Deptford junior Lathan Brown shaved more than a second off his 800 PR with a terrific race Tuesday night at Easterns.
Brown placed 4th in 1:56.71, well under his previous PR of 1:57.91 from a SJTCA meet at Ocean Breeze last month.
His PR before that was an outdoor 1:59.45 from Haddonfield last May, so Brown has now lowered his PR nearly three seconds in three weeks and lowered his indoor PR 10 seconds in the last month.
Brown won the 400 and 800 at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals in 50.59 and 2:00.42 (and also took 3rd in the hurdles and ran on the winning 4-by-4) and placed 3rd in both at states with 50.32 and 1:59.71. He qualified for both races at the Meet of Champions Saturday at the Bubble.
Because he ran the 800 at Easterns, you’d think there’s a pretty good chance he’ll run the 400 at Meet of Champions. He’s the No. 9 seed in the 400 and the No. 22 seed in the 800. Deptford’s 4-by-4 also qualified.
Brown’s time is No. 12 on a very fast all-time Gloucester County list – 10 of the top 20 times in South Jersey are by Gloucester County half-milers, and Brown’s No. 12 county ranking equals No. 37 in South Jersey history.
Brown’s 1:56.71 bumped Pennsauken junior Bryce Tucker’s 1:57.38 from Ocean Breeze out of the No. 1 spot this year in South Jersey. It’s No. 9 in the state this year.
His time is fastest at Easterns by any South Jersey junior since 2014, when Pleasantvile twins Isaac and Jacob Clark ran 1-2 in 1:54.34 and 1:55.08.
On Tuesday, Brown got out quickly in 27.65 and came through 400 meters in 56.97. He closed in 29.21 and 30.53. Clifton senior Jacob Heredia, who’s run 4:13.00 and 9:09.69 outdoors, won the race in 1:54.60.
Brown also broke the 53-year-old school record of 1:57.7h , converted from 1:58.3 for 880 yards set by Wayne Jenkins at the inaugural indoor Meet of Champions at the Jersey City Armory in 1969. Jenkins placed 3rd behind Roselle Catholic’s Joe Savage [1:55.5] and Paramus Catholic’s Bob Benkovich [1:57.3].
Here’s the Gloucester County all-time indoor 800 list:
1:51.80 … Derrell Manhertz [Kingsway], 2013
1:54.53 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
1:54.81 … Bill Dolan [Clearview], 2013
1:54.82 … Xavier Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2009
1:55.00 … Steve Butenewicz [Delsea], 2011
1:55.16 … Tivo Rivera [Kingsway], 2009
1:55.19 … Jayden Greene [Washington Twp.], 2020
1:55.42 … Kevin Cianfarino [West Deptford], 2014
1:55.3h … Tony Uzdavines [Williamstown], 1976
1:55.77 … Carmen Cavella [Washington Twp.], 2004
1:56.07 … Stephen Marrone [Washington Twp.], 2010
1:56.71 … Lathan Brown [Deptford], 2022
1:56.93 … Mark Weems [Washington Twp.], 1999
1:57.90 … Noah Culbreath [Kingsway], 2014
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 