6The Kingsway boys and girls cross country teams have had quite a bit of success over the years, accumulating numerous accolades.
The girls program has a strong history which includes numerous South Jersey championships when headed by Coach Milt Fredericks from the 1980’s to the 2000’s. The boys program became a conference powerhouse under Tom Bergin in the 1980’s as well.
A staff comprised of Christian Lynch, Christine Dacchille, and Caitlin Hess took over the reins of the program in the mid-2000’s and has built on a fine tradition.
In the last decade, the championship haul between the girls and boys programs includes:
Eight Tri-County Royal Division crowns
Five Tri-County Conference titles
Six Gloucester County titles
Eight South Jersey Open titles
Three South Jersey Group 3 Championships
One State Group 3 Championship
One Courier Cup indicating the top team in South Jersey
Two Nike Regional Cross Championships invites
There also have been numerous individual championship titles won as well including six conference champions, six South Jersey champions, 10 county champions, 13 All-State runners, and a staggering 100 all-conference all-star selections.
Chelsea Ley was a Meet of Champions and multiple state champion who represented Kingsway in three national championships in cross country, earning All-American status a few times along the way. Needless to say, the tradition is strong.
The 2014-15 cross country teams have maintained this high level of achievement. Despite missing one of their top runners to an injury for most of the season, the girls’ team has maintained a steady position in the top six in South Jersey.
Destiny Stanford, McKenzie Nugent, and Claudia Wells have been top 10 runners in virtually every major meet. Rachel Vick has established herself as one of the top runners in New Jersey, highlighted by her dominating win at the Gloucester County Championships.
The boys’ team has been on a tear of their own. They have been ranked in the top 10 in New Jersey all season.
They won their first Shore Coaches Invitational title. They won their third consecutive South Jersey Open title. In a showdown between two of the top teams in New Jersey, the boys narrowly defeated Highland to win the Tri-County Royal Division title, thanks largely to a clutch performance by sixth man Brendan Stevens. The boys also won their third consecutive Gloucester County championship.
The team has been led by seniors Noah Culbreath, Kyle Evernham, Myles Boerlin, and Trevor Culbreath. Noah Culbreath impressively has won the Shore Coaches, South Jersey Open, and Gloucester County championships. Joe Grandizio also has established himself as the top freshman in New Jersey, and one of the top freshmen in the US, winning the Cherokee Challenge to kick off the season.
The second half of the season looks to be very promising as the teams prepare to battle the best teams in New Jersey for the South Jersey and State Group 4 titles in November. The anticipation continues to grow, as usual.
