.png)
The Cherokee girls concluded a magical season with another gem as the Chiefs solidified its status as the No. 1 team in New Jersey by capturing the team title, and Christian Brothers Academy placed second at the 14th Northeast Regional Team Championships on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
Leading the charge individually for the Garden State were sophomore Cassidy Roop of North Hunterdon, third in the girls race in 19:14.3, and CBA senior Jack Moran, third in the boys race in 16:31.6. Madison senior Adam Angelone also ran a great race, placing ninth in 16:46.
The girls team race was dominated by the Garden State as Cherokee, which earned the No. 1 ranking in NJ after winning its first Meet of Champions title last week, defeated NJ#2 Ridgewood for the third straight week, 67-86. Haddonfield completed the 1-2-3 N.J. sweep by placing third with 102 points. Ridgewood also placed second in this race in 2019 to qualify for the national race for the first time. The Regional and National meets weren't held last year.
Cherokee, tied with Ridgewood at 77-77 at the halfway point of the 5,000-meter race, received a huge push from the back of its back over the final 2.5K to secure the win. Cherokee, which puts its first five in the top 30 and had a 1-5 split of 57 seconds, was led by junior Kelsey Niglio (sixth in 19:37) and senior Nicole Clifford (seventh in 19:38). Cherokee's other scorers were freshman Megan Niglio, 20th in 20:04, sophomore Olivia Parkinson, 28th in 20:30, and sophomore Kerry O'Day, 30th in 20. Parkinson moved up 13 places over the the final 2500 meters.
Ridgewood, which averaged 20:14, was led by senior Olivia Shattuck, ninth in 19:45.0.
Cherokee is the third N.J. program to capture a NE Regional title. North Hunterdon won four straight from 2016-19, and Voorhees won in 2010.
If the National Team Championships hadn't been cancelled this year, Cherokee and Ridgewood would have qualified since the top two teams in each regional automatically advance.
In the boys race, NJ#2 CBA averaged 17:08 and finished second with 125 points, 52 points behind Bishop Hendricken of Warwick, R.I., first with 73. Cherry Hill East was the next best N.J. team,, placing sixth with 199 points.
CBA's top five were Moran, junior Nick Sullivan (19th in 17:01), freshman Joe Barrett (21st in a CBA freshman course record 17:01), sophomore Alex Kemp, 46th in 17:31, and junior Lucas Ward (55th in 17:36).
If the National Championships weren't cancelled, CBA would have been seeking to extend its remarkable streak to 11 straight berths in the National Championship race. With a team loaded with great young talent, CBA should be one of the top contenders to win the NE Regional next year.