What a race today by Kristin Siegle! 

The Rider grad student, a graduate of Buena, won the 1,500 at a five-team meet in Lawrenceville Saturday with a personal-best of 4:34.78.

That’s No. 4 in Rider history and fastest in five years, since Steph Welte ran 4:31.64 in 2016 at IC4A’s in Princeton. It’s also fastest in the Metro Atlantic Athletic League so far this year.

Siegle ran unpressed, winning by about 50 meters over Siena’s Morgan Serkes. A group of eight was together when the field came through the first 300, but Siegle blew the race open with a 72.8-second second lap, which gave her a 15-meter lead over second-place Mia Pestle of Quinnipiac with 800 to go.

After a 72.5-second lap, she led by 40 meters at the bell before cruising in with a 75.4. Serkes ran 4:43.53 for second

Siegle had a previous 1,500 PR of 4:39.94. She ran a mile PR of 4:55.34 from her last race on the track, the trials of the 2020 indoor ECAC meet in Boston.

Saturday was her first outdoor race since she ran a 4:43.58 at Swarthmore in May of 2019.

Siegle is an incredible story of persistence and determination. She had a high school PR of 5:15.98  from sophomore year at the 2014 Cape Atlantic Championships at Egg Harbor – she finished six seconds behind Ocean City’s Bridget Flynn. She ran 5:24 as a junior and 5:28 as a senior. Then she ran 5:18 her freshman year at Rider and didn’t break 5:30 as a sophomore.

But she got down to 5:06 in 2019 and then ran 4:55 outdoors in 2019 and 2:13 indoors last year. And after a 13-month layoff, she wins a 1,500 against a solid field.

We just wrote about Cade Antonucci a few days ago after he threw 232-10 in his first javelin competition in two years. But we’re going to do it again because the Auburn senior snapped his PR on Friday, throwing 241-0 at the Florida Relays in Gainesville. 

Antonucci, a Holy Spirit graduate, broke his PR of 237-5, which he set at the 2019 Penn Relays.

Antonucci placed second to D.J. Johnson of Mississippi State, who won the competition with a 253-5.

Antonucci’s mark is No. 2 in Auburn history. Justin Carter held the school record for seven years, since he threw 239-7 at the 2014 SEC Championships in Lexington, Ky. Senior Nils Fischer, a transfer from Angelo State, broke Carter’s mark with a 241-9 at the Florida State Relays in Tallahassee, the same meet Antonucci threw 232-10.

Those two marks are now No. 1 and 2 in school history. 

Antonucci threw 220-11 in high school when he won the 2017 Meet of Champions. He also threw the shot put 59-5 1/4 and the discus 169-1. 

Jude Misko bombed another huge hammer PR Friday with the top throw in NCAA Division 3.

Stockton’s Darren Wan, an Egg Harbor garduate, also moved into the Division 3 top-10!

Misko, a Cherry Hill East graduate who’s now a senior at Rutgers-Camden, threw 195-5 at the Stockton Invitational in Galloway Township, surpassing his week-old PR by more than five feet.

He actually had four throws over 190 feet in his series, so he actually had the four-best throws in all of Division 3 in one meet.

The next-best throw in Division 3 this spring is a 190-11 by Jacob Bugella of Wisconsin-Stout from a meet Friday at Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Misko opened his series with a foul, but then surpassed 190 feet on four of his next five throws.

He threw a PR 193-6 on his second throw, then 192-10 on his third, 193-5 on his fourth. After a 184-3, he closed with the 195-5.

Misko had an unheralded career at Cherry Hill East, where he threw 43-9 1/2 in the shot (47-4 1/2 indoors) and never placed higher than 19th at sectionals. 

He picked up the hammer while he was at Rowan College at Gloucester County, winning an NJCAA Division 3 national title in 2017 with a throw of 164-9 at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.

Misko extended his PR to 179-1 at the Widener Invitational in April of 2019 but after transferring to Rutgers-Camden but after being forced to sit out the cancelled 2020 season, he blew that away last month with a 190-2 at the Stockton Invitational No. 1 in Galloway Township, his first meet in two years, before PR’ing again on Friday.

Stockton’s Wan also PR’d with a throw of 180-7, which is No. 6 in NCAA Division 3. His previous PR was 174-2, also at the previous edition of the Stockton Invitational last weekend. His PR coming into this spring season was 169-11 from the 2019 NJAC Championships, also at Stockton, where he was second to Misko’s 172-2 with a 169-11.

Wan last weekend broke the school record of 173-4 set 15 years ago by Steve Cassidy (high school unknown).

Cherokee grad Lucciano Pizarro popped his second PR in as many outdoor meets for Rutgers Friday, hurling the 16-pound shot 55-11 1/4 at the Big 10 Florida Invitational in Jacksonville. 

Pizarro, a freshman at Rutgers, actually PR’d twice in a row. After opening with identical throws of 53-5 3/4 and 53-5 3/4, he hit 55-9 on his third before surpassing 17 meters for the first time on his fourth throw, the 55-11 1/4. He fouled on his last two tosses.

Pizarro’s previous PR was a 55-1 1/4 indoors at Penn State in February. His previous outdoor PR was a 53-11 1/2 at the Maryland Invitational last weekend

His throw is No. 8 in Rutgers history.

Kingsway’s Stone Caraccio is off to an impressive start this spring for Monmouth, where he’s already run a couple fast races in his first couple collegiate meets.

Monmouth didn’t have an indoor season, so Caraccio didn’t race until two weeks ago, when he ran a 1,500 PR of 3:56.63 in a dual meet against Army in West Point, N.Y. 

That’s equal to a 4:14.07 for 1,600 meters or a 4:15.56 for the full mile, which is only a fraction over his high school 1,600 PR of 4:13.46, which he ran in a fast state Group 4 race at Franklin township two years ago. (He also ran an indoor 4:15.35 full mile, which is equal to a 4:13.87 for 1,600). Considering this was his first outdoor race in nearly two years and his first track of any kind since the end of the 2020 indoor season, that’s a great way to start.

This past weekend at Lafayette, Caraccio ran 1:55.76 in an 800, again not far off his lifetime best of 1:54.53 from an indoor race in February of 2020 at Ocean Breeze and just above his outdoor PR of 1:55.30 from 2019 Haddonfield Distance Night.

That’s two open races as a collegian and two near-PRs coming off a nearly two-year layoff, and that’s good stuff.

Caraccio currently ranks 7th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in the 800 and No. 2 among freshmen and No. 7 in the 1,500 and No. 3 among freshmen. One of the freshmen ahead of him is Camden Catholic’s Richie Castañeda, who we recently wrote about here.

Cade Antonucci, a Holy Spirit graduate, made his return to the javelin a successful one over the weekend at the Florida State Relays at Mike Long Track in Tallahassee.

Antonucci, a senior at Auburn, threw 232-10 to place second, behind only teammate Nils Fischer, who set a school record of 241-9.

It was Antonucci’s first track meet since the 2019 outdoor NCAA Championships, and his 232-10 is currently No. 13 in NCAA Division 1 and No. 5 in the SEC.

Antonucci has a PR of 237-5 from the 2019 Penn Relays at Franklin Field, so he was less than five feet off his lifetime best despite competing in his first meet in nearly two years. He ranks No. 3 in school history.

In high school, Antonucci threw 220-11 when he won the 2017 Meet of Champions. He also threw the shot put 59-5 1/4 and the discus 169-1. He’s only thrown the javelin in his Auburn career.

Antonucci’s throw is No. 15 in the U.S. early in the outdoor season. He’s one of three South Jersey athletes in the top 20: Curtis Thompson is No. 3 [258-11], Antonucci is No. 2 and Chris Mirabelli is No. 20 [229-0]

Tionnna Tobias was awfully busy Saturday. Busy setting PRs.

Tobias, an Iowa freshman from Winslow, posted PRs in two events and missed a third PR by a fraction at the Big Ten Invite #1 at Billy Hayes Track and Field Complex at Indiana University in Bloomington.

She placed second in the high hurdles in 13.58, second in the long jump at 19-11 and even ran a fast 200, clocking 24.70.

Competing in a number of events at a high level at one meet isn’t new for Tobias, who’s an accomplished multi-event competitor. She placed 5th in the Big Ten pentathlon in February. She hasn’t competed in a heptathlon yet as a collegian but she scored 4,672 when she won the 2018 AAU National Club Championship in Kissimmee, Fla. 

Let’s take a look at each of Tobias’s performances at Indiana:

100-METER HURDLES

Tobias placed second to teammate Jenny Kimbro, who ran 13.46. Tobias’s previous PR was a 13.99 at the 2019 state Group 2 meet at Central Regional. Kembro is the school record holder in the heptathlon and an honorable mention All-American in 2019.

Tobias’s hurdles time is No. 6 in Iowa history and No. 11 in NCAA Division 1 so far this year among freshmen. Kimbro and Tobias currently rank No. 1 and 2 in the Big Ten Conference.

LONG JUMP

Tobias soared 19-11 in the long jump, placing second to Indiana’s Leah Moran, who jumped 20-7 1/4.

She missed her lifetime PR of 19-11 1/2 – from the 2018 state meet at Central Regional – by half an inch, but her mark is No. 7 in Iowa history, No. 7 among NCAA freshmen this year and No. 3 this year in the Big Ten, behind Penn State senior Madeline Holmberg (20-10 1/2) and Moran.

200-METER DASH

Tobias never ran a 200 in high school, but she ran 24.70 Saturday, No. 9 this year in the Big Ten so far.

In the same race, former high school teammate Shakira Dancy ran a PR of 24.30 in her first outdoor college race. Dancy placed fourth.

Moorestown graduate Brandon Outlaw, a Virginia junior, ran a 400 PR of 46.35 at this weekend’s Raleigh Relays at Paul Derr Track, placing a close second to teammate Jordan Willis, who ran 46.10.

His time is No. 5 in Virginia history.

Outlaw’s previous collegiate PR was a 46.53 indoors at last year’s ACC Championships at Notre Dame on an over-sized track. His previous legal PR was a 46.69 indoors at Clemson last month It was his first outdoor 400 since the ACC Championships on his home track in Charlottesville in May of 2019. His previous outdoor PR was a 46.82 at the 2017 Group 3 sectionals at Bernards. His college outdoor PR was a 47.27 at 2019 ACCs.

Willis and Outlaw rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the ACC this year. They’re also No. 13 and No. 14 in all of NCAA Division 1. They also rank No. 30 and No. 40 in the world on the latest IAAF list and No. 12 and 13 on the U.S. list.

Outlaw also ran a personal-best wind-legal 200 of 21.62. He ran a 21.22 last week in Charlottesville with a 3.7 wind. His previous wind-legal 200 PR was a 21.79 at the Miami Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables in May of 2018.

Bryanna Craig, who won the 2019 national scholastic heptathlon title for Millville and also set the national freshman record, PR’d Saturday and Sunday in her first heptathlon since moving to Texas.

Craig, now a junior at Coronado High School, scored 5,117 points to win the two-day, seven-event test at the NSAF USA Meet of Champions at Doug Shaw Stadium in Myrtle Beach, N.C.

That’s the No. 36 score in U.S. scholastic history and No. 8 in Texas high school track history. It’s the best score by a Texas high school girl in six years, since Kaylee Hinton of Rockwall High School scored 5,245 points at the 2015 USATF Junior Nationals in Eugene, Ore.

Craig’s family moved last year to Texas, where her father – legendary Millville athlete Raffael Craig – is now coaching at Texas Tech in Lubbock.

The U.S. team for the 2021 IAAF Junior Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia, in September will be determined by the top two scores among eligible U.S. Under-20 athletes through June 13.

It’s very early in the season, but with her 5,117, Craig has the highest score in the world so far this year in the Under-20 age group, moving ahead of Ana Paula Arguello of Paraguay, who scored 4,798 in a meet earlier this month in Ibagué, Columbia.

Her previous heptathlon PR was 5,049 points from the 2019 USATF Under-20 Championships in Miramar, Fla.

Her score is No. 10 overall among U.S. women this spring as well and No. 18 in the world in the early going.

Craig opened with a 14.50 in the high hurdles, scoring 909 points and taking a lead she would never relinquish. That’s just 1-100th of a second off her PR of 14.49, which she set in her heptathlon at the USATF Under 20’s in 2019.

She jumped 5-5 3/4 in the high jump for 818 points and after two events had over a 200-point lead. Next up was the shot put, where she added 503 points with a 31-6.

She ran 25.47 in the 200 for 844 points, missing her PR of 25.24 from USATF juniors by about a quarter of a second, then PR’d in the long jump with an 18-8 1/2 for 759 more points. Her previous long jump PR was an 18-5 1/2 from the 2019 Rowan Open in Glassboro, where she placed second to Tionna Tobias.

Craig finished with a 108-7 in the javelin for 536 points and a 2:25.69 in the 800 for 748 points.

This will be Craig’s last multi-event test until the Texas Greatest Athlete heptathlon in early June at St. Mark’s School in Dallas.

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Here is the all-time U.S. heptathlon list, with every girl in United States high school history to score 5,000 points.

I compiled this list in 2019 from various sources – Track and Field News annual lists, the USATF web site, old copies of Jack Shepard’s U.S. High School Track Annual and the MileSplit database.

ALL-TIME H.S. GIRLS 5,000-POINT CLUB
5,798 … Anna Hall, Valor Christian [Highlands Ranch, Colo.], 2018
5,578 … *Kendell Williams [Kell, Marietta, Ga.], 2012
5,577 … Emma Fitzgerald [Thayer, Braintree, Mass.], 2016
5,533 … Shana Woods [Poly, Long Beach, Calif.], 2006
5,523 … Sterling Lester [Marietta, Ga.], 2018
5,522 … Ryann Krais [Methacton, Norristown, Pa.], 2008
5,466 … Ashlee Moore [Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz.], 2014
5,412 … Kendra Reimer [New Braunfels, Texas], 1998
5,411 … Gayle Hunter [North, Riverside, Cailf., 2004
5,365 … *Diana Pickler [Rowlett, Texas], 2001
5,363 … Shaina Burns [South, Lakeville, Minn.], 2014
5,357 … Lauren Reimer [New Braunfels, Texas], 2001
5,338 … Julie Pickler [Rowlett, Texas], 2002
5,337 … *Tyra Gittens’ [Ensworth, Nashville, Tenn.], 2016
5,333 … Lauren Stewart [Brentwood, Tenn.], 2005
5,300 … *Alex Gochenour [Magnolia, Logan, Iowa], 2010
5,286 … *Jacquelyn Johnson [Yuma, Az.], 2002
5,270 … Ashley Smith [Millikan, Long Beach, Calif.], 2010
5,270 … Erica Bougard [Attendance Center, Byhalia, Miss.], 2011
5,266 … Shevell Quinley [West, Tracy, Calif.], 2005
5,258 … Tiana Bonds [Centennial, Las Vegas], 2014
5,251 … *Beatričė Juškevičiūtė’ (IMG, Bradenton, Florida), 2018
5,245 … Kaylee Hinton, Wylie, Texas], 2015
5,237 … Sharon Hatfield [Fountain Valley, Calif.], 1982
5,231 … Kelly Blair [Proser, Wash.], 1988
5,217 … Kendall Gustafson [Pal, Pacific Palisades, Calif.], 2013
5,198 … Jodi Anderson [New Braunfels, Texas], 1998
5,197 … Whitney Fountain [Columbus, Bronx, N.Y.], 200
5,185 … Lindsay Vollmer [Penny, Hamilton, Mo.], 2011
5,184 … Lauren Leaverton [Naaman Forest, Garland, Texas], 1998
5,170 … Camille Harding [Kamiakin, Kennewick, Wash.], 1983
5,163 … Peggy Odita [Upper Arlington, Ohio], 1986
5,158 … *Alexa Harmon-Thomas [Free, Lawrence, Kansas], 2013
5,149 … **Tierra Crockrell [Calabasas, Calif.], 2017
5,130 … *Caice Lanovaz [Los Gatos, Calif.], 2015
5,127 … Hillary Werth [Glenwood, Chatam, Ill.], 2004
5,117 … *Bryanna Craig [Coranado, Texas], 2021
5,115 … *Ashley Bethel [Mission Viejo, Calif.], 1997
5,114 … Kerry O’Bric [Edison, Huntington Beach, Calif.], 1996
5,113 … *Shauna Rohbock [Mountain View, Orem, Utah], 1994
5,104 … Ellannee Richardson [Gladstone, Ore.], 1998
5,101 … Pam Connell [Norwell, Mass.], 1986
5,101 … **Annika Williams, College Station, Texas, 2017
5,098 … Allie Jones [San Marcos, Santa Barbara, Calif.], 2018
5,094 … ***Bryanna Craig [Millville], 2019
5,090 … Megan Franza [Cascade, Leavenworth, Wash.], 1996
5,089 … Debbie DeCosta [Palmetto, Miami, Fla.], 1982
5,087 … Jamie Walker [Paschal, Fort Worth, Texas], 1999
5,086 … Melissa Flandera [Magnificat, Rocky River, Ohio], 1993
5,084 … Debra Larsen [Weatherwax, Aberdeen, Wash.], 1982
5,074 … Gea Johnson [Washington, Phoenix, Ariz.], 1986
5,074 … Karli Johonnot [Centennial, Las Vegas, Nev.], 2011
5,071 … Aaron Howell [Farmington, Mich.], 2012, 2013
5,069 … Lyndsey Lopes [Edison, Fresno, Calif, 2015
5,029 … **Gabby Williams [Reed, Sparks, Nev.], 2012
5,109 … Allison Reaser [El Segundo, Calif.], 2010
5,108 … Jessica Flax [Pearland, Texas], 2008
5,053 … *Shakeia Pinnick [Waubonsie, Aurora, ill.], 2008
5,038 … **Shannon Meyer [Sultana, Hesperia, Calif.], 2000
5,034 … Nicolette Chambers [Hillhouse, Conn.], 1999
5,031 … Tiffany Lott [Pine View, St. George, Utah], 1993
5,029 … Gabby Williams [Reed, Sparks, Nev.], 2012
5,014 … Timara Chapman, Leesville Road, Raleigh, N.C.], 2018
5,012 … Alyssa Miller [McKinney Boyd, McKinney, Texas], 2018
5,007 … Evette Lyman [Glades Central, Belle Glade, Fla.], 1986
5,002 … Alyssa Thompson (Salpoint, Tucson, Ariz.], 2013
5,000 … Shelley Spires [St. Paul’s, Mobile, Ala.], 2014

Kingsway’s Allie Pierontoni continued her terrific freshman year at Monmouth Saturday when she ran the 5th-fastest 5,000 in Monmouth history.

Pierontoni, in her second collegiate track race, ran 17:40.98 at the Lafayette Open in Easton, Pa. She finished second to senior teammate Mackenzie Jones, who ran 17:32.02. Competing for Delaware, Jones ran 17:09.81 indoors two years ago at the Armory.

As for Pierontoni, she had only run one previous track 5,000, and that was as a Kingsway freshman, when she clocked 19:18.80 at the Rowan Open and placed second to teammate Alexis Mullarkey.

Pierontoni broke the Monmouth freshman class record of 18:03.98, set in 2007 by Meredith Malloy in a meet at Moravian University in Bethlehem.

Her time is fastest by any Monmouth runner for 5,000 meters in eight years, since Kelsey Maher from Jackson Memorial ran 17:33.86 at the 2013 Monmouth Season Opener in West Long Branch.

Here’s a look at Monmouth’s new all-time top-5:

• • 17:06.46 … Jennifer Nelson [Barnegat], 2012 [NEC Championships, Emmitsburg, Md.]
  • 17:28.94 … Maggie Hanlon [Toms River North], 2007 [Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic, Lewisburg, Pa.]
  • 17:29.23 … Katina Alexander [Pleasantville], 2006 [Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, Calif.]
  • 17:33.86 … Kelsey Maher [Jackson Memorial], 2013 [Monmouth Season Opener, West Long Brancch]
  • 17:40.98 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2021 [Lafayette Open]

Pierontoni’s time is No. 3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference so far this year, behind Manhattan freshman Andria Scaglione [17:22.59] and Jones.

Last weekend, Pierontoni ran 4:42.56 for 1,500 meters. Earlier this month, she placed 6th in the MAAC XC Championships.