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Haddonfield Cross Country Sweeps Group 2: Boys Win a Ninth Straight Title, Girls Win Too, Both Head to the Meet of Champions

Two state team titles in one afternoon at Holmdel Park. Here are the scores, the top finishers and what comes next.

By Live Haddonfield ยท

Haddonfield Memorial High School won both NJSIAA Group 2 cross country team titles on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Holmdel Park. The boys beat Indian Hills 53 to 84 for their ninth straight Group 2 crown and 24th overall, and the girls scored 71 to edge Rumson-Fair Haven at 95. Both teams now run the Meet of Champions on Saturday, Nov. 14, back at Holmdel.

Nine in a row. Let that sink in. Most high school runners on this team weren't in middle school when the streak started.

The boys: nine straight, and a first for the coach

NJ.com reported it was the first state title for new head coach Matt Elmuccio. Cross country scores the top five finishers, so depth wins, and Haddonfield had five runners in the top 24.

  • Connor Brand, 3rd, 16:33.89
  • Andrew Blum, 7th, 16:47.97
  • Logan Tripician, 10th, 16:52.90
  • Graham Dodson, 14th, 17:03.36
  • Luke Lindner, 24th, 17:30.70

Lucas Laganella (49th, 18:04.49) and Nathan Bollard (50th, 18:10.29) also ran. The individual Group 2 winner was Allentown's Ryan Heissler in 16:25.44.

The girls: a title built on a pack

Dylan Hosty led the way in 2nd place in 18:39.53. Then came a tight group, and that's what won it.

  • Dylan Hosty, 2nd, 18:39.53
  • Molly Mills, 11th, 19:47.97
  • Madison Kelsey, 17th, 20:27.18
  • Tatum Russo, 20th, 20:38.59
  • Harper Benjamin, 21st, 20:42.84

Devon Gervasi (30th, 21:17.04) and Bella DeFinis (33rd, 21:26.85) rounded out the seven. Add up the top five places (2, 11, 17, 20, 21) and you get 71, 24 points clear of Rumson-Fair Haven. The race winner was Ocean Township's Leah Starkey in 16:44.82.

What's next: the Meet of Champions, Nov. 14

The MileSplit qualifier list names Haddonfield as the Group 2 champion in both the boys and girls races, which sends both teams to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Holmdel Park. That's the meet where the group champions from across the state race each other.

Race times were not posted on the NJSIAA or MileSplit meet pages as of Tuesday morning. If you're going, know this from the meet info page: bikes are not allowed in the park during the races, spectators park at Holmdel Park and follow the rangers, and apparel sales are cash only.

We'll post results once they're official. For the rest of this week's Bulldogs games, see our playoff schedule for the week of Nov. 9, and for what's next on the calendar, winter sports tryouts and first practice dates.

FAQ

Did both Haddonfield teams win? Yes. Boys 53 to Indian Hills' 84, girls 71 to Rumson-Fair Haven's 95, both on Nov. 7 at Holmdel Park.

When is the Meet of Champions? Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, at Holmdel Park. Start times were not posted as of Nov. 10.

Sources

Scores, schedules and the week's big wins all land in one short Friday email, which is the easiest way to keep up with the Bulldogs. Get it here.