La Salle senior Ariel Mitchell shattered the La Salle University 100-meter dash record Saturday at the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton.

Mitchell placed sixth in a loaded 100-meter dash final in 11.96 with a legal wind. Her previous PR was 12.11 in the spring of 2017 at a meet at John Hopkins in Baltimore.

Mitchell broke the school record of 12.03 set in 2004 by Melissa Mastrangelo at the 2004 Atlantic 10 Championships at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass.

Mitchell now ranks No. 2 in the Atlantic 10, behind only Taylor Williams of George Mason, who ran a heavily wind-aided 11.78 last month in a meet at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Williams was aided by a 3.9 meters-per-second wind in that race. Her fastest wind-legal race this spring is a 11.88 at Miami last month.

Mitchell ran a 12.12 last year at a meet at Temple and wound up as an Atlantic 10 medalist, placing fifth after a 12.15 in the trials.

This past winter Mitchell set a La Salle school record of 7.58 for 60 meters.

The La Salle web site lists Mitchell as a graduate of Burlington Township High, but as far as I can tell she only ran at Township as a freshman and then spent three years at Lenape, where she had a PR of 12.46 and was the Burlington County Open champ as a sophomore and Olympic Conference champ as a senior.

Bryanna Craig’s first outdoor high school meet was an unforgettable one!

Craig, the Millville freshman, placed second in the heptathlon at the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High School outside Los Angeles with 4,791 points – one of the highest scores ever recorded by a freshman and the highest score by a New Jersey girl in an in-season competition with the current javelin implement.

Record keeping can be difficult when it comes to the heptathlon, because there are no official high school class records, because of the 2002 javelin change and because MileSplit occasionally includes marks made during summer track competitions, which are not eligible for high school record purposes.

The listed national freshman record is 4,882 points by Jacqueline Johnson of Yuma, Ariz., in 2000. But that was made with the old javelin.

The national freshman record with the new javelin that wasn’t made in an open summer meet? I just don’t have a way of determining it. Nobody keeps this stuff.

Jack Sheppard’s U.S. track annual lists a national freshman record of 4,934 points by Tyra Gittens of Ensworth High in Nashville in 2014, but that was made in an AAU Region 6 qualifier, in early July, which is not a high school meet or an extension of the high school season and doesn’t qualify for the high school record book.

Ashlee Moore of Hamilton High in Yuma, Ariz., scored 4,573 points in 2011, which is the highest score I could find by a freshman in a real meet with the current javelin, but there certainly could be higher ones.

There is no official New Jersey state record, but it appears that the highest score ever recorded in an actual high school meet — not during a summer track AAU or Junior Olympic meet – is 4,931 points by Amber Williams of Roxbury in 2000. The South Jersey record looks like it would be 4,872 by Helen Wilks of Bridgeton, set in 1993.

However, those marks were made with the old javelin, which hasn’t been used since in high school competition 2001. So there is now a separate set of records for the javelin, and since multi-events outdoors include the javelin throw there are a separate set of records for the high school heptathlon as well.

So it looks like Craig has the highest score by a New Jersey girl since the javelin change. Tia Livingston of Union Catholic is credited in Jack Sheppard’s high school track annual with a 4,952 in 2015, but that was in a junior olympic summer meet. The general rule for high school performance lists is that the mark counts if it was achieved during the school year or in a meet that’s an extension of the school year, like the National Scholastic Championships, USATF Junior Nationals, Olympic Trials, etc.

It looks like the highest previous in-season heptathlon by a New Jersey girl was a 4,667 by Noel Jancewicz of Robbinsville in 2012. Interestingly, Livingston and Jancewicz were teammates at Penn.

Record or not, Craig’s performance was remarkable:

Here’s what it looked like:

Friday
100-METER HURDLES: 14.88, 858 points [3rd], 1.0 wid
HIGH JUMP: 5-3, 736 points [T2nd]
200-METER DASH: 25.60, 833 points [2nd]
SHOT PUT: 29-8 1/4, 467 points [6th]

Saturday
800-METER RUN: 2:23.25, 779 points [2nd]
LONG JUMP: 17-0, 609 points [1st] -1.0
JAVELIN: 103-11 3/4,509 points [5th]

Craig placed second at Arcadia. Jessica Swalve, a senior at Westmont High School in Los Gatos, Calif., won the event with a personal-best 4,807 points. She’s already signed with Cal Santa Barbara.

As Jim Lambert and I dig up more information and keep digging I’ll update this story. Record or not, this was a remarkable performance by Craig. Considering it’s the first weekend of April, it’s even more remarkable.

How high can she score at New Balance Nationals? It’s going to be fun to watch!

 

To say this race was close is an understatement.

Cameron Kee of Haddon Heights and Jayaire King of Willingboro opened the season with a couple very fast early performances in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles Saturday at the Don Danser Relays at Lenape.

They crossed the line together, both with fully-automatic times of 55.22. Tomahawk Timing’s photo reader had to go to the 1,000th-of-a-second to determine the winner, and that showed Kee in 55.213 and King in 55.219.

That’s a difference of 9-100ths of a second. Or a little less than one-third of an inch.

That’s close.

Kee and King turned in the fastest times in South Jersey on opening weekend and  No. 2 and 3 in the state, behind Liam O’Hara of CBA, who ran 54.85 at the Metuchen Relays.

Kee’s previous PR was 55.38 from last year’s Meet of Champions. He was South Jersey Group 1 champ and state runner-up.

King’s previous PR was 55.44 from his win at the South Jersey Group 2 sectionals last spring.

Those times are fast any time of the year. Only two intermediate hurdles ran as fast as 55.22 all last year – Quentin Bundy of Pleasantville ran 53.96 at nationals an Sincere Rhea ran 54.62 at states.

So for them to put those times out this early is awfully encouraging.

But they weren’t the only South Jersey boys to run fast in the 400 IH Saturday.

Rhea ran 56.37 at Buena, Micah Wood of Rancocas Valley ran a personal-best 56.63 at the Rebel Relays in Howell, Buddy ran 56.97 and Burlington City’s Darnell Williams ran 57.87 at Lenape.

That’s six boys already under 58 and five under 57, and it’s only the first weekend of April.

John Purvis sure opened the season in style.

Purvis, a Winslow Township junior, popped an 18-foot discus PR at the Jim Camburn Memorial Relays at Buena with a 166-0.

Purvis’s best throw last year was a 147-9, good for second at the South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea.

He topped that on his first throw Saturday with a 150-5, then PR’d again on his second throw at 162-8, then finished with his third PR of the series at 166-0.

That was the No. 2 throw of the weekend in New Jersey, according to the MileSplit data base, behind Matt Lange of Northern Valley, who threw 167-0 at the Fred McClain Throwers Invitational at his own track in Demarest.

Francesco Pinque of St. Augustine had the second-best throw of the day at 146-2, so Purvis had the three-best throws of the competition.

The Eastern girls put together one of the greatest relay triples in state history Saturday, and they did it on the first Saturday of the track season!

Eastern ran 59.52 in the shuttle hurdles, 1:40.46 in the 800-meter relay and 48.88 in the 400-meter relay at the Don Danser Relays at Lenape.

And that’s without English Gardner!!!

WOW!!!

Sophomore Jailya Ash and junior Jewel Ash ran on all three teams, with Analiese Bulgin on the shuttles team and the 4-by-100, Olivia Covington and Noelle Scott on the 4-by-2 and Dariyah Corbett-Collier also on the 4-by-1.

All three times are — by far — fastest in the state so far this year. But they’re much more than that!

Let’s start with the shuttle hurdles.

Eastern’s time is No. 6 in state history and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind only Edgewood’s 59.00 from the 1999 East Coast Relays in Morristown. That 59.00 at the time was a national record and was produced by Yvette Murray, Kierra Clemons, Pamela Richardson and Dennean Davis.

The 1:40.46 is No. 5 in South Jersey and inside the all-time New Jersey top-20 at No. 19, which is incredible enough at the end of the season. But the first weekend of April? It’s unheard of. It isn’t a school record, though. The 2003 Eastern team ran 1:39.21.

Eastern’s 4-by-100 doesn’t make the all-time South Jersey top-20 list but it’s not too far off. Eastern set the South Jersey record of 46.87 in 2003.

Eastern also won the DMR with Lauren Kenselaar, Teghan Sydnor, Kayla James and Kylie Dawson running 13:07.29 and the 4-by-800 in 10:22.00 with Kenselaar, James, Sierra Feeney and Kierstin Clem.

Let’s take a look at some lists:

ALL-TIME N.J. GIRLS SHUTTLE HURDLES  
58.30 … Union Catholic, 2018
58.39 … Union Catholic, 2015
58.74 … Union Catholic, 2017
59.00 … Edgewood, 1999
59.22 … Columbia, 2013
59.52 … Eastern, 2019
59.66 … Essex Tech, 2012
59.75 … Irvington, 2012
59.79 … Pennsauken, 1999
59.82 … Jackson, 2005
59.91 … Columbia, 2012

ALL-TIME S.J. GIRLS SHUTTLE HURDLES 
59.00 … Edgewood, 1999
59.52 … Eastern, 2019
59.79 … Pennsauken, 1999
1:00.14 … Buena, 2012
1:00.18 … Winslow Twp., 2014
1:01.17 … Woodrow Wilson, 2012
1:01.68 … Winslow Twp., 2002
1:01.6h … Woodrow Wilson, 2005
1:01.94 … Edgewood, 1998
1:02.0h … Moorestown, 1994
1:02.16 … Wilson, 2003
1:02.51 … Mainland Regional, 2018
1:02.59 … Paul VI, 2018
1:02.68 … Mainland Reg., 2018
1:02.86 … Edgewood, 2001
1:03.62 … Absegami, 2017
1:03.70 … Lenape, 2008
1:03.73 … Highland, 1998
1:03.79 … Camden, 2015

ALL-TIME NEW JERSEY 800-METER RELAY 
1:37.53 … Union Catholic, 2017
1:37.77 … Franklin Twp., 2003
1:38.42 … Franklin Twp., 2001
1:38.43 … Winslow Twp., 2018
1:39.04h … Montclair, 1980
1:39.21 … Eastern, 2003
1:39.54h … Montclair, 1981
1:39.59 … Winslow Twp., 2012
1:39.76 … Neptune, 2015
1:39.79 … Columbia, 2010
1:39.86 … Summit, 2017
1:39.94 … Piscataway, 2011
1:40.04h … Trenton, 1986
1:40.14h … Shabazz, 1986
1:40.23 … Union Catholic, 2018
1:40.30 … Winslow Twp., 2017
1:40.41 … Union, 2012
1:40.43 … Montclair, 1996
1:40.46 … Eastern, 2019
1:40.54h … Irvington, 1981
1:40.62 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:40.62 … Columbia, 2009
1:40.64h … Montclair, 1979
1:40.64h … Montclair, 1998
1:40.65 … Piscataway, 2018
1:40.72 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
1:40.74h … Columbia, 1982
1:40.74h … Woodrow Wilson, 2006
1:40.74h … East Orange, 2007
1:40.80 … Union Catholic, 2015
1:40.84h … Plainfield, 1982
1:40.84h … Trenton, 1984
1:40.84h … Teaneck, 1989
1:40.91 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:40.94h … Clifford Scott, 1988
1:40.99 … Union Catholic, 2014

ALL-TIME SOUTH JERSEY 800-METER RELAY
1:38.43 … Winslow Twp., 2018
1:39.21 … Eastern, 2003
1:39.59 … Winslow Twp., 2012
1:40.30 … Winslow Twp., 2017
1:40.46 … Eastern, 2019
1:40.62 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:40.72 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
1:40.74h … Woodrow Wilson, 2006
1:40.91 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:41.10 … Washington Twp., 1999
1:41.20 … Willingboro, 1994
1:41.33 … Camden, 2009
1:41.34h ….. Camden, 1995
1:41.40 … Winslow Twp., 2005
1:41.44h ….. Camden, 2006
1:41.54 … Willingboro, 1999
1:41.56 … Highland, 1998
1:41.59 … Eastern, 2002
1:41.70 … Wilson, 2008
1:41.74h ….. Pleasantville, 1995
1:41.81 … Willingboro, 1995
1:41.85 … Deptford, 2015
1:41.86 … Willingboro, 2000
1:41.87 … Camden, 2001
1:41.88 … Winslow, 2013
1:41.91 … Winslow, 2018

Princeton senior Carly Bonnet from Haddonfield won the 400-meter hurdles in a personal-best 1:00.01 Saturday at the Princeton Invitational on her home track.

Bonnet edged Addison Coy of Yale, who ran 1:00.25. Her time is No. 5 in Princeton history and fastest in five years, since Meghan McMullin ran 59.52 in 2014.

Bonnet’s previous PR was 1:00.60 last year at Heps. Her time is second-fastest in the Ivy League this year, behind only Penn’s Skyla Wilson, who ran 59.50 at the Texas Relays last month.

Bonnet ran 1:02.90 at Haddonfield when she won the state Group 2 title, so she’s now lowered her personal best nearly three seconds at Old Nassau.

Eric Barnes, a Rutgers sophomore, won the 800 Saturday at the Princeton Sam Howell Invitational with a personal-best 1:53.44.

Barnes ran away from the field, beating second-place Jeremy Spiezio of Princeton by 10 meters. Spiezio, sixth in the Heptagonal XC Championships this past fall, ran 1:55.08.

Barnes came through 400 meters in 55.86, a half step behind Spiezio, but came back in 57.59, while Spiezio ran the second lap in 59.52.

Barnes’ previous PR was a 1:54.06 his junior year at EHT, when he placed fifth at the 2016 state Group 4 championships on his home track on English Creek Road.

Barnes went on to place third at the indoor Meet of Champions as a senior with a 1:56.43. He set an indoor PR this past winter with a 1:54.82 at the David Hemery Invite at Boston University.

Barnes’ previous collegiate-best was a 1:54.55 from last year’s Mets Championships at Rutgers, where he was fifth.

Earnest Daniel is off to a hot start high jumping for Rowan this spring. Daniel, a sophomore from Kingsway, cleared a personal-best 6-8 3/4 at a meet at Central Florida in Orlando last month.

That’s No. 3 so far this spring in NCAA Division 3, behind only Jacoby Wolfe of George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., who has a 7-0 1/4 clearance, and David Lembke of Carroll in Waukesha, Wisc., who has cleared 6-10 3/4.

Daniel placed third at Central Florida and second among collegiate athletes. After clearing 6-2 3/4 and 6-4 3/4 on his first attempt and 6-6 3/4 on his third, he hit a PR 6-8 3/4 on his first attempt. He took three shots at 6-10 3/4.

Daniel followed that up with a first-place 6-6 3/4 at the Danny Curran Invite last weekend at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

As a Rowan freshman, Daniel had a PR of 6-7 1/2 at the NJAC meet at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. This past winter he hit 6-6 twice, including the winning jump at the NJAC meet at Ocean Breeze.

He’s been over at least 6-6 3/4 in all three meets he’s contested this spring.

At Kingsway, Daniel PR’d at 6-4, which he hit three times as a senior in the spring of 2017, including wins at the Tri-County Championships at Delsea and S.J. Group 4 sectionals at Egg Harbor. His PR as of two years ago this month was 6-2.

Daniel was also a sectional champ in the triple jump with a 47-0 1/4. He hasn’t hit that mark yet at Rowan although he’s a multiple conference medalist in the triple. He does rank No. 32 in NCAA Division 3 this spring in the triple jump with a best so far of 44-3 1/4.

The only other high jumper from the NJAC who’s cleared 6-4 or better is Rowan freshman multi specialist A’irrion Scott from Ewing High. Scott set a PR of 6-6 3/4 at the Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando last month.

Scott is tied with Storm Buescher of Millsaps University in Jackson, Miss., for the No. 1 freshman high jump ranking in Division 3.

At Ewing, Scott ran 49.96 and 1:59.59 in addition to high jumping 6-6, which got him a Central Jersey Group 3 title and fourth place in the Meet of Champions this past spring. Scott has also added more than two feet from his high school long jump PR of 18-2 1/2 with a 20-5 as part of an indoor heptathlon at Lehigh.

Eastern Regional graduate Pete Flacco is the fifth South Jersey javelin thrower over 200 feet this spring, thanks to a season-opening 200-1 throw at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, N.C.

Flacco joins Curtis Thompson of Mississippi State, Chris Mirabelli of Rutgers, Nick Mirabelli of Texas A&M and Cade Antonucci of Auburn on the 2019 javelin 200-foot list.

This is Flacco’s second year at Monmouth. His best throw last spring was a 206-0 in a meet in Charlotte, N.C.

Monmouth has three of the top four javelin throwers in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference so far this year.

Flacco was a two-time JUCO national champion at Rowan College Gloucester County, where he threw 209-4 1/2, although that’s not reflected in the school’s list of records, which apparently hasn’t been updated for several years.

Thompson (254-5), Chris Mirabelli (237-2), Nick Mirabelli (236-6), Antonucci (217-7) are South Jersey’s five 200-footers.

South Jersey has three of the top-four javelin throwers in Division 1 (the top three Americans) and three of the top six U.S. throwers.

In addition to the five Division 1 javelin throwers listed above who’ve hit 200 feet, Matt Gross of Rutgers-Camden via Cherokee High threw a PR 196-3 this past weekend at Widener. Rowan’s Dan McAleavey, a Howell graduate, is just inches from the 200-foot barrier with a 199-6 in a meet two weeks ago in Orlando.

Both are among the leaders in the NCAA Division 3 rankings.

Rider junior Tom Long, a former Cinnaminson runner, dipped under 1:54 for 800 meters for the first time this weekend.

Long ran 1:53.73 for second at the Rider 5-Way meet in Lawrenceville, finishing behind only John Waker of St. Joe’s, who ran a personal-best of his own at 1:53.11.

Long’s previous PR was a 1:54.11 from the prelims of the 2017 MAAC Championships on the same track.

Long’s time is fastest by a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference half-miler so far this spring. He also ranks ninth in the 1,500 with a 4:03.24 from a meet at Penn the previous weekend.

At Cinnaminson, Long ran 1:55.49 when he was fifth in a fast state Group 2 race in the spring of 2015. Some 12 runners in Group 2 ran sub-1:57 that day.

 

 

 

 

 

*Eagles*

Jeremiah Trotter

Sonny Jurgensen

Donovan McNabb

Craig Berube

Keith Jones

Moses Malone

Jerry Stackhouse

Jeff Ruland

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Jonathan Papelbon

 

 

Brian Mitchell

James Thrash

Joe Lavender

Irving Fryar

DeSean Jackson

Mark Rypien

Raleigh McKenzie

Donovan McNabb

Shawn Barber

David Akers

Darnerian McCants

Sai Rocca

Bryan Barker

Marco Coleman

Terry Hoage

Norm Snead

Ndukwe Kalu

 

*Flyers*

Craig Berube

Dainius Zubrus

Keith Jones

Donald Brashear

Dave Poulin

 

*76ers*

Moses Malone

Jerry Stackhouse

Jeff Ruland

Manute Bol

Chris Weber

David Wingate

 

*Phillies*

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Marlon Byrd

Ben Revere

Pete Orr

Ryan Madsen

Matt Stairs

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Jonathan Papelbon

Joe Blanton