Schalick senior Zyra Thomas popped a massive PR of 47-5 3/4 on her third throw of the trials to break the South Jersey overall record and hung on to win the championship shot put Saturday at the National Scholastic Indoor championships at the 168th Street Armory in Manhattan.
She’s the first South Jersey girl to win an individual title at indoor nationals in 12 years and the first Salem County girl or boy or Tri-County Conference girl or boy to ever win one. Schalick is located in Pittsgrove Township, between Elmer and Newfield.
Thomas had PR’d with a 45-6 when she placed second at the Meet of Champions in Toms River, but she added nearly two feet to that mark Saturday and broke the South Jersey indoor record of 46-1 1/2 set last year by Najeaya Singleton of neighboring Vineland at Group 4 states at the Bennett Center in Toms River and the overall mark of 47-1 1/4 set at the 2013 Meet of Champions in South Plainfield by Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard.
Thomas won by three inches and change over U.S. No. 2 Payden Montana of Berwick (Pa.), who threw 47-2 1/2 on her fifth throw. Montana has a 49-5 1/4 to her credit from last month.
U.S. leader Shelby BIgsby of Montclair, who threw 50-2 at Easterns, was sixth at 45-0 1/4.
Thomas’s throw is No. 11 in state history. She’s the third straight South Jersey athlete to win the shot put at indoor nationals, following Nickolette Dunbar of Whippany Park in 2016 [54-7 1/2] and Alyssa Wilson of Monsignor Donovan in Toms River last year [54-5 1/4]. They are the only New Jersey winners in meet history.
Here’s a list of all the South Jersey girls who have won titles at indoor nationals:
Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], mile, 2001 [4:51.15]
Danielle O’Reilly [Shawnee], pole vault, 2004 [12-9 1/2]
Ocean City, distance medley, 2005 [12:12.22]
Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 60-meter hurdles, 2006 [8.36]
Winslow Township, shuttle hurdles, 2013 [32.45]
Zyra Thomas [Schalick], shot put, 2018 [47-5 3/4]
And the updated all-time South Jersey shot put list:
47-5 3/4 … Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018
46-1 1/2 … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017
45-3 … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 2000
44-6 1/2 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
44-3 1/2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
44-0 1/2 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 1996
43-11 3/4 … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2007
43-10 1/4 … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006
43-10 … Rosetta Hunter [Burlington Twp.], 2015
43-4 3/4 … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2012
43-4 1/2 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
43-3 … Janice Rose [Delsea], 2011
42-7 3/4 … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
42-5 1/2 … Genevieve Tybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007
42-4 … Sophia Coleburn [Haddon Heights], 2007
42-0 1/2 … Lisa Stuto [Winslow Twp.], 2009
42-0 1/4 … Lola Agabalogun [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
41-10 … Lillian Rivera [Pemberton], 1984
Here’s the all-time New Jersey indoor list:
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 