From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Remarkable race Tuesday by Washington Township’s Yashahya Brown, who became South Jersey’s fastest sophomore hurdler in at least 20 years.

Brown, whose PR before Tuesday was 14.64, ran 14.08 – with legal wind – to win the 110-meter highs at the Olympic Conference Championships on his home track.

That’s the fastest time by any New Jersey sophomore since 2015 – when Cory Poole of East Orange ran 14.03 at the state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor. Poole is now ranked 27th in the world in the intermediate hurdles at 49.42.

It’s the fastest time by a South Jersey sophomore as far back as my available records go. I’ll go farther back on Wednesday.

It’s also the fastest time in New Jersey so far this year and fastest at the Olympic Conference meet since Timber Creek’s Kevin Hegamin set the fat meet record of 13.73 in 2014.

The only faster times over the last 30 years are hand times – Danyne Brown of Camden ran a ht 13.5 to win the Olympic in 1999. Scot McCray in 1997 and Anwar Moore in 1998, both also from Camden, ran 13.9, which actually converts to 14.14 fat, which is slower than Brown’s time Tuesday.

And according to the MileSplit national database, it makes Brown the 5th-fastest sophomore in the U.S. so far this spring.

Before Tuesday, Brown’s PR was 14.64 from the trials of the South Jersey Elite at Delsea earlier this month.

In the trials, Brown led all qualifiers in 14.75, with top-seeded A.J. Brooks next at 14.77.

The final was run with a legal tailwind of 1.6 meters per second, and Brown and Brooks both PR’d, with Brooks taking second in 14.27. They’re the two-fastest times in the state so far this year.

Brown’s time is No. 3 in school history, behind Devon Carter, who ran 13.96 at the 2010 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor, and Arthur Ashton, who ran 14.01 at the 2012 South Jersey Group 4 sectionals, also at EHT.

Brown also ran the second leg on Washington Township’s 2nd-place 4-by-4 team, which ran 3:29.92.

Brooks had a huge meet, winning the long jump at 20-10 ¾ on his only legal jump, taking second to teammate Jashad Kersey in the triple jump at 42-11 and placing 7th in the 200 in 23.12.