From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Rider freshman Mariah Stephens from Egg Harbor, who won the long jump on Saturday, made it a conference double Sunday with a big win in the triple jump on Sunday

Stephens jumped a lifetime-best 38-5 ½ and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title at the Armory by 1 ¼ inches over Britney Del Mundo of Quinnipiac, who jumped 38-4 ¼.

Stephens also had jumps of 38-1 and 38-4 ¼ along with three fouls in her series. All three legal jumps surpassed her indoor PR of 37-10, which she jumped in the Gotham Classic at Ocean Breeze last month.

Her previous overall best jump was a 38-4 this past June to win the state Group 4 title at Franklin High School as an EHT senior.

In addition to the two horizontal jump wins, Stephens placed 4^th in 60 hurdles in 8.81 and 6^th in the 60-meter dash final in 7.88.

In the women’s 400, St. Peter’s freshman Diamond McLaughlin ran an indoor best 58.20 and placed 3^rd, and Anne Rutledge of Egg Harbor Township placed 7^th in 59.98.

Kingsway graduate Allie Pierontoni, a Monmouth freshman, placed 5^th in the mile with a time of 5:01.17.

Rancocas Valley graduate Abby Boggs, a Monmouth freshman, cleared 10-11 ¾ on her seond attempt and placed 3^rd in the pole vault.

Shawnee graduate Grace Mary Kearns, a Monmouth junior, recorded a huge PR of 2:14.56 Sunday and placed 3^rd in the 800.

Kearns’ previous best 800 indoors or outdoors was a 2:16.56 in her last race on Feb. 5 in Boston. She also ran 2:16.81 a week earlier at Ocean Breeze. But before Jan. 28, her lifetime PR indoors or outdoors was 2:18.30 from the 2020 indoor MAAC Championships qualifying heatrs at the Armory.

So she’s dropped nearly four seconds in three weeks.

At Shawnee, Kearns had an indoor PR of 2:21.33 from 2018 Easterns – also at the Armory – and an outdoor PR of 2:19.97 at 2018 spring sectionals at Washington Township. Her current outdoor PR is a 2:18.74 from a meet at Lafayette in Easton, Pa., last March.

Cinnaminson graduate Prisca Blamon, a Monmouth senior, moved up from 4^th to 3^rd on her final throw in the shot put Sunday, improving from 45-2 ½ to a lifetime-best 45-8 ½. Her previous best was a 45-7 ¾ outdoors at Monmouth last spring, and her indoor PR was 45-6 ¼ last month at Ocean Breeze.

Blamon’s 45-8 ½ is No. 6 in Monmouth indoor track history. She also placed 5^th on Saturday in the weight throw with a 56-0 ½.

Bordentown graduate Genesis Walker, a Rider senior, placed 5^th in the 60 in 7.98 and 8^th in the 200 in 25.92.

Monmouth outscored Rider 187-134 ½ to win its 7^th title in the last eight years.