From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Atlantic County Tech junior Brianna Growalt ran the 11^th-fastest 60-meter hurdles time in state history Sunday morning at Armory Nationals in New York.

Growalt qualified for the final later Sunday with an 8.54 in the semifinals. She had run 8.67 in the trials Saturday.

Growalt’s time is 5^th-fastest in South Jersey history and breaks the Atlantic County reord of 8.64 set in 2019 by Claudine Smith at 2019 Armory Nationals when it was the meet that is currently being held in Boston.

Growalt hadn’t raced over the 60-meter highs since last year’s Boston Nationals, where she ran 9.21. She won state Group 4 and Easterns titles in the 55-meter highs earlier this season and was 2^nd to Winslow’s Jasmine Jackson in the Meet of Champions. Jackson set a South Jersey record with 8.21 Saturday in the semis at Boson Nationals and runs later this afternoon in the final.

The final is scheduled for 12:01 p.m.

All-Time South Jersey 60-Meter Hurdles List
8.10 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], 2025
8.17 … Sydney McLoughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
8.21 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow], Boston, 2026
8.33 … Charmaine Walker [Plainfield], 1997
8.34 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp.], 2026
8.36 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
8.38 … Grace O’Shea [Ramapo], 2019
8.50 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
8.52 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 2000
8.52 … Amaya Chadwick [Union Catholic], 2016
8.54 … Brianna Growalt [Atlantic County Tech], 2026
8.55 … Abigail Dennis [Old Tappan], 2024
8.59 … Ajanae Thompson [Union Catholic], 2022
8.62 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
8.64 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
8.67 … Sofia Swindell [Lawrenceville School], 2025
8.67 … Porsche Dobson [Kent Place School], 2003
8.68 … Patti Dziekonska [West Windsor-Plainsboro North], 2014
8.69 … Danielle Delgado [Franklin Twp.], 2013

Sianni Wynn led all qualifiers into the 60-meter dash finals with a 7.31 Sunday morning in the semifinals at Boston THE TRACK Nationals.

That’s juat 2-100ths of a second off her state-record 7.29 from last year’s Armory Nationals.and 1-100^th of a second off her season-best 7.30 from the Ott Centre last month.

Only one other girl ran under 7.40 in the semis, Lee Peters of Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, Fla.

The final is scheduled for 1:54 p.m. Sunday.

A second All-America high jump performance for Lindenwold’s Egypt Bolan, who placed 6^th at Armory Nationals in New York Saturday.

Bolan, who cleared a lifetime-best 5-10 ¾ to win West Philly Nationals in June, cleared 5-8 ¾ Saturday.

Bolan got over the bar at 5-5 and 5-7 on her 1^st attempt and then cleared 5-8 ¾ on her 3^rd attempt before going out at 5-10 ½, which would have surpassed her indoor PR of 5-10, which she cleared twice this year – at the Bubble and Ocean Breeze, both in January.

Bolan had won 18 consecutive meets going back to last year’s Penn Relays, where she placed 3^rd behind two Jamaican jumpers. She hadn’t lost to a U.S. jumper since last year’s Armory Nationals. She still hasn’t lost to a New Jersey jumper since a SJTCA Meet at the Ott Center in January 2025.

Led by Haddonfield’s Seth Clevenger’s distance double and a record-setting 200-meter dash win by Eastern’s Rajahn Dixon, Rowan wrapped up its first NCAA Division 3 Championship Saturday in Birmingham, Ala.

Rowan won by one point over top-ranked Wisconsin-La Cross, which had won the last three indoor national titles and the last two outdoors.

How close was this meet?

Dixon won the 200 by 1-100^th of a second. If their positions are switched, La Crosse wins. Joshua Justin was in 4^th place in the triple jump with one jump left before moving up to 2^nd. If he stays in 4^th, La Crosse wins. Paulsboro’s Jamile Gantt – in his first meet in two months – clears 6-9 on his 3^rd attempt. If he misses, he scores no points instead of five.

https://results.leonetiming.com/?mid=8657

Rowan’s last national title came in 1984, when the Profs won their 5^th straight outdoor title.

Rowan went into the 3,000 with a 65-64 lead over Oshkosh with La Crosse 3^rd with 57 points. Rowan had the top seed in Clevenger, and Oshkosh didn’t have any qualifiers, but La Crosse had five. So for Rowan to clinch the team title, they needed a Clevenger win and fewer than nine points from La Crosse.

Rowan, whose 4-by-4 just missed qualifying, needed an 11-point lead going into the relay to wrap up the team title.

After Clevenger won the 3,000, La Crosse runners finished 3^rd, 8^th, 9^th, 13^th and 17th for seven points, which left Rowan with an insurmountable 75-64 lead over La Crosse and Oshkosh with only the relay remaining.

Rowan needed every one of those points they fought for over the last two days because La Crosse won the 4-by-4 with a meet-record 3:10.90, leaving Rowan with a one-point win at 75-74.

Rowan’s previous best finish was 3^rd place last year with 36 points, behind the two Wisconsin powerhouses – La Crosse with 84 points and Oshkosh with 39.

Here’s a look at how Rowan got to 75 points:

200: 14 points – Dixon set a meet record of 20.92, 2^nd-fastest in NCAA Division 3 history, for 10 points and Penns Grove’s Eli Hendricks ran indoor PR 21.24 for foiur points.
3,000: 10 points – Just before Dixon’s win, Clevenger set a meet record with 7:54.92 for 10 points.
5,000: 10 points – On Saturday, Clevenger cruised to a meet-record 13:35.55 to become Rowan’s 1^st indoor national champ in a distance event since Oakcrest’s Don Deckert won the 5,000 in 1986.
60-Meter Hurdles: 14 points – Seniors Kwaku Nkrumah from Teaneck and Jason Agyemang from North Plainfield finished 2^nd and 3^rd in 7.92 and 7.95 for eight and six points. Both are now five-time All-Americas.
High Jump: 15 points – A disappointing event considering the seedings, but Rowan still had four point scorers, which turned out to be pivotal. Freshman David Brown from Edison finished 3^rd at 6-10 ¼ for six points, junior Jamile Gantt was 4^th at 6-10 ¼ for four points, sophomore NoahWampole fromRadnor took sixth at 6-9 for three points and junior Arrington Rhym of Hamilton West was 8^th at 6-9 for one point.
Long Jump: 4 points – Huge four points from freshman Bright John of Sterling, who jumped 23-2 ¾ for 5^thplace, the best finish in the competition by a freshman.
Triple Jump: 8 points – Some clutch jumping by junior Joshua Justin of Passaic County Tech. Justin moved up from 4^th to 2^nd on his final jump with a 48-11 ¾, only 2 ½ inches off his PR.

Haddonfield’s Seth Clevenger won his second national title in two days Saturday, finishing 1st with a meet record 7:54.92 in the 3,000 at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham.

Clevenger set a meet record of 13:33.55 Saturday in the 5,000. He’s Rowan’s first to win two individual events at nationals since Jeffrey Jon Tucker from Eastern won the long jump and high jump in 2017.

Clevenger was out in 2:04.68 through 800 meters and had already built up a 30-meter lead just four laps into the race. He came through 1,600 in 4:11.95 and ran his last 800 in 2:06.68, his last 400 in 61.33 and his final lap in 29.38.

Clevenger broke the meet record of 8:01.23 set at the 2023 meet by Ethan George of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He fell about a second and a half short of the NCAA Division 3 overall record of 7:53.24 set by Alex Phillip of John Carroll at Boston University, also in 2023.

Rajahn Dixon of Eastern won the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Division 3 Championships Saturday with the 2^nd-fastest time in Division 3 history.

Dixon ran 20.92 in the first section of a two-race final, then held on as Dylan Doss of Wisconsin-Oshkosh ran 20.93 in the second section.

Dixon’s time trails only Cheickna Traore of Ramapo on the all-time D-3 list. Traore, from Snyder High in Jersey City, ran 20.72 at the 2023 NCAA D-3 meet on the same track. He went on to win the 2024 NCAA Division 1 outdoor title for Penn State in 2024 at Hayward Field and competed for his native Ivory Coast in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Dixon broke his own Rowan 200 record of 21.13 set on Friday in the trials.

Dixon’s time is 10^th-fastest all-time on the South Jersey alumni list.

In the same race, Penns Grove graduate Eli Hendricks, a Rowan junior, placed 5^th in 21.24 to earn All-America honors for the third time but the first time in an individual event. His previous indoor PR was 21.31 last month at the NJAC Championshps at the Ott Center. That 21.24 is 15th in NCAA Division 3 history.

With 14 points in the 200, Rowan moved into the lead in team scoring, 65-64, over Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

All-Time South Jersey 200 Alumni List
19.75 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], June 19, 1983, Indianapolis

20.09 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], June 2, 1989, Provo, Utah

20.55 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], March 29, 2025, Baton Rouge, La. [+0.0]

20.61 … John Stone [Mainland Reg.], May 22, 1999, Atlanta [-0.4]

20.64 … Bruce Owens [Deptford], May 29, 2010, Greensboro, N.C. [1.1]

20.83 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], May 7, 2005, Columbus, Ohio

20.88 … Kevin Holloway [Palmyra], April 21, 1979, Bloomington, Ind.

20.90 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], May 23, 1984, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

20.91 … Jah’mere Beasley [Sterling], May 26, 2022, Geneva, Ohio [1.9]

20.92 … Rajahn Dixon [Eastern], March 14, 2026, Birmingham, Ala.
20.97 … Matt Rose [Bordentown], May 24, 1987, Villanova, Pa.

21.05 … Robert Hargrove [Vineland], May 25, 2002, St. Paul, Minn. [0.9]

After missing two months of the season with an injury, Paulsboro’s Jamile Gantt placed 4^th in the high jump Saturday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham to earn his 3^rd All-America. Gantt placed 7^th outdoors in 2024 and 3^rd outdoors last year.

Gantt’s last meet before Saturday was the NYC Gotham Cup at Ocean Breeze on Jan. 16. But he didn’t let the layoff stop him as he cleared 6-10 ¼, matching his indoor PR from Ocean Breeze last year and the Gotham Cup in January.

Gantt was one of four Rowan high jumpers to place, giving the Profs 15 team points in one event. After the high jump, Rowan had 51 points in 3rd place.

Gantt cleared 6-6 and 6-8 on his 1^st attempt, 6-9 on his 3^rd and 6-10 ¼ on his 2^nd. He went out at a PR 6-11 ½. Gantt set his lifetime best 6-11 at outdoor nationals last year in Geneva, Ohio.

Also for Rowan, freshman David Brown cleared 6-10 ¼ for 3^rd, Noah Wampole cleared 6-9 for 6^thand Arrington Rhym cleared 6-9 for 8^th.

This is the first time Rowan has ever had three medalists in one event at indoor NCAAs. Outdoors, they had three medalists in the 110-meter high hurdles in 1981, with Garry Moore from Overbrook winning, Clayton Davis of Atlantic City and Leon Devero of Linden and in the steeplechase in 1984 with winner Don Deckert of Oakcrest along with Bob Rimkis of Washington Township and Lennie Hernandez of Memorial of West New York.

Rutgers-Camden freshman Jayden DeLeon of Highland placed 14^th with a 6-6 clearance. Brown and DeLeon were the only freshmen who qualified.

Four hours after she broke the South Jersey record in the 60-meter hurdles Saturday morning, Winslow sophomore Jasmine Jackson broke it again Saturday afternoon.

Jackson ran 8.34 in the qualifying round at Boston THE TRACK Nationals, breaking the South Jersey record of 8.36 set by Nia Ali of Pleasantville at 2006 Prince Georges Sports and Learning Complex Nationals in Landover, Md.

Later in the day, she blazed an 8.21 in the semifinals, the 3^rd-fastest time in state history and 7^th-fastest in U.S. history by a sophomore. That leads all qualifiers into the final, scheuled for 2:05 p.m. Sunday.

That 8.21 is tied for 21^st-fastest by a U.S. high school hurdler.

Jackson’s time is 11^th-fastest ever by any hurdler from a New Jersey high school and 4^th-fastest among South Jersey athletes. It’s 3^rd-fastest among high school girls this year.

According to the World Athletics database, Jackson’s time is 2^nd-fastest in the world in the 18-and-Under age group – Jackson is 15 – and 6^th-fastest in the 20-and-under division. The only other girl who doesn’t turn 19 before Dec. 31 who’s run this fast is Italy’s Alessia Succio, who ran 8.06 in a meet in Ancona, Italy, last month.

All-Time New Jersey 60-Meter Hurdles
8.10 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], 2025
8.17 … Sydney McLoughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
8.21 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow], Boston, 2026
8.33 … Charmaine Walker [Plainfield], 1997
8.34 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp.], 2026
8.36 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
8.38 … Grace O’Shea [Ramapo], 2019
8.50 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
8.52 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 2000
8.52 … Amaya Chadwick [Union Catholic], 2016
8.55 … Abigail Dennis [Old Tappan], 2024
8.59 … Ajanae Thompson [Union Catholic], 2022
8.62 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
8.64 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
8.67 … Sofia Swindell [Lawrenceville School], 2025
8.67 … Porsche Dobson [Kent Place School], 2003
8.68 … Patti Dziekonska [West Windsor-Plainsboro North], 2014
8.69 … Danielle Delgado [Franklin Twp.], 2013

All-Time New Jersey Alumni List
7.80 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], Albuquerque, 2014
7.95 … Dawn Bowles [Neptune], Atlanta, 1997
8.10 … Charmaine Walker [Plainfield], Fayetteville, 2000
8.10 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], Virginia Beach, 2025
8.15 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], Albuquerque, 2024
8.16 … Amber Williams [Roxbury], Boston, 2008
8.16 … Raquel Vassell [East Orange], University Park, 2011
8.17 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], New York, 2015
8.19 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], New York, 2024
8.19 … Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], Boston, 2005
8.21 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow], Boston, 2026
8.30 … Jasmine Staten [Lenape], Staten Island, 2022
8.30 … Amaya Chadwick [Union Catholic], Geneva, Ohio, 2020

Eastern senior Natalie Dumas smashed her own South Jersey indoor 800 record by 2 ½ seconds Saturday at Armory Nationals in New York.

Dumas ran 2:05.30, 5th-fastest in New Jersey history and broke her own South Jersey record of 2:07.68 set at the Armory a year ago. Dumas set the outdoor state record of 2:00.11 at West Philly Nationals in June.

On Saturday, she finished 2nd to Ellie Barada of Bloomington (Ind.) North, who ran 2:04.32. Barada ran 2:03.95 last spring at Hayward Field and 2:03.02 last month at the Ott Center.

Dumas led through 400 meters at 61.52 to 61.78, but Barada split 31.96 / 30.59 for a 62.55 final 400 while Dumas closed in 32.44 / 31.34 for a 63.78.

Barada is No. 2 on the 2026 U.S. Under-20 list and Dumas moves up to No. 4.

All-Time New Jersey Indoor 800 List
2:02.35 … Paige Sheppard [Union Cathoic], 2026
2:03.98 … Athing Mu [Trenton], 2018
2:04.13 … Ajee’ Wilson [Neptune], 2012
2:04.80 … Reagan Moore [Oak Knoll], 2025
2:05.30 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2026
2:05.62 … Reese Reynolds-Malone [Rumson-Fair Haven], 2026
2:06.02 … Clemmie Lillie [Rumson-Fair Haven], 2025
2:06.0h … Joetta Clark [Columbia], 1980
2:06.90 … Paige Sheppard [Union Catholic], 2025
2:07.08 … Sophia Thompson [Union Catholic], 2026
2:07.24 … Victoria Vanriele [Governor Livingston], 2019
2:07.60 … Janine Davis [Queen of Peace], 2005
2;08.01 … Reese Reynolds Malone [Rumson-Fair Haven], 2025
2:08.54 … Stella Blanchard [Wilberforce School], 2026
2:08.68 … Abigail Robisky [Union Catholic], 2026
2:09.02 … Corrine Myers [Westwood], 2014
2:09.05 … Blaire Bartlett [Lawrenceville School], 2026
2:09.32 … Camryn Wennersten [Ridgewood], 2022
2:09.56 … Megan Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2010
2:09.60 … Tawana Watkins [Kennedy-Paterson], 2001
2:09.8h … Catherine Pagano [Northern Highlands], 2015

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 800 List
2:05.30 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2026
2:09.56 … Megan Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2010
2:10.0h … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
2:11.85 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2024
2:11.91 … Carly Godfry [Ocean City], 2026
2:12.05 … Sofia Day [Mainland Reg.], 2024
2:12.46 … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 1990
2:12.55 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
2:13.51 … Emily Duffey [Lenape], 2011
2:14.12 … Carly Pettipaw [Lenape], 2013
2:14.13 … Carly Godfrey [Ocean City], 2026
2:14.27 … Kelsey Niglio [Cherokee], 2023
2:14.58 … Riley Austin [Haddonfield], 2025
2:14.64 … Bridget Flynn [Ocean City], 2014
2:14.66 … Dylan Hosty [Haddonfield], 2026
2:14.5h … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
2:14.6h … Michelle DiMuro [Shawnee], 1985
2:14.99 … Kami Joi Hickson [Washington Twp.], 2017

Pennsauken senior Sianni Wynn led all qualifiers in the first round of the 60-meter dash at Boston THE TRACK Nationals Saturday.

Wynn ran 7.34, just off her state-record 7.29 from last year’s Armory Nationals. Wynn’s fastest 60 this year is a 7.30 at the Ott Center.

The semis are scheduled for 10:13 a.m. Sunday, with the final at 1:54 p.m.