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.
