Bryce Tucker won his second straight Meet of Champions intermediate hurdles title Saturday one day after earning All-America honors in the event.
Tucker, a Pennsauken junior, ran 53.57 to win the 400IH at the 53rd annual Meet of Champions at Franklin High one day after running 53.01 for 4th place at the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field.
Tucker won by six meters over senior Daniel Jakubowski-Lewis, who placed 2nd in 54.28.
Tucker is the first to win the Meet of Champions intermediate hurdles in back-to-back seasons since East Orange’s Cory Poole in 2015 and 2016 and the first South Jersey runner since ever.
He’s only the 20th South Jersey athlete in the meet’s more than half a century to win the same event in consecutive years. In 2023, he’ll have the opportunity to join Murad Campbell as South Jersey’s only three-time winner of the same event in Meet of Champions history. Campbell won the 3,200 for Overbrook in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Isaac Samuelos [Kennedy], Long Jump [1982, 1983]
Mark Murphy [Haddonfield], Pole Vault [1984, 1985]
Ken Reynolds [Willingboro], 100-Meter Dash [1985, 1986]
Russ Willett [Penns Grove], Discus [1985, 1986]
Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 110-Meter Hurdles [1989, 1990]
Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], Long Jump [1989, 1990]
Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 400-Meter Dash [1990, 1991]
Dwayne Robinson [Bridgeton], High Jump [1991, 1992]
Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], Shot Put [1994, 1995]
Ron Dayne [Overbrook], Discus [1995, 1996]
William Spearman [Wilson], Long Jump [1995, 1996]
Murad Campbell [Overbrook], 3,200-Meter Run [1997, 1998, 1999]
Robert Jordan [Millville], High Jump [1998, 1999]
Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], Long Jump [2002, 2003]
Mike Morrison [Willingboro], High Jump [2002, 2003]
Anthony Averett [Woodbury], Long Jump [2011, 2012]
Cade Antonucci [Holy Spirit], Javelin [2016, 2017]
Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 100-Meter Dash [2016, 2017]
Khaliel Burnett [Delsea], Triple Jump [2017, 2018]
Floyd Whitaker [Highland], Triple Jump [2019, 2021*]
* – no meet in 2020
Tucker is also the No. 1 seed going into the 110-meter hurdles final later Saturday after running a lifetime-best 14.22 in the trials.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 