From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

A few days ago we posted 10 performances you might have missed from Ocean Breeze Nationals – you can find that by clicking here, and today it’s time for 10 performances you might have missed from Armory Nationals.

 Hopefully in future years there’s only one national meet in New York City, and we can just post 20 performances you might have missed from Nationals. Makes sense, right? We don’t have the Armory Super Bowl and the Ocean Breeze Super Bowl 25 miles away. If you’re going to call your meet “national championships,” then make it one.

In any case, South Jersey turned in some tremendous performances in both meets. Here are 10 you may have missed from the Armory!

(p.s. – If we missed any good performances let us know in the comment’s section! It’s not always easy to identify where various relay teams are from when they’re competing under a club name!)

RANCOCAS VALLEY: Seniors Sinai Jenkins, Annabella Chin and Jya Marshall and junior Kasey White ran 3:59.81 to place 7^th in the 4-by-4 Sunday, with White anchoring in 56.91. The Red Devils finished No. 2 in the state this year in the 4-by-4 with their 3:58.75 at the Millrose Trials.

ARIANNA SHARPE, UNKNOWN: I can’t tell you what high school Sharpe attends these days, but I can tell you she ran a really fast 400. Her 56.09 was good for 9^th in the prelims of the Championship 400 and she missed the final by just 22-100ths of a second. Her time is No. 9 in South Jersey history and fastest in five years, since Aliyah Taylor of R.V. ran 55.21 at Easterns in 2017. The Sharpe sisters were at Paulsboro in 2020 and Clayton in 2021 and have raced unattatched this season, which means they did not compete in any of the NJSIAA meets. They were listed in the Armory Nationals entries with “Williamstown” as their affiliation, so it’s possible they are attending Williamstown High School this year but competing unattatched. Sharpe also ran 25.02 in the 200, which is No. 16 in South Jersey history indoors.

All-time South Jersey sub-57 list
54.24 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 2003
54.91 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 2008
55.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
55.19 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], 2008
55.21 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
55.4h … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
55.6h … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
55.83 … Kiara Lester [Deptford], 2016
56.09 … Arianna Sharpe [Unknown], 2022
56.19 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.21 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1997
56.34 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
56.44 … Avionne Sloan [Camden], 2006
56.62 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
56.65 … Britney Kott [Millville], 2009
56.76 … Simone Thomas [Willingboro], 2003
56.78 … Ajae Alvarez-Tyler [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2018
56.85 … Emily Duffey [Lenape], 2012
56.85 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.88 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
56.90 … Nadia Davy [Bridgeton], 1999
56.98 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2020

GRACE WASSELL, HIGHLAND: Wassell ran 5:01.03 for the full mile, coming through 1,500 officially in 4:42.49. Her mile time converts to 4:59.28 for 1,600 meters, which is No. 14 in South Jersey history and No. 5 on the all-time Camden County list. Wassell also ran the 800 at Ocean Breeze Nationals, placing 10^thoverall in 2:17.01, just a fraction off her indoor PR of 2:16.68 from sectionals.

All-time South Jersey indoor 1,600 list
4:41.52y … Michelle Rowen [Wash. Twp.], 1983
4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
4:52.34y … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
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
4:57.77y … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022
4:58.48 … Natalia Ocasio [Lenape], 2010
4:59.28y … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2022
4:59.29 … Julia Despirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:59.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012

WINSLOW TWP.: Junior Briyel Brown, junior Janelle Marshall, junior Kamryn Holness and senior Jaia James placed 13^th overall in the 800-meter relay in 1:43.99. Winslow ran slightly faster at Easterns, winning in 1:43.58, which was No. 1 in South Jersey this year and No. 2 in the state.

 MICHAEL MAZERO, PAUL VI: The Meet of Champions 400 winner placed 10^th overall in the 400 with a personal-best 48.71 in the trials, missing the final by just 19-100ths of a second. Mazero lowered his indoor PR from 49.02 from the M-of-C. That 48.71 moves him up to No. 11 in South Jersey history and No. 3 on the all-time Camden County list. With Bryce Tucker running 48.23 at Ocean Breeze Nationals, Xander Roberts-Bogin 48.45 at Easterns and Mazero 48.71 at Armory Nationals, the last two weeks produced three of the 11-fastest times in South Jersey history as well as Camden County and Atlantic County records.

All-time S.J. indoor 400 list
47.90 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2018
48.23 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2022
48.27 … Jade Smith [Camden], 2002
48.36 … Mohammad Kanu [Lenape], 2000
48.45 … Xander Roberts-Bogin [Pleasantville], 2022
48.48 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
48.50 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2013
48.55 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1995
48.64 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
48.68 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
48.71 … Michael Mazero [Paul VI], 2022
48.74 … John Morris [Camden], 2001
48.75 … Luke Colehower [Haddonfield], 2017
48.79 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
48.7h … Curt Mcintyre [Bridgeton], 1992
48.91 … Marlin Gross [Bridgeton], 2001
48.91 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998

CINNAMINSON: Matt McCarron, Derek Coceano, Tyler Schill and Alex Boyko ran a school-record 8:07.47 for 3^rd in the Rising Stars 3,200-meter relay. McCarron led off with a 2:03.28, Coceano split 2:01.93, Schill ran 1:59.73 on the third leg, and Boyko anchored in 2:02.52. That 8:07.47 is 6^th-fastest in New Jersey this year. For those of you who like these sorts of things, here’s the all-time South Jersey sub-8:10 list:

7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:45.55 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:47.50 … Kingsway, 2020
7:48.92 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
7:51.43 … Washington Twp., 2009
7:51.78 … Cherokee, 2000
7:52.76 … Kingsway, 2020
7:52.77 … Pleasantville, 2006
7:52.95 … Willingboro, 2003
7:53.64 … Willingboro, 2002
7:54.76 … Pleasantville, 2007
7:55.40 … Washington Twp., 2008
7:55.44 … Haddonfield, 2010
7:57.28 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
7:57.29 … Oakrest, 2009
7:57.56 … Haddonfield, 2019
7:58.08 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016
7:58.5h … Willingboro, 1983
7:59.05 … Pleasantville, 2015
7:59.51 … Pleasantville, 2012
7:59.84 … Kingsway, 2014
7:59.91 … Kingsway, 2013
8:01.32 … Kingsway, 2015
8:01.64 … Haddonfield, 2018
8:02.39 … Bridgeton, 2001
8:02.47 … Cherokee, 2011
8:02.49 … Washington Twp., 2000
8:02.62 … Mainland Reg., 2004
8:02.67 … Washington Twp., 1999
8:03.0y … Woodbury, 1977
8:03.58 … Pleasantville, 2009
8:03.11 … Kingsway, 2018
8:03.77 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
8:04.1h … Rancocas Valley, 2015
8:04.50 … Haddonfield, 2009
8:05.49 … Delsea, 2010
8:06.58 … Cherokee, 2009
8:06.7h … Haddonfield, 2015
8:06.91 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
8:07.47 … Cinnaminson, 2022
8:07.5h … Shawnee, 2000
8:07.93 … Seneca, 2013
8:08.4h … Cherokee, 1998
8:08.53 … Edgewood, 1985
8:08.7y … Edgewood, 1984
8:08.95 … Highland, 2014
8:08.92 … Kingsway, 2009
8:09.37 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
8:09.6y … Willingboro

And here’s the all-time Burlington County top-20 list:
7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:51.78 … Cherokee, 2000
7:52.95 … Willingboro, 2003
7:53.64 … Willingboro, 2002
7:57.28 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
7:58.5h … Willingboro, 1983
8:02.47 … Cherokee, 2011
8:03.77 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
8:04.1h … Rancocas Valley, 2015
8:06.58 … Cherokee, 2009
8:07.47 … Cinnaminson, 2022
8:07.5h … Shawnee, 2000
8:07.7h … Willingboro, 2002
8:07.93 … Seneca, 2013
8:08.42 … Cherokee, 1998
8:09.6y … Willingboro
8:10.22 … Lenape, 2000
8:10.7h … Rancocas Valley, 1972
8:11.30 … Rancocas Valley, 2014
8:12.7h … Willingboro, 2001

DENNIS FORTUNA, TRITON: Opportunities to run indoor 5,000s are rare, but Fortuna made the most of his with a 15:09.79 for 9^th place overall. The fastest previous indoor 5,000 by a South Jersey runner I unearthed was a 15:24.43 by Matt Mitchell of Haddon Heights in 2006 when he placed 9^th at Nationals at the Armory, so Fortuna may have himself a South Jersey record. If anyone knows of a faster indoor 5,000 let me know!

DAN GIVENS, OCEAN CITY: Givens leaped 43-3 ¼ on his final attempt in the triple jump and while that was a bit short of his Cape May County record of 43-8 ½ from the Metropolitan Invitational at the Armory in January it is his second-best jump ever.

RYAN ALLEN, KINGSWAY: At Ocean Breeze, Clayton Stoll of Great Falls, Va., won the mile racewalk in 7:14.47, Isaac Gray of Rochester was 2^nd in 7:25.04 and Allen took 3^rd in 7:29.94. A day later at the Armory, Allen turned the tables on Stoll and Grey, winning in 7:12.00, with Gray 2^nd in 7:15.29 and Stoll 3^rd in 7:17.11. Allen is the younger brother of Sam Allen, a Cornell freshman who earlier this month represented the U.S. at 20K at the World Racewalk Championships in Muscat, Oman.

WILLINGBORO: The Chimeras ran a season-best 3:27.04 to place 2^nd in the Rising Stars 1,600-meter relay. Seniors Jaylen Young, Geordan Collins, Christopher Johnson and Miles Allen finished behind only Ocean Township, which ran 3:25.07. Willingboro’s time is 2^nd-best in South Jersey this year, behind only Pennsauken’s All-America performance at Ocean Breeze Nationals, where they placed 2^nd in 3:21.58. The 3:27.04 is the Boro’s fastest indoor 4-by-4 in 10 years, since the 2012 team ran 3:25.30 at the New Balance Invitational at the Armory. The Boro also ran 1:30.96 in the 4-by-2 , 3rd-fastest in New Jersey this year and No. 6 in Burlington County history.