Haddon Area Harriers Make Tracks at South Jersey Championships

Area cross country teams excelled in the NJSIAA South Jersey Sectional Championships Saturday, sending half a dozen squads on to the Group State Championships next weekend.

The teams from Haddonfield ran early in the meet held on the Delsea High School Course and dominated Group 2 competition. The girls placed first overall with a 30 point victory over Sterling. Frosh Allison Colflesh and Payton Weiner and senior Izzy Miller led the way with a 3-4-5 finish for the Bulldogs, while the remainder of the squad, Lilly Sirover, Lindsay Colflesh, Lilly Minor and Olivia Stoner, all finished in the top 11. The top five posted a sub-20 minute average time for the 5k course.

When the Haddonfield boys had their turn less than an hour later they were just as impressive if not more so. Sophomore Martin Riddell won outright in 15:49 with Junior Greg Eisenhower just behind him in second. Sean Campiglia turned in a strong effort to take fourth, while the rest of squad, Stephen Kasko, Ethan Spellmeyer and Richie Glennon, all squeezed into the top 14. The end result was a 16:09 average and resounding 55 point win over Sterling and Cinnaminson, as well as the rest of the 15 team field.

The Sectional titles extended State record totals for both squads, as the girls won their 25th victory and the boys took their 35th, as well as their 14th straight. The boys have won 22 of 23 championships, dating back to 1995.

In the Group 1 boys competition it was a real dogfight between local teams. Haddon Heights and Haddon Township battled it out for first place, with Heights narrowly prevailing 54-61. Junior Kevin Sankey was the top finisher for Heights in second place, with Senior Patrick Mulligan of Township right behind in third. In the end it was Heights' tight pack that prevailed, with 2-5 scorers Peter Florio, Sam Gandolfo-Lucia, Colin Duffy and Brian Alexander all running within 1:25 of Sankey to take the win.

While these teams battled for victories, a secondary goal was to finish in the top five and advance to the State Championship meets held next weekend at Holmdel. The Haddon Township girls nailed down this achievement with a solid third place finish, with Darby Williamson leading the way in second place. The Township girls fielded the minimum of five runners for a team score, but Cara Daltwas, Jane Gerber, Carey Parker and Emily Marshall all came through to secure their spot. And the Audubon girls fifth place finish might be even more notable, as it was the first time within anyone in the program's memory that they had managed to advance to the Group State round. Caitlyn Clarke was the top finisher for the Green Wave, and she and the rest of the team, including Natalie Slavin, Greta Davis, Kaitlyn Holland, Rebekah Barnhardt, Molly Bonsted and Sarah Gustafson, will probably cherish the State Championship experience more than anyone. (photo credits: Georgia Wood, Jason Russo)