As a member of the Felician men’s cross-country team, Paul Chegwidden was one of most proficient winners the Golden Falcons have ever claimed in any sport.
All four of Chegwidden’s Felician teams -- 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 -- won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) championship. In fact, his 2007 squad placed all seven runners on the all-CACC team, believed to be the first occurrence of such in league history.
Individually, Chegwidden was a three-time All-CACC performer. He finished sixth in the conference championship race as both a sophomore and a junior, before capping his career in dramatic fashion.
Early in his senior campaign, Chegwidden won the Philly Metro Invitational, which was held on the CACC championship course, Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia. The triumph proved to be a harbinger. On Oct. 20, 2007, he set a conference record, completing Belmont’s 8,000-meter course in 26 minutes, 34 seconds. He won the CACC Championship race by 55 seconds over the runner-up finisher, and was named CACC Runner of the Year.
Chegwidden earned a bachelor’s degree in teacher education from Felician in 2008. Upon graduating, he spent two years running for the Saucony Hurricane regional elite team. He still holds five Golden Falcon course records.
Chegwidden was raised in Hamburg, N.J., and now resides in Millburn. Prior to attending Felician, he graduated from Wallkill Valley High School.
He teaches special education at Mount Hebron Middle School in Montclair. He is also the assistant cross-country coach at West Orange High School.
Last updated 10/20/15
