From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Anytime you break a record, it’s been a good day. When you break a record held by an Olympic gold medalist, that puts it on another level.

Moorestown’s Brandon Outlaw won the Liberty Division 400 in 47.60 Saturday at Northern Burlington in Mansfield, breaking the Burlington County junior class record of 47.78 set by Willingboro’s Lamont Smith when he won the 1990 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.

Smith went on to run the leadoff leg for the U.S. when they won the 1,600-meter relay at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

For Outlaw, the 47.60 was a huge PR from his 48.52, which was good for fifth place at last year’s Meet of Champions, also in South Plainfield.

It makes him co-No. 1 in New Jersey this year. The previous No. 1 was a 48.08 by CBA’s Mike Zupko at the Monmouth County Meet earlier this week at Holmdel, but both Outlaw and another junior, Taj Burgess of Carteret, ran 47.60 on Saturday at the Greater Middlesex County meet in South Plainfield.

Looks like Outlaw is No. 14 in South Jersey history, fastest by a Burlington County quarter-miler since Antonio Abney won the Meet of Champions in 46.90 in 2007 and fastest South Jersey junior since Jamaad Muse of Timber Creek ran 46.67

Let’s take a look at the updated all-time South Jersey list:

• 46.02 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
• 46.62 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
• 46.67 … Jamaad Muse [Timber Creek], 2014
• 46.77 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
• 46.90 … Antonio Abney [Willingboro], 2007
• 46.95 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2012
• 47.03 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1994
• 47.1h … Darron Outler [Lenape], 1984
• 47.2h … Levin Handy [Vineland], 1969
• 47.2h … Brian Bennett [Edgewood], 1985
• 47.48 … Ron Hillian [Eastern], 2002
• 47.3h … Curtis Mcintyre [Bridgeton], 1992
• 47.59 … Jade Smith [Camden], 2002
• 47.60 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2016
• 47.4h … Ken Moore [Overbrook], 1984
• 47.4h … Chuck Carter [Eastern], 1985
• 47.4h … Barry Douglas [Willingboro], 1993
• 47.64 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
• 47.30 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
• 47.76 … Carl Smith [Camden], 2005
• 47.88 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2009
• 47.88 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2011

Outlaw needed to run that fast because Willingboro’s Tyler Davidson was right behind him.

Davidson crossed the line in 48.03, a big PR for him. His previous best was a 49.26 for second to teammate Kenny Brosier at last year’s Burlington County Open.

Davidson on Saturday also matched his 400 hurdles PR of 54.43 and won the 800 in 1:59.71.

In all, five runners broke 50 seconds in a very fast Liberty Division 400 and two more dipped under in the Freedom Division. The race was so fast that two-time defending champion Marquan Jones of Pennsauken was fourth, despite breaking 50 seconds.

Liberty Division
1st – Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown] 47.60
2nd – Tyler Davidson [Willingboro], 48.03
3rd – Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 48.33
4th – Marquan Jones [Pennsauken], 49.81
5th – Kevin Fox [Moorestown], 49.84

Freedom Division
1st – Kelvin Harmon [Palmyra], 49.26
2nd – Daveigh Brooks [Burlington City], 49.77

Finally, let’s take a look at all the 400 winners in meet history … or at least going back to the mid-1970s.

400-METER DASH

• 2016: Brandon Outlaw (Moorestown) 47.60

 

• 2015: Marquan Jones (Pennsauken) 49.71
• 2014: Marquan Jones (Pennsauken) 49.65
• 2013: Eric Butler (Pennsauken) 49.95
• 2012: Carlin Simpson (Burlington Twp.), 50.37
• 2011: Vinny Pini (Burlington Twp.), 49.97
• 2010: not available
• 2009: Kendall White (Rancocas Valley) 49.59
• 2008: Tyrone McRae (Willingboro) 49.84
• 2007: Antonio Abney (Willingboro) 48.11
• 2006: Phil Reid (Rancocas Valley) 48.8
• 2005: Sean Morris (Burlington Twp.) 50.68
• 2004: Randal Raglan-Harris (Willingboro) 50.63
• 2003: Ahmad Rutherford (Willingboro) 49.3
• 2002: Ahmad Rutherford (Willingboro) 50.48
• 2001: Marvin Lewis (Willingboro) 48.45
• 2000: Michael Bolling (Willingboro) 48.74
• 1999: Mohamad Kanu (Lenape) 49.34
• 1998: Rob Gary (Lenape) 47.3
• 1997: Wayne Riley (Willingboro) 50.2
• 1996: Sean Watson (Willingboro) 48.9
• 1995: Brian Pitt (Willingboro) 49.3
• 1994: Brian Pitt (Willingboro) 49.4
• 1993: Barry Douglas (Willingboro) 48.4
• 1992: Darren Sandlin (Holy Cross) 49.9
• 1991: Rob Douglas (Willingboro) 49.5
• 1990: Lamont Smith (Willingboro) 49.9
• 1989: Jerry Scott (Rancocas Valley) 50.1
• 1988: Rich Styk (Cherokee) 50.9
• 1987: Sean Scott (Willingboro) 51.1
• 1986: Aren Watson (Shawnee) 50.0
• 1985: Hal Harden (Willingboro) 49.2
• 1984: Darron Outler (Lenape) 49.4
• 1983: Darron Outler (Lenape) 49.2
• 1982: Jeff Bradford (Willingboro) 49.7
• 1981: Robert Burden (Kennedy) 50.9
• 1980: Quincy Vaughan (Willingboro) 51.3
• 1979: not available
• 1978: Ray Greene (Rancocas Valley) 49.2
• 1977: not available
• 1976: Bill Tyler (Kennedy) 49.1
• 1975: Bill Tyler (Kennedy) 51.5