Gonzalez Wins Leading North Hunterdon, Voorhees Boys Win HWS

Oct 11, 2018

Chloe Gonzalez, making her long awaited season debut, captured her second straight title to lead the NJ #1 North Hunterdon girls to its fourth straight title, and Voorhees captured its sixth straight boys title and Liam McHale of Pope John won the boys race at the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Championships on Thursday at the Phillipsburg Athletic Complex.

Gonzalez, an All-Stater as a sophomore last year, ran 19:04 to lead a 1-5-7-9-13 finish as the Lions defeated runner-up Hunterdon Cental, 35-48. North Hunterdon, which held out many of its top runners, averaged 20:38.

In the boys race, McHale became the first runner from Pope John to capture the HWS title, winning the boys race in 17:09. Several Pope John runners have captured Sussex County XC titles, but McHale is the first to win the HWS title since the Sussex County and Hunterdon-Warren Championship meets were merged in 2009.

The Voorhees boys finished 2-4-5-6-13 and averaged 17:46 on the way to a 30-52 victory over runner-up Pope John.

NJ #7 North Hunterdon would have been a big favorite to win the boys title if it didn't hold out its top runners. North Hunterdon is focusing on the Eastern States race at this Saturday's Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Another notable absence at the HWS meet was Alexa Westley of Warren Hills,. The two-time outdoor 3,200 Meet of Champions winner also skipped the meet because she's running in the Eastern States race at the Manhattan Invitational. Westley is coming off a victory in 18:05 at the Shore Coaches Invitational last Saturday, No. 18 on the all-time list at Holmdel Park.