CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE – Wildwood High School freshman Macie McCracken won the individual girls Cape May County Cross Country Championship title Friday afternoon, but Ocean City High School put all five runners in the top 10 to win the team title.
Red Raider junior Grace McAfree (19:42.62) and freshman Chloe Care (19:44.21) were second and third and teammates Cheryl Connell (20:56.66), a junior, Frank Ritzel (21:04.80), a sophomore, and Olivia Palmieri (21:08.19), a junior, were sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Ocean City took the team title with 23 points in the race at the Cape May County Park. Wildwood, led by McCracken, was second with 61 points, Middle Township was third with 71 and Cape May County Tech was fourth with 76.
McCracken, who finished the race in 19:29.21, was excited about winning the championship.
“I was hoping for top three so I’m happy I got first,” McCracken said. “This is my second time running this course and I definitely felt a lot better today. I really like the course.” She noted she cut about a minute off her time from the last time she ran the course earlier this season.
McCracken said she usually starts the race fast.
“When we went into the woods, I got ahead of the two Ocean City girls, but they were very close behind me the whole time,” she said.
Did having them on her heels motivate her to go faster? “Definitely,” McCracken said. She lives in North Wildwood and said she enjoys the team aspect of the sport. “My teammates make it more fun being able to run with them.”
Ocean City assistant coach Tim Cook said he was very pleased with his team.
“The girls performed great. They attacked the race like they wanted to,” Cook said. “We practiced the course last week and they were confident about what they could do. I was happy how they showed up today.”
Cook noted the girls had “great times” and a lot set personal records at the county meet.
“A few girls beat their times by a minute or two so they’re all very happy and excited for the next week,” he said about himself and head coach Trish Henry.
“We’re right on track with where we want them. We’re peaking them at the end and they’re starting to hit so that’s what we’re hoping for,” Cook said.
McAfee, Care and Connell have led the team to an 8-1 record this season, the only loss coming to Mainland Regional, who won the Atlantic County Championships the day before.
“They have been our top three all year,” Cook said. “One wins a race then the next one wins a race. They keep flip-flopping, but they’re always in a nice little pack together.”
Coming up this week is the Cape-Atlantic League Cross Country Championships at Stockton University. Cook said the Mustangs are the team to beat at the CAL meet.
“I’d say Mainland is definitely the top. Everybody is kind of gunning for them,” he said. “It’s going to be fun next Thursday.”
At the Cape May County meet, Wildwood Catholic’s Samatha Andress was fourth in 20:32;47; Tech’s Emie Frederick was fifth in 20:44.86; and WIldwood’s Leiah Pawlus (21:11.65) and Ava Troiano (21:28.64) were ninth and tenth.
Ocean City’s Avery Jackson, a junior, was 11th in 21:51.83, and teammate Marissa Vallese, a sophomore, was 14th in 22:25.40.
The CAL meet races for the boys and girls are set for 3:30 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 28. After that the teams will run at the Group III sectional meet followed by the state meet.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
