Back in the early prehistoric days of track and field – when I was running in high school – nobody ran the 440 or 880 indoors.

It was all about the 300, 600 and 1,000. You’d go to Millrose at the Garden and it was amazing to watch middle-distance legends like Don Paige, Fred Sowerby and hammer each other at these unique distances.

NJSIAA meets have always stuck to the usual outdoor distances, and it appears that most indoor meets that South Jersey schools generally went to in the 1960s and 1970s – at Jadwin, Widener or the Philly Convention Center – ran the 440, 880 and mile instead.

The one exception is Easterns, which had a 1,000-yard from 1934 through 1993 and a 300 and 600 from 1966 through 1993. 

South Jersey schools only sporadically raced at Easterns for most of that period, so there just aren’t many marks at these retired distances for South Jersey athletes.

I can’t do top-50 lists for these events because there were just so few top performances over the years. But I tried to put together short lists of the top times I could find. Included are en route marks for the 1,500 and 3,000 in the rare cases they were recorded.

As always, corrections and additions are welcome! Please forward them in the comment section!

300 Yards
30.85 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
31.8h … Kevin Overton [West Deptford], 1981
31.90 … Scott Jones [Willingboro], 1992
32.29 … Charles Simpson [Lenape], 1992
32.3h … Jeff Bradford [Wiillingboro], 1983
32.41 … Curtis McIntyre [Bridgeton], 1991
32.53 … Mike London [Edgewood], 1990
32.7h … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
32.7h … Kenny Fussell [Camden], 1995
33.0h … Scott McCray [Camden], 1996
33.2h … Carl Tanksley [Washington Twp.], 1979
33.4h … Otis Marcus [Camden], 1995
33.5h … Randy Smith [Camden], 1979
33.5h … Floyd Ingalls [Camden], 1996

300 Meters
33.79 … Jade Smith [Camden], 2002
33.94 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
34.04 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 198
34.25 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
34.83 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1995
35.08 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2011
35.08 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2017
35.14 … Dennis Davis [Edgewood], 1999
35.15 … Ahmad Brown [Holy Spirit], 2020
35.19 … Jade Smith [Camden], 1999
35.38 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2018
35.42 … Alex Dessoye [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
35.45 … Terrell Lane [Highland], 2009
35.45 … Tarence Walker [Pleasantville], 2016
35.47 … Zach Murray [Haddonfield], 2019
35.55 … Elias Rivera [Millville], 2020
35.67 … Curtis McIntyre [Bridgeton], 1992
35.86 … Zion Fearon [Clearview], 2019
35.97 … Brian Brown [Paul VI], 2017

500 Meters
1:04.89 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:05.3h … Sean Scott [Willingboro], 1988
1:06.1h … John Morris [Camden], 1999
1:06.14 … Sean Brown [Camden], 1998
1:07.23 … Quentin Bundy [Pleasantville], 2017
1:08.0h … Lavarr Edwards [Woodrow Wilson], 1992
1:08.1h … Steve Butenewicz [Delsea], 2010
1:08.5h … Bruce Johnson [Woodrow Wilson], 1992
1:08.2h … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2010
1:08.62 … Greg Arnett [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
1:08.81 … Rayshawn Rucker [Woodrow Wilson], 1994
1:08.85 … Daine Chang [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
1:09.35 … Matt Martino [Paul VI], 2019

600 Yards
1:13.65 … Carl Tanksley [Washington Twp.], 1980
1:13.9h … William Mobley [Eastern], 1990
1:14.1h … Bob Carroll [Camden], 1984
1:14.5h … Tony Uzdavines [Williamstown], 1976
1:14.6h … Sean Scott [Willingboro], 1988
1:15.8h … Cal Gunning [Cherry Hill West], 1979
1:16.0h … Stan Bullock [Pemberton], 1979

600 Meters
1:19.6h … Rob Novak [Bordentown], 2005
1:20.71 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
1:20.90 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:21.13 … Shannon Sherrer [Vineland], 2003
1:21.20 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2012
1:21.76 … Alan Laws [Pleasantville], 2007
1:23.34 … Marcus Phillips [Cherry Hill East], 2011
1:23.56 … Tyler Davidson [Willingboro], 2016
1:23.79 … Duke Mack [Pleasantville], 2007
1:23.85 … Micah Wood [Rancocas Valley], 2019
1:24.02 … Dontae Guest [Camden], 2019
1:24.09 … Aidin Hendriks [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
1:24.1h … Wayne Riley [Willingboro], 1997
1:24.26 … Michael Szwed [Delsea], 2017
1:24.56 … Ayo Owudunni [Highland], 2002
1:24.79 … Eric Barnes [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
1:24.89 … Zaon Bryant [Millville], 2020
1:24.91 … Joshua DeJesus [Rancocas Valley], 2015
1:25.56 … Lamont Edwards [Woodrow Wilson], 1999
1:25.5h … Sean Watson [Willingboro], 1996

1,000 Yards
2:13.7h … Tony Uzdavines [Williamstown], 1976
2:15.9h … Vance Watson [Willingboro], 1983
2:16.4h … Rich Caton [Woodbury], 1978
2:16.7h … Merrill Pratt [Palmyra], 1954
2:18.31 … Roger Lawyer [Willingboro], 1987
2:20.5h … Bob Forberger [Camden Catholic], 1990

1,000 Meters
2:27.71 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2012
2:30.81 … Andrew Riviello [Eastern], 2003
2:31.20 … Roger Lawyer [Willingboro], 1988
2:31.28 … Connor Melko [Bishop Eustace], 2019
2:31.90 … Duke Mack [Pleasantville], 2007
2:31.9h … Rich Caton [Woodbury], 1979
2:32.79 … Larry Ramirez [Pleasantville], 2009
2:33.27 … Nate Miller [Highland], 1999
2:33.5h … Roger Lawyer [Willingboro], 1988
2:34.02 … Alex Best [Pleasantville], 2007
2:34.05 … Isaiah Curbelo [Rancocas Valley], 2015
2:34.16 … Xavier Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2007
2:34.68 … Ian Moore [Rancocas Valley], 2019
2:34.95 … Michael Keebler [Holy Spirit], 2007
2:34.96 … Nick Pschunder [Eastern], 2015
2:35.14 … Joe Forrest [Pleasantville], 2002
2:35.24 … Andre Riviello [Eastern], 2002
2:35.81 … Jacob Tyndale [Rancocas Valley], 2017

1,500 Meters
3:55.75er … Greg Pelose [Haddonfield], 2016
3:56.30er … Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2015
3:58.77er … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
4:00.02er … Bill Dolan [Clearview], 2014
4:01.0h … Al Harden [Millville], 1979
4:02.08er … Derek Gess [Haddonfield], 2018
4:03.5h … Bill Stewart [Cherry Hill East], 1984
4:04.2h … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1989
4:05.0h … Albert Donawa [Camden], 1990

3,000 Meters
8:21.8h … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1989
8:47.31 … Martin Riddell [Haddonfield], 2020
8:48.1h … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1980
8:51.42 … Dan Dough [Haddonfield], 1987
8:52.4h … Doug Atkinson [Rancocas Valley], 1980
8:57.7h … Bruce Miller [Cherry Hill East], 1981
8:59.8h … Mike Robertson [Holy Cross], 1993

Who was the first South Jersey team to break 8 minutes indoors in the 3,200-meter relay?

Depends.

How can it depend? Either you’re under 8:00 or you’re not!

Here’s how:

Going into the 1983 indoor season, the South Jersey record in the two-mile relay was 8:05.8, which Woodbury ran at the Princeton Relays at Jadwin Gym on Feb. 6, 1977.

Bill Pendleton [2:02.7], Don Bland [2:02.7], John Carter [2:02.1] set up amazing sophomore anchor Rich Caton [1:55.7] and the Thundering Herd took fourth in an incredible race at the Princeton Relays at Jadwin Gym, behind St. Joe’s of Metuchen [8:05.4], Essex Catholic [8:05.4] and Power Memorial of New York [8:05.7].

Woodbury’s 8:05.8 stood as the South Jersey record for six years, until Willingboro – with Herb Gordon, Eric Moore, Jeff Bradford and Vance Watson – ran 8:01.2 at the Group 4 state relays, also at Jadwin, in a hot race with Plainfield [8:03.2].

(By the way … has anybody else noticed that the last three events we’ve talked about Lenape’s 4-by-200 and 4-by-400 state records in 2000 and Willingboro’s South Jersey 4-by-800 record in 1983 all had legendary coach Fred Rucker in common?)

On the list below, Willingboro’s 8:01.2 shows up as 7:58.5 after being converted to a 4-by-800. Of course Willingboro went on to win the 4-by-800 at Penn a few months later, as well as the DMR.

So they didn’t technically go under 8 minutes, but they kind of did.

The first South Jersey school to actually run under 8:00?

Well, that 8:01.2 was the South Jersey record for 17 years!

Finally, at the 2000 Easterns – what a meet that was for South Jersey! – Cherokee ran 7:51.78 with Josh Joseph, Mike Caputi, Marc Pelerin and Dave Sitzer, outrunning Phillips Exeter [7:54.44] and Central of Philly [7:55.19], Sitzer anchoring in 1:54.8.

So not only did they go under 8 minutes, they went more than EIGHT SECONDS under.

That remained the South Jersey record for nine years, when Washington Township’s Greg Krause, Tim Carey, Brian Keane and Xavier Fraction ran 7:51.45 and won the National Scholastic Championships at the Armory.

Three years later, another Cherokee quartet – – Colin Merrigan, Drew Viscidy, Ross Staudt and Shawn Wilson – lowered the S.J. mark 3 1/2 seconds to its current 7:43.64 at Nationals.

All-Time S.J. Boys Indoor 4-by-800 Top-50

7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:45.55 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:47.50 … Kingsway, 2020
7:48.92 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
7:51.45 … Washington Twp., 2009
7:51.78 … Cherokee, 2000
7:52.76 … Kingsway, 2020
7:52.77 … Pleasantville, 2006
7:52.95 … Willingboro, 2003
7:53.64 … Willingboro, 2002
7:54.76 … Pleasantville, 2007
7:55.40 … Washington Twp., 2008
7:55.44 … Haddonfield, 2010
7:57.28 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
7:57.29 … Oakrest, 2009
7;57.56 … Haddonfield, 2019
7:58.08 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016
7:58.5h … Willingboro, 1983
7:59.05 … Pleasantville, 2015
7:59.51 … Pleasantville, 2012
7:59.84 … Kingsway, 2014
7:59.91 … Kingsway, 2013
8:01.32 … Kingsway, 2015
8:01.64 … Haddonfield, 2018
8:02.39 … Bridgeton, 2001
8:02.47 … Cherokee, 2011
8:02.49 … Washington Twp., 2000
8:02.62 … Mainland Reg., 2004
8:02.67 … Washington Twp., 1999
8:03.0y … Woodbury, 1977
8:03.58 … Pleasantville, 2009
8:03.11 … Kingsway, 2018
8:03.77 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
8:04.1h … Rancocas Valley, 2015
8:04.50 … Haddonfield, 2009
8:05.49 … Delsea, 2010
8:06.58 … Cherokee, 2009
8:06.7h … Haddonfield, 2015
8:06.91 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
8:07.5h … Shawnee, 2000
8:07.93 … Seneca, 2013
8:08.4h … Cherokee, 1998
8:08.53 … Edgewood, 1985
8:08.7y … Edgewood, 1984
8:08.95 … Highland, 2014
8:08.92 … Kingsway, 2009
8:09.37 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
8:09.6y … Willingboro
8:10.10 … Kingsway, 2010
8:10.1y … Williamstown, 1977
8:10.22 … Lenape, 2000

You knew it was going to be fast.

They had both already run sub-3:20 racing each other in January at the Hispanic Games at the Armory – 3:18.91 for Lenape and 3:19.49 for Camden. Those times were already No. 1 and No. 3 in state history.

Then they went 1-2 at the Meet of Champions, 3:24.5 for Lenape and 3:25.4 for Camden on the slow, flat track at Jadwin Gym.

Then they both ran hot in the 4-by-2 at Easterns, Lenape winning with a state-record 1:28.46 and Camden clocking 1:30.55 in the trials.

They met for the final time at the National Scholastic Championships at the Armory, with Herb Reid, Luis Tomlinson, Ian Moore and Mohamad Kanu racing for Lenape and Maurice Young, William Davis, James Williams and Jade Smith for Camden.

Not surprisingly, they finished 1-2 in the country, Lenape in 3:16.40 and Camden just behind in 3:17.26.

Coming into the season, the South Jersey record was 3:20.11 set in 1997 by Camden’s Corey Alston, Floyd Ingalls, Albert Newkirk and Sean Brown at nationals in Boston and the state record was 3:19.01 set by Metuchen in 1997 in the same race.

Lenape lowered the South Jersey record by nearly FOUR SECONDS and shaved more than 2 1/2 seconds off the state record. And Camden ran nearly two seconds faster than the previous state record.

To this day – two decades later – those two times are No. 2 and 4 in South Jersey history and No. 4 and 7 in state history.

Incredibly, no South Jersey school has run under 3:18 in 17 years and only Egg Harbor – with a 3:18.45 at nationals in 2017 – has run under 3:20 since 2004.

But 20 years ago, in one race, Lenape and Camden put on a show that will never be forgotten.

All-Time South Jersey Boys Indoor 4-by-400 Top 50

3:15.78 … Camden, 2001
3:16.40 … Lenape, 2000
3:17:15 … Vineland, 2003
3:17.26 … Camden, 2000
3:18.46 … Winslow Twp, 2003
3:18.45 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
3:18.90 … Pleasantville, 2007
3:19.34 … Camden, 2004
3:19.42 … Camden, 2002
3:20.11 … Camden, 1997
3:20.3h … Camden, 1999
3:20.53 … Oakcrest, 2012
3:20.82 … Lenape, 1999
3:20.99 … Paul VI, 2016
3:21.01 … Camden, 2007
3:21.03 … Vineland, 2004
3:21.11 … Buena, 2001
3:21.35 … Camden, 2005
3:21.49 … Pleasantville, 2008
3:21.54 … Camden, 2004
3:21.6y … Edgewood, 1985
3:21.87y … Lenape, 1998
3:21.8h … Vineland, 2002
3:22.11 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016
3:22.16 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:22.2y … Edgewood, 1984
3:22.40 … Willingboro, 2007
3:22.60 … Cherry Hill East, 2012
3:22.64 … Deptford, 2015
3:22.82 … Lenape, 2001
3:22.91 … Timber Creek, 2013
3:22.9h … Willingboro, 2004
3:23.09 … Winslow Twp., 2005
3:23.14y … Camden, 1996
3:23.24 … Winslow Twp., 2008
3:23.2y … Willingboro, 1982
3:23.35 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:23.38 … Timber Creek, 2009
3:23.40 … Cherokee, 2012
3:23.42 … Timber Creek, 2009
3:23.52 … Washington Twp., 2010
3:23.54 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
3:23.54 … Haddonfield, 2017
3:23.58 … Vineland, 2007
3:23.70 … Timber Creek, 2016
3:23.75 … Lenape, 2013
3:23.81 … Winslow Twp., 2009
3:23.98 … Camden, 2003
3:24.03 … Buena, 2000
3:24.07 … Paul VI, 2018

They broke the state record. Then an hour later they did it again.

At one remarkable meet, the 2000 Lenape boys – Herb Reid, Ian Moore, Luis Tomlinson and Mohamad Kanu – broke the state record in the 800-meter relay twice by a total of more than a second.

It was at Easterns at the Armory, and when the night began the South Jersey 4-by-200 record was Camden’s 1:29.57 from 1997 and the state record was 1:29.38 from 1989.

First, Lenape ran 1:29.05 in the second of six semifinals. Camden ran 1:30.55 in the first heat, and Gratz was just behind Lenape in their semifinal with a 1:29.17.

That set up a wild final, with Lenape running 1:28.46 and beating Gratz by a second. Camden had stick problems, was never in the race and finished well back.

Kanu had already won the 400 in a state-record 48.36, so he was part of three state-record teams in one night

Note the reference to Wilson’s Rashad Baker winning the hurdles. It was Baker whose interception of Jeff Garcia eight years later clinched the Raiders’ upset win over the Buccaneers on the last day of the 2008 season, which gave the Eagles a chance to make the playoffs with a win over the Cowboys.  

As you can see from these results from the Bergen Record, that was an incredible night for South Jersey:

Lenape’s 1:28.46 broke the meet record of 1:29.4 (converted from yards) set in 1974 by DeWitt Clinton.

In a high school 4-by-200 held in conjunction with 2002 U.S. nationals at the Armory, Camden broke Lenape’s South Jersey and state record when Maurice Young, Michael Levinson, Sherron Bullock and Jade Smith ran 1:28.45. 

Two years later, Camden and Vineland both went under the state record at the Coca Cola National Track and Field Hall of Fame Classic at the Armory.

Camden won in 1:27.35 with Dwayne Lewis, Bullock, Carl Smith and Alonzo Brown and Vineland second in 1:27.60 with Jamar Byrd, Darren Ford, Bryce Bartley and Marcus Lee. Winslow was third in 1:30.41.

Three days later at Easterns, Camden lowered the record to the current 1:26.90 with the same lineup (although the results show Brown running third and Smith anchoring). Vineland was second but ran 1:28.18 – slower than at Coca Cola.

To this day, the 2004 Camden and Vineland teams rank No. 1 and No. 3 in state history. Union Catholic dipped in between them with its winning 1:27.04 at New Balance Nationals at the Armory in 2014.

That stretch from 2000 through 2007 produced all seven sub-1:29 indoor times in South Jersey history.

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey 800-meter relay progression, with 4-by-220 times converted:

1:33.7y … Camden, 1975
1:33.0y … Overbrook, 1976
1:32.6y … Kennedy, 1978
1:31.8y … Willingboro, 1982
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004

 

All-Time South Jersey Boys Indoor 4-by-200 Top-50

1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017

1:29.52 … Vineland, 2003
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:29.61 … Camden, 1999
1:29.72 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:29.74 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
1:30.06 … Buena, 2001

1:30.08 … Camden, 2006
1:30.09 … Camden, 2018
1:30.12 … Delsea, 2007
1:30.16 … Camden, 2005
1:30.20 … Edgewood, 2000
1:30.36 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:30.38 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:30.40 … Delsea, 2009
1:30.42 … Vineland, 2002
1:30.47 … Vineland, 2005

1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
1:30.60 … Delsea, 2008
1:30.62 … Winslow Twp., 2005
1:30.63 … Eastern, 2002
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.87 … Woodrow Wilson, 1995
1:30.89 … Vineland, 2001

1:30.97 … Vineland, 2008
1:31.07 … Willingboro, 1995
1:31.19 … Vineland, 2007
1:31.29 … Willingboro, 2005
1:31.36 … Willingboro, 2006
1:31.44 … Woodrow Wilson, 2006
1:31.4 … Lenape, 1998
1:31.75 … Winslow Twp., 2006
1:31.76 … West Deptford, 2006
1:31.7y … Willingboro, 1990

Mount Laurel native and Haddonfield graduate Marielle Hall PR’d in the 3,000 Friday while helping pace teammate Shelby Houlihan to the American record in the 5,000.

Hall came through 3,000 meters in 8:48.72 before dropping out of the Bowerman Track Club Intrasquad race at Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore.

Although the race was only for Bowerman Track Club runners, it was held with approved officials and timing equipment, so all the times are expected to count in all-time rankings. When FAT timing is used for en route marks, they generally also count on all-time lists.

Through 3,000 meters, Elise Cranny [8:47.89], Courtney Frerichs [8:47.90], Houlihan [8:48.14], Karissa Schweizer [8:48.37], Gwen Jorgensen [8:48.48], Hall and Colleen Quigley [8:48.93] were all within about a second of each other.

Hall, Quigley and Jorgensen dropped out right after the 3,000-meter mark. Houlihan went on to run 14:23.92 for the full 5,000 meters and Schweizer ran 14:26.34.

Houlihan broke her own U.S. record of 14:34.45 set two years ago in Heusden, the Netherlands, and her time is No. 12 in history. Schweizer’s performance is No. 2 in U.S. history and No. 14 all-time.

Frerichs and Cranny also finished. Hall ran all her full laps between 69.4 and 70.8.

Hall’s previous lifetime best at 3,000 meters was an 8:54.48 at Cork Ireland on July 8, 2014. Her last 3,000 was a 9:20.62 in Luzern on July 9, 2018.

Hall, who ran 15:30.86 for 5,000 meters on the same track on June 30, appears to be No. 2 now on the all-time New Jersey alumni list at 3,000 meters, behind only Julie Culley of North Hunterdon, who ran 8:45.57 on July 20, 2012, in Monaco.

Hall, 28, graduated from Haddonfield High School in 2010. She was a three-time All-America at Texas and made the U.S. Olympic team in the 10,000 in 2016.

The only other race was a men’s 5,000, and Canadian Moh Ahmed ran 12:47.20, No. 10 all-time and a North American continental record.

Let’s take a moment to salute Greg Ross, who remains one of the top-15 indoor shot putters in south Jersey history 44 years after he graduated. 

Ross threw 58-9 at an NJSIAA developmental meet at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym on Jan. 18, 1976. He only finished fourth in an incredible competition that shows how strong the shot put was back in the 1970s.

That mark is still No. 14 in South Jersey indoor history and No. 3 on the all-time Gloucester County list.

Ross also threw 57-9 1/4 that winter, although the name of the meet – the South Jersey Polar Bear Relays at Gateway – indicates it was probably outdoors.

At the end of the decade, only two of the top-50 marks in state history belonged to South Jersey throwers – Pitman’s Harry Dilks, who threw 60-3 in 1971, and Adams.

Ross went on to have a very good outdoor season capped by a 57-9 1/4, which is still a Deptford outdoor school record and 9th in Gloucester County history.

There will be no XC state championships or Meet of Champions this fall, according to a “Return to Play” update issued Friday by the NJSIAA.

This will be the first time in over a century that New Jersey won’t have a state championship in cross country

According to the update, a “limited postseason” for all sports other than girls tennis will run from Nov. 13 through Nov. 22. The information from the NJSIAA does not specifically say the state tournament will end with sectionals, but Robert Kellert of N.J. MileSplit confirmed that with NJSIAA track and XC director Bill Bruno.

According to the original NJSIAA schedule, sectionals were set to be held Nov. 7 at Thompson Park in Monroe Township; Greystone Park in Morris Plains; Delsea Regional in Franklinville; and Garrett Mountain in Woodland Park (and Clifton and Paterson).

States were scheduled for Nov. 14 and the Meet of Champions Nov. 21, both at Holmdel County Park.

Now, sectionals will be held over two weekends – presumably Nov. 14 and Nov. 21 – to reduce the number of athletes at each host site and comply with social distancing recommendations.

This will be the first time since 1918 there won’t be a boys state championship in New Jersey. According to information in the New Jersey Track Annuals, published from the mid-1960s through 2009 by N.J. track historian Ed Grant, the first state championship XC meet was held in 1919.

For boys, sectionals have been held since 1965 and the Meet of Champions since 1972. For girls, sectionals, states and Meet of Champions have been held every year since 1976.

The last time no state meets were held at Holmdel was 1975.  

Mark Murphy held the South Jersey pole vault record for 21 years. Then he lost the South Jersey record, the Camden County record and the Haddonfield school record all at the same time.

Let’s take a look some the South Jersey indoor pole vault history!

The earliest South Jersey record I could find was a 13-1 from 1977 by Rancocas Valley’s Aaron Foster. Couldn’t find the meet. That stood for seven years, until Steve Harbeson of Penns Grove cleared 13-2 at a SJTCA meet in 1984 at Widener University’s Schwartz Center in Chester, Pa.

Chris Matteo of Bishop Eustace then broke the record twice later in 1984, first with a 13-7 at the South Jersey Championships at Widener and then with a 14-0 jump – again, I couldn’t find the meet – later in 1984.

Then Murphy took over.

First, he cleared 14-6 on New Year’s weekend to take over the S.J. record. He cleared 14-6 again at the Metropolitan Athletics Conference developmental meet at Jadwin Gym on Jan. 6 and again in a SJTCA meet at Widener on Jan. 25.

He broke his own South Jersey record with a 14-9 at Widener a week later, then won Easterns at Jadwin at 14-6 (with a 14-9 in the jump off against Chris Lockett of Woodbridge, Va.),.

Murphy became South Jersey’s first 15-footer at the Pathmark Classic indoor nationals at Jadwin. In the same meet, Brandon Richards of Santa Barbara, Calif., whose father Bob was the 1952 and 1956 Olympic gold medalist, set a national scholastic record of 17-6.

Murphy held the record for 21 years until Devon Purves, also from Haddonfield, cleared 15-0 1/4 at the Varsity Classic at the Armory in February of 2006. The record stayed in Haddonfield’s hands for another two years until West Deptford’s Dan Batdorf hit 15-6 when he won the 2008 Meet of Champions.

Nico Morales of Delsea tied that mark three times in 2018 and then twin brother Marco tied it this past winter at the Coach Saint Invitational at the 168th Street Armory in New York and then broke it twice in two weeks at Ocean Breeze – with a 15-7 at the Freedom Games in February and then a week later with a 16-0 at the SJTCA meet.

Interesting to note that the top four marks in South Jersey history come from Gloucester County and the next four come from Haddonfield.

Here’s the all-time list. Corrections and additions, shoot ’em over in the comments section!

All-Time S.J. Indoor Boys Pole Vault Top-50

16-0 … Marco Morales [Delsea], 2020
15-6 … Dan Batdorf [West Deptford], 2008
15-6 … Nico Morales [Delsea], 2019
15-1 … Dylan Altland [Kinsgway], 2014
15-0 ¼ … Devon Purves [Haddonfield], 2006
15-0 … Mark Murphy [Haddonfield], 1985
15-0 … Mike Davis [Haddonfield], 2004
15-0 … Mike Rivard [Haddonfield], 2009
14-11 ¼ … Tom Jeffers [Triton], 2011
14-7 … Brian Banks [Eastern], 2011
14-6 ¼ … Brandon Kurtz [Absegami], 1991
14-6 … Mike Maira [Seneca],
14-6 … Michael Oberg [Ocean City],
14-6 … Jarrod Brovero [Delsea], 2016
14-6 … Kyle Loveland [Moorestown], 2016
14-1 … Joshua Cohen [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
14-0 … Mike Yurcho [Shawnee], 1999
14-0 … David Murname [West Deptford], 2000
14-0 … Jason Yurchak [Delsea], 2004
14-0 … Dan Pope [Hammonton], 2004
14-0 … Don Smith [Eastern], 2005
14-0 … Mike Mancini [Cinnaminson], 2006
14-0 … Eddie Zubrzycki [Highland], 2007, 2008
14-0 … Zach Winters [Shawnee], 2012
14-0 … James Lynch [Deptford], 2018
14-0 … Ryan Jillard [Delsea], 2019
14-0 … Nick Clarke [Delsea], 2016
14-0 … Julian Rodriguez [Deptford], 2020
14-0 … Luke Pease [Haddonfield], 2014
14-0 … Mitchell Casey [Shawnee], 2017
13-7 … Jason King [Lenape], 1993
13-6 … Marv Forchion [Willingboro], 1986
13-6 … Greg Matteo [Bishop Eustace], 1987
13-6 … Ken Bauso [Cherry Hill West], 1990
13-6 … Shane Mertz [West Deptford], 1997
13-6 … Nick Kariske [Millville], 1999
13-6 … Josh Moline [Gateway], 2000
13-6 … Matt Tolstoy [Moorestown], 2006
13-6 … Mike Salera [Washington Twp.], 2006
13-6 … Josh Parr [Millville], 2009
13-6 … Kevin Dever [Millville], 2009
13-6 … Ian Best [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2010
13-6 … Remy Kahn [Cherry Hill East], 2010
13-6 … Algeron Johnson [Highland], 2011
13-6 … Vince Murrey [Buena Reg.], 2011
13-6 … Aidan Sokolov [Millville], 2011
13-6 … Edward Albright [Ocean City], 2012
13-6 … Aidan Skelly [Hammonton], 2013
13-6 … Ray Rodriguez [Oakcrest], 2014
13-6 … Ryan Sharp [Kingsway], 2014
13-6 … Tyler Davis-Rozycki [Timber Creek], 2014
13-6 … Josh Montana [Haddonfield], 2019
13-6 … Will Ramos [Vineland], 2019
13-6 … Kai Deery [Rancocas Valley], 2020
13-6 … Lucas Tran [Cherry Hill East], 2020
13-6 … Michael Baglivo [Oakcrest], 2020

Ever wonder who held the South Jersey indoor long jump record before Carl Lewis?

I did. So I looked it up.

John Bakey of Paul VI competed in one track meet during the winter of 1975 and won the long jump at the Catholic Track Conference Championships at Jadwin Gym with a jump of 21-5, according to results in the Home News newspaper on Feb. 3, 1975.

Bakey became a pretty good half-miler running for the late, great Paul VI coach Jim Camburn, who later became A.D. at Buena. Here’s a story I found from 1975 about Bakey from long-time Courier-Post track writer Walt Schumann (and look at those tire prices!):

As for Lewis, he didn’t long jump indoors in his two years at Kennedy, but in his first indoor meet after he transferred to Willingboro after the 1976-77 school year, he went 23-6 at the Delaware Valley Championships at the Civic Center in West Philadelphia.

That broke Bakey’s South Jersey record and the state record of 22-11 3/4, set in 1973 by Ken Blackwell of Westfield High.

Carl extended the record to 23-11 1/4 at 1978 Easterns at Jadwin Gym and then in the winter of 1979 he broke the record again with a  24-7 at the North Carolina State Invitational at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C., before his 25-5 1/2 at Easterns, which remains the state record.  

As for Bakey, it looks like he still holds the Paul VI indoor record, 45 years later!

I got carried away and looked up every indoor jump of 21-0 or better, so this top-50 list is actually almost a top-100 list. Anybody missing? Let me know in the comments!

All-Time South Jersey Boys Indoor Long Jump Top-50

25-5 ½ … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
24-6 ¼ … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
24-2 ½ … Isaac Samuels [Kennedy], 1983
24-0 ¾ … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003
24-0 ½ … William Spearmon [Wilson], 1996
23-11 ½ … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1985
22-10 ¾ … Nick Brown [Bridgeton], 1999
23-10 ….. Matt Rose [Bordentown], 1985
23-9 …… Syteek Farrington [Camden], 2009
23-7 ¾ … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2012
23-5 ½ … Floyd Whitaker [Highland Reg.], 2020
23-4 ½ … Maurice Hunter [Woodbury], 1983
23-4 ….. Andrew Athias [Cherry Hill East], 2011
23-3 ¾ … Jamar Byrd [Vineland], 2005
23-2 ½ … Rich Winstead [Egg Harbor Twp.], 1988
23-1 ….. Mikhail Micheaux [Eastern], 2014
23-0 ….. Derek King [Cumberland Reg.], 1984
22-11 ½ … Chris Gillis [Pennsauken], 2001
22-11 ½ … Antwan Dickerson [Pennsauken], 2013
22-11 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
22-10 ¾ … Will Mobley [Eastern], 1990
22-9 ¼ … Khalim Barge [Camden], 1999
22-9 ¼ … Shai Mumford [West Deptford], 2013
22-9 … John Meekins [Cinnaminson], 1987
22-8 ½ … Chris Steliga [Cherokee], 2008
22-7 ¾ … Hede Dewberry [Willingboro], 1981
22-7 ¼ … Keon Grady [Delsea], 2017
22-7 … Jermaine Jackson [Wilson], 1991
22-7 … Darin Washington [Winslow Twp.], 2008
22-6 ½ … Carl Smith [Camden], 2005
22-6 ½ … Iverson Clement [Rancocas Valley], 2017
22-5 ¾ … Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], 2018
22-5 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2003
22-3 ¾ … Larry Russell Jr. [Timber Creek], 2015
22-3 ½ … Damon Johnson [Vineland], 1994
22-3 ¼ … Khaliq Price [Winslow Twp.], 2003
22-3 … Maurice Young [Camden], 1999
22-2 ¼ … Marquis Allen [Oakcrest], 2001
22-2 ¼ … Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2012
22-2 … Sean Mayers [Cherokee], 2002
22-2 … Adwon Parker [West Deptford], 2006
22-1 ¾ … Tahmir Clark [Rancocas Valley], 2020
22-1 … Ryan Givens [Ocean City], 2014
22-0 … Marcus Brown [Bridgeton], 2001
22-0 … Damir Lomax [Delsea], 2020
21-11 ¾ … Areon Robinson [Kennedy], 1985
22-11 ½ … Steven Johnson [Pennsauken], 2001
21-11 ¼ … Wayne Davis [Oakcrest], 2005
21-11 … Mel Long [Willingboro], 1982
21-11 … Kason Barrett [Schalick], 2017
21-11 … Reginald Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
21-10 ½ … Dwayne Ross [Moorestown], 1989
21-10 ½ … Jalen Blango [Rancocas Valley], 2020
21-10 ¼ … Paul Grimes [Shawnee], 1982
21-10 ¼ … Justin Farrar [Willingboro], 1997
21-10 ¼ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 1999
21-8 ½ … Andre Daniels [Kennedy], 1978
21-8 ½ …Stacy Crawford [Bridgeton], 1990
21-8 ¼ … Curtis Custis [Bridgeton], 1997
21-8 ¼ … Nate Robertson [Willingboro], 2020
21-8 … Ferrell Cooper [West Deptford], 2011
21-8 … Ameer Waugh [Camden], 2008
21-11 ¼ … Arkenny Wade [Willingboro], 1993
21-8 ¾ … Preston Beckley [Eastern], 1993
21-7 ¼ … Jamal Tillman [Vineland], 1994
21-7 ¼ … Julian Norman [Woodstown], 2017
21-7 … Jason Knight [Salem], 1991
21-6 ¾ … Tim Kent [Bridgeton], 1996
21-6 ½ … Craig Howard [Washington Twp.], 1998
21-6 ½ … Mel Colvin [Delsea], 1999
21-6 ½ … Joe Williams [Willingboro], 2001
21-6 ¼ … Shonn Greene [Winslow Twp.], 2003
21-6 … Jaquay Redding [Northern Burlington], 2014
21-5 ¼ … Brian Young [Overbrook], 1991
21-5 ¼ … Desmond Powell [Oakcrest], 1994
21-5 ¼ … Connor Wright [Hammonton], 2020
21-5 … John Bakey [Paul VI], 1975
21-5 … Tyrone Williams [Cherry Hill West], 1988
21-5 … Blaine Bartlett [Penns Grove], 1999
21-4 ½ … Clifton Green [Schalick], 1992
21-4 ½ … Wykeen Gill [Rancocas Valley], 1995
21-4 ½ … Bobby Arnold III [Salem], 2020
21-4 ¼ … Chris Feigenbutz [Bishop Eustace], 1999
21-3 ¾ … Terrance Howard [Rancocas Valley], 1998
21-3 ¼ … Corey Thomas [Willingboro], 1989
21-2 ¼ … Jamal Powell [Bridgeton], 1991
21-2 ¼ … Eli Colon [Cumberland Reg.], 1994
21-2 … Brandon Greene [Washington Twp.], 2019
21-1 ¾ … Drew Williams [Paul VI], 2019
21-1 ½ … Enis Hutchinson [Glassboro], 2014
21-2 ¼ … Ed Loges [Shawnee], 1992
21-1 ¼ … Darian English [Wilson], 1991
21-0 ¾ … Clarence Hardy [Winslow Twp.], 2014
21-0 ¼ … Devon Matthews [Pleasantville], 1999
21-0 … Wayne Walls [Camden], 2009
21-0 … Raekwon Little-Martin [Williamstown], 2014

I couldn’t find out much about Shane Paynter, but he sounds like a heck of an athlete.

The indoor triple jump was an oddity for South Jersey athletes until the past 15 years or so. Although it’s been contested at a high level in Bergen County and other pockets of North Jersey since the 1970s, South Jersey athletes rarely contested it.

Which is why 47 of the top 50 marks in South Jersey history are from 2005 or later.

But in the winter 1978, Paynter, a football player, top-8 U.S. scholastic decathlete and 172-foot javelin thrower from West Deptford High School, leaped 42-6 1/2, which at the time was the No. 7 mark in state history.

Where did it happen? I’m guessing Easterns, since that’s the only meet in the area that had an indoor triple jump that West Deptford could have been at. I have 6-deep results from 1978 Easterns, and they go down to 44-4 1/4, so if that’s where it happened it was a non-scoring mark.

But it stood as a South Jersey record for 23 years. In fact, nobody else from South Jersey even got a legal mark of even 41 feet for over 20 years. You’ll notice there isn’t a single mark on the top-50 list from 1979 through 2000.

Joe Williams of Willingboro finally ended that drought when he went 43-1 3/4 to win the 2001 Varsity Classic at the Armory by 1 1/2 inches over Scharai Horton of Glen Mills. And thanks to the Morristown Daily Record for running complete results of the Varsity Classic in its Feb. 14, 2001, editions, because these sort of results are extremely tough to find when newspapers don’t post results.

With the triple jump growing in popularity, the South Jersey record took off starting in 2005.

Carl Smith of Camden went 44-9 1/4 at the 2005 Varsity Classic at the Armory, then Rhodeni Spence of Wilson increased the mark by 2 1/2 feet with a 47-3 in the 2007 season opener at the Bishop Loughlin Games at the Armory (he got hurt soon after and missed the rest of the season.)

Camden’s Wayne Walls extended the South Jersey record to 48-1 1/4 when he was third at 2009 indoor nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Haddon Heights Dominique Irons extended it to 48-9 at the 2013 New Balance Games at the Armory and Delsea’s Khaliel Burnett brought the mark to its current 49-1 at 2018 Easterns at the Armory.

But Shane Paynter was a pioneer, the first indoor triple jumper in South Jersey history and still No. 6 in South Jersey history and No. 8 in Gloucester County history some 42 years later.

All-Time Boys S.J. Indoor Triple Jump Top-50

49- 1 …..… Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], 2018
48- 9 …..… Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
48- 8 ½ … Tristan Wilson [Delsea], 2014
48- 1 ¼ … Wayne Walls [Camden], 2009
47- 3 …..… Rhodeni Spence [Woodrow Wilson], 2007
46-10 ¾ … Floyd Whitaker [Highland], 2020
46- 5 …….. Orion Joyner [Kingsway], 2019
46- 3 ½ … Keon Grady [Delsea], 2018
45-10 …..… Kevin Kevelier [Collingswood], 2020
45- 3 ½ … Zakiyy Williams [Rancocas Valley], 2015
45- 0 …….. Earnest Daniel [Kingsway], 2017
44-11 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 2010
44-9 ½ … Josh Gray [Timber Creek], 2012
44-9 ¼ … Carl Smith [Camden], 2005
44-6 ¾ … Kyle Bryant [Cherry Hill East], 2013
44-3 … Ebeneezer Edzii [Millville], 2019
44-1 ¾ … Jordan Floyd [Rancocas Valley], 2020
44-0 … Dejon Sullivan [Camden], 2014
43-10 ¾ … Jermane Owens [Lenape], 2014
43-9 ½ … Emmanuel Udutong [Cinnaminson], 2015
43-6 ½ … Bobby Arnold [Salem], 2020
43-6 … Mubeen Momodu [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
43-3 ¼ … Spencer Liu [Cinnaminson], 2016
43-2 … Zecheriah Johnson [Woodstown], 2017
43-1 ¾ … Joe Williams [Willingboro], 2001
43-1 ¼ … Kevin Harrison [Lenape], 2015
43-1 … Jaquay Redding [Pemberton], 2015
43-1 … Charles Naone-Carter [Sterling], 2016
42-11 … Brandon Boggs [Rancocas Valley], 2017
42-11 … Jose Gonzalez [Deptford], 2014
42-10 ¾ … Kennedy Omari [Cherry Hill East], 2016
42-10 ¼ … Ta’riq Thomas [Woodstown], 2014
42-10 … Ahmad Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
42-8 ¼ … Za’quan Singleton [Millville], 2017
42-8 … Jamil Henry [Camden], 2010
42-6 ½ … Shayne Paynter [West Deptford], 1978
42-6 … Kason Barrett [Schalick], 2017
42-5 … Charles Waugh [Camden], 2007
42-2 ½ … Larry Russell [Timber Creek], 2015
42-2 ¼ … Alan Tucker [Paul VI], 2018
42-2 … Mike Rivard [Haddonfield], 2009
42-0 ½ … Mike Hall [Glassboro], 2020
41-11 ¼ … Timothy Alston [Winslow Twp.], 2015
41-11 … Nkenna Opara [Cherokee], 2018
41-11 … Trevor Green [Buena Reg.], 2019
41-11 … Keenan Henry [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2014
41-10 ¼ … Liam Bergman [Ocean City], 2017
41-8 ½ … Liam Alderman [Rancocas Valley], 2014
41-8 ½ … Timothy Farrar [Eastern], 2016
41-6 ¾ … Eron Daniel [Kingsway], 2018