O.C. girls second; in SJ boys meet, Red Raiders second, Mainland third
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
A young Mainland Regional High School girls cross country team exceeded expectations when they won the South Jersey Group III championship meet Saturday, placing three freshmen in the top 15 to beat the nine other teams in the group.
The freshmen – Claudia Booth, Gillian Lovett and Chloe Malone – finished fifth, eighth and 15th, respectively, for the Mustangs, junior Lily Malone was seventh and senior Gisell Obergfell was 12th to round out the team score of 47, which put Mainland 23 points ahead of second-place Ocean City with 73 points.
Mainland’s other runners, sophomore Sidney Luff and junior Savannah Hodgens, were 16th and 23rd.
“It was thrilling to watch these girls compete and win,” head coach Brian Smith said. “The entire team worked hard all summer and fall long to reach this goal. This is the strongest team – top to bottom – I’ve had in my eight years as head coach.
“They supported, encouraged and pushed one another all year long,” he added. “No one expected this initially, but the team gained confidence with each passing week. We were not even ranked in the South Jersey Track Coaches Association poll until last week.”
What made it even more special is that Mainland’s other runners came out to support the team Saturday at Dream Park in Logan Township.
“It was terrific having almost the entire team present to cheer on the top seven, who really brought it home Saturday in tough, wet and muddy conditions,” Smith said.
The coach attributed the team’s success all season to the support from the upperclassmen.
“You never know exactly what to expect of freshmen coming into a season. The fact that we had three in our top five on a championship team is incredible (and certainly bodes well for the future as well),” he said. “They brought a lot of energy to the team, and they were embraced by the upperclassmen right away in the summer. They obviously have tremendous talent, but they put the time and the work in to be in the position they found themselves in.”
The seniors on the team may not have had been the fastest, but they were key to the team’s success, Smith said.
“Our seniors provided incredible leadership even as the freshmen were passing them. They set the example and kept the expectations high. I can’t say enough about our seniors – Mary Kate Merenich, Olivia Lovett, Giselle Obergfell and Melina Galias. Even though only one of them were in our top seven, we couldn’t have been successful without their leadership.”
This is the third South Jersey championship for the Mustang girls. The team won in 2016 and in 1981.
One downside to the victory is that they won’t get a chance to run at the state meet or try to qualify for the Meet of Champions. In this COVID-19-shortened season, the sectionals were the final meets of the season across New Jersey.
“It is always bittersweet when you spend so much time with a group of athletes and then the season ends, regardless of whatever success the team may achieve,” Smith said. “Of course we would have loved the opportunity to continue and measure ourselves against the best in the state.
“But,” he added, “we are grateful that we were able to complete the season that was given to us. That in itself is a blessing. The fact that the team won every time they toed the line to start a race this season just makes it even more special. There are very few teams that can say they went undefeated for an entire season, and we will cherish that accomplishment even more so because of the conditions and obstacles we had to overcome.
“We appreciate the efforts of the NJSIAA and our administration, and especially our Athletic Director Mike Gatley in giving these athletes the opportunity to compete,” he said.
Senior Alexis Palmieri was the highest finisher for Ocean City, with a time of 20:28.60 for sixth place. Highland Regional sophomore Grace Wassell won the race in 19:24.30.
Mainland, Ocean City times
5th, Claudia Booth (M), 20:21.90
6th, Alexis Palmieri (OC), 20:28.60
7th, Lily Malone (M), 20:44.70
8th, Gillian Lovett (M), 20:56.50
11th Erin Hanlon (OC), 21:28.30
12th, Gisell Obergfell (M), 21:36.60
15th, Chloe Malone (M), 22:00.00
16th, Sydney Luff (M), 22:01.30
16th, Frankie Ritzel (OC), 22:01.30
18th, Isabella Padula (OC), 22:18.00
21st, Vanessa Karayiannis (OC), 22:25.00
23rd, Savannah Hodgens (M), 22:29.90
27th, Avery Jackson (OC), 22:54.70
28th, Grace McAfee (OC), 23:03.80
Ocean City boys 2nd,
Mainland boys 3rd
Mainland’s Linden Wineland finished third overall at Saturday’s South Jersey Group III sectional cross country championship with a time of 16:46.50, leading his team to third place.
Ocean City’s top finisher, Owen Ritti, was fifth in 16:52.30, helping the Red Raiders to a second-place team finish.
Highland Regional won the meet with a team score of 47; Ocean City was second with 66 points and Mainland third with 91 points.
Ocean City had two other runners in the top 10, Tyler Greene, who was seventh, and Brendan Schlatter, who placed 10th. Red Raiders Nick Scarangelli was 21st, Nicholas Ferzettio was 23rd, Josh Hutchinson 30th and Chris Sardy 41st.
For Mainland, Matt Wynne was 13th, Elliot Post and Vaughn Blanchett were 19th and 20th, James Wurzer was 38th, Jessie Rios was 67th and Micah Miller was 82nd.
Highland Regional’s Cole Wassell won the race in 16:06.40.
Mainland coach Dan Heyman said his team had a great finish to the season with the finish at the South Jersey sectional as his top four boys ran personal bests at the meet. They also won the Cape-Atlantic League East Conference by beating Egg Harbor Township, 27-30, earlier.
Ocean City, Mainland times
3rd, Linden Wineland (M), 16:46.50
5th, Owen Ritti (OC), 16:52.30
7th, Tyler Greene (OC), 17:07.50
10th, Brendan Schlatter (OC), 17:17.10
13th, Matt Wynne (M), 17:37.40
19th, Elliot Post (M), 17:52.60
20th, Vaughn Blanchett (M), 17:59.20
21st, Nick Scarangelli (OC), 18:05.10
23rd, Nicholas Ferzetti (OC), 18:08.70
30th, Josh Hutchinson (OC), 18:35.70
38th, James Wurzer (M), 18:49.30
41st, James Sardy (OC), 18:55.20
67th, Jessie Rios (M), 20:17.40
82nd, Micah Miller, 21:09.80.
