VIDEO, PHOTOS: Middle sweeps individual and team honors at Big Five cross country meet

Posted: September 15th 2025

Runners maneuver at the start of the Big Five girls race Friday. Pictured are (from left): Middle Township's Olivia Orton, Cape May Tech's Kirstyn McHale, Middle Township's Eden Geisel, Lower Cape May's Hannah Souder and Lower Cape May's Jenna Hill.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

ERMA – Middle Township High School’s Jamar Mack won his third straight Big Five cross country championship in convincing fashion to highlight Friday’s meet at Lower Cape May Regional High School.

Mack, a junior, took top honors in the boys race by nearly 1 ½ minutes to lead Middle to the team championship.

Middle was also team winners in the girls meet, behind Olivia Orton’s first-place effort.

Mack finished the short course in 15 minutes, 7.49 seconds. Cape May Tech’s Evan Feliciano was second in 16:34.52, narrowly edging Middle’s Darp Patel, who was third in 16:34.81.

Middle runners represented the next three finishers as Josh Heck was fourth in 16:49.25, Max Lattimore-White placed fifth in 16:56.45 and Champion McNeal finished sixth in 17:00.12.

The seventh through 10th places went to, respectively, Lower Cape May’s Chris Saini (17:04.45), Middle Township’s Liam Brannon (17:29.17), Wildwood Catholic’s John Livingston (17:46.86) and Middle Township’s Jaziel Sanjurjo-Burgos (18:28.11).

Middle scored 10 points to win the boys team competition over Cape May Tech (57) and Lower Cape May (61). Wildwood and Wildwood Catholic each did not field the required five runners to score as a team.

In the girls race, Middle’s Orton posted a time of 19:24.63 to edge second-place Jenna Hill of Lower Cape May (19:27.41). Middle’s Eden Geisel was third in 19:40.28), Cape May Tech’s Kirstyn McHale finished fourth in 20:03.56 and Wildwood Catholic’s Angelina Richards placed fifth in 20:08.97.

The rest of the top 10 in the girls race included, in order, Middle Township’s Autumn Cannon (20:17.95) and Teagen Emmer (20:20.13), Wildwood Catholic’s Azucena Martinez-Panesso (20:29.59) and Zeleste Martinez-Panesso (21:09.26) and Cape May Tech’s Rosa Cameron (21:12.76).

Middle posted 26 points to win the girls team competition over Wildwood Catholic (42) and Lower Cape May (52). Cape May Tech and Wildwood did not field enough runners to score as a team.