From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Haddon Township junior Shaun Maloney ran a huge all-course 5K PR Saturday to win the Division 1 race at the South Jersey Open.

Maloney ran 16:51, dropping more than half a minute from his previous-best 5,000 on any course. He ran 17:25 when he placed 17th last October at the Colonial Conference Championships at Pennypacker Park in Haddonfield and Cherry Hill.

The win was the first for Maloney in any major cross country or indoor or outdoor track race.

Maloney finished 40 meters ahead of Bishop Eustace senior Ethan Caprarola, who placed 2nd in 16:58.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10: Gloucester Marcus Flagg [3rd in 17:03], Woodstown Jacob Marino [5th in 17:09] and Cole Lucas [6th in 17:11], Gloucester Vincent Kelly [7th in 17:29], Haddon Township Manolo Foote [8th in 17:30] and Collingswood Graham Reynolds [9th in 17:34].

Kinnelon of Morris County went 3-7-9-11-19 and edged Haddon Township 49-55 to win the team title, with Gloucester 3rd with 70 points.

Holy Cross junior Julia Flanagan won the individual title, and Audubon won the team title by one point in Division 1 at the South Jersey Open Saturday.

Flanagan ran 19:05 over 5K at DREAM Park in Logan Township and edged Camden Catholic senior Nilaa Ponnappan, who was 2nd in 19:21.

Flanagan’s time is fastest ever at DREAM Park by a Holy Cross runner. She held the previous course best of 19:23 from the South Jersey Shootout last month.

Audubon finished with a 91-92 margin of victory over Haddon Township, with visiting Kinnelon of Morris County 3rd with 97 points.

Audubon didn’t have a runner in the top eight but had three finishers between 9th and 15th – freshman Sophia Brassill 9th in 21:25, freshman Romina Macko 14th in 22:12 and senior Josephine Albanese 15th in 22:19. Senior Avery Lundell [40th in 26:03] and sophomore Sophia Rizzo [44th in 26:18] also scored for the Green Wave.

Haddon Township was led by junior Blake Kemery [10th in 21:42] and sophomore Tanner Lajoie [12th in 22:00].

Schalick senior Jordan Hadfield placed 3rd in 20:16 – she’s placed in the top three in all seven invitationals she’s raced in this fall – Maple Shade senior Crystal Benito 4th in 20:32, West Deptford sophomore Taylor Sierzega 5th in 20:37, Collingswood junior Macie Straight 6th in 20:45, Kinnelon senior Hope Sirinides 7th in 21:02 and Gloucester Dejia senior 8th in 21:15.

Widener’s Thomas Flear, a sophomore from Clearview, finished first among 100 runners Saturday at the DeSales Invitational in Upper Saucon Township outside Bethlehem.

Flear ran 26:07 and finished 40 meters ahead of 2nd-place Louka Fetter, a junior at Messiah University in Grantham, Pa.

It was only Flear’s 2nd race this fall. He was 2nd at the Messiah Invitational last month. He’s won conference titles on the track at 5,000 meters indoors last year and 10,000 meters outdoors.

Widener, ranked 9th in the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region, finished 3rd with 64 points, behind Messiah [40] and DeSales [59].

Flear has blossomed at Widener after recording PRs of 2:07.59, 4:47.26 and 10:21.49 in high school.

Led by junior Andrew Dopkin and senior Andrew Kellem, Highland put all five scorers in the top 10 and coasted to the Division 2 team title Saturday morning at the South Jersey Open.

Dopkin ran 16:57 and Kellem 17:24 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township, and Highland had its 5th runner across the line before any other school’s 2nd runner.

Highland finished with a 32-67 margin over 2nd-place Delsea.

Delsea junior Matthew Littlehales won the race in 15:55, fastest time of the day and 2nd-fastest in course history by a Delsea runner behind older brother Andrew’s 15:38 when he placed 2nd at the 2021 South Jersey Group 3 sectionals.

Paul VI senior Sean Alemi and Cherry Hill West junior Rex Takakjy ran 2nd and 3rd in 16:28 and 16:33 before Highland took five of the next seven spots.

Sophomore Colin Roznowski, junior Daniel Gee and junior Pierce Dopkin packed in 8th, 9th and 10th in 17:32, 17:47 and 17:54, giving Highland a 57-second gap from their 1st through 5th runners.

Also in the top 10 were Middle Township sophomore Jamar Mack [5th in 17:07] and Seneca senior Connor McCafferty [7th in 17:25].

Senior Ethan Worst was the overall winner and junior Quenton Gannone the pivotal 6th man as Clearview won the South Jersey Open Division 3 title on a tiebreaker with Gloucester Township Tech.

Worst won the race in 16:34 – his 1st lifetime XC invitational victory – and Clearview’s top 5 went 1-9-17-23-29 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

With five runners in, Clearview and Gloucester Township Tech were tied with 79 points, but Gannone finished 45th, ahead of GTT’s 6th runner, giving the Pioneers the team title on a 6th-man tiebreaker.

Cherry Hill East took 3rd with 89 points without its top group, Eastern was 4th with 97 and Winslow 5th with 98 points, so there were five schools within 20 points of each other.

The rest of Clearview’s pack included senior Ryne Handley [9th in 17:13], senior Sun Daniel [17th in 17:59], sophomore Jack Sokorai [23rd in 18:11] and junior Richard Buckman [29th in 18:28].

Winslow went 2-3 with senior Dominic Bassey – a 1:52 half-miler last spring – and junior Vincent Perri in 16:47 and 16:51.

Also in the top 10 were Camden County Vo-Tech Sicklerville senior Julian Rich [4th in 17:00], Bridgeton senior Kevin Gonzalez [5th in 17:01], Gloucester County Tech senior Connor Auge [6th in 17:01], Eastern sophomore Timothy Shack [7th in 17:10], Eastern senior Ryan Haefele [8th in 17:11] and Bridgeton sophomore Alex Chavez Santiago [10th in 17:34].

Seniors Gabrielle DeJoseph and Noelia Reyes and freshmen Hope Edwards and Makayla Zell all placed in the top 10 and the Moorestown girls used some outstanding pack running to race to the Division 2 title Saturday morning at the South Jersey Open.

Moorestown’s top five packed in 53 seconds at DREAM Park in Logan Township and all seven runners finished in a 67-second gap, and the Quakers defeated Sterling 37-65, with Mainland – led by overall winner Sofia Day – 3rd with 67 points.

For Moorestown, ranked 11th in New Jersey, DeJoseph placed 4th in 19:20; Reyes 6th in 19:52, Edwards 7th in 19:53, Zell 9th in 20:03 and junior Lilliana Stack Maya 11th in 20:13.

The Quakers showed their depth with 6th and 7th runners Sophia DiFiore, a sophomore, and Celia Frederico, a junior, placing 13th and 14th in 20:26 and 20:27.

Moorestown had seven runners across the line before any other school had its 4th runner finish.

Day ran 18:28 and out-raced Sterling senior Kaysie Luna to the finish line, with Luna a close 2nd in 18:36 – a huge all-course PR for 5,000 meters. Her previous best was a 19:16 in a batch meet at West Deptford Park. It’s also the fastest ever by a Sterling girl at DREAM Park, topping Jonalee Adames’ 19:21 at this race last year. Adames actually ran much faster Saturday – she was 3rd in 19:08 giving Sterling a 2-3 finish.

Also in the top 10 were Delsea Juliana Sieminski [5th in 19:27], Mainland freshman Ella Mokienko [8th in 19:59] and Mainland sophomore Cecilia Foreman [10th in 20:06].

Led by overall winner Ryleigh Budsock, Cherry Hill East put all five scorers in the top 11 and rolled to the Division 3 team title Saturday morning at the South Jersey Open.

Budsock, a sophomore, ran an all-course lifetime-best 19:11 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township and topped Winslow senior Ava Millner for the win. Millner placed 2nd in 19:28.

Senior Cate Feudtner, sophomore Gabriella Pizzo, junior Ella Davidson and junior Shaelea Conway placed 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th, Feudtner in 19:45, Pizzo 19:53, Davidson 19:58 and Conway 20:23. They were backed up by junior Keira Conway in 13th [20:43] and sophomore Katherine Grottini in 15th [20:55].

So East went 1-3-5-7-11-13, which is about as well as seven runners can possibly do without a single one finishing in an even-numbered place.

Team scoring isn’t listed in the results but it looks like East outscored 2nd-place Vineland 27-60 with Clearview 3rd with 87 points.

Cherry Hill East – ranked 16th in New Jersey – averaged 19:50.30, very close to their fastest average time ever on the course. East averaged 19:46.76 at the 2019 Olympic Conference meet. On a perfect morning for running, it’s the 13th-fastest team average since the course near Glassboro opened in 2018.

Winslow’s Millner, a 2:18 half-miler last spring,. ran an all-course PR in 2nd place. She just broke 20 minutes for the first time with a 19:48 at Stockton University last month.

Also in the top 10 were Vineland seniors Kylee Black [4th in 19:49] and Gabrielle Brown [6th in 19:53], Hammonton senior Natalie Clauhs [8th in 20:01], Vineland sophomore Olivia Masucci [9th in 20:12] and Clearview senior Lilla Porter [10th in 20:13].

Northern Burlington’s Liliah Gordon, Glassboro’s Ty Blackman and the Haddonfield boys will take on some of the best runners in the country Sunday at the 52nd annual Manhattan College Invitational at legendary Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

There will be 42 races in all, including varsity, freshman, JV and middle school events, but the signature events at the Manhattan Invitational will be the boys and girls Eastern Championship races.

Gordon will race in the girls Easterns race at 2:56 p.m. Blackman, who placed 2nd in the Shore Coaches F race with a 16:31 at Holmdel last weekend, is entered as an individual in the boys Easterns race, along with Haddonfield, rank No. 2 in New Jersey.

Gordon ran 10:22.20 for 3,200 meters last spring and won the Varsity C race at Shore Coaches Saturday in her 2024 XC debut with an unpressed 18:21, 2nd-fastest time among all girls in all six races.

All races at Vanny are 2 ½ miles. Only when Foot Locker Northeast Regionals are held at Van Cortlandt is the 5,000-meter course used.

https://www.manhattancollegexcinvitational.com/race-course-site-map

Gordon will be chasing the South Jersey best on the historic course, 14:10.4 set by Haddonfield’s Briana Gess at the 2015 Manhattan Invitational.

Other top Vanny times by South Jersey girls: Haddonfield’s Vanessa Wright ran 14:30.4 in 2004, Mainland’s Alyssa Aldridge 14:34.6 in 2015, Haddonfield’s Erin Donohue 14:42.2 in 1998 and Ocean City’s Devin Grisbaum 14:42.5 in 2014.

Haddonfield, which held its top group out of Shore Coaches to be fresh for Manhattan, races at 2:44 p.m. The Bulldogs’ top group will include junior Luke Andresen, senior Bennett Wright, junior Ryan Gibson, junior Benjamin Andrus and junior Peter Simpson.

Haddonfield set the South Jersey team record on Van Cortlandt’s 2 ½-mile course at 13:20 at the 2018 Regis Invitational with Greg Eisenhower, Martin Riddell, Derek Gess, Stephen Kasko and Griffin Weiner.

The South Jersey course record is held by Woodbury’s Peyton Shute with his 12:18.10 from last year, when he was 2nd to CBA’s Joe Barrett. Shute broke a 36-year-old record of 12:20.5 set by Pau VI’s Jason DiJoseph back in 1987. Others from South Jersey who’ve run sub-12:30: Aaron Groff of Cherry Hill East [12:24.3, 6th in 2015], Jonathan Vitez of Haddonfield [12:25.60, 1st in 2009] and Highland’s Kevin Pumphrey [12:28.4, 3rd in 1985].

Also scheduled to race at Vanny on Sunday: Ocean City girls are in the Varsity D race at 2:23 p.m., the Ocean Boys are in the Varsity A race at 1:32, Haddonfield’s girls at in the C race at 2:08 p.m., Williamstown boys race at 3:08 p.m. in the D race and Williamstown girls start at 3:56 p.m. in the F race.

The Manhattan Invitational has been held off and on since the early 1930s. The current meet has been held every year since 1972 with the exception of 2020.

Races will run Sunday from 9:03 a.m. until about 4:30 p.m.

Full race schedule can be found here, and race assignments are listed here. The link for live results should pop up here at some point.

Schalick senior Jordan Hadfield cruised to her 2nd straight Salem County title Wednesday, winning by about 80 meters over Abby Marino of Woodstown. And she led Schalick to the team title as well.

Hadfield covered 5,000 meters at Salem County Vo-Tech in Mannington Township in 19:15, with Marino 2nd in 20:34.

Schalick went 1-5-6-8-10 and outscored Woodstown 25-34. Schalick’s places in team competition were 1-4-5-7-8.

Schalick actually had seven of the first 12 finishers, with senior Jordan Goode [5th in 23:40], freshman Emma Cain [6th in 24:34], sophomore Ava Melnick [8th in 25:06], senior Olivia Hill [10th in 25:31], junior Emma O’Neill [11th in 26:42] and sophomore Jaedyn Wallace [12th in 26:50] following Hadfield across the line.

Also in the top 10 were Salem Vo-Tech Sarah Seiden [3rd in 22:08], Woodstown Anabel Schaal [4th in 23:08], Woodstown Arianna Mott [7th in 25:00] and Salem Gabriella Bartlett [10th in 25:31].

Hadfield, the state Group 1 champ last spring at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters, has placed in the top three in every race she’s entered this year. Next month she’ll shoot for her 2nd straight state Group 1 XC title. She didn’t run cross country until her junior year.

The Woodstown boys set a meet record for lowest team score at the 53rd annual Salem County Championships Wednesday in Manningham Township.

Woodstown went 1-2-3-5-6 for 17 points, breaking the record of 19 points set by Pennsville in the 2007 race at Schalick. Mark Kearney, T.J. Mowers, Matt Powers, Jon Scull and Justin Schmid went 1-3-4-5-6.

For Woodstown Wednesday, junior Karson Chew, junior Jacob Marino and senior Cole Lucas swept the top three spots in the 5,000-meter race at Salem County Vo-Tech, Chew inning in 17:00, Marino 2nd in 17:15 and Lucas 3rd in 17:27.

Schalick junior Salvatore Longo broke up the Wolverine sweep with a 4th-place finish in 17:50 before sophomore David Farrell and senior Jon Farrell completed the top 5 in 5th and 6th, David in 18:02 and Jon in 18:42.

Woodstown finished with a 17-41 margin of victory over 2nd-place Schalick, with Salem County Vo-Tech 3rd with 77 points.

Also in the top 10 were Schalick senior Chase Walker [7th in 18:49], Schalick sophomore Collin Bittle [8th in 18:58], Salem senior Samuel Cooke [9th in 19:01] and Schalick junior Chase Riley [10th in 19:05].