One heck of a girls javelin competition Thursday night at the South Jersey Elite meet at Delsea between three of the top 10 javelin throwers in New Jersey – Millville junior Leah Howard, Eastern sophomore Zoe Goldberg and Mainland Regional senior Camryn Dirkes.
Howard popped a personal-best 134-10 to win the competition, Goldberg was second at 127-2 and Dirkes placed third with a PR of 125-7. Goldberg ranks No. 2 in the state with her 136-7 at the West Deptford Relays last month. Howard moved up to No. 4 and Dirkes to No. 9.
Dirkes threw her 125-7 on her third attempt and took the lead going into the finals. Howard then took the lead with her 134-10 on her fifth throw and Goldberg hit 127-2 on her final attempt. Howard finished with a 130-4, giving her the top two throws of the competition.
Howard’s throw is No. 5 in Cumberland County history with the new javelin [in use since 2002], best in six years. Goldberg was already at No. 4 in Camden County history with her mark from last month – we wrote about that here [https://sjtrackblog.com/2022/04/16/eastern-soph-zoe-goldberg-bombs-no-1-javelin-throw-in-new-jersey-this-year/]. And Dirkes is No. 11 in Atlantic County history.
All-Time Cumberland County Javelin List
160- 8 … Maria Jimenez [Vineland], 2012
141- 1 … Tumelo Nwanma [Vineland], 2016
141- 0 … Jocelyn McRae [Millville], 2006
135-10 … Mary Wilks [Bridgeton], 2007
134-10 … Leah Howard [Millville], 2022
134- 0 … Kira Parsons [Millville], 2019
134-0 … Niyah Cosme [Vineland], 2015
133-4 … Leah Braidi [Sacred Heart], 2010
133-3 … Javona Ford [Millville], 2010
All-Time Atlantic County Javelin List
168- 6 … Brielle Smith [Oakcrest], 2019
152- 4 … Jill Shaner [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
143-11 … Ayana Culhane [Absegami], 2016
142- 1 … Alexa Gardner [Hammonton], 2018
137- 1 … Ayana Culhane [Absegami], 2016
131-11 … Mya Pomatto [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2019
131-7 … Emily Higbee [Holy Spirit], 2013
130-9 … Lynn Brown [Buena], 2015
130-6 … Kylee Alvarez [Absegami], 2021
All-Time Camden County Javelin List
152- 9 … Kate Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
148- 8 … Caitlin Cielo [Eastern], 2002
142- 3 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
136- 7 … Zoe Goldberg [Eastern], 2022
136- 6 … Danielle Still [Bishop Eustace], 2002
132- 4 … Kelsey Reese [Paul VI], 2011
128- 5 … Saraly Gonzalez [Sterling], 2018
127-11 … Pam Watson [Haddon Heights], 2016
127- 5 … Bernadette McGowan [Paul VI], 2016
126- 6 … Connie Labouff [Haddon Twp.], 2000
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 