The Willingboro boys ran their fastest 800-meter relay in 11 years Friday at Armory Nationals in New York.

Seniors Miles Allen and Geordan Collins, sophomore Jackson Murry and senior Jaylen Young ran 1:30.96 – 2nd-fastest in New Jersey this year – in the prelims and although they didn’t qualify for the final, their time was 14th-best overall and the Chimeras’ fastest since the 2011 team ran 1:30.58 at the 2011 Marine Corps Holiday Classic, also at the Armory.

That 1:30.96 is No. 6 in Burlington County history and No. 4 on the all-time Willingboro list. It’s also 2nd-fastest in New Jersey this year, behind only St. Benedict’s of Newark, who ran 1:30.38 to win Easterns at the Armory earlier this month.

Here’s the all-time Burlington County sub-1:32 list
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:30.58 … Willingboro, 2011
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.96 … Willingboro, 2022
1:31.07 … Willingboro, 1995
1:31.29 … Willingboro, 2005
1:32.2h … Willingboro, 1998
1:31.36 … Willingboro, 2006
1:31.4h … Lenape, 1998
1:31.66 … Lenape, 2014
1:31.7h … Willingboro, 1990
1:31.8h … Willingboro, 1982
1:31.92 … Rancocas Valley, 2020
1:31.93 … Rancocas Valley, 2022

And here’s the all-time South Jersey sub-1:31 list
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:29.52 … Vineland, 2003
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:29.61 … Camden, 1999
1:29.72 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:29.74 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
1:30.06 … Buena, 2001
1:30.08 … Camden, 2006
1:30.09 … Camden, 2018
1:30.12 … Delsea, 2007
1:30.16 … Camden, 2005
1:30.20 … Edgewood, 2000
1:30.36 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:30.38 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:30.40 … Delsea, 2009
1:30.42 … Vineland, 2002
1:30.47 … Vineland, 2005
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
1:30.58 … Willingboro, 2011
1:30.60 … Delsea, 2008
1:30.62 … Winslow Twp., 2005
1:30.63 … Eastern, 2002
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.87 … Woodrow Wilson, 1995
1:30.89 … Vineland, 2001
1:30.96 … Willingboro, 2022
1:30.97 … Vineland, 2008

Cherokee’s Maddie Van Haren, Alison Cooke, Kelsey Niglio and Nicole Clifford earned All-America honors Friday with a 2nd-place finish in the sprint medley at Armory Nationals.

The Chiefs, racing as Tub Gator Track Club, ran 4:04.27, No. 3 in South Jersey history and fastest in 19 years. It’s also No. 14 in New Jersey history.

Van Haren led off with a 27.01 split out the hole, and Alison Cooke split 26.40 to set up Kelsey Niglio, who split 58.84 and anchor Nicole Clifford, who covered 800 meters in 2:11.95. Cherokee finished second to only Oak Park (Mich.), which ran 3:59.51.

Cherokee’s previous school record was a 4:10.45 at the Group 4 State Relays at the Bubble in January. Before this year, the school’s best was a 4:11.93 at 2012 Armory Nationals with Alicia Green, Courtney Foster, Elizabeth Montague and Megan Lacy.

The 2nd-place finish continues a dream season for the Cherokee girls, who won sectional, state and regional XC titles, won the state relays indoors and the 3,200-meter relay at the Meet of Champions and now have All-America honors at nationals.

Cherokee will be back in action 25 miles south of the Armory at Ocean Breeze Nationals for the distance medley Saturday evening and the 3,200-meter relay Sunday afternoon.

All-time South Jersey indoor SMR list
4:01.41 … Willingboro, 2003
4:03.93 … Haddonfield, 2001
4:04.27 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.38 … Washington Twp., 2010
4:08.21 … Lenape, 2015
4:08.60 … Lenape, 2012
4:09.27 … Millville, 2008
4:10.01 … Willingboro, 2004
4:10.17 … Camden, 1995
4:10.18 … Willingboro, 2005
4:10.22 … Lenape, 2016
4:10.36 … Lenape, 2013
4:10.43 … Kingsway, 2013
4:10.51 … Lenape, 2007
4:11.02 … Lenape, 2006
4:11.19 … Woodrow Wilson, 2005
4:11.61 … Millville, 2009
4:11.66 … Willingboro, 2006
4:11.93 … Cherokee, 2012
4:11.94 … Kingsway, 2010
4:12.35 … Delsea, 2014
4:12.51 … Rancocas Valley, 2004
4:13.00 … Cherokee, 2013
4:13.0h … Lenape, 2008
4:13.11 … Winslow Twp., 2003
4:13.25 … Washington Twp., 2011
4:13.26 … Buena, 1999
4:13.33 … Camden, 2009
4:13.58 … Seneca, 2016
4:13.72 … Overberook, 2001

All-Time New Jersey Sprint Medley List
3:57.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:58.46 … Union Catholic, 2019
4:00.33 … Neptune, 2011
4:01.41 … Willingboro, 2003
4:03.13 … Sparta, 2010
4:03.18 … Columbia, 2010
4:03.22 … Columbia, 2013
4:03.14 … Westfield, 2014
4:03.57 … Piscataway, 2008
4:03.69 … Pope John XXIII, 2007
4:03.85 … Hopewell Valley, 2005
4:03.93 … Haddonfield, 2001
4:04.27 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.36 … Columbia, 1983
4:04.38 … Washington Twp., 2010
4:04.47 … Neptune, 2009
4:04.49 … Hunterdon Central, 2015
4:04.81 … Union Catholic, 2017
4:05.83 … Union Catholic, 2016
4:06.22 … Ramapo, 2019
4:07.07 … Pope John XXIII, 2019
4:07.87 … Southern Regional, 2007
4:07.95 … South Brunswick, 2011
4:07.98 … Immacuate Heart Academy, 2010

Kyle Rakitis ran a 1:54.17 anchor to lead Kingsway to first place in the Ocean Breeze National Championships Friday.

Rakitis got the baton 12 meters behind Seton Hall Prep anchor Nicholas Devita, but edged him at the line by 15-100ths of a second, delivering the national title to Woolwich Township.

Damon Dukes and Evan Corcoran led off with the 200 legs for the Dragons, and Jeffrey Heineman split 51.2 to set up Rakitis’s anchor leg.

Kingsway’s time is No. 4 in South Jersey history and fastest in 13 years, since Washington Township ran 3:29.07 – the Gloucester County record – to win the 2009 National Scholastic Indoor at the Armory.

The time is also No. 15 in state history. One of the 14 faster times was also recorded Friday in New York. Westfield won the Armory Nationals in 3:28.49.

All-time South Jersey sprint medley list
3:27.60 … Vineland, 2003
3:29.07 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:30.01 … Cherokee, 2002
3:30.35 … Kingsway, 2022
3:30.45 … Lenape, 2001
3:31.73 … Vineland, 2004
3:32.36 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
3:32.90 … Washington Twp., 2010
3:33.22 … Pleasantville, 2012
3:33.99 … Pleasantville, 2007
3:34.12 … Absegami, 2010
3:34.52 … Pleasantville, 2002 [3:34.64?]
3:34.86 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:34.88 … Vineland, 2002
3:34.96 … Bordentown, 2005
3:35.0 ….. Edgewood, 1986

All-time New Jersey sprint medley list
3:25.88 … St. Benedict’s, 2012
3:26.16 … Union Catholic, 2014
3:27.11 … Pascack Valley, 2012
3:27.60 … Vineland, 2003
3:28.49 … Westfield, 2022
3:28.59 … Notre Dame, 2007
3:28.99 … East Orange, 2018
3:29.01 … Pope John XXIII, 2013
3:29.03 … Christian Brothers, 2013
3:29.07 … West Orange, 2012
3:29.07 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:29.31 … St. Benedict’s, 2005
3:29.6y … St. Benedict’s, 1971
3:30.01 … Cherokee, 2002
3:30.35 … Kingsway, 2022
3:30.45 … Lenape, 2001
3:30.6y … Seton Hall Prep, 1971
3:30.91 … Union, 2022
3:31.10 … Ridgewood, 2000
3:31.5y … St. Joe’s-Metuchen, 1972
3:31.68 … Christian Brothers, 2002
3:31.73 … Vineland, 2004
3:31.79 … Trenton, 1997
3:31.80 … Franklin Twp., 2004

Millville native Bryanna Craig, who now lives in Louisiana, won her second national multi-event title Friday, and she did it closing with a monster 800 PR at Ocean Breeze Nationals.

Craig, who now attends Ruston High School in Louisiana, scored 3,780 points, the 6th-highest pentathlon total in U.S. scholastic track history.

Craig had 2,930 points and a 164-point lead going into the 800, the final event. Her PR going in was 2:21.24 outoors and 2:21.32 indoors.

As it turned out, she could have run 2:40 and still won. But she ran 2:18.06 – more than a three-second PR – for 850 big points to increase her total close to 3,800.

Nobody else in the field was under 2:29 in the 800 on the banked 200-meter track at Ocean Breeze. U.S. No. 2 Elise Dobson of Nolensville, Tenn., finished second with 3448 points.

Because she didn’t compete in indoor nationals as a freshman and COVID cancelled the indoor and outdoor national meets her sophomore year at Millville and the indoor meet her junior year at Lubbock Coronado, Craig had only competed in two national championship meets before Friday.

She won outdoor nationals her freshman year with a national freshman-record 4,958 points (which she broke at USATF Under 20s with a 5,094) and was 2nd at outdoor nationals as a junior with a PR 5,138 points.

Here’s a look at all the 3,700-point performers in U.S. indoor track history:

4,302 … Anna Hall [Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo.], 2019
4,068 … Kendell Williams [Kell, Marietta, Ga.], 2013
3,976 … Sterling Lester [Marietta, Ga.], 2018
3,924 … Shana Woods [Poly, Long Beach, Calif.], 2006
3,823 … Ryann Krais [Methacton, Norristown, Pa.,], 2008
3,780 … Bryanna Craig [Ruston, La.], 2022
3,765 … Annika Williams [College Station, Tex.], 2018
3,740 … Chloe Royce [Collège Durocher Saint-Lambert, Montreal], 2019
3,738 … Alex Harmon-Thomas [Free State, Lawrence, Kans.], 2013
3,717 … Katherine Sherman [Dennis-Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Mass.], 2004
3,711 … Loren Leaverton [Naaman Forest, Garland, Tex.], 1998
3,709 … Gayle Hunter [North, Riverside, Calif.], 2004
3,706 … Shaina Burns [South, Lakeville, Minn.], 2014
3,700 … Felecia Majors [South County, Lorton, Va.], 2013

✔ Craig started off Friday morning by running 9.08 over the 60-meter hurdles, earning 891 points and giving her a 37-point lead over Dobson after one event.

✔ In the second event of the morning, Craig cleared 5-8 in the high jump, earning 854 points, giving her 1,782 points and building her lead over Dobson to 145 points. Craig passed up through 5-2 and got a clearance there on her first attempt before passing again at 5-3 ¼. She got over the bar at 5-5 ¾ on her second attempt and 5-6 ¾ on her third before the 5-8 clearance on her second try. She took three jumps at 5-9 ¼, which gave her 12 attempts at the bar overall.

✔ Then it was off to the shot put, where she had three 30-foot throws, including a best of 30-10 ½ – an indoor PR and only 15 inches shy of her outdoor best of 32-1 ½. That was good for 491 points. Dobson threw 32-7 ¾ and closed to within 110 points of Craig.

✔ It wasn’t her best day in the long jump, but Craig did get off a 17-6 ½ on her final attempt to earn another 657 points and give her 2,930 through four events. With only the 800 left, her lead over Dobson was now 164 points. Craig has an pentathlon PR of 3,678 from earlier this year in a meet in in Birmingham, which meant she needed 748 points in the 800 to set a PR. A 2:25.71 equals 748 points.

✔ In the closing 800, Craig went out hard in 32.30 and came through 400 meters in 66.84, then closed in 71.22 for 850 points and a final score of 3,780.

Sitting in 3rd place and down to his final attempt, Lumberton’s Greg Foster came up huge with not only a win at the Ocean Breeze Nationals but a state record as well.

Foster, a senior at Lawrenceville Prep, leaped 49-9 ½ on his final attempt to break the state record of 49-7 set by South Brunswick’s Jonathan Pitt at the Armory at the 2013 Varsity Classic.

Foster’s previous PR was a 48-9 ½ last month, also at Ocean Breeze. That was No. 6 in state history.

And through five attempts Friday his best jump was 47-7 ¼, which had him in 3rd place behind Brandon Green of Ruston, La., who went 49-0 ¾ on his 4th attempt, and Jayden Louis-Charles Plano West in Texas, who jumped 48-6 ¼ on his 3rd try.

But on his final attempt, Foster jumped two feet farther than he had on any of his first five jumps and exactly one foot beyond his PR from last month at the same facility.

That made Foster the first New Jersey boy ion 38 years to win an national triple jump title. In 1984, Marko Juntunen of Mount Olive won the inaugural National Scholastic Classic at Jadwin Gym with a 45-5 1/4 jump.

Earlier Friday, the Princeton-bound Foster ran ran 8.06 in the 60-meter high hurdles to qualify for the final, which is scheduled for 5:29 p.m. Saturday.

Foster is scheduled to be back in action Saturday morning with the 60 hurdles trials at the Armory Nationals and he’s scheduled to triple jump at Armory Nationals at 11 a.m.

Traffic permitting, he’ll be back at Ocean Breeze for the long jump at 2 p.m. before running the hurdles final.

On Sunday, he’ll be exclusively at the Armory for the long jump at 10 a.m. and – if he qualifies – the hurdles final at 11:27 a.m.

Foster is U.S. No. 1 in the long jump at 24-8.

With the two so-called “National” meet scheduled to begin today at two different indoor tracks in New York, we thought it might help to take a look at who’s running at the Armory, who’s running at Ocean Breeeze and who’s running at both.

I think these are accurate but the Armory only lists entries by event, and since most athletes are listed with club teams it’s easy to miss a few. Especially in the relays, where there are multiple schools with the same name (“Eagles A” doesn’t tell me much).

Let’s take a look:

Ocean Breeze: Pleasantville, Pennsauken, Kingsway, Timber Creek, Washington Township, Lower Cape May Regional, Clearview, Burlington City, Glassboro, Hammonton.

Armory: Winslow Township, Deptford, Ocean City, Haddon Heights, Willingboro, Eastern, Rancocas Valley, Clayton, West Deptford, Triton, Cherry Hill East, Millville, Delsea.

Both: Highland, Cherokee, Paul VI, Northern Burlington, Haddonfield, Cinnaminson.

Note that just because a school is competing at both meets doesn’t mean the same athletes are. Although a few are.

Good luck to everybody competing!

It could be one heck of a weekend for Greg Foster.

And a very busy one.

Foster, a Lumberton resident who attends Lawrenceville School, is registered for six events at two so-called national championship meets in New York over the next three days.

There’s a “national championship” meet at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island Friday through Sunday and a “national championship” meet 25 miles north at the Armory in Manhattan also Friday through Sunday.

The Princeton-bound Foster is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in the long jump at 24-8, No. 7 in the triple jump at 48-9 1/2 and No. 7 in the 55-meter hurdles at 7.37 (both meets run 60 hurdles).

And he’s entered in all three events … at both meets.

Friday and Sunday are simple – he’s only at Ocean Breeze on Friday and only at the Armory on Sunday.

The challenge – other than a potential eight events in three days – will be getting from the Armory after the triple jump Saturday to Ocean Breeze in time for the long jump final, assuming he qualifies.

It’s about a 45-minute drive from the Armory to Ocean Breeze. Just drive north to West 178th Street and follow it to Amsterdam Ave and the ramp to the Harlem River Drive. Follow the Harlem River Drive along the Eastern shore of Manhattan to FDR Drive, which you pick up at the Battery in the southern tip of Manhattan, and then take the Hugh Carey Tunnel – commonly known as the Battery Tunnel – into Brooklyn and then the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Staten Island, then Lily Pond Road and Father Capodanno Road to Ocean Breeze.

Here’s what Foster’s schedule looks like:

Friday
1:30 p.m., 60 hurdles trials at Ocean Breeze
1:30 p.m., triple jump final at Ocean Breeze

Saturday
9:18 a.m., 60HH trials at the Armory
11 a.m., triple jump at the Armory
2 p.m., long jump final at Ocean Breeze
5:29 p.m., 60 hurdles final at Ocean Breeze

Sunday
10 a.m., long jump final at the Armory
11:27 a.m. 60HH final at the Armory

As if high school track couldn’t get any stupider, there are now two track meets in the same city this weekend calling themselves “National Championships.”

One is at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island and is sponsored by an athletic shoe company, the other is 25 miles away at the 168th Street Armory in Manhattan sponsored by a different shoe company.

The meet in Staten Island is billing itself as 36th annual, and the meet in Manhattan is claiming to be a new meet – it lists no meet records – although there has been a national meet at the Armory for decades.

It appears the meet at Ocean Breeze may be the same meet that used to be at the Armory, but it’s hard to tell. For years, there was a meet at the Armory and one at Prince George’s Sports & Learning Center in Landover, Md. Then they merged and there was one meet. Now there are two meets again, and all the meet records and top-10 lists from one of the meets have disappeared. Something called the National Scholastic Athletic Federation sponsors one of the meets but I don’t care which. All I know is a ton of incredible performances from U.S. track history have evaporated because either the sponsor or the people running one of the meets has changed.

In any case, both meets run from Friday through Sunday, and South Jersey will be well-represented at both (in at least one case by the same school!).

We’ll update these links over the next 24 hours, but hopefully these help everybody follow along at home if you’re not headed to the Armory or Ocean Breeze.

Oh and next weekend? There’s a meet in Virginia, this one sponsored by yet another athletic shoe company. And guess what it’s calling itself. A national championship.

There may be more national championship meets that I don’t know about. Let’s just call every meet a national championship meet! The more national champions the better! Can’t wait for the Cape-Atlantic League American Division National Championships or the Woodbury Relay National Championships or the Burlington County Scholastic League Freedom Division National Championships.

Anyway,in the interest of clarity, we’re just going to call the two meets the Armory Nationals and Ocean Breeze Nationals. Sorry shoe companies. We’re not here to give you free advertising!

We did our best to create some quick links for the weekend. For reasons I can’t even begin to imagine, the Armory Nationals don’t even have an entry list. You have to search each event individually to see who’s competing.

Armory Nationals
Main meet page: Click here.
Entries: Click here. [You have click on each individual event to find the entries]
Live Results: Click here.
Order of Events: Click here.
Live Stream: Click here:
Meet Records: None listed.

Ocean Breeze Nationals
Main meet page: Click here.
Entries: Click here.
Live Results Click here. [presumably will be posted here]
Order of Events: Click here.
Live stream: Click here.
Meet Records: Click here.

Former Millville star Bryanna Craig, now a senior at Ruston High School, returns to the Northeast this weekend to compete in the pentathlon at Ocean Breeze.

Craig spent her first two years at Millville, where she set a national freshman heptathlon record and placed 4th at the USATF Under-20 Championships in Miramar, Fla., and also won the heptathlon at the New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.

Craig spent her junior year at Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas, where her dad – former Millville star and 2019 South Jersey Coach of the Year – took a job as an assistant coach at Texas Tech. When Craig got a job this past year at Louisiana Tech, the family moved to Ruston.

Bryyanna Craig has a pentathlon PR of 3,678, which she set in January at a meet in Birmingham, Ala. That’s her only multi since she placed second at Outdoor Nationals in June
in Greensboro with a heptathlon PR of 5,138 points. Ariel Pedigo of Parkview Baptist in Baton Rouge won with 5,343 points, No. 6 in high school history. She has since graduated and is now competing for Oklahoma.

Craig’s indoor PR of 3,678 ranks 17th in U.S. history and is the U.S. No. 1 mark, which makes her the top seed this weekend in Staten Island. But as you can see from the chart below she’s only 33 points outside the all-time U.S. top-10.

There are two so-called “national” meets being held in New York City this weekend. Craig will compete at Ocean Breeze in the one-day, five-event challenge that includes the shot put, long jump, high jump, hurdles and 800.

Competition begins at 10 a.m. Friday with the 60-meter hurdles and continues with the shot put at 11 a.am., long jump at 12:15 p.m., high jump at 2:30 p.m. and 800 at 4:10 p.m.

Craig is also No. 2 nationally in the high jump at 5-9 3/4 but because the championship high jump is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday she won’t be able to contest it.

U.S. No. 2 Elise Dobson of Nolensville (Tenn.), who has scored 3,357 points this year, and U.S. No. 4 Evie Culbreath of Baylor School in Chattanooga, who has scored 3,231 points, are also entered.

Here’s a look at the all-time U.S. pentathlon top-20:

4,302 … Anna Hall [Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo.], 2019
4,068 … Kendell Williams [Kell, Marietta, Ga.], 2013
3,976 … Sterling Lester [Marietta, Ga.], 2018
3,924 … Shana Woods [Poly, Long Beach, Calif.], 2006
3,823 … Ryann Krais [Methacton, Norristown, Pa.,], 2008
3,765 … Annika Williams [College Station, Tex.], 2018
3,740 … Chloe Royce [Collège Durocher Saint-Lambert, Montreal], 2019
3,738 … Alex Harmon-Thomas [Free State, Lawrence, Kans.], 2013
3,717 … Katherine Sherman [Dennis-Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Mass.], 2004
3,711 … Loren Leaverton [Naaman Forest, Garland, Tex.], 1998
3,709 … Gayle Hunter [North, Riverside, Calif.], 2004
3,706 … Shaina Burns [South, Lakeville, Minn.], 2014
3,700 … Felecia Majors [South County, Lorton, Va.], 2013
3,696 … Brooklyn Gould [Chugiak, Anchorage, Alaska], 2019
3,682 … Alaina Brady [Tahoma Maple Valley, Wash.], 2019
3,681 … Kendall Gustafson [Palisades Charter, Pacific Palisades, Calif..], 2013
3,678 … Bryanna Craig [Ruston, La.], 2022
3,674 …Tia Livingston [Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, N.J.], 2016
3,673 … Tiana Riel [Hopkinton, Mass.], 2004
3,667 … Brianna Smith [Cheltenham, Pa.], 2019

And here’s a glance at Craig’s indoor and outdoor PRs:

PRs
Outdoor
100: 12.82 [Lubbock Coronado]
200: 24.99 [Ruston]
400: 56.30 [Millville]
800: 2:21.44 [Millville]
100HH: 14.08 [Lubbock]
400IH: 1:03.36 [Millville]
High Jump: 5-9 3/4 [Ruston]
Javelin: 117-1 [Lubbock Coronado]
Long Jump: 19-0 1/2 [Lubbock Coronado]
Shot Put: 32-1 1/2 [Millville]
Heptathlon: 5,138 Lubbock Coronado

Indoor
200: 25.29 [Millville]
400: 57.21 [Ruston]
800: 2:21.32 [Millville]
55HH: 8.31 [Millville]
60HH: 8.78 [Ruston]
400IH: 1:03.36 [Millville]
High Jump: 5-9 3/4 [Ruston]
Long Jump: 18-5 1/4 [Ruston]
Shot Put: 30-8 1/4 [Millville]
Pentathlon: 3678 [Ruston]

Some monster long jumping this weekend by the Rowan tandem of freshman Nana Agyemang and junior Ahmir Johnson.

Competing at the ARTFC Championships, Agyemang jumped 24-0 3/4 and Johnson 23-9 1/2 to take the top two spots at the Golisano Training Center on the Nazareth College campus in Rochester.

Agyemang and Johnson are ranked No. 5 and No. 12 in NCAA Division 3 and will compete this weekend at Division 3 National Championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. The official entry list is here.

Agyemang’s mark is an indoor PR. He jumped 24-2 1/2 at an outdoor meet in Glassboro this past May.

Johnson’s mark broke his indoor PR of 23-2 1/2 from two weeks earlier at the NJAC  Championships at Ocean Breeze. His outdoor PR is 22-11 from last year’s NJAC Championships in Mahwah.

Agyemang and Johnson both had bigger jumps that were wind-aided at the 2021 Fast Times Before Finals meet in Glassboro, Agyemang with 24-9 aided by a 2.8 meters-per-second wind and Johnson with a 24-6 1/2 aided by a 3.3 wind.

Agyemang missed Rowan’s 40-year-old indoor school record by one-quarter of an inch.

Paulsboro’s Robert Beaman jumped 24-1 as part of a pentathlon at the New Jersey Collegiate Championships at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym on Jan. 16, 1982. The mark is incorrectly listed as being from 1981 on Rowan’s web site.

Johnson is also the No. 3 seed at D-3 nationals in the triple jump with his school-record 48-11 1/2, and Agyemang is on Rowan’s top-seeded (3:15.89) 4-by-400 team, which also includes Charlie Serrano, Sterling’s Jah’mere Beasley and freshman Amara Conte. Johnson is also Rowan’s outdoor school record holder in the triple jump at 48-8 1/4 from his win at NCAA Division 3 nationals in Greensboro, N.C., in the spring of 2020.

Beasley also qualified in the 200 (21.99), Conte in the 400 (48.82), Washington Township’s Jake Kolodziej in the 800 (1:54.28) and Marquise Young in the 60-meter hurdles (8.18).

Agyemang attended Paramus Catholic and Parsippany and had a PR of 23-5 1/2 when he won the North 2 Group 2 sectional title in May of 2019 at Middletown North. 

Johnson competed for Wissahickon High in Ambler, Pa., and had PRs of 23-4 3/4 and 48-5 3/4, both at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse. He also cleared 6-4 in the high jump 

Johnson spent the 2019 indoor season competing for Gwynedd-Mercy, jumping 21-4 3/4 and 46-8 1/4.

NCAA Division 3 nationals, cancelled the last two years, begins at 10 a.m. Friday. The men’s high jump is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday. For the full order of events, click here.