17th in 20:41], Middle Township junior Olivia Orton [18th in 20:42], Mainland senior Ava McDole [19th in 20:53] and Egg Harbor freshman Carlee Steet [20th in 21:07].