Timber Creek’s Nyla Jones earned All-America honors Saturday morning with a 6th-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham.
Jones, who set a Rowan school record of 8.64 in the trials on Friday, ran 8.67 in the final. This is the 2nd All-America performance for Jones, who was 5th in the 400-meter hurdles this past spring at outdoor Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.
Winslow sophomore Jasmine Jackson took down the South Jersey 60-meter hurdles record Saturday morning at Boston THE TRACK Nationals.
In the qualifying round, Jackson ran 8.34, 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.
Jackson’s time is 4th-fastest in state history and 3rd-fastest on the MileSplit 2026 performance list.
It’s No. 18 on the world Under-20 list and No. 5 among U.S. hurdlers.
It’s 2nd-fastest by any U.S. sophomore since four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin ran 8.17 at the same meet when it was held at the Armory in 2015.
Jackson was the 2nd-fastest qualifier, behind Canadian Under-20 national team member Kiara Montaque, who ran 8.33.
Jackson races in the semis at 1:43 p.m. The final is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
All-Time New Jersey 60-Meter Hurdles
8.10 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], 2025
8.17 … Sydney McLoughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
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
Delaea senior Hannah Nuhfer threw within 1 ¼ inches of her South Jersey shot put record and earned All-America honors for the 2nd time with a 4th-place finish Friday at Armory Nationals.
Nuhfer threw 47-10 ¾ on her 4th throw, her 2nd-best lifetime throw behind her historic 48-0 at the state Group 3 meet at the Bubble. Nuhfer won West Philly Nationals in the discus last spring with a South Jersey-record throw of 178-9.
On Friday, Nuhfer had four throws over 44 feet, including the 47-10 ¾ and a 45-6 ½ on her 3rd throw.
Jaslene Murray of Aliso Viejo (Calif.) won the event with a throw of 54-2 ¾.
The Winslow girls ran the 5th-fastest sprint medley in South Jersey history Friday at Boston THE TRACK Nationals.
Winslow placed 8th out of 74 entries with a time of 4:03.83 with seniors Olivia Okaro and Leeya Joseph running the 200s, junior Cinniya Robinson the 400 and sophomore Amariah Arango the 800.
The Eagles’ previous school record was a 4:06.76 at the Ott Center in December.
Winslow’s time is No. 15 on the all-time New Jersey list.
Okaro and Joseph got the baton through two laps in 50.16 – no 200 splits in a three-turn stagger – and Robinson split 57.58, setting up Arango, who anchord in 2:16.10.
3:54.62 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:57.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:58.46 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:59.04 … Union Catholic, 2026
4:00.33 … Neptune, 2011
4:00.48 … Eastern, 2025
4:01.41 … Willingboro, 2003
4:01.78 … Eastern, 2023
4:03.13 … Sparta, 2010
4:03.14 … Westwood, 2014
4:03.18 … Columbia, 2010
4:03.22 … Columbia, 2013
4:03.57 … Piscataway, 2006
4:03.69 … Pope John, 2007
4:03.75 … Eastern, 2024
4:03.83 … Winslow Twp., 2026
4:03.85 … Hopewell Valley, 2005
4:03.93 … Haddonfield, 2001
4:04.27 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.36 … Columbia, 1983
4:04.38 … Washington Twp., 2010
4:04.47 … Neptune, 2009
4:04.49 … Hunterdon Central, 2015
4:04.63 … Rumson-Fair Haven, 2025
4:04.81 … Union Catholic, 2017
4:00.48 … Eastern, 2025
4:01.41 … Willingboro, 2003
4:01.78 … Eastern, 2023
4:03.75 … Eastern, 2024
4:03.83 … Winslow Twp., 2026
4:03.93 … Haddonfield, 2001
4:04.27 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.38 … Washington Twp., 2010
4:08.21 … Lenape, 2015
4:08.60 … Lenape, 2012
4:09.27 … Millville, 2008
4:10.01 … Willingboro, 2004
4:10.17 … Camden, 1995
4:10.18 … Willingboro, 2005
4:10.22 … Lenape, 2016
4:10.36 … Lenape, 2013
4:10.43 … Kingsway, 2013
4:10.51 … Lenape, 2007
Lumberton’s Greg Foster, a Princeton junior, placed 4th in the long jump Friday at the NCAA Division 1 Championships in Fayetteville. Three inches separated the top four finishers.
Foster popped the 3rd-biggest jump of his life on his 4th attempt, sailing 26-8 ¼ but came up a few inches short of becoming the first South Jersey long jumper to win a men’s NCAA title since Carl Lewis in 1981.
Lokesh Sathyanathan of Tarleton State won the competition at 26-11 ¼; Southern Mississippi’s De’Aundre Ward was 2nd at 26-11 and on his final attempt Tafadzwa Chikomba moved into 3rd with a 26-9.
Foster had three jumps of at least 26-5 in a monster series, with a 26-7 ¾, 26-5 ½ and the 26-8 ¼ in recording his best finish ever at NCAAs. He placed 7th with a 25-7 outdoors last year.
Foster matched the best finish ever by a Princeton long jumper at NCAAs. In the 1990 outdoor meet in Durham, N.C., Al Dyer placed 4th with a 25-10.
Ocean City’s Elaina Styer, a Stockton junior, placed 2nd in the pentathlon Friday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham, earning All-America honors with the 13th-highest score in D-3 history.
Styer scored 3,765 points, finishing just 17 behind winner Serena McNeilly of Center College in Danville, Ky.
Going into the final event, the 800, Styer trailed McNeilly by 166 points but had a PR 21 seconds faster – 2:21.80 to 2:38.81.
Styer then PR’d with a 2:19.96 for 824 points. That meant McReilly needed 659 points in the 800, which equals 2:32.70. She wound up PR’ing by 7 ½ seconds with a 2:31.44 for 675 points and the national title.
Styer had a tremendous day, however, surpassing her PR of 3,747 points from the New Jersey Athletic Conference Meet at the Ott last month.
Styer is Stockton’s 5th indoor All-America and her 2nd-place finish is best by a Stockton woman since high jumper Lisa Shepherd placed 2nd in 2009.
Styer started out with a huge PR in the 60-meter hurdles with an 8.67, shattering her own school record of 8.82 from a meet at the Ott Center earlier this month. That’s also 11th-fastest in NCAA Division 3 this year, fastest in the competition and worth a whopping 980 points.
She followed that with a clutch 3rd-attempt clearance at 5-4 ½, giving her 783 points. That clearance was worth 36 more points than 5-3 ¼ would have been.
Then it was off to the shot put and another big PR for Styer with a 35-9 ¼ on her 2nd throw for 589 points. Her previous shot PR was 34-9 in February in a meet in Utica, N.Y.
Through three events, Styer was sitting at 2,352 points, 23 behind McNeilly.
In the long jump, Styer fouled on her 1st attempt and went just 16-2 ¼ on her 2nd before rebounding with a 16-9 ¼ for 589 points on her 3rd and final jump. That gave her 2,941 point through four events, 166 behind McNeilly, who jumped 18-5 after placing 4th in the open long jump at 19-0 ¾.
That set up the dramatic 800, where Styer set her 3rd PR of the day as well as finishing off her second school record of the day.
Haddonfield’s junior Molly Mills, senior Riley Austin, junior Madison Kelsey and freshman Dylan Hosty raced to a national title in the 4-by-mile relay Friday at Armory Nationals.
Haddonfield ran 20:58.00 and won by 50 meters over Niwot (Colo.) High, which was 2nd in 21:08.02.
At the final handoff, Haddonfield was about 40 meters behind Niwot in 2nd place. But Hosty caught Niwot’s anchor with about 1,000 meters to go and gapped her with two laps to go, thanks to a 37.61 split followed by a 32.64 final lap.
Mills led off with a 5:15.58 leg, Austin split 5:10.58, Kelsey ran 5:22.01 and Hosty anchored in 5:09.83.
Haddonfield’s time is 11th-fastest in state history and 3rd-fastest in South Jersey history behind Haddonfield’s 20:5.03 in 2014 at this meet when it was at the Armory and Cherokee’s 20:56.84 in 2023 when this meet was in Boston.
New Jersey 4xMile Indoor List
20:19.02 … Union Catholic, 2024
20:33.64 … Roxbury, 2008
20:36.41 … Colts Neck, 2007
20:38.43 … Colts Neck, 2006
20:46.30 … Red Bank Regional, 2002
20:51.21 … Pope John XXIII, 2017
20:53.03 … Haddonfield, 2014
20:56.84 … Cherokee, 2023
20:57.64 … Randolph, 2017
20:57.65 … Colts Neck, 2008
20:58.00 … Haddonfield, 2026
20:59.66 … Ridgewood, 2012
South Jersey 4xMile Indoor List
20:53.03 … Haddonfield, 2014
20:56.84 … Cherokee, 2023
20:58.00 … Haddonfield, 2026
21:01.88 … Cherokee, 2025
21:03.64 … Lenape, 2010
21:15.16 … Lenape, 2012
21:18.28 … Lenape, 2008
21:47.10 … Cherokee, 2024
21:54.98 … Lenape, 2006
21:57.98 … Bishop Eustace, 2019
21:58.47 … Highland, 2009
Seth Clevenger ran away from the field and won the 5,000 Friday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham in meet-record time.
Clevenger, a Rowan junior from Haddonfield, won the 5,000 in a meet-record 13:33.55, finishing 150 meters ahead of 2nd-place Aidan Matthai of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, who ran 14:03.55
Clevenger broke the meet record of 13:47.01 set in 2023 by Christian Patzka of Wisconsin-Whitewater and ran within 1 ½ seconds of his own NCAA Division 3 record of 13:32.09 that he set last month in Boston.
Rowan’s last national champion distance runner was Oakcrest’s Don Deckert, who won the steeplechase in 1984. Their last indoor distance All-America was his brother Don Deckert, who placed 3rd in the 5,000 in 1986.
Clevenger came through 1,600 meters in 4:17.56 and already had a 60-meter lead. He came through 3,000 meters in 8:07.58 and 3,200 in 8:40.94. He ran his third 1,600 in 4:23.60 and closed in 31.05 for his final lap, 63.17 for his final 400 and 2:07.83 for his final 800.
Deptford destroyed the Gloucester County 800-meter relay record Friday, ran the 11th-fastest time in the U.S. this year and 6th-fastest in state history and advanced to the 4-by-2 final at Boston THE TRACK Nationals.
The team of senior Johan Hernandez, sophomore Malikye Gonzalez, junior Laquan Brakenridge and senior Damon Albertson ran 1:27.55, the 3rd-fastest time in qualifying for Saturday’s final and 2nd-fastest this year by a New Jersey school.
Deptford shattered the Gloucester County record of 1:28.28 set last year by Washington Township at Ocean Breeze.
The time is 2nd-fastest in South Jersey history indoors, behind only Camden’s iconic 1:26.90 from 2004 Easterns at the Armory with Dwayne Lewis, Sherron Bullock, Alonzo Brown and Carl Smith.
The only schools that ran faster than Deptford Friday were Westlake High of Waldorf, Md., which ran 1:26.93 and La Salle of Springfield, Montgomery County, which ran 1:27.27.
Deptford’s previous best time this year was a 1:29.55 at Easterns with a listed lineup of Albertson, Xavion Holmes, Hernandez and Liam Brown.
The final is scheduled for 7:58 p.m. Saturday.
All-Time South Jersey 800-Meter Relay List
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.55 … Deptford, 2026
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.28 … Washington Twp., 2025
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.77 … Pennsauken, 2023
1:28.77 … Camden, 2025
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.16 … Rancocas Valley, 2025
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:29.33 … Delsea, 2024
1:29.52 … Vineland, 2003
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:29.61 … Camden, 1999
1:29.72 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:29.74 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:29.80 … Deptford, 2023
1:29.81 … Pennsauken, 2022
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
All-Time Gloucester County 800-Meter Relay List
1:27.55 … Deptford, 2026
1:28.28 … Washington Twp., 2025
1:29.33 … Delsea, 2024
1:29.80 … Deptford, 2023
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:30.12 … Delsea, 2007
1:30.15 … Deptford, 2020
1:30.40 … Delsea, 2009
1:30.40 … Deptford, 2025
1:30.60 … Delsea, 2008
1:31.33 … Deptford, 2024
1:31.33 … Williamstown, 2026
1:31.63 … Kingsway, 2022
1:31.76 … West Deptford, 2006
All-Time New Jersey 800-Meter Relay List
1:26.24 …. Bergen Catholic, 2026
1:26.31 … Bergen Catholic, 2025
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.04 … Union Catholic, 2014
1:27.50 … Toms River South, 2023
1:27.55 … Deptford, 2026
1:27.80 … Union Catholic, 2013
1:27.6h … Vineland, 2004
1:27.89 … Nottingham, 2020
1:27.95 … St. Peter’s Prep, 2025
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:27.8h … East Orange, 2017
1:28.28 … Washington Township, 2024
1:28.35 … Union Catholic, 2008
1:28.35 … Trenton, 2008
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.46 … Trenton, 2012
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.53 … St. Peter’s Prep, 2026
1:28.59 … Livingston, 2024
1:28.62 … Plainfield, 2001
1:28.62 … Toms River North, 2024
1:28.73 … Trenton, 2008
1:28.74 … Elizabeth, 2019
1:28.76 … East Orange, 2018
1:28.77 … The Lawrenceville School, 2011
1:28.77 … Pennsauken, 2023
1:28.77 … Camden, 2025
1:28.81 … Franklin Twp., 2016
1:28.85 … West Orange, 2012
1:28.86 … Paramus Catholic, 2023
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:28.91 … Toms River North, 2026
1:28.7h … Trenton, 2003
1:28.95 … Piscataway, 2025
1:28.95 … Irvington, 2006
1:28.98 … North Brunswick, 2025
Timber Creek’s Nyla Jones, a Rowan sophomore, smashed the school record in the 60-meter hurdles Friday and advaned to the final at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
Jones ran 8.64, beating the school record of 8.68 set by Aspen McMillan of South Brunswick when she placed 4th at 2019 NCAA Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Rosbury, Mass.
Jones is already an All-America after placing 5th in the 400-meter hurdles last spring at Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.
Her previous hurdles PR was an 8.69 in a meet last month at the Ott Center.
The final is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 