This page provides updates on the running/field accomplishments of our athletes who have graduated from Cherokee High School. Please send additional Alumni information to Coach Shaklee or to the Webmaster.
The seasons follow in chronological order. Click on the desired season or on the "most recent entry:"
Cross Country, 2005-- On September 3, 2005, two of Cherokee's newest Alums were racing:
Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD, participated in his first college cross country meet as a fighting "Sea Gull!" Running in an 8K race on his home course, Paul finished 11th on his team (45th out of 103 finishers) in 28:31. His team took 3rd in the ten-team field. GO PAUL! Full results at: Sea Gull Opener.
Alum James Maneval ('05) of UNC, Charlotte participated in his first college racing experience but unofficially as a redshirted Freshman. Running "unattached" in the Charlotte Relays, James shared a 10K with a teammate and posted a 16:24 for his segment of the race. GO JAMES! Further details at: Charlotte 49s Sports.
-- On September 7, 2005, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University was named a Captain of the Duke Cross Country team. In a brief season preview article, Keith was identified as "the first Duke student-athlete to break the 30-minute mark in the 10,000m, which is also the distance raced at the NCAA Championship for cross country." Keith is expected to open his season on Saturday. GO KEITH! The Duke 2005 preview and a picture of Keith in action are at: Go Duke.
-- On September 10, 2005, several of Cherokee's Alums were racing:
Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University began his collegiate racing career at the Fordam Cross Country Invitational on the difficult college course at VanCortlandt Park in New York City. Tom finished the race in 27:48.64, taking 63rd overall and 12th on a very strong Princeton team. GO TOM! Full results at: Go Tigers.
Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University began his season at the Lou Onesty Invitational hosted by the University of Virginia at Panorama Park in Earlysville, Va. Keith finished 8th overall and 2nd on his team, running an apparent PR of 25:02.49 in the 8K race! Full results at: Virginia Sports.
Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey began his collegiate racing career at the Connecticut College Cross Country Invitational in New London, CT. Matt ran a 27:37, finishing 111th out of 344 runners, and 13th on his team. GO MATT! Full results at: Cool Running Results.
Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College started his sophomore cross country season at the William Paterson Cross Country Invitational on Garret Mountain in Paterson, NJ. Nick ran a disappointing 31:35, finishing the 8K race in 45th overall and 7th on his team. COME ON, NICK! Full results at: Elite Racing.
-- On September 17, 2005, Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College returned to VanCortlandt Park in New York City to run the New York University Cross Country Invitational. Nick finished in 4th place on his team, in 81st place overall (out of 229 competitors) and 67th in team scoring, clocking a 30:29 on the historic course. For complete results: Elite Racing.
-- On September 24, 2005, Alum James Maneval ('05) "redshirted" at UNC, Charlotte, returned to the Great American Cross Country Festival but this time as an unattached college runner. James competed in the "8K Seeded University Race," finishing in 46th with a time of 26:17.40. Had he been running officially, he would have placed 7th on the UNC, Charlotte team. Official are posted at: Flash Results
-- On September 30, 2005, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University competed against what had to be the strongest regular-season field in the nation at the Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. Keith SMASHED his previous PR by over 30 seconds, finishing 30th overall and 1st on his team, in an incredible 24:30! Wow! Complete results at: ND Sports. The first two pictures are file photos from Duke's website. The first is Keith's team mugshot; the second is a competition shot probably from Great American, 2003. The third picture is actually from the race, by Chris Fox at Mensracing.com: New York Roadrunners Club.
-- On October 1, 2005, several of Cherokee's Alums were racing:
Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College competed in the NJAIAW/William Paterson Cross Country Invitational at Garret Mountain in West Paterson, NJ. Nick finished the 8K race in 29:56, taking 16th place overall and 5th on his team. Complete results at: Elite Racing Systems.
Two other Alums were involved in the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Alums Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University and Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey, competed in the 8K Open Division Race with 364 other runners! Tom finished in 26.47.4 (134th place) while Matt clocked a 27:37.3 (228th place). Another 2005 graduate of South Jersey -- arch nemesis Anthony Kelhower, formerly of Shawnee and now at UMBC -- was also in the race, completing the course in 26:15.6 (75th place). Complete results at: Paul Short.
-- On October 7, 2005, Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University traveled to rain-soaked Oregon Ridge Park in Baltimore County, Maryland for the 2005 Blue Jay Cross Country Invitational. Paul finished the 8K race in 29:07, taking 6th place on his team and 42nd overall (out of a field of 162 runners). Salisbury finished in 3rd place against the other 14 teams in the race. For complete results: Johns Hopkins Sports.
-- On October 8, 2005, two of Cherokee's Alums were racing:
Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College competed at his favorite New Jersey course, Holmdel Park, in the Monmouth University Cross Country Invitational. And, as if the college course at Holmdel isn't difficult enough, the meet was run in a fierce rainstorm! Nick's team took 2nd place against 4 other teams that showed for the Div II and III competition. Nick finished in 31:48, 6th on his team and 38th out of the 78 who completed the race. Results at: Elite Racing Systems.
Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University competed in the Rider Cross Country Invitational at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. Although the course was battered by drenching rains, the meet went on as scheduled with only four teams and 49 runners. Tom finished 5th on his team and 9th overall in the 5 mile race, clocking a 28.04.7. Complete results at: Go Priceton Tigers. The picture is Tom's team mugshot!
-- On October 15, 2005, several of Cherokee's Alums were in competition:
Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University traveled to Lafayette College in Easton, PA for the 2005 Leopard Invitational. Tom ran the 8K race in 28.04.00, finishing 5th on his team and 41st overall in a field of 113 competitors. Other former SJ stars were in the race, including Rancocas Valley's Rob Novak, now of Seton Hall (46th in 28:13); and Lenape's Anthony Kelhower, now of UMBC (66th in 28:57.6). Complete results at: Go Leopards.
Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College competed in the DeSales Invitational at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA. Nick finished the 8K race in 32:12.68, placing 152nd (out of 233) and 5th on his team. Complete results at: DeSales Athletics.
Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University traveled to Penn State University for the Penn State National Invitational. He ran the 5.2 mile "Championship Race" in 26:22, finishing 3rd on his team and 49th overall (294 competitors). Others in the race included two former NJ stars: Ocean City's John Richardson, now at Kentucky (33rd in 26:07); and Montclair-Kimberely Academy's Oskar Nordenbring, now at Penn State (66th in 26:34). Complete results at: Go PSU Sports.
-- On October 22, 2005, four of Cherokee's Alums were in competition:
Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University traveled to the Elizabethtown Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania for the Elizabethtown College Cross Country Invitational. Paul finished the 6050m race (odd distance, isn't it?) in 21:15, taking 6th place on his team and 53rd overall. The Salisbury squad finished in 5th place against the other 7 teams in the race. For complete results: Etown Sports Results.
Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College competed in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships at the famous Belmont Plateau course in Philadelphia. Defending last year's championship, his team came home a winner again this year, scoring 53 points and edging their closest opponents by only 9 points! Nick completed the rain-soaked 8K race in 28.10.53, taking 7th overall and 4th on his team. Coach Brennan was named "Conference Coach of the Year!" Full results at: CACC Results.
Alum Joe Halin ('00), 2005 graduate of Appalachian State University, and Alum Aaron Boucher ('99) competed in the Miles for Melissa 5K roadrace in Turnersville, NJ. Joe took second in the race, finishing in 16:45, while Aaron took fifth, clocking a 17:42. Complete results at: L & M Sports.
-- On October 31, 2005, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University traveled to Florida State University in Tallahassee for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. Keith finished the race in 24:41.1, taking 2nd on his team and 24th overall. The team finished in 5th place. Complete results at: Flash Results. The pictures were shot by Cheryl Treworgy of Pretty Sporty and may be purchased at that site.
-- On November 5, 2005, Alum Nick Freeman ('04) of Felician College participated in the NCAA Division II East Regionals at Lock Haven University. Nick finished the 10K course in 36:58, placing 120th overall and 5th on his team. For complete results: NCAA Sports.
-- On November 5th and/or November 12, 2005, several of Cherokee's Alums were in attendance at the State Group Championships and/or the Meet of Champions including Tom Yersak ('05), Joe Stewart ('03), Sean McLaughlin ('04), Kevin Cuneo ('03), and Nick Freeman ('03). Thanks for coming, guys . . . it was good to see you again!
-- On November 12, 2005, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University competed in the NCAA Division I Southeast Regionals at East Carolina State University in Greenville, North Carolina. Running against 29 other teams and over 200 other individuals, Keith completed the 10K course in 30:23.5, an incredible 34 seconds faster than his time on the same course last year! Keith finished 1st on his team and 10th overall, and only missed qualifying for the NCAA Finals by three places! Complete results at: NCAA Sports. The pictures were shot by Cheryl Treworgy of Pretty Sporty and may be purchased at that site.
-- On November 19, 2005, two of Cherokee's Alums were in competition at the 97th Annual IC4A Cross Country Championships at VanCortlandt Park in New York. Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University won All-East Team honors by finishing the 5 mile race in a course PR of 25:14.0. He was 5th overall and 1st on his team! Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University followed in 136th place, finishing with a course PR of 27:11.3. Duke, loaded for this meet, took 1st in the team competition. Princeton, missing two of their top runners to the NCAA Finals, took 13th in the race. Complete results at: Princeton Sports
-- On January 13, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University came off the injury list in a big way when he competed in the Gotham Cup Meet at the Armory in New York City. Marc ran in the Seeded 1600m Race, helping his team win the meet by clocking a 4:13.99 and finishing in 4th! GO MARC! Full results at: The Armory. This picture of Marc was taken by Mary DiBiase Blaich of Winged Foot Fotos and may be purchased at that site.
-- On January 15, 2006, Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey made his indoor college debut at a familiar venue, Jadwin Gym at Princeton University! Competing in the Princeton Relays, Matt ran the 3000m and finished in 7th in 9:40.49. Full results at: Princeton Tigers
-- On January 27, 2006, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University competed in the 3K at the Terrier Classic in Boston. The 3K is considered "speed work" for Keith who usually runs the 5K and 10K but he still managed a PR of 8:33.01, finishing 43rd in a field of 95 runners. Full results in PDF format at: Go Duke. These pictures of Keith were shot by Cheryl Treworgy of Pretty Sporty and may be purchased at that site.
-- On January 28, 2006, two of Cherokee's Alums were in competition:
Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey traveled to the Haverford, PA for the Seamus McElligott Invitational at Haverford College. Matt competed in the 5K, posting a 16:46.21 and finishing 5th. For complete results: TCNJ Athletics.
Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University continued his comeback from injury by competing in the 1000m at the Penn State National in College Park, PA. Marc posted a 2:27.10, a PR, and took 8th in the 30 man field. Full results at: Go PSU. No racing photographs are available but this new "retro Marc" ID picture appears on the Villanova site!
-- On February 4, 2006, two of Cherokee's Alums competed in the Collegiate Invitational at the New York City Armory. Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University took 22nd overall in the Championship 5K, posting a 14:45.05; while Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University took 8th overall in the College Mile, clocking a 4:13.26. Also in the College Mile was former South Jersey star, Anthony Kelhower, a 2005 graduate of Shawnee now at UMBC, who finished in 4th overall in 4:12.21. Full results at: The Armory.
-- On February 6, 2006, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University was one of two members of the cross country squad named to the Atlantic Coast Conference's All-Academic team. Krieger was the No. 1 or 2 harrier for the Blue Devils throughout the season, earning All-Southeast and All-East honors and pacing Duke to its first-ever IC4A cross country title.
-- On February 18, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University competed in the Big East Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Akron in Ohio. In the Mile prelims, Marc finished 5th in his heat and 9th overall, clocking a PR time of 4:09.59! He later clocked a 3:02 in the 1200m, helping his team to a 9:51.73 and 2nd place in the Distance Medley! [An aside here: the meet record in the DM is held by Villanova which, in 1984, ran a 9:38.38 with now-coach Marcus O'Sullivan as the anchor!] The following day, February 19, 2006, Marc finished 9th in the Mile finals, posting a 4:12.71. The picture below was taken by Andrew Blaich of Run Nova and originally appeared on that site. Full results at: Delta Timing.
-- On February 19, 2006, Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University ran in the Mason-Dixon Conference Indoor Championships at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. Paul took 8th in the 5K, clocked a 16:23.94. Full results at: Christopher Newport.
-- On February 24, 2006, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University traveled to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. for the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Keith ran the 5k, taking 10th in 14:47.13, about the same time he ran last year in February. His PR for the Indoor season last year was at the IC4A Championships in early March where he ran 14:37.34. For complete results: Flash Results.
-- On February 25, 2006, Alum Alex Whirledge ('04) of Widener University, coming off an injury, made his first appearance on the track this season! Alex entered several races in the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. In the 400m, he finished 8th overall in 52.74. In the 4 X 200, his team "did not finish." And in the 4 X 400, he ran the 2nd leg to help his team finish 2nd overall in 3:27.16. For complete results: Widener.
-- On March 3, 2006, this picture of Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University made today's on-line newspaper, GoDuke.com. Keith looks awfully young, and sports a deep tan and somewhat longish hair. No, the picture isn't from last week's ACC Indoor Champs; it's from the 2003 Great American Cross Country Race!
-- On March 5, 2006, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University competed in the 2006 IC4A Indoor Track and Field Championships at Boston University. Keith ran a new indoor PR in the 5K, dropping almost 10 seconds from his previous indoor record! Keith posted a 14:28.54, taking 11th overall, and placing 5th on the school's "all-time" list! That's only a few seconds from his outdoor PR of 14:26.51, set at the IC's in May, 2005. For complete results: IC4A Results. To see Duke's list of their season's top performances, check out: Go Duke. Below, the first nine pictures of Keith were shot by Cheryl Treworgy of Pretty Sporty and may be purchased at that site. The last picture appeared with Duke's on-line report on the IC4As at: Go Duke
-- On March 4, 2006, Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University ran in what appeared to be little more than an early scrimmage, The Salisbury University Opener. Paul had the unfortunate experience of running the 3K solo and, while he took first (insert smiley face here), he had a tough time running alone on the track. Paul clocked a 10:50.7. Full results at: Salisbury University.
-- On March 18, 2006, Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University continued his comeback-from-injury efforts by running The Adrenaline 5K in Haddonfield with Coach Shaklee and the Cherokee team. He looked good, and we hope to see him on the track this season!
-- On March 25, 2006, two of Cherokee's Alums were in competition:
Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey competed in the Monmouth University Outdoor Season Opener in West Long Branch, NJ. Matt competed in the 5K, posting a 16:17.43 and finishing 25th out of 47 finishers. Matt's coming off an injury: this time is about 30 seconds faster than his previous 5K at Haverford in January and probably a PR! For complete results: MC Track.
Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University traveled to the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Competing in the 1500M, Marc finished 15th overall, clocking a respectable 3:55.64 but just over the Big East qualifying time of 3:55.24 in the event. Marc's outdoor PR in the event is 3:52.58 set at the Tup Twilight in May of last year. Full results at: Villanova Results.
-- On April 1, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University competed in the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener College in Chester, PA. Marc took 2nd in the 5K, just behind his teammate Milos Mitric. Both Milos and Marc bettered the old meet record of 15:26.82 set by Zack Miller of Widener. Milos finished in 14:49.00, while Marc clocked a 14:55.20. Marc's previous best in the event is 14:26.44 set in May of 2004. His time of 14:55.20 meets the qualifying standard for the Big East Championships in May. The IC4A standard is 14:37, and the NCAA Regionals require a 14:10 to qualify. Full results at: Delta Timing.
-- On April 8, 2006, three of Cherokee's Alums were in competition:
Two of Cherokee's Alums braved the wind and rain at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey to participate in the Stockton Open. Both ran unusual events! Apparently making their first appearances in Hurdles events, Alum Alex Whirledge ('04) of Widener University posted a 1:02.58 in the 400m IH, while Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University posted a 10:39.78 in the 3000m Steeplechase! For complete results: Stockton.
Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University competed in the same bad weather at the U of P Invitational at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Marc took a close second in the 1500m, clocking a season-best 3:56.59, just above the Big East qualifier of 3:55.24. Full results at: Penn Athletics.
-- On April 12, 2006, Alum Mike Candy ('05), attending school somewhere in the northwoods of Wisconsin, told us about his latest competition, not running but skiing! In February (news travels slowly from the northwoods), Mike competed in the American Birkebeiner 51K Nordic Ski Marathon. This is very popular in snowy Wisconsin as more than 8500 skiers were involved in a variety of races over some very hilly terrain. Mike said he hadn't trained seriously for the race but still finished in 3:28.32, placing 1,179th out of 4,236 competitors in the featured race. And now he's all fired-up about doing better next year! For more information than you can imagine on the American Birkebeiner, see: The Official Birkie Site.
-- On April 15, 2006, Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey participated in the New Jersey Invitational at TCNJ in Ewing, NJ. Matt ran the 5000m, finishing in 12th place with a 16:47.52. Complete results at: TCNJ Results.
-- On April 21, 2006, two of Cherokee's Alums were in action at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton University. Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University ran the 1500m, taking 10th place and posting a 3:51.50! This is a PR for Marc and qualifies him for both the Big East Championships and the IC4A Regionals! At the same meet, Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University continued his comeback-from-injury efforts by running his first serious race since Cross Country: Tom finished the 5K in 15:37.18. Friday's results at: Go Princeton.
-- On April 22, 2006, Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University participated in the Capital Atlantic Conference Championships at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. Paul finished 4th, scoring 4 points for his team, in the 3000m Steeplechase, while posting a PR of 10:25.50. Salisbury won the CAC championship for the 8th time since 1994 and the third time in a row since 2004! Complete results at: Mary Washington. The following picture, taken from the SU website, shows Paul standing third from the right with his team after the meet.
-- On April April 27, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University ran the 5K in the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Mark set an Alumni Record in the event, posting a 14:18.68, surpassing the record of 14:19.97 set by Alum Joe Halin ('00) last March at the Raleigh Relays. Joe was on hand at Franklin Field to watch Marc in his effort. Penn Relay results are at: Penn Relays. The first two of the following pictures were taken by the famous French Impressionist Photographer Pepe LePu and may be viewed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The others were taken by Cheryl Treworgy of Pretty Sporty and may be purchased at that site.
-- On April 28, 2006, Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey participated in the Lions' Invitational Track Meet at TCNJ in Ewing, NJ. Matt ran the 5K, finishing in 15th while posting a 9 second PR of 16:08.80. Complete results at: TCNJ Results.
-- On May 2, 2006, Alum Tom Yersak ('05) of Princeton University ran the 3K at the Broadmead Invitational at Widener University. Tom took 4th in the event, posting an 8:57.97. Additional details at: Go Princeton Tigers.
-- On May 5, 2006, Alum Matt Dolan ('05) of The College of New Jersey competed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. Matt ran the 10K -- did he lose a bet? -- finishing in 5th, posting a 35:12.61 and earning 4 points for his team. TCNJ went on to win the 9 team conference meet, with only 14 points over runner-up Robert Stockton College. Details at: TCNJ Results.
--On May 5th and 6th, 2006, Alum Alex Whirledge ('04) of Widener University competed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Track and Field Championships at Widener in Chester, PA. In the prelims of the 400m, Alex qualified for the finals by taking 6th in 50.75. And then in the finals the following day, he took 5th place in 50.39, his fastest time of the year! Additionally, he scored 4 points for his team which then went on to win the 9 team competition by 31 points over its closest rival, Susquehanna University. Further details at: Widener Results.
--On May 6, 2006, Alum Paul McFadden ('05) of Salisbury University participated in the Mason-Dixon Conference Championships at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. Paul competed in the 5K, finishing 17th, in 17:17.94. Salisbury took 2nd in the meet. Complete results at: Christopher Newport U.
--On May 7, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) of Villanova University ran the 5K in the Big East Conference Track and Field Championships at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Mark set another Alumni Record in the event, posting a 14:17.99 and surpassing his previous mark of 14:18.68 set at the Penn Relays. Further details at: Big East Results at Scullion. The following pictures of Marc were taken by Mary DiBiase Blaich of Winged Foot Fotos and may be purchased at that site.
--On May 24, 2006, Alum Marc Pelerin ('02) graduate of Villanova University ran the 3K in a time trial at the Haddonfield Distance Night in Haddonfield, NJ. Pacing with Ted Callinan and Jay Wassell, both of the Philadelphia Track Club, Mark ran 8:21.6, closely followed by Jay in 8:22.4 and Ted in 8:38.2. It was too dark under the football stadium lights at Haddonfield for action pictures but here are a few showing Mark after the race.
-- On July 7, 2006, Alum Keith Krieger ('03) of Duke University was named to the 2006 All-ACC Academic Track and Field Team. Keith has been out of action since April with a foot injury.