Rancocas Valley senior Anabella Chin moved into the No. 1 spot in New Jersey this year in the high hurdles with a near-PR performance Wednesday at the Armory.
Chin won the 55-meter hurdles in 8.45 at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the New Balance Armory in Manhattan.
Abigail Jefferies of Archbishop Malloy in Queens, N.Y., led all qualifiers with an 8.47 in the trials, and Chin ran 8.50. But Chin ran away from Jefferies in the final running 8.45 to Jefferies’ 8.65.
Chin came up 1-100th of a second short of her PR of 8.44, which she set on the same track two years ago in the semifinals at Easterns. Chin ranks second in R.V. history in the 55-meter hurdles, behind only legendary Tonya Lee, who ran 8.35 in 1988. Lee went on to become a 400 intermediates All-America at Tennessee and raced twice in the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Chin bumped another South Jersey hurdler, Millville senior Leah Ellis, for the top spot in New Jersey. Ellis ran 8.51 at the Armory earlier this year.
Chin also ran 26.24 for 4th place out of 49 runners in the 200. That’s also 1-100th of a second off her PR. She ran 26.23 at Ocean Breeze two years ago.
Here’s where Chin ranks on the all-time Burlington County 55-meter hurdles list:
7.92 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
8.28 … Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2016
8.29 … Meredith Updike [Cinnaminson], 2020
8.35 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
8.38 … Kimberly Allen [Willingboro], 2004
8.42 … Stephanie Maugham [Shawnee], 1995
8.42 … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2015
8.44 … Yvette Murry [Cherokee], 1998
8.44 … Anabella Chin [Rancocas Valley], 2020
8.45 … Megenta Taylor [Willingboro], 1999
8.45 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 