Recalling a legendary performance by Krystal Cantey … and the all-time S.J. girls 400 hurdles top-50 list!!!!!

It was truly one of the greatest performances in state history.

Winslow Township junior Krystal Cantey walked to the line at 2005 National Scholastic Championships in Greensboro with a PR of 58.88 in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles.

A minute later, she had run the fifth-fastest 400IH time in U.S. history.

Cantey won the 2005 national title in 56.83, outracing West Catholic’s Nicole Leach, who had edged Cantey at Penn and later that summer was Cantey’s teammate on the U.S. junior national team.

Here’s the story from the next day’s Courier-Post, written by my one-time Burlington County Times colleague and former Paul VI runner Kevin Cranston, one of the top South Jersey track writers during that era. As you can see, Cantey’s title came on the same day as Rob Novak’s 800 title. I was down there that weekend and it was really an incredible few days for South Jersey athletes:

Courier_Post_Sun__Jun_19__2005_

Cantey broke the state and meet record of 57.48 set at the 2000 National Scholastic Outdoors in Raleigh by Tawana Watkins of Kennedy High in Paterson and broke the South Jersey record of 59.03 set at the 1988 Meet of Champions in South Plainfield by Rancocas Valley’s Tonya Lee.

To this day, her time is No. 2 in state history – behind only Olympian Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic and her national-record 53.82 at 2017 USATF senior nationals in Sacramento.

Her time was so fast it earned her a top-100 world ranking for 2005 – the IAAF web site shows her at No. 73, just between Yinglan Song of China and Leva Zunda of Latvia. She was No. 14 among all American women

It’s also No. 9 in U.S. scholastic history and

Here’s the all-time top-10 in U.S. history:
53.82 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2017
55.20 … Leslie Maxie [Millbrae, Calif], 1984
55.20 … Anna Cockrell [Providence Day, N.C.], 2016
55.76 … Lashinda Domus [Wilson, Long Beach, Calif.], 2001
55.96 … Ebony Collins [Wilson, Long Beach, Calif.], 2005
56.16 … Brandee’ Johnson [Nasemond River, Va.], 2016
56.36 … Britton Wilson [Miles Godwin, Va.], 2019
56.80 … Kellie Roberts [Seat Pleasant, Md,], 1986
56.83 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow], 2005
56.82 … Sheena Johnson [Woodbridge, Va.], 2000

All-Time S.J. Girls 400-Meter Hurdles Top-50
56.83 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2005
59.03 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
59.56 … Torie Robinson (Winslow Twp.], 2013
59.66 … Mandie Dulin [Shawnee], 1997
1:00.13 … Arianna Smith [Pennsville], 2019
1:00.16 … Aliya Rae Garozzo [Paul VI], 2018
1:00.1h … Danielle Myricks [Willingboro], 2001
1:00.26 … Helena Leyrer [Buena], 2012
1:00.47 … Shaquanda Meylor [Wilson], 2006
1:00.48 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
1:00.55 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
1:00.58 … Andrea Olsen [Buena], 2013
1:00.67 … Meredith Updike [Cinnaminson], 2019
1:00.69 … Kristina Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
1:00.73 … Pam Richardson [Edgewood]., 2001
1:00.79 … Courtney Smith [Penns Grove], 2014
1:00.8h … Brittany Caserta [Highland], 2003
1:00.90 … Medea Ashton [Washington Twp.], 1999
1:01.0h … Eusheka Bartley [Highland], 1992
1:01.04 … Tynisha Revels [Camden], 1999
1:01.1h … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
1:01.14 … Brooke Kott [Millville], 2009
1:01.14 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 1995
1:01.23 … Brianna Snowden [Rancocas Valley], 2019
1:01.25 … Carly Pettipaw [Lenape], 2015
1:01.29 … Morgan Gantt [Winslow Twp.], 2002
1:01.3h … Vernick Smith [Wilson], 1998
1:01.32 … Brittany Preston [Winslow Twp.], 2016
1:01.35 … Thaila Cooper [Kingsway], 2015
1:01.41 … Aliya Rae Garozzo [Paul VI], 2018
1:01.42 … Natalie Edwards [Pleasantville], 1995
1:01.46 … Jewel Ash [Eastern], 2019
1:01.49 … Mary Bohi [Seneca], 2009
1:01.54 … Janeya Hammond [Winslow Twp.], 2019
1:01.66 … Asia Davy [Winslow Twp.], 2006
1:01.73 … Joshonda Johnson [Absegami], 2016
1:01.75 … Kristina Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
1:01.75 … Amanda Radzimski [Washington Twp.], 2002
1:01.83 … Jackie Dim [Washington Twp.], 2008
1:01.7h … Tenille Payne [Edgewood], 2001
1:01.86 … Cassandra Lenkowski [Clearview], 2010
1:01.94 … Brittany Caserta [Highland Reg.], 2003
1:01.99 … Evann Thompson [Lenape], 2012
1:02.00 … Iyianna Williams [Winslow Twp.], 2017
1:02.00 … Nylah Perry [Winslow Twp.], 2019
1:02.03 … Ashley Woodards [Delsea], 2012
1:02.06 … Frances Bundy [Pleasantville], 1999
1:02.07 … Amirah Sharpe [Paulsboro], 2019
1:02.08 … Victoria Clark [Camden], 2009
1:02.13 … Rachell Armstead [Millville], 2014
1:02.22 … Lisa Marrero [Williamstown], 1997
1:02.25 … Daijah Davis-Hines [Timber Creek], 2015