Her time is the second-fastest ever by a South Jersey girl at Holmdel

By Kevin Cranston
Runningco.com Writer

HOLMDEL

Chelsea Ley should have no regrets about Saturday’s NJSIAA Meet of Champions.

The Kingsway High School super sophomore put herself in great position by going out with the lead pack. She made moves when she felt right. And for 5,000 meters over the hilly terrain of Holmdel Park, Ley battled with Voorhees junior Melanie Thompson and Southern junior Jillian Smith.

Ley wasn’t able to earn the victory, but in placing third in a 12-second Holmdel PR of 18:08, she ran one of the fastest times ever on the legendary layout.

“I felt great,” said Ley, who’s previous Holmdel-best was the 18:20 she ran last Saturday to finish second in the Group 3 race to Thompson. “I wanted to get first, but I’m really pleased with my time. Those two (Thomson and Smith) are just amazing runners.”

Thompson edged Smith for the victory, 18:02 to 18:03. Both emerged from the woods side-by-side and it wasn’t until about the final 20 meters that Thompson was able to get a stride on Smith and hold her off. Thompson’s 18:02 ranks No. 8 on Holmdel’s all-time list, while Smith and Ley’s times are No. 9 and No. 10.

Ley’s time is also the second-fastest ever run on Holmdel by a South Jersey girl. The top time by a South Jersey girl belongs to Washington Township’s Michelle Rowen, who ran 17:40 in 1982.

“My goal was to run between 18-flat and 18:10, so I’m thrilled,” Ley said afterwards.

Right from the start of the race, Ley made sure she got right up with the leaders. With Smith and Oak Knoll senior Kathleen McCafferty (fourth, 18:28) taking the race out in 6:10 through the opening mile, Ley ran with Thompson a second behind.

By the 2-mile mark, Ley was right with Smith in the lead. By 2¼ miles, Ley and Smith had opened up a couple seconds on Thompson.

It was at the tennis courts (just before the 2½-mile mark) where Ley tried to put some distance on Smith.

“Around the tennis courts, I tried to do blind surge, but Jill stayed right with me,” Ley said. “I just hung on for dear life after that.”
By the time Ley and Smith hit the back woods, Thompson had rejoined them. And it was in the middle of that woods section where Ley was unable to keep up with the torrid pace any longer.

“In the middle of the woods, we were all bunched up,” Ley said. “Jill got in front of me and then Melanie went with her.”

Next up for Ley is the Footlocker Northeast Regional, which will be held next Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The top 10 finishers from the regional race advance to the Footlocker Championships on Dec. 8 at Balboa Park in San Diego, Calif.

“I want to try and qualify. I think I can do it,” Ley said. “I felt great today, so I think I’m ready for a couple more races.”

Shawnee freshman Casey Doyle,

who last weekend ran the fastest Holmdel time (18:50 for fourth in the Group 3 race) ever by a Burlington County girl, ran even faster on Saturday as she dropped an 18:39 to finish sixth overall. Doyle was South Jersey’s second finisher and the state’s top freshman finisher.

Highland freshman Megan Venables,

just like Doyle, ran a Holmdel PR. After going 19:13 last weekend in the Group 3 race, Venables went 19:00 to grab 13th as South Jersey’s third finisher.

Other South Jersey Top 25 Finishers

Our Lady of Mercy Academy senior Jen Peacock, who ran 19:17 to place third in Non-Public B, was 21st in 19:11.

Cherry Hill East senior Missy Showers, who was 12th in Group 4 in 19:26, ran 19:18 to take 23rd.

No. 1 Haddonfield

finished as South Jersey’s top team, but the Bulldawgs were slightly off on Saturday as they placed eighth with 221 points.

Voorhees was in a whole other world as they defeated Roxbury, 60-122, for the Vikings’ second M of C title and first since 1990. Voorhees put its first five in the top 32 of the team scoring as it broke its own course team average record by going 19:01. At last Saturday’s Group 3 race, the Vikings averaged 19:04.8.

Haddonfield was led by sophomore Marielle Hall, who finished 29th overall (17th in team scoring) in 19:31, just a second slower than what she ran to win the Group 2 race last weekend.

After Hall, though, was a 36-second gap before the Bulldawgs’ second finisher, Jackie Sikkema, crossed the line in 20:07. At the Group 2 race, the gap between the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 girls was only 19 seconds.

Compared to last week’s five-girl spread of 54 seconds, Haddonfield had a spread of 81 seconds on Saturday. The Bulldawgs were also unable to match their 20:04.6 team average from the Group 2 race, for Saturday their average was 20:15.8.

But even though Haddonfield wasn’t as sharp on Saturday as it was in the Group 2 race, it still put together a solid enough effort to beat No. 2 Lenape by 43 points to finish the season as South Jersey’s top team.

Other South Jersey Team Qualifiers

No. 2 Lenape, led by sophomore Caitlin Orr’s 43rd-place (24th in team scoring) in 19:48, took 10th with 264.

No. 14 Haddon Township finished 17th with 460. First in for the Hawks was freshman Holly Gallagher, who ran 20:34 for 94th overall (58th in team scoring).

No. 18 Our Lady of Mercy placed 18th with 467.

Full Results