This is the kind of story we absolutely love. And the kind of story that is unique to track and field.

Keion Oglesby ran track at Timber Creek, but he wasn’t one of the celebrated stars during his days at the Erial high school. In fact, he never won a sectional, county or conference title in high school and only placed at sectionals once — he was second in the high jump at the 2017 outdoor Group 3 meet with a modest 6-0 clearance.

Oglesby had high school PRs of 6-0 in the high jump, 20-2 1/2 in the long jump and 23.03 in the 200.

The 400?

He never even ran it.

He does now, though.

Oglesby is now a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson, and he ran a PR 48.52 in the 400 Saturday at the Rider 5-Way Meet in Lawrenceville, placing a close second to Rider senior Russell Malko. The Hunterdon Central graduate ran 48.36.

What a story!

Oglesby made an immediate breakthrough when he arrived in Teaneck in the winter of 2018 but it was only in the long jump. He increased his PR to 22-1 3/4 — two feet farther than he jumped in high school — and placed fifth in the Northeast Conference Championships.

He didn’t run his first lifetime 400 until last spring, but after a 50.01 in a meet at Rider in his first career one-lapper, he ran 49.60 in a meet at Duke and then 49.07 in the trials of the conference championships and 49.09 for second in the IC4A’s.

This past winter, he ran his first two sub-49’s, including a personal-best 48.66 for third in the NEC Indoor Championships six weeks ago at Ocean Breeze.

So far this spring? He’s long jumped once and hit an outdoor PR of 21-3 1/4 at a meet in Rock Hill, S.C., and has raced the one 400 this past weekend, lowering his PR once again.

Oglesby now ranks No. 2 in the NEC this spring, behind only Braylon Wilkerson of LIU Brooklyn, who clocked 47.18 at the Florida Relays this past weekend. Oglesby is also No. 9 in the conference in the 200 with another big breakthrough of 22.21, also from Winthrop. And his 21-3 1/4 ranks No. 6 in the NEC.

While a lot of the runners and jumpers who routinely beat Oglesby in high school are now out of the sport, Oglesby is enjoying tremendous success. It’s incredible what persistence and hard work can accomplish.

Rider junior Ronetta Hunter, a former state champion at Burlington Township, threw a personal-best 45-5 1/4 Saturday at the Rider 5-Way Meet in Lawrenceville.

Hunter’s previous PR was a 45-2 earlier in March indoors at the ECAC Championships in Boston. Her previous outdoor PR was a 45-0 1/2 last April at a meet at The College of New Jersey in nearby Ewing.

Hunter actually surpassed her previous PR three times Saturday. After opening with a 42-11, she threw a PR 45-3 1/2 on her second throw of the trials and 45-2 1/2 on her third. After a foul to open the finals, she threw 45-5 1/4 and finished with another foul.

Teammate Fidele Jules was second with a 43-1 1/2.

Hunter’s 45-5 1/4 is No. 2 this year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, behind Allison Taub of Monmouth and Council Rock South, who threw 46-11 1/2 this weekend in a meet in West Long Branch.

Hunter moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in Rider history, passing Alexis Wood, who threw 45-3 1/2 in 2003. The only women ahead of her in school history are Jules (49-3 3/4 in 2017), Jazmine Fenlator (48-8 1/4 in 2006) and Steph Lombardo (45-10 1/2 in 2015). Hunter also ranks No. 5 in school history in the shot indoors at 44-11 1/2.

Fenlator, a graduate of Wayne Valley High in Passaic County, is better known as an Olympic and a two-time World Cup medalist bobsledder.

Hunter also placed third in the discus with a throw of 125-5, which is No. 8 in the MAAC. Her PR is 129-6 from a meet at Penn in 2017.

At Burlington Township, Hunter was the state Group 2 champ in the shot as a senior and was a sectional champ and state medalist in the discus.

Welcome back, Stanley Green!

Stanley Green, a Holy Cross graduate and now a Kutztown senior, PR’d in the 100-meter dash Saturday in his first outdoor meet in three years.

Green ran 10.84 to win the 100 at a quad meet at West Chester’s Farrell Stadium.

Green is an interesting story. He competed in track as a freshman, medaled in the 2016 outdoor PSAC Championships in the long jump and recorded an all-time top-10 Kutztown outdoor long jump mark of 22-9 1/4. But he didn’t do much sprinting. His best 100 time that year was an 11.15.

He wasn’t a part of the Kutztown track program the last two years, but he returned to track this winter and ran 6.93 in the 60, 1-100th-of-a-second off the school record of 6.92, set in 2005 by Kareef Wallace.

Green raced Saturday at West Chester, his first outdoor track meet in three years, and won the 100 in a quad meet featuring Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, West Chester and Kutztown, and with a legal wind of 1.6 he edged Patrick Monahan of East Stroudsburg, who was second in 10.93.

His time is third-fastest by a PSAC sprinter this spring, behind Jae’Len Means of California (10.71) and Darrian Berkins of Lock Haven (10.72).

Green had PRs of 22-6 and 11.15 at Holy Cross, where he was a multiple state medalist in the 55 indoors and 100, 110 hurdles and long jump outdoors.

Saturday was Green’s first outdoor meet since May 15, 2016, when he placed fifth in the long jump and didn’t make the 100 final at the PSAC Championships in Mansfield, Pa.

Green is coached by Kutztown sprints coach Steven Morgan, who was an All-America hurdler at East Stroudsburg after graduating from Egg Harbor, where he was runner-up to Sydney Scruggs of Columbia at states in the Group 4 110-meter high hurdles in the spring of 2013.

Cherry Hill East grad Jude Misko, a former national JUCO champion in the hammer throw now a sophomore at Rutgers-Camden, threw what we’re pretty sure is a PR in his specialty this weekend, throwing 174-2 at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University in Chester.

Misko, competing in his first meet for Rutgers-Camden, broke the week-old school record by nearly 30 feet.

Misko won the JUCO Division 3 national title in the hammer in the spring of 2017 with a throw of 164-9 at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.

It’s unclear whether that was Misko’s best throw at Rowan Gloucester County, because their track and field web site hasn’t been updated in a few years. But by all accounts this was Misko’s first time over 170 feet.

Misko contested the shot and weight throw indoors in his first season at Rutgers-Camden and placed in both at the NJAC indoor championships.

But his best event is the hammer, and his mark from Saturday ranks No. 1 in the NJAC this year and No. 17 nationally in NCAA Division 3.

Another NJAC hammer thrower we should mention is Stockton’s Darren Wan of Egg Harbor. Wan threw a personal-best 166-2 Saturday in what appears to be only his fourth career

He competed in the hammer twice while at Rutgers in the spring of 2017 with a best throw of 156-7 in a meet in Tampa.

After sitting out last year, Wan has thrown the hammer twice this spring, with a PR 160-9 last weekend in a meet on his home track in Galloway Township and then a PR 166-2 Saturday at the Lafayette Invitational in Easton, Pa.

That’s only seven feet off the school record of 173-4 set 13 years ago by Steve Cassidy and it’s a top-40 mark in NCAA Division 3 the year.

Wan finished third at Lafayette behind two Division 1 athletes.

 

Schalick graduate Chris Mesiano, now a Rowan senior, ran the No. 1 meter intermediate hurdles time in NCAA Division 3 Saturday, winning the 400IHs at the Danny Curran Invitational in Chester, Pa.

Mesiano ran 53.41, winning by more 2 1/2 seconds over Sean Stovall of host Widener.

Mesiano’s time is No. 1 in NCAA Division 3 based on the most recent rankings, although some times from Saturday may not be reflected yet in those rankings.

Mesiano’s previous season-best was a 54.09 last weekend at a meet in Orlando, Fla. The previous No. 1 time in the country was a 53.45 by Cwinn Febus of Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, earlier this month at a meet in Charlotte, N.C.

Mesiano’s career-best is 52.89, which he ran last May at a meet at Swarthmore. He’s qualified for NCAA’s twice and earned All-America status as part of Rowan’s fifth-place 1,600-meter relay team at nationals in La Crosse, Wisc., last May.

Shawnee grad Mark Miller ran his first career steeplechase this weekend and turned in a 9:35.96, earning a spot in the 2019 NCAA Division 2 top-25.

Not a bad debut!

Miller, a sophomore at Hillsdale College in Michigan, placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Bellarmine Invitational in Louisville, Ky., Friday. Miller ran second among collegians, only 2 1/2  seconds behind Ross McCormick of Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.

Miller ran 4:16.86 and 9:22.41 at Shawnee and won county and conference titles in the 1,600 and placed fourth in the state Group 4 meet in the spring of 2017.

At Hillsdale, he’s run 4:15.46 for the full mile and 8:46.34 for 3,000 meters. He was runner-up in the mile this past indoor season at the Greater Midwest Athletic Conference championships in Findlay, Ohio.

For the sake of comparison, 9:35 would have placed in the top five last year at the G-Mac Championships, and this was Miller’s first foray at the distance.

Miller’s 9:35 ranks him 23rd in NCAA Division after the first three weeks of the 2019 season.

 

Curtis Thompson popped a 254-5 Friday at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, his best throw in two years.

Thompson placed second among collegians, behind teammate and Grenadian national record holder Anderson Peters, who threw 282-4, the No. 1 throw in the world this year and No. 3 in NCAA history. Michael Shuey, a pro, was second overall with a 263-3.

Thompson opened with throws of 232-4, 227-0 and 237-3 in the trials before the 254-4, a foul and a closing 246-9.

It was his best throw since July 16, 2016, when he threw 260-1 at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in San Salvador, El Salvador. Earlier that summer Thompson placed second in the Olympic Trials with a PR 271-11.

Thompson’s throw is No. 22 in the world this year, according to the IAAF’s world rankings. Shuey and Thompson are ranked No. 1 and 2 among Americans.

Rancocas Valley graduate Nick Mirabelli, a freshman at Texas A&M, placed fifth in Austin with a personal-best 236-6. He had thrown a personal-best 234-2 last earlier this month at a meet in Tempe, Ariz.

Mirabelli is the No. 1 freshman in the country and the only freshman who’s hit 230 feet so far.

At R.V., Mirabelli set a state record of 227-10 with the new implement, so he’s already added nine feet to his PR.

Mirabelli’s older brother Chris, a Holy Cross graduate, threw 218-4 this weekend, placing second at the Pepsi Florida Relays in Tallahassee, Fla. He does have a 237-4 to his credit this spring.

Thompson and the Mirabelli’s give South Jersey — and Burlington County specifically – three of the top 10 U.S. javelin throwers so far this spring.

Another South Jersey javelin thrower, Holy Spirit’s Cade Antonucci, won the Ole Miss Classic Saturday morning in Oxford, Miss., with a 206-3. He’s thrown 217-7 this spring.

Clearview grad Daniel “Fitch” Henry and Lenape grad Kevin Later had nice breakthrough races Saturday morning in the 1,500.

Henry, a Rowan senior, placed third in 3:55.92 and Lauer, a freshman, was fourth in 3:57.94, but they were the first two collegiate finishers at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

Henry’s time converts to a 4:14.72 full mile, and Lauer’s time converts to a 4:16.90.

Henry’s previous 1,500 PR was a 3:59.32 in a meet at Emory University in Atlanta in 2017. His time was also intrinsically superior to his mile PR of 4:18.57 from a meet in Myrtle Beach, S.C., last spring.

Henry is a four-time NJAC champion over longer distances with wins at 3,000 meters indoors the last two years and at 5,000 meters in the spring of 2017 and 2018.

Lauer’s race was an even bigger breakthrough. His previous 1,500 PR was a 4:02.66 from last weekend in Orlando, and his mile PR is 4:19.72 from indoor NJACs.

At Lenape, had PRs of 4:12.91 for 1,500 meters at the 2017 Moorestown Invitational and 4:18.96 for 1,600 meters at the 2017 Olympic Conference meet (both behind Shawnee’s Mark Miller), which is the equivalent of a 4:20.46 full mile.

Here’s a heck of a early breakthrough race for you: Pitman grad Alyssa Sanders, a sophomore at Rowan, ran 4:44.09 for the 1,500 Saturday at the 41st annual Aztec Open at San Diego State University.

Sanders placed fourth racing against primarily NCAA Division 1 runners. Her time converts to a 5:04.97 for 1,600 meters, which she ran in high school, or 5:06.73 for the full mile.

Either way, that’s a massive PR for Sanders, who came into the meet with a mile PR of 5:14.04 from the Atlantic Area Regional Track Championships at Ithaca earlier this month and a 1,500 PR of 4:49.25 from the Lehigh Games in Bethlehem last spring.

How far has Sanders come?

She had a 1,600 PR of 5:16.30 at Pitman from Meet of Champions her senior year. So she’s basically lowered that by 10 seconds in two years.

Sanders’ time is No. 12 in NCAA Division 3 so far this spring, two spots ahead of teammate and former high school teammate Hannah Vendetta, who ran 4:44.31 at the same meet … in a different section of the race.

Vendetta, a transfer from Georgia Court in Lakewood, has a 1,500 PR of 4:39.33 from last May, when she won the NJAC title at College of New Jersey in Ewing. She was also the NJAC mile champ this past winter with a 5:07.65.

Vendetta placed fifth and Sanders 10th in the South Jersey Group 1 XC championships in the fall of 2014, which was Vendetta’s senior year and Sanders’ sophomore year, when Pitman placed second in team scoring.

Sanders also has an indoor PR 2:21.25 to her credit from a different meet in San Diego this past weekend, the Pt. Loma Nazarene Invite. That’s only about half a second off her overall 800 PR of 2:20.60 from the David Hemery Invitational indoors at Boston University this past February. Her previous outdoor 800 PR was a 2:24.28 from a meet last April at Moravian College in Bethlehem.

Rowan sophomore Tyler Garland from Deptford is off to a hot start this spring and is the top-ranked high hurdler in NCAA Division 3 two weeks into the season.

Garland opened his season with a PR 14.31 with a legal wind (1.0) at the Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando. He placed third behind two Division 1 runners, including Isaiah Moore of South Carolina, who won in 13.67.

This past weekend, Garland ran slightly faster, although his 14.30 was slightly wind-aided at 2.5 meters per second. He won the highs at the Central Florida Knights Invitational in Orlando.

In the early going, Garland leads Division 3 by a sizable margin ahead of Connor Troyer of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, who has run 14.48.

Garland is also No. 5 nationally in Division 3 in the 400 intermediates with a PR 54.09 this past weekend in Orlando. He ran the same time as teammate Chris Mesiano, who was credited with the win. Garland had run 54.20 the previous week.

Garland’s previous 400IH PR was a 55.35 at the 2016 Tri-County Championships at Delsea, when he placed second to Jason Stefanski of Penns Grove, a former Rowan hurdler.

Garland is in his first year of outdoor competition for Rowan after spending his freshman year attending Rowan College Gloucester County.

It appears that these two races are Garland’s first over the 110-meter highs since JUCO nationals in May of 2017, when he placed sixth in the 110’s in 16.39 after a 16.09 in the trials. His JUCO PRs were 15.15 and 58.50.

Garland had a high school high hurdles PR of 14.40, so he’s now run faster over the 42-inch barriers than he did in high school over the 39-inch hurdles.

At Orlando, Garland also ran the second leg on Rowan’s 400-meter relay team, which placed fifth in 41.27 and No. 1 in Division 3.

That all-South Jersey quartet also included Camden’s Julian Pratt, Hammonton’s Dayquan Murray and West Deptford’s Shai Mumford.

Pratt also ran 10.80 in the 100 (No. 6 nationally in Division 3), and Mumford ran 21.82 in the 200, No. 4 nationally.