EVERYTHING you need to know about SJ’s 10 sectional team titles!

The Rancocas Valley Red Devils celebrate after winning the program's first sectional title since 1977.
The Rancocas Valley Red Devils celebrate after winning the program’s first sectional title since 1977.

Ten South Jersey schools won South Jersey sectional team championships at various locations this weekend.

In the next few days, we’ll focus on some of the individual standouts at sectionals and look ahead to states next weekend.

But for now, let’s take a look at those 10 sectional champions and how they won their title.

South Jersey Group 1 Boys – Haddon Township

Luke Petela won the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, leading 1-2-3 Haddon Township sweeps in the 800 and 3,200 and a 1-2-4 finish in the 1,600. That’s insane. That’s also 70 points in three distance events.

Petela ran 1:53.78, 4:26.77 and 9:59.52, with Township junior Owen Long second in all three (1:57.39, 4:26.92, 9:29.71).

Petela and Long also ran on the winning 3,200-meter relay team, along with Joe Domanico and Randy Ladd.

Chris Gandolfo was third in the 1,600 and Joe Dinerman was third in the 800. Ladd was fourth in the 3,200.

Haddon Township outscored second-place Penns Grove, 120-89.

The sectional title is the program’s sixth overall but only its second in the last 24 years. Township won Group 2 in 1971 and 1972 and Group 1 in 1989, 1991 and 2012.

South Jersey Group 2 Boys – Haddonfield

For all the program’s accomplishments, this was the Bulldogs’ first South Jersey sectional title in 22 years and sixth overall. Haddonfield won Group 3 in 1968 and Group 1 in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1993.

This title was a rarity in that Haddonfield didn’t win a single individual event. But the Bulldogs still were able to outscore Deptford by 10 points.

Key events — not surprisingly — were the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, where Haddonfield piled up 44 points.

In the 1,600, Greg Pelose, Austin Stoner and Danny Brennan ran 1-3-5 for 18 points; in the 800, Stoner,  Pelose and Jack Wood went 2-4-5 for 14 points; and in the 3,200, Danny Brennan and Chad Evans ran second and fourth for 12 points.

Stoner, Wood, Pelose and Chris Goings ran a hot 7:52.11 for a 75-meter win in the 3,200-meter relay.

Haddonfield also got a second place from Ian Picking in the pole vault.

South Jersey Group 3 Boys – Oakcrest

Oakcrest has been a very solid program for the last decade and won its fifth title in school history and fourth since 2007. The Falcons came out on top after a wild three-way team battle with Delsea and Timber Creek, Oakcrest finishing with 84 points, Delsea 79 and Timber Creek 74.

Oakcrest did a lot of its damage in the field, scoring 52 of its 84 points away from the track, with Terrence Smith winning the javelin, three scorers in the high jump, Ray Rodriguez third in the pole vault (13-6), Jordan Ingrum and Tyler Clybourn going 2-3 in the long jump (22-6, 21-11 1/4), Enaje Johnson-Hutto second and Prescott Nimley placing 2-6 in the shot,

The Falcons also got big points in the intermediates, with Ali-Quan Stokes and Quadir Thomas going 1-4, and got second in the 4-by-4 with Stokes, Tyler Clybourn, Christian Dennis and Kevin Stokes.

South Jersey Group 4 Boys – Rancocas Valley

A monumental performance by the Red Devils, who won their second sectional title in school history and first since the 1977 team won Group 3.

Sydney Pierce had a monster double, winning the 100 in a N.J. #1 10.72 and the 200 in a N.J. #2 21.64 along with anchor legs on R.V.’s winning 4-by-1 and third-place 4-by-4. So Pierce had a hand in 36 points.

The 800 was huge for the Red Devils, with juniors Isaiah Curbelo (1:55.97) and Joshua DJesus (1:58.06) finishing 1-3. DeJesus was also second in the 1,600 in 4:21.21, a four-second PR.

Jose Colon-Cruz and Jacob Tyndale joined Curbelo and DeJesus on the winning 4-by-8, which ran 8:00.98.

Zakiyy Williams did his thing in the horizontal jumps, blasting a meet-record 47-4 1/2 to win the triple jump and taking second at 21-7 in the long jump

Diante Bah had a monster weekend for R.V., with a PR 14.86 for second in the high hurdles, third in the high jump at a PR-matching 6-4, 21-5 for third in the long jump and fifth in the intermediates (PR 56.82). That’s 22 huge points for Bah.

Dyson Scott also placed in both sprints for R.V., and Robert Marks (174-9 win in the javelin), Chris Bright (PR 154-9 in the disc) and and Maurice Johnson (shot) added a surprising 19 points in the throws .

R.V.’s 133 points are second-most in S.J. Group 4 meet history. Winslow scored 140 in 2003.

South Jersey Group 1 Girls – Schalick

Schalick finished 35 points ahead of second-place Haddon Heights, 107-72, with Haddon Township just behind with 68 points.

Josephina Koomson led a 1-4 finish in the highs, and Alexia Lee led a 1-4 finish in the triple jump. Koomson was also second in the 100.

Tierrny Wiltshire (second in 400), Superia Ryan (second in discus), Amanda Chomo (second in 800) and Olivia Gerstenbach (third in 3,200, fourth in 1,600) also scored big points.

Schalick also took second in the 4-by-4 and 4-by-8, with Amanda Chomo, Taylor Ismail, Olivia Moor and Wiltshire on the 4-by-4 and Chomo, Avery Bramell, Paige Nelson and Gerstenbach on the 4-by-8.

Schalick won its fourth title overall and first since 2011. The Cougars also won in 1996 and 2002.

South Jersey Group 2 Girls – Sterling

The Silver Knights won their first title in 33 years, edging Haddonfield 91-85 and denying the Bulldogs a fifth consecutive title.

Shaniyla Johnson won the discus and Justine Thomas was first in the pole vault to lead the way for Sterling.

Sydney Coppolino led three scorers in the 800 with a 2:18.18 and led a 1-2 finish with twin sister Madison in the 1,600, both under 5:15. Sydney Coppolino also ran third in the 400IH with a PR 1:06.25.

The Knights clinched the team title when Candace Daywalt, Julie Stratton, Aliya Harrison and Julie Stratton finished fourth in the 4-by-4 in an eight-second season-best 4:06.40. Sterling needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the team title.

Sterling also got big points from Janlle Rowe (second in triple jump, third in long jump) and Rachel Adamski (second in javelin)

South Jersey Group 3 Girls – Winslow Township

The title was Winslow’s third in a row, fifth since 2004 and eighth overall (including three won as Edgewood – Group 3 in 1979 and Group 4 in 1983 and 1985).

Only Haddonfield (17), Paulsboro (nine) and Woodbury (nine) have won more in South Jersey girls track history. Shawnee has also won eight.

Huge weekend for Gabrielle Bennett, who soared a personal-best 19-2 1/2 to win the long jump, ran 14.60 for first in the high hurdles, cleared 5-6 and won the high jump on misses over Natalie Cowan of Hammonton and got second in the triple jump with a 36-11 1/2. Only Vashti Hanna of Cumberland, who PR’d at 37-4 in the triple, denied Bennett a rare quad win.

The intermediates were big for Winslow, with Brittany Preston, Jordan Austin and Shayla Rivers all running 1:04-point and taking second, third and fourth,behind Daijah Davis-Hines of Timber Creek, who won in 1:02.69. Ciarra Johnson was second in the shot, nearly hitting 40 feet.

Shayla Rivers, Maryn Hess, Jordan Austin and Amiaya Melvins ran 4:00.27 to win the 4-by-4, and the all frosh-soph 4-by-1 team of Tyianna Williams, Ananda Smith-Stroud, Flora Ahirakwe and Ziani Smalls ran 49.20 for another relay win.

South Jersey Group 4 Girls – Lenape

Lenape turned in one of the greatest performances in South Jersey sectional history, scoring a South Jersey Group 4-record 133 points — 23 more than the previous meet record of 110, set two years ago by Cherokee.

The Indians scored in every track event other than the 3,200 — which they didn’t enter. They outscored second-place by 52 points, the largest margin of victory in S.J.-4 history.

There were a number of stars for Lenape, but senior Carly Pettipaw and sophomore Jasmine Staten performed out of their minds, combining for 78 out of a possible 80 points. Pettipaw won four events and Staten had three firsts and a second to Pettipaw.

Pettipaw won the 400 in 56.59, reclaiming the school record that Staten took from her last weekend at the Burlington County meet. Staten was a step behind in 56.76, just off her 56.63 PR.

Pettipaw also won the 800 in 2:14.27, another PR, won the intermediates in 1:01.49, a school record, and ran a leg on the winning 1,600-meter relay team with Samantha Maynes, Shannon Storms and Marissa Topoloski.

All Staten did was win the 200 in a PR 24.81, edge Millville’s top-seeded Rachell Armstead by 1-100th of a second with a big PR 14.82, jump a PR 18-4 to win the long jump and take second to Pettipaw in the 400.

Soon after Pettipaw and Maynes opened the meet by scoring 16 points in the intermediates, Shannon Storms and Cassie Hoxit went 1-2 in the pole vault, both clearing 9-6. That’s 34 points in the first two events (Hoxit tied for second), and it was pretty much over already.

Other big contributors for Lenape: Camille Franklin (5:00.49 for second in 1,600), Maynes (14.99, 1:04.16 for third in both hurdles), Megan Quimby (2:16.70 for fourth in the 800), Topolski (PR 58.44 for fourth in the 400) and the 400-meter relay team of Maynes, Ariel Mitchell, Shannon Storms and Topolski (third in 49.55).

South Jersey Parochial B Boys – St. Joe’s-Hammonton

Tremendous meet for Ben Mitchell, whose quad include individual wins in the intermediates, high jump and long jump along with a leg on the winning 4-by-4,.

Mitchell and Erick Colon went 1-2 in the high jump for 18 big points for the Wildcats and led three St. Joe’s scorers in the long jump with a big 22-3 1/2 jump.

Caleb Williams swept the 100 and 200 with a fast 10.76-21.91 double, and edged teammate Rocco Ordille for the win in the 100.

Ordille, Williams, Davore Mewborn and A’Laam Horne won the 400-meter relay in 42.88, and Jordan Davis, Ricky Quirindongo, Horne and Mitchell won the 4-by-4

Central Jersey Group 3 Girls – Northern Burlington

Northern couldn’t have written a better script. This was the first time the Greyhounds have hosted a sectional, and the NBC girls wound up winning their first sectional title on their home track.

Senior Ashley Edwards and sophomore Kayla Jackson led the way for Northern, which outscored Middletown North by 19 points, winning by an 80-61 margin. Edwards and Jackson had a hand in 56 of Northern’s 80 points — 34 for Edwards, 22 for Jackson.

Edwards popped a big 18-7 to win the long jump and junior teammate Ty Horne took second by a quarter of an inch. Edwards also won the triple jump with a 37-6 1/2 and was second in the high hurdles (by 1-100th of a second) and third in the 200.

Jackson won the 400 in a PR 57.94 and was third in both the 100 and 200.

Precious Williams (second in javelin) and Ashley Dunteman (third in 3,200) also had big performances for the Greyhounds.

Lenape girls pile up 77 points on Day 1 at S.J. Group 4 meet! 77 POINTS!!!!!

Jasmine Staten won the long jump and placed second to teammate Carly Pettipaw in the 400. Photo courtesy of Dennis Smythe.
Jasmine Staten won the long jump and placed second to teammate Carly Pettipaw in the 400. Photo courtesy of Dennis Smythe.

Going into Day 2 at the South Jersey Group 4 meet, the Lenape girls have 77 points.

In nine events.

That means Lenape is averaging 8 1/2 points per event so far. Or better than second place on the average per event.

To put that in perspective, consider that the Southern Regional girls won last year’s meet with 67 points. Lenape has already topped that with nine events to go.

Day 2 of the South Jersey Group 4 meet begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with finals scheduled in the 200-meter dash, 800-meter run, 3,200-meter run, high hurdles, 400-meter relay and 1,600-meter relay on the track and triple jump, high jump and discus in the field.

Lenape holds a 34-point lead over Kingsway in S.J. Group 4, with Egg Harbor (30), perennial champ Southern (28) and Vineland (24) next in team scoring.

Lenape already has more points than it scored last year (57). For all its accomplishments in recent years under coaches Gerald Richardson and Jack Walsh, Lenape has only won one South Jersey title outdoors, winning in 2011. Lenape has been second to Southern five times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2014) and third behind Southern and Cherokee in 2012.

With nine events to go, Lenape is only 33 points away from the record for most points in a South Jersey Group 4 meet. Cherokee scored 110 points in 2013, edging Southern by just three points. Lenape scored 107 when it won in 2011.

The Lenape girls made quite a statement in the opening events Friday at Egg Harbor’s Eagle Stadium.

In the first track final, Carly Pettipaw ran a PR 1:01.49 and Samantha Maynes finished third in a PR 1:04.16 for 16 quick points. Moments later, junior Shannon Storms and freshman Cassie Hoxit cleared 9-6 in the pole vault, Storms winning and Hoxit tying for second, for 17 more points.

The meet wasn’t an hour old, and Lenape had 33 points and a 21-point lead over Kingsway.

Pettipaw and soph Jasmine Staten then went 1-2 in the 400 — both breaking 57 seconds — and senior Marissa Topolski broke 59 seconds for fourth, generating a whopping 22 points in the 400.

Staten also won the long jump by more than a foot, adding a fraction of an inch to her PR with an 18-4., and senior Camille Franklin ran 5:00.49 for second in the 1,600 and eight more points.

Franklin, soph Megan Quimby, senior Eryka Colucci and soph Cian Williams added a fifth in the 3,200-meter relay for two more points, and senior Ariel Mitchell ran fifth in the 100 with a PR 12.46.

That’s 22 points in the 400, 17 in the pole vault, 16 in the intermediates, 10 in the long jump, eight in the 1,600 and two in the 4-by-8 and the 200.

A whopping 77 points.

For the record, the record for largest margin of victory in the South Jersey Group 4 meet is 36 points, Southern 95 and Lenape 59 in 2007.

Lenape, ranked No. 3 in the state and one of the best teams ever assembled in South Jersey, has a chance to make some history today.

Check back here later today for results, performance lists, records and all the usual stats you won’t find anywhere else!

Pierce, Williams lead R.V. boys to huge Day 1 at S.J. Group 4 meet!!!

Officials re-measure Zakiyy Williams' meet-record 47-4 1/2 in the triple jump Friday.
Officials re-measure Zakiyy Williams’ meet-record 47-4 1/2 in the triple jump Friday.

It’s been 38 years since Rancocas Valley won its only sectional track championship. The program has been rejuvenated under coach Jeff Dzuranin, and thanks to tremendous Day 1 performances from Sterling Pierce and Zakiyy Williams, among others, the Red Devils find themselves in terrific position for their first title since 1977.

Pierce ran a N.J. #1 10.72 in the 100 finals and Williams broke the meet record with a 47-4 1/2 in the triple jump Friday as R.V. pulled out to a 21-point lead at intermission in the South Jersey Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor Township.

With nine events to go, R.V. leads second-place Egg Harbor 60-39, with Lenape (25) and Jackson Memorial (24) next.

Let’s take a look at Rancocas Valley’s very productive Day 1:

100-METER DASH

Pierce ran a 2015 New Jersey-best 10.73 in the trials and then went a bit faster in the finals, winning in a school-record 10.72. Teammate Dyson Scott wasn’t far behind with a personal-best 11.00 for third. 16 points

1600-METER RUN

Junior Joshua DeJesus ran a four-second PR of 4:21.21, third-fastest in R.V. history behind Mark Strucku (4:18.7 converted from full mile in 1979) and Ian Waterhouse (4:16.93 in 2004), and placed second behind Ryan Rafferty of Jackson Memorial, who won in 4:19.35. 8 Points

400-METER INTERMEDIATE HURDLES

Bah, the No. 7 seed at 57.62, PR’d by about a second and finished fifth in 56.82. Quite a bounce-back after he finished seventh at the County Open six days earlier in 59.64. 2  points

HIGH JUMP

Another outstanding performance from Bah, who cleared 6-4 for the third straight major meet and finished third. 6 points

3,200-METER RELAY 

Freshman Jacob Tyndale joined juniors Jose Colon-Cruz and DeJesus and senior Isaiah Curbelo to win in 8:00.98, about three seconds ahead of Egg Harbor. 10 points.

Triple Jump

Williams PR’d by about five inches and broke the meet record of 46-8, set in 2009 by Rob Whitfield of Toms River South. 10 points

Discus

Tremendous effort by senior Chris Bright, who was only the ninth seed but PR’d with a 154-9 for second place.

That’s more than 20 feet farther than he threw at the County Open and a PR by 14 feet. Bright’s previous PR was 140-4 at the BCSL Liberty Division meet two weeks ago.

Bright is a study in persistence. This is a kid that threw 108 feet at sectionals as a sophomore and 120 feet last year. This year, he scored eight huge points in the South Jersey championships.  8 points

 

All the info you need for sectional weekend is here!!!

step0001-40The two-day sectional meets begin today at eight sites throughout New Jersey. South Jersey athletes will be split between Egg Harbor (Groups 1 & 4) and Central Regional in Bayville (Groups 2 & 3), with S.J. Parochial B at EHT and S.J. Parochial A at Donovan Catholic in Toms River.

Some South Jersey athletes will be competing in the Central Jersey meets, with Central Jersey Groups 1 & 4 again at Hillsborough High and Central Jersey Groups 2 & 3 at Northern Burlington Regional in Mansfield.

Here is the program for the two South Jersey meets, including meet records, all-time team winners and the 2015 performance lists: http://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/document/15%20South%20Section%20Program.pdf

Here’s the program for the two Central Jersey meets: http://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/document/15%20Central%20Section%20Program.pdf

And here’s all the info for the parochial meets: http://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/document/15%20Non%20Public%20A%20Section%20Program.pdf

The cash-strapped NJSIAA no longer offers actual programs at its meets, so save these downloads so you can follow along once things get going this afternoon.

All the meets have the same schedule, with finals today in the intermediates, 1,600-meter run, 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash and 3,200-meter relay on the track and shot put, javelin, long jump for girls and discus, triple jump and high jump for boys. Everything else is scheduled for tomorrow.

We will post results links as soon as they’re available today and tomorrow. The weather looks fantastic. Hope for PRs all around over the next two days!

Schalick’s Mesiano looking to make history in Group 1 intermediates!

Keep an eye on the Group 1 intermediates Friday afternoon at the South Jersey sectionals a Egg Harbor. It should be very fast.

Chris Mesiano of Schalick is the favorite and will be trying to become the first ever to win three straight SJ-1 intermediates. He won in 2013 in 57.36 and last year in 55.7.

Mesiano ran a big PR of 53.83 last week at the Tri-County Championships, the No. 2 time in New Jersey, behind only Union Catholic’s Taylor McLaughlin (51.92) and the No. 1 time among all New Jersey juniors and all South Jersey athletes.

Mesiano’s time is second-fastest in the last 10 years by a South Jersey Group 1 athlete, just 1-100th of a second behind the 53.82 run by Penns Grove’s Stephon Bell when he won the 2010 state Group 1 title. The fastest Group 1 hurdler in state history is the legendary Fred Sharpe of Paulsboro, who ran 51.62 at the 1997 Meet of Champions.

Nobody has run under 55 seconds at the SJ-1 intermediates since Palmyra’s Will Brown ran 54.8 in 2005. Brown went on to win the national scholastic title in the high hurdles a year later and was a two-time national high hurdles for Montclair State.

Burlington City’s Bryan Smith (54.3 in 2001) and Sharpe (53.0 in 1997) are the only other runners to break 55 in Group 1.

Mesiano will also be trying to become the first South Jersey hurdler in any group since Dwight Ruff of Camden to win three straight sectional titles in the intermediates. Ruff won SJ-3 from 1999 through 2001 (53.2, 52.4, 51.0) on his way to becoming a multiple All-America at Florida.

Mesiano just broke 55 seconds for the first time earlier this month with a 54.74 at the Salem County meet on his home track at Schalick. His PR coming into the season was 55.59 from last year’s state meet, when he was second to Verona’s Chris Sweeney, who was also credited with a 55.59.

Other than Sharpe and Bell, the only New Jersey Group 1 hurdlers in the last 10 years faster than what Mesiano ran at the Tri-County meet are John Porteous of Wood-Ridge (52.93 at the 2011 Meet of Champions) and Dylan Capwell of Hopatcong (52.43 at the 2013 M-of-C).

What makes this year so unusual is that there is some depth in the South Jersey Group 1 intermediates field.

Riverside’s Michael Ramos has been PR’ing regularly and could push Mesiano Friday afternoon.

How far has Ramos come in the last year? His PR as a sophomore was 58.53 at the County Open, and he’s lowered that in each of his last four major races:

58.12 – Moorestown Invite
56.80 – BCSL meet
56.00 – County Open
55.87 – Willingboro Relay meet

Ramos is the No. 3 Group 1 runner in the state behind Mesiano and Raymund Clark of Roselle (54.46) and the No. 10 junior overall in the state.

Here’s a look at every runner since 1985 to win the South Jersey Group 1 400-meter intermediates:

2014    Chris Mesiano (Schal.) 55.71
2013    Chris Mesiano (Schal.) 57.36
2012    Sam Maniglia (P.G.) 56.60
2011    Shane Shanahan (P.G.) 55.1
2010    Stephon Bell (P.G.) 55.63
2009    Ali Ejaz (Glass.) 56.60
2008    Stephon Bell (P.G.) 57.08
2007    Keenan Cromartie (P.G.) 56.59
2006    Will Brown (Palmyra) 55.65
2005    Will Brown (Palmyra) 54.8
2004    William Barnes (Salem) 56.41
2003    Corey Crawford (Pennsville) 56.7
2002    Jason Alm (Bordentown) 57.2
2001    Bryan Smith (Burlington) 54.3
2000    Bryan Smith (Burlington) 55.7
1999    Dave Lowden (Pitman) 56.4
1998    Marcus Dowe (Penns Grove) 56.2
1997    Fred Sharpe (Paulsboro) 53.0
1996    Fred Sharpe (Paulsboro) 55.2
1995    Kevin Blakemore (Burl. Twp.) 55.6
1994    Tivon Silva (Penns Grove) 55.9
1993    Gerrit Kemps (H’field) 55.7
1992    Brian Davis (Maple Shade) 56.4
1991    Brian Davis (Maple Shade) 58.0
1990    Byron Pugh (Haddon Twp.) 57.9
1989    John Rowarnd (Audubon) 57.1
1988    Matt Moore (Palmyra) 55.6
1987    Mike Williams (Kingsway) 56.1
1986    George Bland (P.G.) 56.1
1985    Winston Henry (Florence) 57.3

Order of events, group breakdowns and much more are listed in the spring track regs on the NJSIAA web site. You can link to it here.

Curbelo led deepest, fastest 800 in Burlington County Open history!!!!!

Three under 1:57? Seven under two minutes? Nine at 2:01 or faster?

The 800-meter run at Saturday’s Burlington County Open was fast and deep, and we searched deep down into the record books to see just how fast and deep it was!

Not surprisingly, we learned it was faster and deeper than any other 800 in the meet’s more than 70-year history.

First of all, let’s take a look at the top 10 finishers, which included juniors in the first four spots and seven underclassmen among the first eight finishers:

1:55.81 … *Isaiah Curbelo (Rancocas Valley)
1:56.51 … *Tyler Davidson (Willingboro)
1:56.81 … *Tom Long (Cinnaminson)
1:57.71 … *Joshua DeJesus (Rancocas Valley)
1:58.99 … Jose Colon-Cruz (Rancocas Valley)
1:59.17 … *Tyler Kurzawa (Cherokee)
1:59.32 … *Harrison Morris (Moorestown)
2:00.86 … **Mark Miller (Shawnee)
2:01.82 … Daniel Forman (Pemberton)
2:04.18 … Chris Martin (Northern Burlington)

Let’s take a look at the field and what they achieved, and then we’ll look at some records for place. We counted six PRs among the first eight across the line.

→ Curbelo became the first repeat winner of the Burlington County Open boys 800 in 16 years, since Aaron Boucher of Cherokee won in 1998 and 1999. His time is an outdoor PR, although he ran slightly faster (1:55.54) when he placed second at the indoor M-of-C this past winter.

→ Davidson took more than four seconds off his PR of 2:00.65, set at the indoor Meet of Champs.

→  Long ran a nearly three-second PR. His previous best was an indoor 1:59.52 at Toms River in the Group 2 sectionals.

→  DeJesus also ran a PR. Two week earlier he ran 1:58.02 at the South Jersey Invitational.

→  Colon-Cruz has a 1:56.86 to his credit from last year’s Group 4 sectionals, when he placed third.

→  Kurzawa is another junior who PR’d in the race, lowering his personal-best time from 1:59.88, set at last year’s South Jersey Invitational.

→  Another junior, another PR. Morris dipped under two minutes for the first time in his life. His previous PR was a 2:00.43 at last year’s Haddonfield Distance Night.

→  Miller was the first sophomore across the line, and he PR’d by more than 2 1/2 seconds. His previous 800 PR was a 2:03.43 at the District Cup.

→  Forman fell a bit shy of his PR of 2:00.12, set at the South Jersey Invitational earlier this year.

→  Martin has run faster (2:00.29), but he was doubling back not long after winning the 3,200.

Where do all these times fit in among South Jersey’s best? Curbelo is No. 2, followed by Davidson (No. 5), Long (No. 6), DeJesus (No. 11), Colon-Cruz (No. 18), Kurzawa (No. 20), Morris (No. 21) and Miller (No. 29).

We wondered if there’s ever been such a deep County 800, so we began researching fastest times by place in meet history.

Here’s what we found: The race produced the fastest times in County Open history for fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth place. Some other spots were very close. Let’s take a look!

1st: Fastest time for first, obviously, is the meet record, which is shared by Clayton Baloche of Lenape (1:53.4 hand time in 1992) and Ian Waterhouse of Rancocas Valley (1:53.58 in 2005).

2nd: Rob Novak won the national 800 title in 2005, but Waterhouse edged him in the County Open, and Novak’s 1:54.14 stands as the fastest second-place time ever.

3rd: Long’s 1:56.81 is second-fastest third-place time ever, behind only Lenape’s Zach McBride’s 1:55.84 in 2003.

4th: DeJesus broke the fourth-place record of 1:57.80 that Waterhouse set as a sophomore in 2003.

5th: Colon-Cruz’s time is third-fastest ever for fifth place, behind the 1:58.10 that RV’s Joel Straker ran in 2012 and a 1:58.65 by Cherokee’s A.J. Valentine in 2009.

6th: Kurzawa broke the sixth-place record set by another Cherokee runner, Colin Merrigan, who ran 1:59.33 for sixth in the 2011 race.

7th: Morris ran nearly a second faster than the previous seventh-place record of 2:00.16, set in 2012 by Derek Gore of Holy Cross.

8th: Miller toppled the eighth-place record of 2:01.04, set in 2005 by Patrick Fox of Holy Cross.

9th: Forman just missed the ninth-place record of 2:01.65, set in 2005 by Shawnee’s Matt Abbate.

10th: The 10th-place record was also set in that fast 2005 race by Cherokee’s Rich Nelson at 2:02.60.

Full results of the County Open are here.

Lenape’s Staten becomes 2nd EVER with quad win at Burlco Open!!!!!

Jasmine Staten wins the 400 at the County Open. Photo courtesy of Dennis Smyth.
Jasmine Staten wins the 400 at the County Open. Photo courtesy of Dennis Smyth.

She won the high hurdles. She won the 400. She won the 200. She won the long jump.

When the dust had settled, Lenape sophomore Jasmine Staten had become only the second girl in Burlington County Open history to win four individual events the same year. That’s two girls in 38 years.

The only other quad winner was legendary Tonya Lee of Rancocas Valley, who won four events as a sophomore in 1986 and a junior in 1987. Lee went on to become a multiple All-America at Tennessee and a finalist in the 400 intermediates in the Olympic Trials. Even Olympian Carol Lewis never won four in a year.

Full results from The County Open are here.

Let’s take a look at the three quad wins:

Tonya Lee, 1986

400IH 1:03.4, High Jump 5-4, Long Jump 18-4, 100HH 15.8

Tonya Lee, 1987

400IH: 1:02.2, High Jump 5-4, Long Jump 17-7 1/4, 100HH 15.3

Jasmine Staten, 2015

200: 25.17, 400: 56.63, Long Jump 16-9 1/2, High Hurdles 15.30

It’s tough to compare their triples, since Maple Shade isn’t a great place for the horizontal jumps.

But Staten was dominating on Saturday, helping Lenape score a meet-record 162 points in winning its seventh title in the last nine years.

Let’s take a look at her day:

100 Hurdles: Staten, in just her fourth career high hurdles race, opened with a 15.33 in the trials and then ran 15.30 in the final, leading a 1-2-3 Lenape sweep with Samantha Maynes (15.38) and Sabrina LaRosa (15.90). Staten wasn’t far off her PR of 15.18, set at the Olympic Conference meet earlier in the week at Washington Township. She ranks No. 4 in South Jersey.

Long Jump: Staten didn’t compete in the final and took only two jumps in the trials, going 16-1 1/4 and then 16-9 1/2. It was enough to win by 6 1/4 inches over Ty Horne of Northern Burlington. She became the first Lenape girl ever to win the County Open long jump. Her PR is 18-3 1/4, set at the Olympic Conference meet. She ranks No. 6 in South Jersey.

400-Meter Dash: This was Staten’s strongest performance of the day. Staten broke the Lenape school record in the 400 with a 56.63, and she needed it to beat a loaded field that included four girls at 58.59 or faster. Aliyah Taylor was second in 57.91, with Northern’s Kayla Jackson third in 58.03 and Seneca’s Kayla Jackson – the 800 champ – fourth in 58.59. Nia Hinds of Burlington Township, the high jump winner, also dipped under 60 seconds at 59.93. Saten’s 56.63 is No. 5 in meet history (but only 1-100th of a second off No. 3 and Only 39-100ths off No. 2). It’s No. 8 in New Jersey this year and No. 2 in South Jersey. The previous school record was 56.96, set by current teammate Carly Pettipaw, who didn’t run the 400 Saturday but won the intermediates and anchored the winning relay team.

200-Meter Dash: Staten ran 25.17 and won by more than a half a second, with Aliyah Taylor of Pemberton finishing second in 25.74. That 25.17 is the fifth-fastest time in meet history and second-fastest in the last 15 years (behind only Annie Johnson’s 24.90 in 2012). Her time is No. 3 in South Jersey this year and No. 6 in the state.

Additionally, Staten’s 25.17 – 56.63 is only the sixth 200-400 double at the Open since the meet’s inception in 1978:

  • Danielle Myricks (Willingboro, 2001): 25.32, 56.90
  • Halimah Bashir (Willingboro, 2002): 26.02, 58.82
  • Okechi Ogbuokiri (Willingboro, 2o03): 25.25, 56.52  
  • Michelle Brown (Seneca, 2009): 25.52, 54.40
  • Michelle Brown (Seneca, 2010): 25.90, 56.83
  • Jasmine Staten (Lenape, 2015): 25.17, 56.63

Staten won the 200 last year as a freshman, so she already has five career County Open wins. Lee’s seemingly unreachable record of 11 is a realistic goal. Here are the most career County Open individual wins in meet history:

  • 11 … Tonya Lee (Rancocas Valley), 1985-88
  • 9 … Carol Lewis (Willingboro), 1978-01
  • 7 … Caitlin Orr (Lenape), 2007-10
  • 6 … Michelle Glover (Willingboro), 1979-81
  • 6 … Andrea Conaway (Bordentown), 1983-1985
  • 6 … Demya Walker (Rancocas Valley), 1993-95
  • 6 … Amandi Rhett (Moorestown), 1998-2000
  • 6 … Mandie Dulin (Shawnee), 1995-97
  • 6 … Michelle Brown (Seneca), 2007-2010
  • 6 … Lynlee Phillips (Shawnee), 1998-99
  • 6 … Deanna Germano (Shawnee) 1984-86
  • 6 … Jess Woodard (Cherokee), 2010-13
  • 6 … Lillian Rivera (Pemberton), 1983-84
  • 5 … Rejeana Marigna (Palmyra), 2005-08
  • 5 … Jasmine Staten (Lenape), 2014-15
  • 5 … Lisa Burkholder (Cherokee), 2003-06
  • 5 … Karen Fileshifter (Holy Cross), 1978-81
  • 5 … Kari Vigerstol (Holy Cross), 1993-95
  • 5 … Kathy Sjolie (Kennedy), 1978-79
  • 5 … Bridgit Sedevi (Cherokee), 1989-91
  • 4 … Mieaha Camper (Florence), 1994-95
  • 4 … Danielle Myricks (Willingboro), 2000-01
  • 4 … Mary Bohi (Seneca), 2008-10
  • 4 … Brittnee Bynoe (Willingboro), 2004-06
  • 4 … Jenna Darcy (Shawnee), 1999-00
  • 4 … Kristen Tricocci (Cinnaminson), 2002-03
  • 4 … Danielle O’Reilly (Shawnee), 2001-04
  • 4 … Stacy Hinson (Lenape), 1985-87
  • 4 … Erica Davis (Northern Burlington), 2001-03

Williamstown soph Mack blazes to NJ #1 bests in the 100 and 200!!!!!!!!!

What a crazy-fast sprint double by Williamstown sophomore Bria Mack, who ran the fastest times in New Jersey Thursday afternoon at the Tri-County Conference championships at Delsea.

Mack won the 100 in 11.98 and the 200 in 24.53. And she beat some pretty good runners to do it. Mack edged Delsea’s Cecilia Gerstenbacher in the 100 and Deptford’s Kiara Lester in the 200.

Gerstenbacher ran 12.09, which is second-fastest in New Jersey this year, and Lester ran 25.09, just off her season best of 24.99, which is fourth-fastest in New Jersey this year.

Those two times are No. 5 and No. 7 in Gloucester County history. Mack’s previous PR was a 12.01 at Group 4 states last year. Gerstenbacher’s previous 100 PR was a 12.35 at the Art Madrick Invitational last year in Bear, Del.

  • 11.81 … Denise Liles (Kingsway), 1984
  • 11.81 … Audrey Wilson (Deptford), 2008
  • 11.84 … Robin Taylor (Deptford), 1980
  • 11.85 … Dana Burnett (Williamstown), 1996
  • 11.98 … Kiara Lester (Deptford), 2014
  • 11.98 … Bria Mack (Williamstown), 2015
  • 12.09 … Cecilia Gerstenbacher (Delea) 2015
  • 12.09 … Gabrielle Farquharson (Williamstown), 2011

In the 200, Mack beat Deptford’s Kiara Lester, a double sectional winner last year who went on to place seventh in the Meet of Champions.

Here’s the updated all-time Gloucester County list in the 200:

  • 23.90 … Denise Liles (Kingsway), 1984
  • 24.21 … Audrey Wilson (Deptford), 2009
  • 24.42 … Dana Burnett (Williamstown), 1996
  • 24.53 … Bria Mack (Williamstown), 2015
  • 24.69 … Kiara Lester (Deptford), 2014
  • 24.71 … Jackie Dim (Washingon Twp.), 2008
  • 24.91 … Gabrielle Farquharson (Williamstown), 2011

So Mack is now No. 5 in the 100 and No. 4 in the 200.

Full results from the Tri-County Meet can be found here.

Petela 4:11, four others at 4:16 or faster at Camden County Meet!!!!!!!!!

Luke Petela just keeps getting faster. And on Saturday, he brought a couple other runners along  with him.

Petela, a senior at Haddon Township and Foot Locker finalist, won the Small-School 1,600-meter run at the Camden County Meet Saturday in 4:11.78, No. 10 on the all-time South Jersey list.

Petela ran 4:13.86 for a full mile indoors, and that converts to 4:11.89 for 1,600 meters, so Saturday’s time will serve as a PR for Petela.

Teammate Owen Long, a junior, also PR’d, running 4:15.12, and Sterling’s Sean McPherson was just behind, placing third in 4:16.71.

But that’s not all.

In the Large-School race, two other milers dipped under 4:17 and two more ran 4:20 or faster. Dominick Munson of Timber Creek ran 4:16.74 to win the Large-School race, with Nick Pschunder of Eastern (4:16.85), Nick Rivera (4:18.81) and Dan Helfand of Cherry Hill East (4:20.45) just behind.

That’s seven runners at 4:20 or faster in one county meet.

The seven times rank No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 11 in New Jersey this year. So Haddon Township owns the two-fastest mile times in New Jersey through the second Saturday in May.

Munson ran 4:16.56 at states last year, but the times were PRs for the six others at 4:20 or faster.

Here are their previous PRs:

  • Petela: 4:11.89y
  • Long: 4:21.31
  • McPherson: 4:19.60
  • Pschunder: 4:19.73
  • Rivera: 4:26.00
  • Helfand:4:21.70

So Rivera PR’d by more than nine seconds and Long by more than six seconds!

Let’s take a look at the updated all-time South Jersey mile list, with 1,600 times converted to the full mile:

  • 4:08.51 … Brett Johnson (Ocean City), 2009
  • 4:09.30 … Colin Baker (Haddonfield), 2009
  • 4:10.2 ….. Mike Elder (Haddon Twp.), 1973
  • 4:10.69 … John Richardson (Ocean City), 2003
  • 4:11.07 … Xavier Fraction (Washington Twp.), 2009
  • 4:11.15 … Ryan Garvin (Lenape), 2009
  • 4:11.42 … Miles Schoedler (Ocean City), 2011
  • 4:11.7 ….. Mike Mantini (Gateway), 1979
  • 4:12.99 … Jim Wyner (Mainland Reg.), 2004
  • 4:13.24 … Luke Petela (Haddon Twp.), 2015
  • 4:13.33 … Marc Pelerin (Cherokee), 2002
  • 4:13.5 ….. Al Harden (Millville), 1978
  • 4:13.52 … Murad Campbell (Overbrook), 1999
  • 4:13.7 ….. Ed Blakeley (Haddon Twp.), 1975
  • 4:13.9 ….. Dick Caton (Woodbury), 1978

Full results of Saturday’s meet at Haddon Township can be found here.

Lenape’s Pettipaw & Franklin earn 2015 SJ #1’s at 800 & 1,600!!!!

With perfect conditions and fast fields, two Lenape runners posted 2015 South Jersey bests Thursday night at the ninth annual District Cup.

Carly Pettipaw led three runners under 2:19, winning the 800 in 2:14.52 — fastest in New Jersey  this year — and teammate Camille Franklin ran 5:00.42, leading five runners to 5:14 or faster.

The 800 produced the two-fastest times in South Jersey this year and four of the top 11, and the 1,600 produced five of the nine-fastest times in South Jersey so far this spring, including again the top two.

Following Pettipaw across the line were Seneca sophomore Kayla Martin (PR 2:16.08), Lenape sophomore Megan Quimby (2:18.72) and Shawnee junior Kara Bonner (2:21.04).

The previous meet record was 2:17.97, set in the meet’s inaugural year, 2007, by Lenape’s Miya Johnson.

In the 1,600, Franklin and Quimby (5:02.04) ran the two-fastest times in South Jersey this year, with Shawnee’s Nina Bendixen (5:10.23) and Bonner (5:11.73) both under 5:12 and Seneca’s Joey Webb (5:14.75) also under 5:15.

The previous meet record for 1,600 meters was Natalia Ocasio’s 5:05.07 for Lenape in 2012.

Franklin and Quimby now rank No. 3 and No. 4 in New Jersey this year, and Bendixen and Bonner are No. 18 and No. 21.

On the New Jersey 800 list, Pettipaw, Martin and Quimby are now No. 1, 2 and 5, Quimby with her 2:16.59 at the Abington Invitational last month.

Complete meet results are here.

Lenape won its eighth team title in the nine years of the meet’s existence, outscoring second-place Cherokee 134 2/3-64 1/2.

Lenape has had quite a run of fast girls in the 800 and 1,600 since Jack Walsh and Gerald Richardson took over the program.

How many other schools in New Jersey have had seven girls under 2:17 and seven under 5:10 in the program’s history?

Here are the top all-time Lenape girls in the two events — seven sub-5:10 girls in the 1,600 and seven under 2:17 in the 800 (all but Victory were coached by Walsh):

Fastest Lenape 800-Meter Runners

  • 2:11.07 … Miya Johnson, 2007
  • 2:14.52 … Carly Pettipaw, 2015
  • 2:14.70 … Kelly Victory, 2000
  • 2:15.18 … Natalia Ocasio, 2011
  • 2:15.54 … Moira Cunningham, 2008
  • 2:16.13 … Emily McGee, 2011
  • 2:16.59 … Megan Quimby, 2015

Fastest Lenape 1,600-Meter Runners

  • 4:52.95 … Caitlin Orr (Lenape), 2009
  • 4:56.01 … Natalia Ocasio (Lenape), 2010
  • 5:00.42 … Camille Franklin (Lenape), 2015
  • 5:02.04 … Meghan Quimby (Lenape), 2015
  • 5:03.52 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2007
  • 5:05.42 … Amanda Restivo (Lenape), 2010
  • 5:08.46 … Emily McGee (Lenape), 2011