From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Senior Riley Fayer won the 1,600 and 3,200 and placed 2nd in the 800 and the Audubon girls won their 3rd straight South Jersey Group 1 title Sunday at the Bubble in Toms River.

Fayer ran 2:20.89, 5:08.61 and 11:20.98 and Audubon outscored 2nd-place Glassboro 90-47, with Haddon Township [46], West Deptford [32], Woodstown [31], Buena [20] and Woodbury [12] also in double digits.

Fayer has now won 10 sectional titles including cross country, indoors and outdoors. And she’s only run one season of XC and didn’t run outdoors last spring.

Audubon won its first sectional title in 2020 before winning again in 2024 and 2025. Audubon’s four total titles are the most in South Jersey Group 1 since the inception of indoor sectionals in 2008.

The NJSIAA program – not surprisingly – is a catastrophe and lists a bunch of Central Jersey winners in the list of former South Jersey winners, so I’m not going to even try to sort that out right now.

Audubon also got wins from junior Kathryn McGuire, who won the 55 in 7.60, and senior Morganna Makuszewski, who cleared 9-0 in the pole vault as well as the 4-by-4 team of junior Sophia Rizzo, sophomore Keira Baumann, senior Kylie Tocco and senior Alaina Copsetta, who ran 4:18.72.

Freshman Emma Camm, in her 2nd high school 3,200 and 3rd 1,600, ran 5:25.09 and 11:55.38, placing 3rd in the 1,600 and 2nd in the 3,200.

Copsetta also placed 2nd in the 400 in 61.07 and 6th in the 55 in 7.73, Sophia Rizzo was 4th in the 400 in 62.99 and Tocco 6th in 64.71.

Also for the Green Wave, senior Marissa DeValerio ran 9.91 for 5th in the hurdles, junior Isabella Legatie was 6th in the 800 in 2:30.35 and freshman Madison Phillippi took 6th in the 3,200 in 12:55.70.

West Deptford senior Kayla Romanoski doubled the 400 and 800, winning the 400 in 1:00.72 and the 800 in 2:19.05, shaving nearly a second off the meet-record 2:19.92 set in 2009 by Haddonfield’s Greta Feldman. West Deptford freshman Devyn Hightower was 3rd in that 400 in 1:01.85. Hightower and Romanoski also ran on West Deptford’s 4-by-4 along with seniors Elizabeth Derasmo and Allison Fahy. They ran 4:24.13.

Haddon Township senior Casey Birdwell won the 55-meter hurdles in 8.83 and ran on the 2nd-place 4-by-4 with junior Biz Maher, junior Maeve McGovern and freshman Sydney Warne. That group ran 4:21.03. Sophomore Caroline Clauson cleared 7-6 and placed 3rd in the pole vault, and senior Olivia Bowerman threw 31-1 for 3rd in the sho.

Woodstown senior Kami Casiano won the high jump at 5-0, Lia Covely was 2nd in the hurdles in 9.40 and sophomore Abby Marino placed 3rd in the 3,200 in 11:58.53.

For Buena, senior Hailie Bellone placed 2nd in the 1,600 in 5:22.95 and 3rd in the 800 in 2:27.89, and senior teammate Emily Madden placed 3rd in the hurdles in 9.76.

Woodbury junior Yuri Yates ran 7.60 for 2nd in the hurdles on a photo finish with McGuire, who received the same time.

Lower Cape May Regional senior Ella Biersbach took 3rd in the 55 in 7.69.

Pennsville senior Kallie Morrison was 2nd in the high jump at 4-10.

Glassboro senior Sunsarai Moore won the shot put with a 37-6 ¾, and teammate Virginia Tarasevich was 2nd with a 33-0 ¼. junior Elizabeth Mann cleared 8-0 for 2nd in the pole vault, and freshman Erika Townsend cleared 4-10 for 3rd in the high jump.

Needing at least a 3rd-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay to lock up the team title, Glassboro held off Gateway by 10-100ths of a second for third to win its 4th straight South Jersey Group 1 title at the Bubble in Toms River Sunday.

Going into the relay, Glassboro led Woodstown 48.6-43.6. Woodstown won the relay in a meet-record 3:30.30, breaking the record of 3:32.09 set last year by Woodbury. Salem was 2nd in 3:37.61, but with six points in 3rd, Glassboro finished with a one-point win over Woodstown for the team title, winning 54.6-53.6

Kyle Reitz, Karson Chew, Anthony Costello and Josh Crawford won the 4-by-4 for Woodstown. Chane Perino, Ryan Ejjalili, Zacchaeus Harrigan and Aaron Johnson ran for Glassboro.

The indoor sectional title is Glassboro’s 5th overall, all in Group 1. The Bulldogs won in 2009 and each of the last four years. That four-year streak is longest ever in South Jersey Group 1 and tied for 3rd-longest ever by any New Jersey school, behind a six-year streak by Rahway in North Jersey 2 Group 2 from 2009-2014 and a five-year streak by Ridgewood in North Jersey 1 Group 4 from 2015 through 2019.

Sophomore Joe Saicic won the 1,600 and 3,200 for Glassboro, running 4:33.47 and 9:52.30. Senior Jaeden Wesley added a 4th-place in the 3,200 in 10:05.25, and sophomore Aaron Johnson placed 5th in the 1,600 in 4:42.50.

Glassboro sophomore Moses Robles won the high jump at 6-2 and placed 3rd in the hurdles in 8.18, and Harrigan ran 2:03.68 for 5th in the 800. Sophomore Miles Taylor cleared 5-6 and was 4th in the high jump and freshman Tyler Bryant cleared 5-2 to finish as part of a five-way tie for 5th.

For Woodstown, senior Josh Crawford won the 400 in 51.13 and the 800 in 1:59.87. Senior Karson Chew finished 2nd in the 800 in 2:00.56. Marino took 4th in the 1,600 in 4:36.60 and 6th in the 3,200 in 10:14.36. Junior David Farrell ran 4:42.96 for 6th in the 1,600.

Senior Aiden Taulane threw 46-2 ½ on his 5th shot put attempt, moving from 4th to 2nd place. And junior Kyle Reitz scored in the 55 with a 6th place in 6.81.

Senior Anthony Costello added 6-10ths of a point for Woodstown as part of a five-way tie for 5th that split three points five ways.

Camden junior Jaleel Dickerson-Dempsey won the 55 hurdles in 7.83 and senior teammate Talib Shakir was 2nd in 8.11. Senior Jaiden Steele took 2nd in the 55 in 6.57.

Haddon Township junior Bobby McIlvaine cleared 12-0 to win the pole vaut, junior Kyle Stephens won the shot put with a 47-9 on his 1st attempt and senior Shaun Maloney ran 4:34.65 for 2nd in the 1,600. Senior James Clauson added a 2nd-place finish in the 3,200 in 10:01.92.

Penns Grove senior Kylee Goodson ran 52.07 for 2nd in the 400 and senior Tommy White was 3rd in the high jump at 5-6. Sophomore Ja’Kai Ingram was third in the shot with a 45-7.

Audubon senior Zachary Fayer placed 3rd in the 1,600 in 4:36.27.

Gateway senior Nathanial Martinez took 3rd in the 400 in 52.15 and senior David Houck was 3rd in the 3,200 in 10:05.03

Woodbury senior Elijah Young took 2nd in the high jump with a 6-0 and 3rd in the 800 with a 2:03.17.

For Palmyra, senior Michael Kozlowski placed 2nd in the pole vault at 11-6.

Schalick senior Salvatore Longo took 3rd in the pole vault with an 11-0 clearance.

Burlington City senior Donte Davis, in his 1st race this year, edged Camden’s Jaiden Steele to win the 55 in 6.55, with Steele 2nd in 6.57. Jelani Beverly of Salem was 3rd in 6.70.

The Haddonfield boys piled up 63 possible 72 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 and rolled to a record-setting South Jersey Group 2 sectional championship Sunday at the Bubble in Toms River.

Haddonfield went 1-2-5 for 20 points in the 1,600, 1-2-6 for 19 points in the 800 and for 1-2-3 for 24 points in the 3,200. Those 63 points accounted for 56 percent of Haddonfield’s meet-record 113 points.

The Bulldogs outscored 2nd-place Willingboro 113-32, with Manchester Township 3rd with 30 points, followed by Pemberton [26], Haddon Heights [22], Cinnaminson [20], Pleasantville [15] and Overbrook [10] all in double figures.

The team title is Haddonfield’s 8th since the inception of indoor sectionals in 2008. Only Willingboro, with 10, has more among South Jersey schools. The eight indoor sectional titles are tied for 5th-most by any New Jersey shool. The Bulldogs won South Jersey Group 1 in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and Group 2 in 2017 and 2025.

Haddonfield’s 113 points are the most ever in any South Jersey sectional, breaking the record of 110 shared by Glassboro in 2009 and Haddonfield in 2010 in Group 1 and Toms River North last year in Group 4. Delsea had the previous high total in Group 2 with 105 in 2011.

Senior Brandon Stoner ran 2:00.50 for the win in the 800, with senior Aaron Keith 2nd at 2:03.27 and senior John Leibrandt 6th in 2:04.57.

Senior Benjamin Andrus won the 1,600 in 4:28.45, with senior Peter Simpson 2nd in 4:31.20 and senior Michael Sinnes 5th in 4:33.35.

Haddonfield swept the final distance race, with senior Ryan Gibson winning in 9:38.48, Andrus 2nd in 9:41.81 and Simpson 3rd at 9:47.04.

Also for Haddonfield, Junior Ryder Bozine ran 7.78 to win the 55-meter hurdles, and senior Thompson Crosier delivered a win in the shot put with a 44-0 ½ on his 1st attempt.

Haddonfield finished the meet by winning the 1,600-meter relay in 3:30.80 with junior Jack P. Brand, senior Aaron Keith, junior Mark Derets and Stoner.

Senior Mark DiMedio was 3rd in the hurdles at 8.00 and teamed up again with Bozine to go 4-5 in the high jump, DiMedio clearing 5-10 and Bozine 5-8.

Christopher Jones ran 51.08 to give Willingboro a win in the 400, and senior Dayron Neal cleared 11-6 to win the pole vault. Chimera senior Anthony Lin placed 3rd in the shot with a 41-4 ¼.

Pemberton senior Jaden Goins ran 6.57 to win the 55 by 4-100ths of a second over Oakcrest senior Davon Hannah, who ran 6.61. Also for Pemberton, junior Aaron Arocho ran 2:04.03 for 3rd in the 800. Arocho, Goins, senior Owen Martindale and junior Marcellus Ivey ran 3:34.97 for 3rd in the relay.

Pleasantville junior Todd Watson took 3rd in the 400 with a 52.09 and ran on Pleasantville’s 2nd-place 4-by-4 with junior Marseo Goah, senior Brandon Williams and senior Qwasim Jackson.

Haddon Heights senior Kani Golden placed 2nd in the hurdles in 7.90 and 3rd in the 55 in 6.70.

For Cinnaminson, senior Shafiq Herringon placed 2nd in the high jump at 6-2 and senior Jacob Wickersham ran 3rd in the 1,600 in 4:32.90.

Overbrook junior John Froelich placed 2nd in the 400 in 51.85.

Rowan’s Gabriella Pagano smashed the 16-year-old Rowan 5,000-meter run record Saturday in Boston by nearly half a minute.

Pagano, a junior from Blairstown in Warren County and Pope John XXIII High in Sparta, ran 16:45.30 at the Davie Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University and toppled the school record of 17:09.15 set by Highland’s Jenn Rawls at the 2010 ECAC Division 3 Championships at Smith College in Northampton, Mass.

Pagano ran her 800s in 2:41.65, 2:39.71, 2:40.48, 2:41.71 and 2:43.99 and 2:42.56, closing in 35.28 for her final 200.

Pagano’s previous 5,000 PR was a 17:32.29 outdoors last March in Chester, Pa., so she dropped about 47 seconds off that performance. Her previous indoor PR was an 18:23.57 last February when she won the New Jersey Athletic Conference race at the Ott Center.

Pagano also doubled the 1,500 and 5,000 at last year’s outdoor NJAC meet in Ewing and she won the NJAC XC meet in Galloway this past fall.

With her 16:45.30, Pagano is No. 6 in NCAA Division 3 and No. 1 in the Metro Region. She’s also No. in the Metro Region with her 4:56.71 mile and No. 2 in the 3,000 at 9:46.55. She’ll race this coming weekend in the NJAC meet back at the Ott Center.

Pagano’s time appears to be fastest ever by an NJAC runner. A glance at school records for each NJAC school shows the fastest previous time as 17:01.26 by TCNJ’s Noel Whitall of Toms River East, a seven-time All-America and outdoor Division 3 5,000 national champ. Whitall ran 17:01.26 when she placed 2nd to Raina Echols of the University of Chicago in the 2000 indoor D-3 meet in Bloomington, Ill.

Senior Mason Henry was Deptford’s only winner, with a meet record in the pole vault, but the Spartans piled up the 2nds and 3rds and rolled to a 73-58 win over Winslow Township at the South Jersey Group 3 Sectional Championships Saturday at the Bubble in Toms River.

The sectional title is Deptford’s third indoors. They won Group 2 in 2019 and 2021.

Ocean City was 3rd with 35 points, Tom River East 4th with 32 and Delsea [28], Cherry Hill West [20], Timber Creek [19], Highland [17] and Mainland Regional [14] also reached double figures.

Henry cleared 15-2, breaking the meet record of 15-1 set in 2014 by Kingsway’s Dylan Altland. That’s also No. 6 in South Jersey history indoors and No. 5 in Gloucester County.

Henry, who had cleared 15-0 twice this year, didn’t have a miss at 13-0, 13-6, 14-0, 14-6, 15-0 or 15-2. He took three tries at 15-7, one inch higher than Marcus Hood’s year-old school record of 15-6.

Henry also tied for 2nd in the high jump with a 6-0 clearance, giving him 17 of Deptford’s 73 total points.

Deptford went 2-4-5 in the hurdles, with senior Larry Norman 2nd in 7.70, senior Kareem Brown 4th in 7.83 and junior Xavion Holmes 5th in 7.85. Norman was also 4th in the high jump at 5-10.

The Spartans also had three medalists in the 800, with sophomore John Collier 2nd in 2:00.67, senior Zach Harrison 3rd in 2:01.29 and senior Anthony Schilling 5th in 2:01.40.

Deptford’s 1,600-meter relay team placed 2nd in 3:30.34 with Brown, senior Kyle Jackson, Holmes and Norman.

Also, senior Johann Hernandez ran 6.59 for 3rd in the 55, senior Kamaldeep Singh cleared 12-0 for 3rd in the pole vault, senior Dominic DiPietro cleared 11-0 for 6th in the vault and senior Michael Smith threw 45-4 for 6th in the shot put.

Winslow got wins from senior KaRon Ali, who ran 49.66 in the 400, and senior Elijah Deanley, who ran 7.68 in the hurdles, along with the 4-by-4 of Ali, freshman Keyon Ali, senior Prince Owusu-Twum and Deanley, which ran 3:29.74. Ali also placed 6th in the 55 in 6.64.

Keyon Ali, racing his first high school 55, tied the South Jersey freshman record of 6.59 for 3rd place. It was his first meet in over a month. Damiere Byrd of Timber Creek, an NFL receiver from 2016 through 2023, also ran 6.59 at the 2008 Meet of Champions at the Bubble.

Senior Vincent Perri placed 3rd in both the 1,600 and 3,200, running 4:27.63 and 9:55.09. Junior Jaylon Moss placed 4th in the 55 in 6.62, senior Prince Osusu-Twum took 5th in the 400 in 51.53, junior Jibril Hammond was 6th in the hurdles in 7.96 and , 4th, 55 [6.62]

Ocean City senior Erik Priesner won the 3,200 in 9:43.55 and placed 2nd in the 1,600 in 4:24.19. Junior Nathan Aschmann ran 2nd behind Priesner in the 3,200 with a 9:51.40.

For Delsea, senior Matthew Littlehales won the 1,600 in 4:22.09, senior Mason Murray was 2nd in the pole vault at 14-6 and junior Sheldon Goldsborough thrw 47-10 ½ for 3rd in the shot.

Cherry Hill East got a 1-2 finish from high jumpers Supreme Stadford, a sophomore who won at 6-6, and junior Elijah Triche, who cleared 6-0.

Senior Chris Keena of Mainland won the 55-meter dash at 6.58, Timber Creek got a 2nd from junior Timothy Whitaker in the 400 [51.16] and a 3rd from senior Jayden Lyons [.7.74] and Highland had senior Zion Josia Brockenbaugh 2nd in the shot [50-1 ½] and sophomore Elijah Capra 3rd in the 400 [51.29]

Sophomore Jasmine Jackson won three events, and the Winslow Township girls piled up 114 points in 10 events and won their 6th indoor sectional title in eight years Saturday at the Bubble in Toms River.

Winslow outscored Ocean City 114-67 to win South Jersey Group 3, with Mainland third with 53 points. Those three schools scored 234 of the 310 available points, or 75 percent of all the points in the meet that could be scored.

Winslow scored 24 points before the meet was five minutes old with a 1-2-3 sweep in the 400, with Jackson winning in 56.52, sophomore Amariah Arango 2nd in 58.61 and junior Cinniya Robinson 3rd in 58.66.

Winslow went 1-3-4 in the hurdles with Jackson winning again in 8.16, senior Ma’Syiah Brawner 2nd in 8.56 and junior Justice Green 4th at 8.67.

Winslow then went 1-2-5 for 20 more points in the 55-meter dash, with Jackson picking up her 3rd win with a lifetime-best 7.09, senior Olivia Okaro 2nd at 7.19 and senior Leeya Joseph 5th in 7.46.

That’s 64 points just in the 55, 400 and hurdles.

Winslow also won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:59.92, without any of the girls who medaled in the 400. Junior Amaya Jones, junior Jordyn Cato, sophomore Nylah Lovelace-Crump and senior Leeya Joseph ran 3:59.92.

Brawner and senior Nyla Williams also picked up wins, Brawner taking 1st in the high jump at 5-2 and Williams tying her PR of 10-6 on her 1st attempt to win the pole vault,

Sophomore Annabella Cassidy got Winslow eight points in the 1,600 and 3,200 with a 10-second PR for 4th place in the 1,600 at 5:19.70 and an 11:52.56 for 4th in the 3,200 as well. Arango also placed 2nd in the 800 with a 2:19.12. And junior Jaida Perry threw 33-5 ½ for 5th in the shot put.

Winslow also won indoor sectional titles in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2025. There was no meet held in 2021.Winslow’s 112 points are 2nd-most ever in a South Jersey Group 3 sectional. Haddonfield scored 136 in 2024 in a brief foray up to Group 3 from Group 2.

In addition to a 2nd place by junior Allie Thomas, who cleared 5-2 in the high jump, Mainland picked up five 3rd places.

Senior Emma Preissman placed 3rd in both the 1,600 [5:14.88] and 3,200 [11:46.43], senior Madison Taylor was 3rd in the 800 [2:19.19], as was junior Veronika Andreev in the 55 [7.40]. Also, the relay team of sophomore Alaya Steinberg, Taylor, junior Lily Molinaro and junior Lauren LaMonaca ran 4:20.32 for another 3rd place.

Delsea senior Hannah Nuhfer, who set the South Jersey record of 47-6 last week, won the shot at 45-7 ½ on her 1st throw.

Ocean City went 1-2 in the 1,600, with junior Carly Godfrey and sophomore Riley Tolson running 5:06.79 and 5:07.87. Godfrey won the 800 in 2:16.25, breaking the meet-record 2:17.71 set in 2023 by Mainland Regional’s Sofia Day, and Tolson won the 3,200 in 11:17.42, with Ocean City junior Peighton Clemens 2nd at 11:45.88.
Callie Duff 3rd HJ 5-0

The Red Raiders also placed 2nd in the 4-by-4 with Alana Clevenger, Kai Linthicum, Julianne Goodman and Godfrey running 4:04.52

Hammonton senior Mitra Sampson threw 38-9 ¼ for 2nd in the shot.

Rowan freshman David Brown moved into a tie for the No. 3 spot in the high jump in NCAA Division 3 history with a 7-2 ½ clearance Saturday evening at the Ott Center.

Brown, from Edison High, was perfect until he missed three attempts at 7-4 ¼, which would have broken the NCAA Division 3 record.

His 7-2 ½ clearance is the best jump ever by an NCAA Division 3 freshman. He’s now No. 51 in the world and No. 15 among U.S. men.

It’s also the best jump by a Division 3 athlete in 33 years, since Ken Hoffman of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., set the D-3 record of 7-3 ½ at the 1993 NCAA Division 3 Championships at Bowdoin University in Brunswick, Maine. (That’s my dad’s alma mater!)

His jump is No. 1 in NCAA Division 3 and was good enough to be No. 12 in Division 1. Brown’s previous PR was 7-0 ½ at Ocean Breeze last weekend. He had a PR of 6-8 ¼ as recently as a month ago.

Brown also broke the overall Rowan record of 7-2 ¼ set by Eastern’s Jeffrey Jon Tucker at the 2-19 Penn Relays.

Rowan ranks 1-2-4-8-8 in the high jump in NCAA Division 3 with Brown, Paulsboro’s Jamile Gantt and Noah Wampole [6-10 ¾] and Pleasantville’s Isaiah Davenport and Arrington Rhynm [6-8 ¾].

Brown is now tied for 12th on the all-time New Jersey alumni performance list. The last New Jersey jumper to clear 7-2 ½ was Westfield graduate Adam Bergo in New York in 2022. The last New Jersey jumper to go higher was Timber Creek’s Montez Blair, who cleared 7-4 ¼ in Boston in 2014.

Brown opened at 6-6 ¾ and then passed 6-8 ¾ before 1st-jump clearances at 6-10 ¾, 7-0 ½ and 7-2 ¼.

All-Time New Jersey Alumni High Jump List
7-5 ¾ … Milt Goode [Monmouth Reg.], June 24, 1984, Los Angeles
7-5 ¾ … Darren Burton [Delran], July 23, 1989, Ylivieska, Finland
7-5 ¼ … Eric Taylor-Perry [Montclair], May 18, 1991, Odessa, Texas
7-5 ¼ … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], June 6, 1992, New York
7-4 ½ … Jim Pringle [Moorestown], March 21, 1982, Tallahassee, Fla.
7-4 ½ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], June 17, 2000, Raleigh, N.C.
7-4 ½ … Justin Frick [Freehold], June 25, 2012, Eugene, Ore.
7-4 ½ … Montez Blair [Timber Creek], June 23, 2013, Des Moines, Iowa
7-4 … Terrance Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], May 5, 1991, Princeton, N.J.
7-4 … Robert Jordan [Millville], June 20, 1999, Denton, Texas
7-3 ¾ … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], May 14, 2005, Nashville, Tenn.
7-2 ½ … Adam Bergo [Westfield], Feb. 22, 2022, New York
7-2 1/2 … David Brown [Edison], Feb. 14, 2026, Philadelphia

Rowan’s Nyla Jones from Timber Creek and Stockton’s Elaina Styer both ran top-15 NCAA Division 3 times in the 60-meter hurdles Saturday at the Ott Center.

Jones ran 8.76 in the trials of the Widener Indoor Classic, leading all qualifiers to the final, and Styer ran 8.83, the 3rd-fastest qualifying time.

They now rank 8th and 14th in NCAA Division 3.

Jones previous PR was an 8.93 at Ocean Breeze in December. Her time is 2nd-fastest in Rowan history, behind the school-record 8.68 set by South Brunswick’s Aspen McMillan when she placed 4th in the 2019 NCAA Division 3 Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Mass. Jones, a 400 hurdles All-America in the spring, is defending NJAC high hurdles champion both indoors and outdoors.

Styer broke her own school record of 8.87, which she ran within her NCAA Division 3-leading pentathlon win in Utica, N.Y., last weekend.

Rowan freshman Keira Gibbons of Lenape also dropped her PR from 9.60 to 9.25, 5th-fastest in the NJAC this year and fastest among freshmen.

Seth Clevenger’s 4:00.64 anchor leg led Rowan to the fastest distance medley in NCAA Division 3 this year Saturday in Medford, Mass.

One day after smashing the NCAA Division 3 record for 5,000 meters six miles away at Boston University, the Haddonfield graduate led Rowan to a 9:53.19 win at the Tufts Cupid Challenge at the Gantcher Center.

Junior Blaik Slavinski from Point Pleasant Borough led off for Rowan with a 3:07.65 for 1,200 meters. Freshman Matt Niedbalski from Clearview split 50.52 for 400 meters, junior Teddy Wilson from Toms River North ran 800 meters in 1:54.39 setting up Clevenger, who held off SUNY Geneseo’s anchor by 18-100ths of a second with a 28.41 final 200.

Rowan bumped Hope College of Holland, Mich., from the top spot on the 2026 Division 3 DMR list. Hope ran 9:58.25 in South Bend, Ind., last month. TCNJ is now 3rd on the list with its 9:58.79 last weekend in Boston. TCNJ and Rowan will race each other at the New Jersey Athletic Conference meet Saturday at the Ott Center.

TCNJ held the previous record for fastest DMR by a New Jersey Athletic Conference school with its 9:57.81 at 2007 IC4As at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston with Chris Guerriero of Saddle Brook, Rob McGowan of Monroe Township, Matt Randal from South Brunswick and Brian Kopnicki from Scotch Plains-Fanwood.

Rowan’s previous school record was 9:58.49 at 2018 NCAAs in Birmingham, Ala., with Nick Nocco from Southern Regional, Justin Bishop from Mainland Regional, Nick Neville from South Brunswick and Kevin Veltre from Brick Memorial.

Another monster meet for Lumberton’s Greg Foster, who PR’d in the long jump for the 2^nd time in his last two meets.

Foster soared 26-10 ½ on his 5^th throw in a monster series at the Tyson Invitational at the Lance Harter Track at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville Friday, moving into the No. 3 spot on the all-time New Jersey alumni list.

Foster, who PR’d at 26-5 ¾ at the Ott Center three weeks ago, averaged 26-1 ¾ on his five legal jumps Friday. He opened with a 25-2 ¾  before a 26-5 ½, 25-10 ¾, 26-4 ¼ and finally of 26-4 or better.

Foster’s jump is the best ever indoors or outdoors by an Ivy League long jumper.

The 26-10 ½ also guaranteed Foster entry into the USATF Championships on Feb. 28 and March 1 at Ocean Breeze. The A standard is 26-6 ¾.

His jump is No. 7 in the world this year and No. 3 among Americans. Foster placed 2^nd behind world hurdles champion Cordell Tinch, who PR’d at 27-2 ½. Tinch moves to No. 49 in U.S. history and Foster is No. 78.

The only New Jersey high school graduates to jump farther than Foster did Friday are Carl Lewis, with his 29-1 ¼ in Tokyo in 1991, and Corey Crawford of Indian Hills, who jumped 27-2 ¼ in Chula Vista, Calif., in 2021.

Foster’s 26-10 ½ is No. 2 in NCAA Division 1 this year, behind only Kennedy Stringfellow of Oklahoma, who jumped 27-2  ½ last month in Norman, Okla. Stringfellow, a Mississippi State transfer, placed 12^th Friday with a 25-1 ¼ on his only legal jump.

Foster did not hurdle Friday, but he is No. 2 in the Ivy League with his PR 7.77 from the Ott Center last month. He’s also 4^th in the conference in the 60 with a PR 6.72, also from the Ott Center last month.

All-Time New Jersey Alumni Long Jump List
29-1 ¼  … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], Aug. 30, 1991, Tokyo
27-2 ¼ … Corey Crawford [Indian Hills], May 29, 2021, Chula Vista, Calif.
26-10 3/4 … Greg Foster [Lumberton / Lawrenceville PRep], Feb. 13, 2026, Fayetteville, Ark.
26-10 ¼ … Evans Tobler [Trenton], May 13, 1989, Ponce, Puerto Rico
26-7 ½ … Chris Phipps [Lodi], June 27, 2010, Des Moines, Iowa [+1.8]
26-5 ½ … Darius Pemberton [Hackensack], March 22, 1997, Houston
26-3 ¼  … Matt Rose [Bordentown], Mary 4, 1991, Knoxville, Tenn.
26-3 … Eulace Peacock [Union], July 4, 1935, Lincoln, Neb.
26-3 … Bob Calhoun [Scotch Plains], May 20, 1978, Philadelphia
26-1 ¾  … Norm Tate [East Orange], May 20, 1972, El Paso, Texas
26-1 ¾  … Chris Gillis [Pennsauken], May 12, 2006, Waco, Texas