Nick Mirabelli opened his senior year at Rancocas Valley by booming the No. 4 javelin throw in state history Saturday, a 220-10 at the Rebel Relays at Howell High School.
Mirabelli surpassed his personal best of 213-5 from last year’s Burlington County Open and also surpassed older brother Chris’s high school PR of 216-6, set at the 2014 South Jersey Invitational. Chris Mirabelli is now a senior at Rutgers.
Nick Mirabelli opened with a 191-11 throw and then fouled before the huge PR on his third and final attempt.
The only South Jersey throwers ranked ahead of Mirabelli on the all-time list are state record holder Curtis Thompson of Florence, who threw 224-10 at the 2014 Meet of Champions, and Cade Antonucci of Holy Spirit, who threw 220-11 at last year’s Meet of Champions. Thompson is now an NCAA champion at Mississippi State, and Antonucci is a freshman at Auburn.
Mirabelli’s throw on Saturday also moved the Mirabelli brothers ahead of the Zuidema brothers of Midland Park for the New Jersey sibling lead.
Kaleb Zuidema threw 224-1 in 2010 and Seth Zuidema 207-7 in 2014 for a family total of 431-8.
Before Saturday, the Mirabelli brothers had combined for 429-11, but Nick’s PR now gives them a combined total of 437-4.
Mirabelli’s 220-10 is the No. 2 throw nationally in the very early going, according to the MileSplit USA data base, behind a 234-11 thrown this weekend by Tzuriel Pedigo of Parkview Baptist of Baton Rouge, La., at the Texas Relays.
Here’s the all-time state list with the current javelin implement, which went into use in 2002:
224-10 … Curtis Thompson [Florence], 2014
224- 1 … Kaleb Zuidema [Midland Park], 2010
220-11 … Cade Antonucci [Holy Spirit], 2017
220-10 … Nick Mirabelli [Rancocas Valley], 2017
217- 9 … Dean Sullivan [Delbarton], 2011
216- 6 … Chris Mirabelli [Holy Cross], 2014
212-2 … Alexander Georgiou [Timber Creek], 2017
209-11 … Stephen Burk [Parsippany], 2012
209- 5 … Kevin Steimle [Mahwah], 2009
209-4 … Steven Jernee [Ocean City], 2017
209- 0 … Josh Suttmeier [North Hunterdon], 2010
208-11 … Kevin Seery [Hanover Park], 2011
207- 7 … Seth Zuidema [Midland Park], 2014
206- 1 … Mike Brazil [North Arlington], 2014
205-11 … Robert Scales [Middletown South], 2002
204- 3 … Marion Easley [Somerville], 2005
203- 7 … James Malizia [St. Joe’s-Montvale], 2002
203- 6 … Stephen Benigno [Cherry Hill East], 2014
202-10 … Chandler Balter [Livingston], 2014
202- 9 … Brian Florek [Old Bridge], 2007
202- 6 … Jim Tully [Christian Brothers Academy], 2010
202- 0 … Steven Pierce [Ridgewood], 2006
201- 8 … Dajon Chappell [Morris Hills], 2017
201- 5 … Zachary Torrell [Lacey Twp.], 2011
201- 4 … Will Gonzalez [Cedar Grove], 2010
201- 0 … Sean Biehn [Burlington City], 2006
200- 3 … Cody Unger [Jefferson Twp.], 2008
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 