With two South Jersey legs, Monmouth shattered the school record in the distance medley at the 126t Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Burlington Township graduate Jalen Jones, a senior, ran the 400 and Kingsway graduate Stone Caraccio, a sophomore, handled the 800 as Monmouth won the college DMR in 9:46.43.

That broke the school record of 9:48.26 set on the same track at the 2013 Penn Relays by Andrew Langille, John Malespina, Alex Leight and Abegami’s Ford Palmer.

Ocean Township’s James Hoffman led off with a 2:58.71 leg for the 1,200 and Jones ran a personal-best 46.90 split to move the Hawks past Ohio State and South Carolina and into the lead. Jones’ 400 leg was fastest in the race.

Caraccio then split 1:51.38, dropping Monmouth a fraction of a second behind Ohio State. But Raritan’s Louis DiLaurenzio anchored in 4:09.46 to bring Monmouth home in first.

Rutgers placed 3rd in 9:48.74, with Rancocas Valley’s Micah Wood splitting 1:52.58 on the 800 leg.

Pennsauken didn’t finish first in the South Jersey Large-School 1,600-meter relay, but the Indians did win the race.

With Bryce Tucker anchoring in 47.97, Pennsauken ran 3:20.38 – fastest by a South Jersey school this year – in the annual Penn Relays South Jersey Large-School race.

The problem is meet officials mistakenly placed Westwood High from Bergen County in the race, and Westwood won in 3:19.21.

Westwood was scheduled to run in one of the numerous class races but with the meet running 15 minutes ahead of schedule Westwood missed its race, and officials in the paddock placed them in whatever the next race was.

And the next race on the track was the South Jersey Large-School Relay. Which is open only to schools from the seven South Jersey counties – Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.

So by no fault of its own, Westwood wound up winning a race that it wasn’t eligible for.

The whole thing was complicated by the fact that the official results listed Toms River North as the winning team, even though TRN wasn’t in the race.

In any case, meet officials quickly declared Pennsauken winner of the South Jersey Relay. Westwood’s 3:19.21 is not currently listed in the ranked 1,600-meter performance list.

Pennsauken’s time is 23rd-fastest of the 416 schools that raced the 4-by-4 Saturday and 5th-fastest among New Jersey schools.

The time qualified Pennsauken for the Philadelphia Area Championship race, which is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. Saturday. Timber Creek and Rancocas Valley also qualified.

For Pennsauken, Nadir Paige led off with a 51.74 split, followed by Premier Wynn, who ran 48.62. Joel Oquendo ran 52.07 to set up Tucker’s anchor leg.

Timber Creek won the Small-School race in 3:26.25, with Haddon Heights [3:28.35] and Willingboro [3:28.78] also under 3:30.

For Timber Creek, Nasir Ali, Robert Wakefield, Zyheem Coleman-Frazier and Austin Brown ran, with Brown anchoring in 49.80.

Masai Byrd, Rahmier Patterson, Antoine Brown and Terrance Howard ran for R.V., with Patterson splitting 49.54.

In the large-school race, Kingsway [3:25.26], Winslow Township [3:27.91] and Washington Township [3:28.45] also ran sub-3:30.

Cherokee graduate John Shea ran the fastest 5,000 ever by a South Jersey high school alum Friday night at Stanford.

Shea ran 13:44.57 and placed third in the 5,000 at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Shea placed third, only a second behind winner Peter Lynch of Tulsa, who won the race in 13:43.52.

The previous South Jersey alumni record was 13:48.61 by Eastern graduate Karl Savage at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., in April of 2003.

Shea’s previous PR was 13:55.92 from the Husky Classic indoors in Seattle in February, and his outdoor PR was 13:56.52 from the Stanford Invitational on the same track earlier this month.

Shea, in 6th place with 1,600 meters to go, was out in 32.03 for his first 200, then reeled off his next 12 laps in 63.26, 67.72, 65.96, 68.42, 66.85, 68.03, 64.65, 70.23, 67.39, 65.83, 63.39 and 59.38.

So he closed in 4:17.69 for his final 1,600, 2:02.77 for his final 800 and 59.38 for his final 400.

Next up for Shea is the Big Sky Conference Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, May 11-12.

Schalick and Elizabethtown graduate Samuel Gerstenbacher placed 2nd in the Penn Relays Open 5,000 Friday night at Franklin Field and destroyed his PR.

Gerstenbacher ran 14:06.23, finishing just two meters behind winner Ben Flanagan, the former Michigan runner. Flanagan ran 14:04.90.

Gerstenbacher’s previous PR was 14:21.79, which he ran at Princeton earlier this month. Before that it was 14:54.79 from 2019 in the York (Pa.) Twilight Meet. So he’s now lowered his 5,000 PR 48 ½ seconds in 28 days.

The races at Princeton and Penn are his first track 5,000s since May of 2019, his senior year at Elizabethtown.

On Friday, Gerstenbacher came through 200 meters in 33.26 and then reeled off his next 12 laps in 69.95, 66.80, 66.65, 68.68, 69.33, 70.26, 69.60, 68.03, 69.50, 69.66, 66.28 and 58.28. So he closed in 2:04.56 for his final 800. Flanagan closed in 57.18 and 2:03.35.

Also in the race were Haddon Township graduates Jacob Dinerman [14:33.28] and Luke Petela [14:36.83]. Dinerman lowered his 5,000 PR from 14:39.76, which he ran two weeks ago in Edison, and Petela lowered his PR from 14:37.63, which he ran in Albana in May of 2019.

The Clayton girls ran the fastest time by a South Jersey 1,600-meter relay team in 20 years Friday and placed 6th in the Penn Relays Championship of America.

Clayton ran 3:44.67, No. 3 in South Jersey history and No. 12 in state history. It’s the fastest time by a South Jersey school since Willingboro ran 3:44.64 in 2002.

The Clippers finished behind only three schools from Jamaica and one each from Maryland and New York.

Unfortunately, full splits are not available, but Bridge Program seniors Ariel Sharpe, Arianna Sharpe and Amirah Sharpe along with Kelsey Thomas shattered the Gloucester County record of 3:47.39 that they set on Thursday at Penn to qualify for the Championship race.

The only schools in state history to run faster are Union Catholic (four times), Columbia (three times), Willingboro (twice) and Montclair and Plainfield (once).

Clayton’s time is No. 6 in the U.S. this year according to the MileSplit national database. Both of Willingboro’s times in 2001 and 2002 came at Nationals, so it looks like Clayton’s time is the fastest ever run by a South Jersey school at Penn.

Here’s the all-time state sub-3:45 list:

3:35.90 … Union Catholic, 2015
3:38.92 … Union Catholic, 2017
3:40.36 … Columbia, 2013
3:41.03 … Montclair, 1998
3:41.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:42.54 … Columbia, 2010
3:42.59 … Union Catholic, 2016
3:42.97 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:43.3h … Plainfield, 1981
3:43.94 … Willingboro, 2001
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:44.67 … Clayton, 2022
3:44.9h … Columbia, 1980

The Cherokee girls overcame a near disaster to place 4th in the Championship of America 3,200-meter relay Friday at the 126th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Junior Kelsey Niglio was tripped with about 100 meters to go on her leadoff leg when a runner from Holmwood Tech of Christiana, Jamaica, fell to the track, but Niglio bounced back up quickly and was able to handoff to sophomore Kerry O’Day in fifth place. Niglio still managed to split 2:17.23.

Despite the mishap, Cherokee ran an outdoor school-record 9:17.77 and finished 3rd among U.S. schools. Edwin Allen of Frankfield, Jamaica, won the race in 8:54.58, followed by Cuthbertson of Waxhaw, N.C. [9:04.67], and Union Catholic of Scotch Plains [9:06.14]. Holmwood was unable to finish the race.

O’Day split 2:25.86, freshman Megan Niglio 2:20.59 and senior Nicole Clifford anchored in 2:14.10.

Cherokee’s time is No. 12 in South Jersey history outdoors and No. 5 in Burlington County history.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey list:

9:00.51 … Haddonfield, 2021
9:05.62 … Lenape, 2012
9:05.83 … Lenape, 2008
9:06.30 … Haddonfield, 2008
9:10.32 … Haddonfield, 2000
9:12.30 … Haddonfield, 2019
9:15.61 … Ocean City, 2014
9:15.19 … Lenape, 2007
9:15.92 … Haddonfield, 2015
9:16.57 … Seneca, 2017
9:16.79 … Haddonfield, 1999
9:17.77 … Cherokee, 2022
9:18.22 … Kingsway, 2016
9:18.37 … Haddonfield, 2019
9:18.57 … Seneca, 2018
9:18.71 … Lenape, 2011
9:18.93 … Haddonfield, 2018
9:18.94 … Lenape, 2006
9:19.15 … Wilson, 2002
9:19.68 … Kingsway, 2017

Lumberton’s Greg Foster, sitting in second place through four jumps, popped an outdoor PR on his fifth attempt to win the long jump Friday morning at the 126th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Foster became the first long jumper from New Jersey to win at Penn in 19 years, since Edgewood’s Anthony Miles won the 2003 meet with a 24-6 ½ leap. Foster’s 24-11 is No. 5 in meet history.

Uroy Ryan of Jamaica College in Kingston had jumps of 24-2 ½, 24-2 ¼ and 24-1 ¾ through four jumps, and Foster’s best was a 23-5 ¼ at that point. But he sailed 24-11 on his fifth attempt with a legal wind of 1.4 meters-per-second to take the lead.

Ryan hit 24-1 ½ and 24-9 on his last two jumps and Foster, a senior at Lawrenceville School, fouled on his final attempt, so Uroy finished with five of the six-best jumps of the competition, but Foster took home first place.

Foster’s PR is a 25-4 ½ from Ocean Breeze Nationals in March. His previous outdoor PR was 23-6 from a home meet last week.

Foster’s 24-11 ranks 8th in state history. He broke the Mercer County outdoor record of 24-0 set at the 2018 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington by A’nan Bridgett of West Windsor-Plainsboro South.

All-Time New Jersey Long Jump List
26-6 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
25-2 ½ … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
25-0 ½ … Corey Crawford [Indian Hills], 2010
25-0 … Justes Nance [Blair Academy], 2015
25-0 … William Spearmon [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
24-11 ½ … Renaldo Nehemiah [Scotch Plains], 1977
24-11 ½ … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2002
24-11 … Darius Pemberton [Hackensack], 1993
24-11 … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville School], 2022
24-8 ½ … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1989
24-8 … Isaac Samuels [Willingboro-Kennedy], 1983

Monmouth freshman Sebastien Reed ran the 2nd-fastest 5,000 in school history Thursday night at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Reed, a Pitman High School graduate, ran 14:15.94, missing the school record by only three seconds.

His time is No. 7 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference so far this year.

Nick Pellegrino from Marlboro High School set the record of 14:12.67 in 2004 at the IC4A Championships at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

Reed broke his PR of 14:22.05, which he set indoors at Boston University in February. That’s also No. 2 in school history. Reed’s previous outdoor 5,000 PR was a 14:50.44 earlier this month at Lehigh.

In addition to his two No. 2 rankings in the 5,000, Reed is the Monmouth school record holder in the 3,000 indoors [8:10.69], and he’s No. 3 in the 10,000 [30:21.10]. He’s also run 1:56.49 for 800 meters this spring.

Rancocas Valley’s Sanai Jenkins, Anabella Chin, Jya Marshall and Kasey White ran 3:58.08 and won the Large-School 1,600-Meter Relay at the 126th annual Penn Relays Thursday at Franklin Field.

R.V.’s time was 21st-fastest of more than 400 schools and 3rd-fastest among New Jersey schools, behind only Clayton [3:47.39] and Scotch Plains-Fanwood [3:50.69].

The Red Devils qualified for the Philadelphia Area Championship race, scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.

Sanai Jenkins and Anabella Chin ran the first two legs – splits not available – followed by Jya Marshall [59.67] and Kasey White [58.43].

Rancocas Valley won by 50 meters over Washington Township, which was second in 4:05.64.

R.V. also won the Large-School 4-by-4 in 2019, the last time the meet was held, with Sheriyah Nutt, Brianna Snowden, Alyssa Leak and Chin.

The Clayton girls ran the 9th-fastest 4-by-4 in South Jersey history Thursday and qualified for the Penn Relays Championship of America.

Ariel Sharpe, Arianna Sharpe, Kelsey Thomas and Amirah Sharpe ran 3:47.39 to win the South Jersey Small-School 1,600-Meter Relay by 150 meters, break the meet record by 7 ½ seconds, post the 3rd-fastest time among more than 400 U.S. teams.

Clayton will race in the Championship of America at 5:05 p.m. on Friday.

Clayton destroyed the meet record of 3:54.82 set in 2010 by Willingboro’s Asia Goode, Patrice Rowe, Tiye Saran Mutazz and Vanessa Arientyl. The Clippers nearly ran under the Large-School meet record of 3:46.94 set in 1995 by Camden’s Tynisha Revels, Medina Salaam, Alishia Lawson and Aisha Lawson.

The time is fastest in state history by a Group 1 school, breaking the mark of 3:48.91 set by Penns Grove at the 2013 Meet of Champions.

Clayton also broke the Gloucester County record of 3:48.7, set in 1999 by Washington Township.

Ariel Sharpe led off with a 58.06 split, followed by Arianna Sharpe’s 53.55. Thomas split 61.43 and Amirah Sharpe anchored with a 54.36. The Sharpes are Bridge Program seniors. Thomas is a junior.

Camden placed second in 4:11.64.

The only schools to run faster than Clayton were Hydel of St. Catherine, Jamaica [3:39.34], Holmwood Tech of Christiana, Jamaica [3:41.95], Bullis School of Potomac, Md. [3:43.59], Paul Robeson of Brooklyn [3:44.36] and Edwin Allen of Clarendon, Jamaica [3:45.29].

Clayton’s time is No. 20 in state history, but only 10 schools have run faster: Union Catholic (5 times), Columbia (4 times), Willingboro (3 times) and Montclair, Plainfield, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Camden, Winslow Township, Trenton and Eastern (once each)

Here’s the all-time South Jersey sub-3:50 list:
3:43.94 … Willingboro, 2001
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.67 … Winslow Twp., 2018
3:47.16 … Eastern, 2003
3:47.30 … Willingboro, 2003
3:47.39 … Clayton, 2022
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.4h … Camden, 1978
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006
3:48.00 … Wilson, 2001
3:48.17 … Wilson, 2006
3:48.6y … Camden,, 1978
3:48.78 … Lenape, 2014
3:48.7h … Washington Twp., 1999
3:48.87 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
3:48.91 … Penns Grove, 2013
3:49.25 … Lenape, 2015
3:49.2y … Camden, 1979
3:49.30 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:49.43 … Willingboro, 1997
3:49.53 … Willingboro, 1998
3:49.63 … Winslow Twp., 2016
3:49.93 … Willingboro, 2009

And the all-time New Jersey sub-3:48 list:
3:35.90 … Union Catholic, 2015
3:38.92 … Union Catholic, 2017
3:40.36 … Columbia, 2013
3:41.03 … Montclair, 1998
3:41.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:42.54 … Columbia, 2010
3:42.59 … Union Catholic, 2016
3;42.97 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:43.3h … Plainfield, 1981
3:44.64 … Willingboro, 2002
3:44.9h … Columbia, 1980
3:45.12 … Trenton, 2001
3:45.41 … Camden, 1995
3:45.67 … Willingboro, 1999
3:46.13 … Willingboro, 2000
3:46.67 … Winslow, 2018
3:46.73 … Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 2021
3:47.08 … Union Catholic, 2018
3:47.16 … Eastern, 2003
3:47.39 … Clayton, 2022
3:47.41 … Willingboro, 2001
3:47.41 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:47.55 … Camden, 2006
3:47.7h … Columbia, 1982
3:47.7h … Trenton, 1983
3:47.94 … Columbia, 2009