Welcome to the webpage for The 22nd Annual Cross Country Cherokee Challenge!
This unusual meet, sponsored by Nike, RunningWorks and The Running Company of South Jersey, with its shorter racing distances, class scoring, and unique coed team scoring, provides a great, low-key opportunity for runners to begin the competitive season, and we hope you "took the Challenge" this year!
Last year, 2016, record-breaking heat and extraordinarily high humidity kept athletes from setting any new race records but there were at least two different kinds of records established. Following a past pattern, a record number of teams and athletes attended the meet and finished their races! In addition, the results were published in record time with the use of chip-timing: within a few minutes after the completion of each race, the results were available on-site and on the Internet!
This year, 2017, the weather was fantastic and so was the racing! There weren't any new course records but another record was set when over 100 teams from four states brought over 3,000 athletes to finish the course!
Congratulations to the Boys CC team from the Salesianum School of Wilmington, Delaware, and to the Girls CC team from Unionville High School of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, on winning the team championships at the Cherokee Challenge! It was the first time for the Salesianum team and the fourth time for the Unionville team! GO SALLIES! GO INDIANS! Also, congratulations to the combined Girls and Boys squads from Unionville High School on winning the Co-Ed Championship! GO INDIANS!
In addition, congratulations to Tatnall School Senior Keelin Hays who clocked 11:09.40 and ran the "Fastest Time of the Day" among the girls, and to Voorhees Senior Chris Romero who crossed the finish line in 9:32.93 and ran the "Fastest Time of the Day" among the boys.
For years now, the NJ.MileSplit Network, has reported directly from the meet! Robert Kellert, the senior editor, was at Cherokee again this year, reporting the action directly from the finish line, and all of his work, including the results and thousands of pictures from the meet since 2004, can be found at: NJ.MileSplit or at the links below!
This year, we hope your team "took the Challenge" and were part of the best cross country meet in New Jersey: The 22nd Annual Cross Country Cherokee Challenge!
Click on the thumbnails below for larger versions of the Boys Team of the Salesianum School; Salesianum's top runners in each race; the Combined Boys and Girls team representatives of Unionvile High School; and Chris Romero, winner of the Boys Fastest Time of the Day.
