From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

South Jersey had an incredible few days at both so-called “national” meets in New York, and we did our best to write about as many was we could, but there was so much going on that a bunch of big-time performances fell through the cracks.

So over the next couple days, we’ll review 10 performances at Ocean Breeze and 10 at the Armory that might have flown under the radar.

We start with Ocean Breeze!

ALLIE PIERONTONI, KINGSWAY: Pierontoni, a Kingsway junior, placed 6th in the mile in 4:59.51, which converts to 4:57.77 for 1,600 for the sake of comparison. It’s a PR and her first time under 5 minutes for either distance indoors or outdoors. It’s also No. 11 in South Jersey history and lowers her own school record of 5:00.17 from the Meet of Champions last weekend at the Bubble. Pierontoni’s 1,500-meter en route time was 4:38.92. Here’s a look at all the sub-5 performances for 1,600 (or converted miles) in South Jersey indoor track history:

4:41.52y … Michelle Rowen [Wash. Twp.], 1983
4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
4:53.36 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2014
4:53.85 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
4:54.58 … Celine Mazzi [Delsea], 2014
4:55.04y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:56.1h,y … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
4:57.12 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2015
4:57.72 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2010
4:57.77 … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022
4:58.48 … Natalia Ocasio [Lenape], 2010
4:59.29 … Julia Despirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:59.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012

SIANNI WYNN AND KARON ALI, PENNSAUKEN: These two Pennsauken 8th-graders both had promising performances in the Middle School competition. Sianni Wynn ran 58.28 for 3rd in the 400 and was 3rd in the 60 in 7.86 with a 7.30 en route time for 55 meters. Those times both would have ranked among the top three among South Jersey high school girls this winter. Ali ran 50.66 for 2nd in the 400 and 7.23 for 5th in the 60-meter dash with an en-route time of 6.71. Yikes!

DAHLIA BEASLEY, WASHINGTON TWP.: Beasley, a sophomore ran a big PR of 57.97 for ninth in the Emerging Elite division of the 400-meter dash. Her previous indoor PR was 59.43 and her outdoor PR is 59.34. Her 57.97 made her the top sophomore in New Jersey this year. She was also No. 2 sophomore high jumper in New Jersey at 5-4, behind only another Gloucester County jumper, Alanna Woolfolk of Clayton, who cleared 5-6.

KINGSWAY: Nicole Lipieta, Faith Bill, Cassidy Dunk and Pierontoni ran 9:43.56 for 3rd in the Emerging Elite 3,200-meter relay. That’s No. 2 in South Jersey this year, behind only Cherokee’s 9:07.27 at the Armory. Lipieta led off with a 2:22.29, Bill split 2:31.39, Dunk 2:31.03 and Pierontoni anchored in 2:18.85.

HADDONFIELD: The Bulldogs were right behind Kingsway, 6th in 9:45.30 with Thea Spellmeyer, Jess Goode, Elizabeth DeMichele and Audrey Naticchia. Spellmeyer split 2:26.08, Goode 2:27.84, DeMichele 2:29.58 and Naticchia 2:21.78.

ELAINA STYER, OCEAN CITY: Styer, a junior, placed 10th in the Emerging Elite triple jump with a lifetime-best 35-6, best in South Jersey this year and extending her own Cape May County record. Her previous PR was 35-0 at the Meet of Champions last weekend. The versatile Styer has also high jumped 5-0, run 8.24 in the 55, long jumped 16-4 ¾ and seems to be a terrific pentathlon/heptathlon candidate.

GREG FOSTER, LUMBERTON: We wrote about Foster’s record-setting wins in the long jump and triple jump, but he’s not only the nation’s best horizontal jumper, he’s also one of the best hurdlers in the country. In between winning the two horizontal jumps, the Princeton-bound Lawrenceville School senior ran 8.06 in the 60-meter hurdles trials and then 8.01 for 3rd in the final, just 2-100ths of a second behind winner Jadyn Marshall of St. Mary’s in Stockton, Calif. Foster ran 7.43 en route through 55 meters. Foster fell just 5-100ths of a second shy of the Mercer County record over the 60-meter highs. Todd Matthews of Notre Dame ran 7.96 at the 1998 National Scholastic Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, Mass.

JADEN JOHNSON, TIMBER CREEK: Foster stole the headlines, but Johnson had a big day with a 4th-place in the Championship triple jump and All-America honors with a 46-11 ¾ performance. Johnson had just PR’d with a 46-9 ½ to win the Meet of Champions. His 46-11 ¾ is No. 24 in state history and No. 7 in South Jersey history.

All-time South Jersey indoor 45-foot triple jump list:
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
46-11 ¾ … Jaden Johnson [Timber Creek], 2022
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

All-time New Jersey indoor triple jump list:
49-9 ¼ … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville School], 2022
49-7 ½ … Jon Pitt [South Brunswick], 2013
49-6 ½ … Craig Halyard [Ridgewood], 1989
49-6 ½ … Eric Bethea [Piscataway], 2015
49-5 ¼ … Dodley Thermitus [Elizabeth], 2017
49-1 …..… Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], 2018
48-9 …..… Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
48-8 ¾ … Devon Bond [Trenton], 2007
48-8 ½ … Tristan Wilson [Delsea], 2014
48-7 ½ … Myles Hartsfield [Sayreville], 2015
48-6 ¼ … Darius Pemberton [Hackensack], 1992
48-5 ¼ … Ralston Braithwaite [Trenton], 2009
48-0 ½ … Kyle Lindsay [Paterson East Side], 2006
48-1 ¼ … Wayne Walls [Camden], 2009
47-11 … Nadale Buntin [J.P. Stevens], 2018
47-10 … Devon Bond [Trenton], 2007
47-7 ¼ … Kevin Johnson [Seton Hall Prep], 1984
47-6 ¾ … Ed Alston [Hackensack], 1982
47-5 … Jason Katz [Ramapo], 2015
47-3 …..… Rhodeni Spence [Woodrow Wilson], 2007
47-2 … Tevin Ankle [Glen Rock], 2018
46-10 ¾ … Floyd Whitaker [Highland], 2020
46-10 ½ … Weston Daniel [Bergenfield], 2002
46-11 ¾ … Jaden Johnson [Timber Creek], 2022
46-10 ¼ … Ted Lesher [Northern Highlands], 2006

CHACE PEARSON, TIMBER CREEK: It wasn’t Pearson’s best day, but the Meet of Champions winner still placed 7th in the Championship long jump at 21-10 1/4. Pearson had a consistent series, with three jumps over 21-7 and two over 21-10.

JEFFREY HEINEMAN, KINGSWAY: Heineman, who ran the 400 on Kingsway’s national-champion sprint medley team, placed 8th in the Emerging Elite 800 in a personal-best 1:57.85. His previous indoor PR was 1:59.04. He’s run 1:58.01 outdoors.