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

This unusual meet, sponsored by Nike, 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, 2010, our fifteenth, the weather was great, the course was dry and fast, and, despite draconic cuts made to educational budgets as a result of the continuing recession, more than 75 teams attended and more than 1600 athletes finished their races! This year, the course was damp, the conditions warm and humid, and rain threatened throughout the meet, but our numbers increased significantly with over 85 high school teams and over 2,000 runners competing!

Congratulations to the Boys CC team from The Tatnall School of Wilmington, Delaware, and to the Girls CC team from Haddonfield Memorial High School of Haddonfield, New Jersey, on winning the team championships at the Cherokee Challenge! It's the first time for the Tatnall Boys team (the Tatnall Girls have won the last three years!) and the second victory (2007) for the Haddonfield Girls! GO HORNETS! GO BULLDOGS! Also, congratulations to the combined Girls and Boys squads from Haddonfield Memorial High School on winning the Co-Ed Championship for the first time! YOU GO BULLDOGS!

For years now, Pat Montferrat, New Jersey high school running guru and publisher of NJ Runners/Mile Split Network, has attended and reported directly from the meet! See Pat's report and his pictures from the 2010 meet at NJ Runners/Mile Split 2010 Cherokee Challenge. Pat was at Cherokee again this year, reporting the action directly from the finish line, and all of his work, including the results and pictures from the meet, can be found at: NJRunners/MileSplit, 2011 Cherokee Challenge.

We hope your team "took the Challenge" this year and was part of the best cross country meet in New Jersey!

This year, Cherokee partnered with NJRunners, the state's premier site on High School Cross Country and Track, to provide both the results and pictures from the 2011 Cherokee Challenge. Check out their page on the 16th Annual Cherokee Challenge at: MileSplit, NJRunners.