The Delsea girls shattered the Gloucester County 400-meter relay record at sectionals with a 47.89 for the win in the South Jersey Group 2 meet on their home track.

The team of junior Kaire Brackett, sophomore Daneesha Brown, senior Cecelia Gerstenbacher and senior Toni Glatz edged Winslow Township, which ran 48.18 for second.

Delsea broke its own Gloucester County record of 47.84 set at the Tri-County meet earlier this month. Before that, Deptford held the record with its 47.85 last year for second at the Meet of Champions.

Delsea’s time is No. 3 in the state this year behind only Winslow’s 47.05 at Penn and Union Catholic’s 47.72 at the Union County Relays.

It’s also No. 12 in South Jersey but only 2-100ths of a second outside the top-10. Delsea is the first South Jersey school other than Winslow to run that fast since Eastern, with Olympic gold medalist English Gardner, ran a South Jersey-record 46.87 in 2003.

Delsea and Winslow are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in this weekend’s state Group 3 meet at Northern Burlington.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey list:

46.87 Eastern, 2003
46.9 Willingboro, 1980
47.05 Winslow Twp., 2017
47.18 Winslow Twp., 2013
47.3 Willingboro, 1981
47.4 Camden,, 1978
47.4y Camden, 1979
47.45 Willingboro, 1994
47.54 Winslow Twp., 2003
47.75 Eastern, 2002
47.76 Winslow Twp., 2005
47.76 Winslow Twp., 2012
47.78 Delsea, 2017
47.8 Willingboro, 2003
47.82 Moorestown, 2000
47.85 Deptford, 2015
47.87 Winslow Twp., 2011
47.9 Willingboro, 1995
47.94 Camden, 2000
48.0 Camden, 1995
48.0 Wilson, 2008
48.03 Penns Grove, 2014
48.07 Camden, 2006
48.08 Winslow Twp., 2004
48.08 Willingboro, 2009
48.09 Lakewood, 2000
48.1 Willingboro, 1979
48.12 Washington Twp., 2001
48.14 Camden, 1997
48.18 Rancocas Valley, 2017
48.23 Wilson, 2006
48.23 Egg Harbor Twp., 2015
48.24 Camden, 2008

Mainland Regional junior Alyssa Aldridge stopped by the Cherokee Night at the Races #2 Tuesday night and ran a big 1,600-meter PR of 4:51.53.

That’s No. 6 in South Jersey history, just ahead of Kingsway’s Rachel Vick, who ran 4:52.88 at sectionals on Friday.

Aldridge’s previous 1,600 PR was 4:55.83 at last year’s state Group 3 state meet, which she won. Her fastest time this year was a 4:57.22 Friday, winning Group 3 sectionals.

Her time is No. 1 in the state this year and No. 29 in state history. She broke the Atlantic County record of 4:54.88 set in 2012 by Bridget Flynn before she transferred to Ocean City.

4:41.16 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
4:41.52i,y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
4:45.97 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:48.73 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:49.11 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
4:51.53 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
4:52.88 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:52.95 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009
4:54.71 … Megan Hartman [Ocean City], 194
4:54.88 … Bridget Flynn [Holy Spirit], 2012
4:55.41 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
4:55.45 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
4:55.66 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
4:55.70 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
4:55.95 … Keely Maguire [Triton], 2007
4:55.9h … Dawn Cody [Paul VI], 1982

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. The final one: Delsea boys!

Taj Summiel ran a leg on Delsea’s third-place 400-meter relay team at sectionals. Why is that significant?

Because of Delsea’s 113 points, he’s the only senior who scored!

Splitting up those six third-place points into quarters, that means underclassmen scored 111 1/2 of Delsea’s 113 points.

So watch out, South Jersey Group 3. The Crusaders aren’t going anywhere.

Their sectional title was No. 4 overall. Delsea won Group 3 in 2006 and 2007 and Group 2 in 2010.

Delsea outscored a very good Deptford team by 21 points, 113-92. No other school scored more than 52.

Let’s take a look at how Delsea piled up those 113 points!

We’ll start with the horizontal jumps, where Delsea scored a whopping 30 points, thanks to juniors Khaliel Burnett and Keon Grady. Burnett won the long jump at 21-8 and the triple jump at 45-7 1/4, and Grady added a third (21-3 1/2) and fourth (43-10 1/4).

Delsea crushed it in the middle-distance and distance runs, scoring 33 points in the 400 through 3,200.

Junior Michael Szwed ran 50.23 for first in the 400 and 1:57.93 for second in the 800 — 18 points from Mike — and sophomore Colin Kane added 12 points with a second in the 1,600 (4:26.29) and a fourth in the 3,200 (9:41.81).

Junior William Mayhew (sixth in 800, 1:59.42) and junior George Tenenberg (fourth in 3,200, 9:44.66) added

Tenenberg, Kane and Mayhew all ran for Delsea’s South Jersey Group 3-champion cross country team this past fall.

Other scorers: Junior Tymir Kizee was third in the high hurdles (15.03), junior Nate Cox placed third in the high jump (6-2), junior idk Petriello and freshman Nico Morales went 2-3 in the pole vault (13-0, 12-6), junior Bill Goldsborough threw 56-5 1/2 for second in the shot and 139-3 for fifth in the discus, junior Will Sneathen added a fourth in the shot (50-10 1/4) and freshman Jake Nwosu threw 135-8 in the disc for sixth place.

Delsea was also fifth in the 400-meter relay with a season-best 43.79, with sophomore Aidan Borguet, Burnett, Grady and Summiel running; sixth in the 1,600-meter relay with Denenberg, freshmen Shaikyi Hannah and Damir Lomax, and Szwed; and third in the 3,200 relay with Kane, Mayhew, junior Dylan Senatore and Denenberg running a season-best 8:10.70.

 

 

Antonio Tarantino doesn’t race a lot. Other than dual meets, he hasn’t run a 100 since he went 10.68 at the Bensalem Invitational on April 8. And before sectionals he ran only two serious 200s all spring, winning the Olympic Conference title with a personal-best 21.73 and taking second to Martin Booker in the Camden County meet in 22.07.

Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.

The Paul VI junior ran an astonishing 21.21 to win the 200 meters at the South Jersey Non-Public A meet at Egg Harbor.

His time is No. 6 in state history and No. 3 in South Jersey history, fastest by a South Jersey sprinter since Reuben McCoy of Winslow ran 21.14 in 2004.

Tarantino’s time is 12-100ths of a second off the state junior class record of 21.09 set in 1983 by Olympic gold medalist Dennis Mitchell of Edgewood.

Senior teammate Richard Bush placed second in 22.04, a full one-second PR (actually 99-100ths of a second).

This has been an incredible year in the 200 in South Jersey, with Tarantino, Martin Booker of Pennsaken (21.39), Jonathan Taylor of Salem (21.53), Mar-Quel Davis of Deptford (21.57) and Amir Brock of EHT (21.66) all running sub-21.70 and three others — Bo Melton of Cedar Creek (21.71), Revell Williams of Bridgeton (21.74) and Chase Campbell of Lenape (21.76) — all under 21.80 fully automatic.

There’s never been this many fast 200 runners in South Jersey the same year, but Tarantino is now fastest of the bunch.

Here’s the updated all-time state list, with everybody under 21.50 fully automatic:

20.93 … Danny Johnson [Rahway], 2001
21.03 … Zamir Thomas [Snyder], 2011
21.06 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
21.13 … Jabrill Peppers [Paramus Catholic], 2013
21.14 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
21.21 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2017
21.22 … Maxwell Booker [Essex Catholic], 2000
21.23 … Shaquan Brown [Paterson Kennedy], 2005
21.29 … Zyaire Clemes [Trenton], 2013
21.30 … Ty Adams [Monmouth Reg.], 1993
21.30 … Lamar Grant [Jackson], 1996
21.30 … T.J. Johnson [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
21.30 … Taylor McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
21.31 … Michael Ray Garvin [Don Bosco], 2005
21.31 … Clayton Parros [Seton Hall Prep], 2009
21.31 … Miles Shuler-Foster [Long Branch], 2011
21.36 … Isaiah Gill [Plainfield], 2008
21.38 … Reginald Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
21.39 … Akeem Gauntlett [Roselle], 2008
21.39 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2017
21.40 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
21.40 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
21.40 … Jamaad Muse (Timber Creek), 2012
21.41 … Dorian Bryant [Kingsway], 2002
21.41 … Adian Sanderson [Ewing], 2003
21.42 … Charles Cox [Monmouth Reg.], 2007
21.43 … Anthony Davis [Plainfield], 1998
21.43 … Barry Cephas [Winslow Twp.], 2008
21.43 … Najee Glass [St. Peter’s Prep], 2012
21.44 … Courtney Burton [Iselin], 1990
21.45 … Chris Charles [Park Ridge], 2000
21.46 … Brondon Jenkins [Delran], 1994
21.46 … Sabli Gonnet [Eastern], 2007
21.46 … Rahmir Johnson [Bergen Catholic], 2017
21.47 … Curtis McIntyre [Bridgeton], 1992
21.47 … Larry Lester [Piscataway], 2000
21.48 … Christopher Estrella [Ridgefield Park], 2014

Here’s a deeper all-time South Jersey list, with five sprinters from this year alone!

21.06 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
21.14 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
21.21 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2017
21.30 … T.J. Johnson [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
21.38 … Reginald Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
21.39 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2017
21.40 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
21.40 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
21.40 … Jamaad Muse (Timber Creek), 2012
21.41 … Dorian Bryant [Kingsway], 2002
21.43 … Barry Cephas [Winslow Twp.], 2008
21.46 … Brondon Jenkins [Delran], 1994
21.46 … Sabli Gonnet [Eastern], 2007
21.47 … Curtis McIntyre [Bridgeton], 1992
21.53 … Robert Hargrove (Vineland), 1996
21.53 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
21.53 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2017
21.54 … Derek Ward [Kingsway], 1992
21.55 … Anthony Maturano [Hammonton], 2015
21.56 … Bruce Owens [Deptford], 2005
21.56 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2012
21.57 … Mar-Quel Davis [Deptford], 2017
21.58 … Antraye Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2003
21.59 … John Stone [Mainland Reg.], 1997
21.60 … Juwan Johnson [Glassboro], 2013
21.63 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2004
21.64 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2012
21.64 … Barry Cephas [Winslow Twp.], 2007
21.66 … Sterling Pierce [Rancocas Valley], 2015
21.66 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
21.66 … Darrin Scott [Willingboro], 2001
21.67 … Kashif Miller [Haddon Heights], 2014
21.67 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2000
21.68 … Daequan Kim [Bordentown], 2009
21.69 … Nick Brown [Bridgeton], 1999
21.69 … Robert Page [Kingsway], 2007
21.70 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Winslow girls!

Good luck beating Winslow. They are untouchable right now.

On a weekend where most sectional meets came down to one of the final field events or even the 4-by-4, the Winslow girls demolished the field on the way to their fifth consecutive South Jersey Group 3 championship.

Winslow outscored second-place Timber Creek 120-63 — a 57-point margin of victory over a very good team — to tie three other schools for the second-longest South Jersey winning streak in sectional history. Here’s a look at the longest streaks:

Longest S.J. Winning Streaks
7 … Woodbury, Group 1 [1976-82]
5 … Ocean City, Group 3 [1990-94]
5 … Winslow Twp., Group 3 [2013-17]
5 … Shawnee, Group 4 [1993-1997]
5 … Southern Reg., Group 4 [2006-10]
4 … Haddonfield, Group 2 [2011-14]
4 … Lakewood, Group 3 [1986-89]
4 … Toms River South Group 4 [1973-76]

And watch out Woodbury because Winslow is coming after you!

Let’s look at how the Eagles got to 120 points!

It starts with their sprinters. Winslow piled up an insane 52 points just in the 100, 200 and 400.

Shakira Dancy? How about 11.75 for first in the 100, 23.85 for first in the 200 and 56.62 for first in the 400!

Flora Ahiarakwe added a second in the 400 (56.92) and fourths in the 100 (12.30) and 200 (25.38).

Jane Hammond placed in three events — 58.80 for fourth in the 400, 1:06.19 for fifth in the intermediates and 25.74 for sixth in the 200.

Iyianna Williams ran fourth in both hurdles with a 15.39 and a 1:05.13 for eight more points.

Tionna Tobias won the long jump at 18-6 1/2 and was second in the high jump at 5-4, and Ciarra Johnson doubled the weights with a 40-3 and a 112-1.

Mary Hess also scored in the intermediates (1:07.00 for sixth).

Then add 20 points in the relays.

Dancy, Hamond, Nicole Hood and Raven Rouse ran 3:58.26 to finish off with a win in the 4-by-4. Ahiarakwe, Hess, Tobias and Williams ran 48.18 for second in the 4-by-1.

And Hood, Rouse, Alexandria Morrison and Grace Morton ran 9:59.03 for fifth in the 3,200 relay.

And get this: Williams is the only senior that scored a point for Winslow!

Dancy, Ahiarakwe, Johnson and Hess are juniors; Hood, Rouse, Morrison and Tobias are sophomores; and Hammond and Morton are freshman.

The record for sectional titles by any New Jersey girls track team is eight by Columbia from 1991 through 1991 in North 2 Group 4.

Here’s a prediction: Just wait a few years. That record is going down.

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Egg Harbor boys!

When Egg Harbor’s nationally 19th-ranked 3,200-meter relay team was disqualified, it was a huge punch in the gut to the Eagles’ chances of winning the South Jersey Group 4 title.

In a section as insanely competitive as SJ-4, it’s tough to just give up eight or 10 points.

But EHT regrouped and rebounded and roared to a 104-94 win over Rancocas Valley for its second sectional title in five years. The Eagles also won in 2013, both on their home track.

Even without the 4-by-8 — and EHT has run 7:47.13 this year — Egg Harbor finished with the fifth-highest point total in meet history.

Let’s take a look how they did it!

Egg Harbor scored a staggering 56 points in the four shortest flat track races — the 100, 200, 400 and 800.

Amir Brock led the way with a crazy fast triple — a near-PR 10.89 and PRs of 21.66 and 48.23. He took third in the 100 and won the 200 and 400. That’s 26 points from Amir!

Alex Dessoye added a second in the 400 (PR 48.26), just behind Brock, and ran another PR for fourth in the 200 (21.98).

The 800 was huge for EHT, not surprisingly. Can you believe three guys at 1:55 or faster? Aidan Hendriks ran second in 1:54.79 — a nearly two-second PR — and Eric Barnes and Robert Dessoye were next across the line in 1:55.70 and 1:55.98, the latter a PR for Robert Dessoye.

That’s 18 massive points just in the 800!

Barnes also ran 4:24.87 for a sixth in the 1,600.

The Eagles added 10 points each with wins in the 4-by-1 and 4-by-4. Alex Dessoye, Shaquille Boyd, Devon Covington and Brock ran 42.82 in the 400 relay, and Hunter Barbieri, Hendriks and Robert and Alex Dessoye teamed up to go 3:16.24 in the 1,600 relay.

Much more from this insanely deep Egg Harbor team.

Deejay Banggad cleared 13-0 and Kevin Luo 12-0 for second and fifth in the pole vault. Alvin Taliaferro medaled in both horizontal jumps (21-1 3/4, 43-9), Brandon Truong and Tyler Anzisi both scored in the shot put (49-0, 47-6), Anzisi also took fourth in the discus (149-2) and Barbieri added a fifth in the intermediates with a very fast PR of 55.92.

One note about Taliaferro. He was the 18TH SEED IN THE GROUP 4 LONG JUMP AND HE PLACED FIFTH!!!!!

Taliaferro’s 21-1 3/4 wasn’t just his first time over 21 feet, it was his first time over 20 feet. In fact he’d only been over 19 feet twice previously in major meets. And his PR last year was 17-6 1/2 feet!!! The EHT junior PR’d in both jumps, but the 21-1 3/4 was a 1 1/2-FOOT personal best from his 19-7  1/2 at the Bridgeton Relays. Talk about stepping up to the plate when your team needs you the most! Alvin Taliaferro sure did that!

I love those kinds of stories!

 

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Lenape girls!

With everything on the line, Lenape did what it always does. Put together a monster relay team.

Seniors Skyla O’Connor, Shannon Lambert and Megan Quimby and sophomore Shelby Whetstone ran the fastest 1,600-meter relay in South Jersey sectional history — 3:50.28 — and delivered the third South Jersey Group 4 sectional  title in the last six years to Lenape.

Going into the relay, there were five teams within five points, a ridiculous logjam that left the team title entirely up for grabs.

Howell led with 58 points, followed by Lenape (55), Rancocas Valley (54), Eastern (53) and Kingsway (53).

But Howell didn’t enter the 4-by-4. Howell’s best this year is a 4:16 and their only shot at the team title was essentially if everybody else fell down.

That didn’t happen.

O’Connor led off for Lenape with a 57.9 leg, Lambert ran 56.8, Quimby 59.5 and Whetstone left no doubt about it with a 55.9 anchor and Lenape crossed the line in 3:50.28, breaking the South Jersey Group 4 record of 3:51.59 set in 2008 by Southern Regional and breaking the overall South Jersey sectional mark of 3:50.88 set by Winslow last year.

Curiously, that 3:51.59 meet record gave Southern a three-point win and the team title nine years ago over Lenape.

It was the fastest time run by any school in any section Saturday, nearly four seconds faster than West Essex’s 3:54.06 in North 1 Group 3 at River Dell.

It was also No. 3 in the state this year, behind only Union Catholic, which ran 3:38.92 at Penn with Olympian Sydney McLaughlin anchoring in 50.37 seconds, and Winslow Township, which ran 3:48.08, also at Penn.

The time is No. 5 in Lenape history behind three times from 2015 — all between 3:49.25 and 3:49.97 — and the school-record 3:48.78 from third place at the 2014 Meet of Champions.

Cherry Hill East finished 20 meters back with a 3:54.64, and Rancocas Valley (3:57.95), Eastern (3:59.33) and Southern (3:59.88) were all also under four minutes.

That gave Lenape 65 points, Rancocas Valley 60, Howell 58, Eastern 57, Kingsway 54 and Cherry Hill East 50 in a crazy close six-team finish.

The team title was Lenape’s third in the last six years. The Indians out-battled Southern to win the 2011 and 2015 titles. Southern won every championship from 2006 through 2010 and again in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

So Lenape and Southern have combined to win 11 of the last 12 South Jersey Group 4 titles, although neither has won back-to-back titles since Southern in 2009 and 2010. Cherokee won the other one in 2013.

Quimby had her usual big meet for Lenape, placing third in two very fast races. She ran 2:16.83 and 5:03.49 for 16 big points. Junior Alexa Woltjen PR’d at 5:04.99 for fourth in the 1,600.

Lambert ran a personal-best 56.87 for fourth in the 400 and also took third in the 200 in 25.29. And Whetstone also PR’d in the 400, taking third in 56.62.

Junior Cassie Hoxit cleared 10-6 to win the pole vault and score 10 big points for the Lenape cause, and senior jumper Skyla O’Connor added eight points with a third in the triple jump (35-3 1/2) and a fifth in the long jump (16-7). Alexis McDonald added a fifth in the high jump with a 5-0 clearance.

Lenape also took fourth in the 3,200-meter relay in 9:44.64 with freshman Rebecca Thomas, juniors Talia Hartman and Woltjen, and Quimby anchoring.

Lenape has been as consistent as virtually any school in the state over the past decade on the sectional level under coaches Gerald Richardson and Jack Walsh. Check out this consistency:

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 4 TEAM SCORING
2005: 1. Winslow Twp. 72.25, 2. Southern 60.25, 3. Lenape 49.25
2006: 1. Southern 92, Lenape 71
2007: 1. Southern 95, 2. Lenape 59
2008: 1. Southern 83 1/2, 2. Lenape 80
2009: 1. Southern 107, 2. Lenape 78
2010: 1. Southern 99, 2. Lenape 85
2011: 1. Lenape 107, Southern 86
2012: 1. Southern 83, 2. Cherokee 79.33, 3. Lenape 74
2013: 1. Cherokee 110, 2. Southern 107 … 9. Lenape 9. 13
2014: 1. Southern 67, 2. Lenape 57
2015: 1. Lenape 133, 2. Kingsway 81 … 4. Southern 52
2016: 1. Southern 92.5, Lenape 75
2017: 1. Lenape 65, 2. Rancocas Valley 60 … 8. Southern 38

Since 2005, Lenape has placed third or better 12 out of 13 years, with 2013 the only exception. During that span, the Indians have won three times, placed second seven times (all behind Southern!!!) and placed third twice.

The Southern-Lenape rivalry was incredible, but Southern’s eighth-place finish this year was its worst since 2001! Incredibly, Southern placed in the top four 15 consecutive years.

During that span, Southern won eight titles, placed second four times and was fourth twice.

All eight times Southern won South Jersey Group 4, a Lenape district school was second!

Who’s seeded where? Who’s strong in which events? How do the state meets shape up?

The NJSIAA has released the performance lists for the 12 state meets coming up starting Friday at Egg Harbor and Northern Burlington.

Click here to check them out!

BOYS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Non-Public A
Non-Public B

GIRLS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Non-Public A
Non-Public B

Schalick ran well. Haddon Township ran just a little bit faster.

Going into the 4-by-4, Schalick led Haddon Township 63-62 in the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

With the meet in the balance, Schalick ran a six-second season-best in the 1,600-meter relay despite racing by themselves in an unseeded heat. Really an incredible performance.

Kason Barrett, Juan Casino, Jared Golembski and Greg McGuire ran 3:30.32 in the first section of 4-by-4.

That put a ton of pressure on Haddon Township in the next section.

The Hawks had to run faster to win the team title. But their best time this year was 3:33.40.

But the Hawks did exactly what they had to do. The team of juniors Owen Vermette and Jerrod Green, senior Jake Howley and freshman Aidan McEarlean ran a big season-best 3:28.77 for fourth place, 48-100ths of a second ahead of Glassboro.

That bumped Schalick to sixth overall and gave Haddon Township the team title by a tight 66-64 margin at Egg Harbor.

The team title is the seventh for Haddon Township, following Group 2 titles in 1971 and 1972 and Group 1 titles in 1989, 1991, 2012 and 2015.

Only Penns Grove (15), Willingboro (15), Winslow/Edgewood (13), Woodbury (13), Bridgeton (10), Camden (8) and Haddonfield (8) have won more sectional titles among South Jersey programs.

As always, Haddon Township scored big in the distance races, netting 30 in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

In the 800, Jake Howley won in 1:58.53 and junior Jerrod Green ran fifth in 2:03.37. Junior Patrick Mulligan ran 9:46.24 to win the 3,200 and 4:29.95 for second in the 1,600 and 18 points.

Green, Howley and Mulligan also ran on Township’s winning 3,200-meter relay team, which ran a 16-season-best of 8:11. Justin Shaw also ran a leg.

Freshman Aidan McEarlean cleared 5-10 in the high jump, picking up seven points with a second-place tie, sophomore Brian Burns placed in both hurdles races, 58.22 for third in the intermediates and 16.15 for sixth in the highs (after a PR 15.74 in the trials) and senior Eric DiCrescenzo threw 49-0 for third in the shot and 129-9 for fifth in the disc.

 

 

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Sterling girls!

OK, the Coppolino twins got a whole lot of help from their teammates. But Madison and Sydney, Sterling’s tireless twin juniors, did score enough points at sectionals to win the South Jersey Group 2 title by themselves.

Madison edged Sydney with both at 5:10 and change in a 1-2 finish in the 1,600, Sydney ran 2:13.91 to lead a 1-4 finish with Madison in the 800, Madison won the 3,200 in 11:09.41 and Sydney won the 400 in 57.74 and was second in the 400 intermediates in 1:03.63 — 1-100th of a second behind Camden’s Lenaami Morton.

That’s 18 points in the 1,600, 14 in the 800, 10 in the 400 and 10 in the 3,200 and eight in the intermediates.

That’s 60 points from one family, enough to beat second-place Haddonfield, which scored 51.

The South Jersey Group 2 title at Delsea was the third sectional team championship in a row for Sterling, which also won the 1982 championship.

In all, Sterling scored a whopping 148 points, so this was far more than the Sydney and Madison Show.

There was Aliya Harrison, who had a fast sprint double, winning the 100 in 11.91 (read about it here) and the 200 in 25.13 and anchored a season-best 49.25 second-place 4-by-1 after legs by Carly Fox, Janell Rowe and Lori Stratton.

There was a fast 4-by-8, with Natalia Weitzel, Madison Coppolino, Saraly Gonzalez and Leyna Jewell running 9:45.24 for second place.

There was Stratton winning the pole vault with a 10-6 clearance and scoring in the long jump and Rowe picking up two second places with two PRs – a 17-5 3/4 in the long jump and 37-11 1/2 in the triple.

There was Sammy Callahan, Natalie Weitzel, Saraly Gonzalez and Jewell running 4:08.11 for fifth in the 1,600-meter relay.

And there were the throws. Taylor Carter threw the shot a career-best 37-6 1/2 for third, and Gonzalez and Lauren McCann went 2-5 in the javelin, Gonzalez throwing 123-10 and McCann 104-10.

Also, Jewell was fifth in the 800 in 2:23.05, Stratton was fifth in the intermediates in 1:08.06 and Jessie Klenk took sixth in the pole vault at 9-0.