Welcome to the webpage for The 22nd Annual Cross Country Cherokee Challenge!

This unusual meet, sponsored by Nike 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 "take the Challenge" this year!

Last year, 2016, everyone hoped for the sunny and cool weather that is ideal for Cross Country and running fast times but conditions were very different! 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-breaking number of teams and athletes attended the meet with over 100 teams from four states and over 2,500 athletes finishing their races! In addition, the results were published in record-breaking 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!

Congratulations to the Boys CC team from Dowingtown High School West of Pennsylvania, and to the Girls CC team from Hillsborough High School of Hillsborough Township, New Jersey, on winning the team championships at the Cherokee Challenge! It was the FOURTH consecutive time for the Downingtown West Boys team and the first victory for the Hillsborough Girls! GO WHIPPETS! GO RAIDERS! Also, congratulations to the combined Girls and Boys squads from Downingtown High School West on winning their THIRD consecutive Co-Ed Championship! GO WHIPPETS!

In addition, congratulations to Downingtown West Senior Aislinn Devlin who clocked 11:30 and ran the "Fastest Time of the Day" among the girls, and to Moorestown Senior Kevin Fox who crossed the finish line in 10:02 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 will "take the Challenge" and be 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 Downingtown High School West; the girls team of Hillsborough High School; the combined Boys and Girls teams of Downingtown High School West; and the fastest runners of the day . . . Cherokee Challenge Champions for 2016!