From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Nice 800 PR for Winslow sophomore Amariah Arango Saturday at the Lenape Girls Invitational, with Mainland senior Emma Preissman not far back.

Arango ran 2:16.48, dropping her PR from 2:17.64 from South Jersey Group 3 Sectionals last spring at Delsea. Her time is 2nd-fastest by a Winslow girl, behind Ava Millner’s 2:15.77 in that same sectional race last May.

Preissman dropped a huge 800 PR of 2:17.31 in 2nd place, a lifetime best of more than three seconds. Her previous PR was a 2:20.43 in the 2024 state Group 3 meet, also at Delsea. Looks like their times are No. 2 and 3 in New Jersey so far this year and the two-fastest 800s by South Jersey girls.

Also good to see Arango’s sister, Adaiah, also a sophomore, back in action and running 59.40 for 2nd to teammate Nylah Lovelace-Crump [58.56] in the 400 in her first race since West Philly Nationals in June.

Why a meet like Arcadia would have its intermediate hurdles race over the fraud 300-meter distance instead of the universally accepted 400-meter race is beyond me. But they did, and Natalie Dumas placed 2nd in her 1st try at the ridiculous race with the No. 2 time in South Jersey history.

Dumas ran 41.89 over 300 meters and eight hurdles Saturday at the 58th annual Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High School outside Los Angeles, the 2nd-fastest time in South Jersey history in the rarely run event. In 2005, Krystal Cantey of Winslow Township ran what was then a state-record 41.19 at the Golden West Invitational in Folsom, Calif.

The only faster time in state history, not surprisingly, belongs to four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, who ran 38.90 at Arcadia in 2017.

Sophomore Kaahliyah Lacy of San Jacinto [Calif.] Valley Academy won the race in 40.81. It was Lacy’s 6th race just this year over the 300 hurdles.California and Pennsylvania are among the few stats that routinely run the bastardized 300 hurdles instead of the 400 intermediates.

Dumas is top-10 in U.S. history in the 400 [51.14], 800 [2:00.11] and 400 hurdles [55.99], all from last year’s West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field.

She’s 4th so far this spring in the 400 hurdles with her 59.96 at the Spartan Relays earlier this month at Deptford. She has yet to run hot in a 400 or 800 this spring.

In his first collegiate 100-meter dash, Rowan sophomore Rajahn Dixon from Eastern on Saturday ran the 4th-fastest time in NCAA Division 1 this year and one of the fastest in Division 1 history.

After a 10.71 in the trials in his first 100 since high school, Dixon won the 100 at the Oscar Moore Invitational in Glassboro in 10.32 with a legal 0.4 tailwind.

That’s No. 37 in Division 3 history and 2nd-fastest in NJAC history behind Cheickna Traore of Ramapo, who ran 10.18 at the 2023 Division 3 Championships in Rochester before transferring to Penn State.

Dixon’s official 100 PR before Saturday would have been 10.77 from 2023 South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals at Pennsauken. But no wind guage at that meet, and his fastest wind-legal PR would have been 10.93 a week later at Group 4 States in Somerset with a 1.0 tailwind. That was his last 100 before Saturday.

Dixon broke the Rowan school record of 10.46 set by Bridgeton’s Shamar Love in the prelims of the NJAC Championships this past May in Ewing.

Dixon set the Rowan indoor record for 200 meters at 20.92 last month when he won the Division 3 national title in Birmingham. His 21.02 last weekend in Daytona Beach, Fla., is only 11-100ths of a second off the Rowan outdoor 200 record of 21.91 set by Sterling’s Jah’mere Beasley in the prelims of 2022 Division 3 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.

His time is tied for 5th-fastest all-time by a South Jersey sprinter. And he’s now No. 4 in Division 3 this spring in the 100 and No. 7 in the 200. He’s the No. 39 American in the 100 this year.

All-Time South Jersey 100-Meter Dash List
9.86 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], Aug. 25, 1991, Tokyo [+1.2]
9.91 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], Sept. 7, 1996, Milan, Italy [+1.2]
10.06 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], April 4, 2026, Gainesville [+0.2]
10.27 … Barry Douglas [Willingboro], May 4, 1996, Fairfax, Va.[+1.3]
10.32 … John Stone [Mainland Reg.], April 15, 2000, Charlotte, N.C. [+1.7]
10.32 … Malachi James [Burlington City], May 16, 2025, Winston-Salem, N.C. [+0.6]
10.32 … Rajahn Dixon [Eastern], April 11, 2026, Glassboro [+0.3]
10.35 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], June 7, 2000, Piscataway[+2.0]
10.41 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], June 9, 2011, Old Bridge [+0.1]
10.42 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], May 15, 2005, Columbus, Ohio [+1.3]
10.42 … Anwar Moore [Camden], June 11, 2005, Geneva, Switzerland [+0.8]

Huge discus bomb Saturday by Rutgers freshman Shawn Brady, a Mullica Hill native who attended Bishop Eustace.

The results show Brady with a 171-11, but his TFRRSS profile lists the throw as 172-0. His 52.42-meter throw converts to 171.98163, which equals 171-11 but could generously be rounded up to 172.

Either way, Brady’s previous PR was 162-6 just two weeks ago in Orlando. That 172-0 ranks 8th in Rutgers history.

His throw is No. 9 on the all-time South Jersey discus performance list, as far as I’ve been able to find.

Brady PR’d in the shot put in February at the Armory with a 51-11 ¾, No. 10 in school history indoors.

204-0… Mike Mielke [Holy Spirit], May 14, 1996, Tucson, Ariz.
201-6 … Steve Muse [Kennedy], July 2, 1993, Edinburgh, Great Britain
192-10 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], March 21, 2015, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
197-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], March 17, 1990, Nassau, Bahamas
185-2 … John Mooers [Mainland Reg.], April 25, 2019, Philadelphia
181-8 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], March 18, 2022, Orlando, Fla.
172-11 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], May 17, 2025, Charlotte, N.C.
172-2 … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], April 6, 2002, Durham, N.C.
172-0 … Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace], April 11, 2026, Piscataway
171-9 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], April 19, 2014, Petersburg, Va.
170-9 … Art Dreher [Edgewood], March 6, 1999, Boston

Rowan’s hurdlers broke the NCAA Division 3 shuttle hurdles record by more than half a second Saturday at the Profs’ own Oscar Moore Invitational in Glassboro.

Rowan ran 57.58 unpressed, breaking the D-3 record of 58.18 set on April 26, 2025, by Central College of Pella, Iowa, at the Drake Relays in Des Moines.

Valentin Augustin, a grad student from Hamilton West, led off for Rowan, followed by senior Anaias Hughes from Willingboro and former D-3 national champions Jason Agyemang of North Plainfield, a junior, and senior Kwakyu Nkrumah of Teaneck.

Rowan hoped to make a run at the record last year when Division 3 record holder Jamir Brown was still in school, but they never had the chance because of bad weather. Brown is now running for Syracuse.

The NJAC web site does not list a conference record for the shuttles. Rowan’s web site shows a previous school record of 58.3 hand-timed from 1982 with Robert Abdullah from Paulsboro, Gary Smith of West Deptford, Stanley Moore of Overbrook, Anthony Abbica of Butler.

Earlier in the day, Agyemang ran 13.72 in the hurdles trials and they have finally a wind reading of 0.3 posted in the results, making it a legal race, and although he skipped the final Nkrumah ran 13.72 in the final with a 0.8. They are now tied for 2nd in Division 3 history behind only Brown, who ran 13.60 in the trials of the NJAC Championships in Ewing last May.

Willingboro’s Jamere Brooks PR’d twice Saturday and recorded the fastest JUCO time in the country in the 110-meter hurdles.

Brooks, a freshman at Rowan College Gloucester County, began his day with a PR of 15.25 from last weekend at Ursinus. That was only his 2nd race ever over the 42-inch highs.

On Saturday, he ran a wind-aided 14.92 [3.5] in the trials at the Bill Butler Invitational at West Chester, but he got legal wind in the final [1.9] and ran even faster, winning the race at 14.84.

That bumps Robert Salazar-Rosell of Thaddeus Stevens College in Lancaster from the top spot in the NJCAA Division 3.

Brooks is now almost as fast over the 42-inch barriers as he was over the 39-inch high school hurdles. His PR at Willingboro was 14.79 from his win last year at the Burlington County Open at Lenape.

Brooks has only competed in three meets in college, dropping his PR from 16.03 at Stockton to 15.32 in the trials and 15.25 in the final last weekend at Ursinus and then 14.92 and 14.84 on Saturday.

For those of you who keep track of these things, West Chester’s Farrell Stadium is not in West Chester. It’s partially in West Goshen Township and partially in Westtown Township. The border runs through the stadium.

Rowan senior Jason Agyemang ran the 2nd-fastest 110-meter hurdles time in NCAA Division 3 history Saturday on his home track at the Oscar Moore Invitational.

Agyemang, who was already No. 4 in D-3 history with his 13.74 in May at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships in Ewing, won the race in 13.72. I don’t see any wind reading at all in the results, but if it’s legal it will be No. 2 in D-3 history behind his former teammate, Jamir Brown, who ran 13.60 in the prelims at the NJAC Meet in Ewing last May.

Gunner Meyer of Central College in Pella, Iowa, ran 13.71 in a home meet two weeks ago but that was assisted by a 3.5 meters-per-second wind.

Taylor Rooney of Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, Minn., also ran 13.72 twice in May of 2021, once at a meet in Mankato, Minn., and again at the NCAA Championships in Greensboro, N.C.

Agyemang was the 2025 NCAA Division 3 champion over the 60-meter highs in 2025, 2nd to Brown last spring in outdoor Nationals and 3rd this past winter at indoor Nationals.

Agyemang’s 13.72 if legal would be No. 18 among U.S. men this year.

Eastern senior Ashton Gage ran the fastest 200 by a South Jersey sprinter this year Saturday at the Moorestown Invitational.

Gage won the 200 in 21.83, unfortunately with no wind Gage. He lowered his PR from 21.92 last month at the indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze. He didn’t have a previous outdoor PR because he had never run an outdoor 200.

Gate’s time is 5^th-fastest in Eastern history, behind Rajhan Dixon [21.40 in 2023], Sabli Gonnet [21.46 in 2007], Ron Hillian [21.56 in 2002] and Barry Bethea [21.89 in 2010]. Chuck Carter had a hand-timed 20.8 in 1985.

Atlantic County Tech junior Brianna Growalt ran the 11^th-fastest 100-meter hurdles time in South Jersey history Saturday at the Moorestown Invitational.

Growalt dipped under 14 seconds for the first time, winning the race in 13.99. Unfortunately, looks like there was no wind guage set up for the race so her performance will carry a wind-aided designation.

Growalt’s time is fastest by a South Jersey junior, breaking the mark of 14.04 set by Lenape’s Jasmine Staten at 2016 South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals at Egg Harbor Township. It’s fastest in New Jersey so far this year pending performances in other meets on Saturday.

Growalt’s previous outdoor hurdles PR was a wind-legal 14.22 at last year’s Meet of Champions at Pennsauken. She placed 2^nd behind only Jackson’s 7.63 at the indoor Meet of Champions in 7.83, with both running below the old South Jersey record.

Growalt came back to win the 200 in 24.74. She ran 24.56 indoors when she placed 3rd at the MoC.

All-TIme South Jersey 100-Meter Hurdles List
13.65 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
13.67 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
13.72 … Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 1997
13.73 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp.], 2025
13.79 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow], 2012
13.84 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
13.85 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1980
13.85 … Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 1998
13.88 … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
13.98 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow], 2014
13.99 … Imani Gilliam [Pennsauken], 2004
13.99 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2018
13.99 … Brianna Growalt [Atlantic Tech], 2026

Penns Grove enior Kylee Goodson ran the 3^rd-fastest 400 in Salem County history Saturday at the Moorestown Invitational.

What makes the race unique is that it was his first lifetime outdoor 400.

Goodson won the race in 48.88, fastest by a Penns Grove runner in 13 years, since Jaymes Dennison ran 48.33 at 2013 Group 1 states at Egg Harbor.  Penns Grove school record of 47.94 was set by Tim Reed at the old Delaware Valley Meet of Champions at Franklin Field in 1984.

Pending other meets on Saturday, Goodson’s time is fastest in New Jersey this year.

Goodson ran 49.39 indoors at Virginia Beach Nationals, but he had never run an outdoor 400 in his first three years at Penns Grove.

Willingboro senior Christopher Jones ran a PR 49.15 for 2^nd and Eastern senior Ashton Gage also broke 50 with a 49.73.

All-Time Salem County 400-Meter Mini-List
47.94 … Tim Reed [Penns Grove], 1984
48.33 … Jaymes Dennison [Penns Grove], 2013
48.88 … Kylee Goodson [Penns Grove], 2026
49.01 … James Crawford [Woodstown], 2025
49.10 … David Stewart [Schalick], 2025