Bryce Tucker ran an intermediate hurdles PR and advanced to the finals at the USATF Under-20 Championships Friday.
Tucker, who finished his junior year at Pennsauken this month, ran 52.14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., and advanced to the final as a “small-q” qualifier, which means he wasn’t one of the first three finishers in his heat – which is an auto qualifier for the final – but he had one of the next-two-fastest times.
Competing against mainly college freshmen, Tucker placed 4th in the first of two heats. His time is fastest by a South Jersey junior since Millville’s Azim Smith ran 51.82 to place 2nd at the 2001 adidas Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, N.C.
Tucker’s time is No. 25 in state history and No. 7 in South Jersey history, fastest in 13 years, since Washington Township’s Tim Carey ran 52.10 to win the 2009 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor.
It’s fastest by a Camden County hurdler in 18 years, since Rueben McCoy of Winslow Township ran 51.39 as part of an insane Meet of Champions triple at South Plainfield – 21.51 in the 200, 47.42 in the 400 and 51.39 in the 400IH.
Tucker’s time is fastest by a U.S. underclassman this year.
Tucker, who set his previous PR of 52.17 when he won the Meet of Champions last year at South Plainfield, had a season-best this year of 53.01 from his 4th-place All-America performance at New Balance Outdoors last week at Franklin Field.
The final is scheduled for 7:43 p.m. Saturday. The top two finishers make the U.S. national junior team that will compete in the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in August in Cali, Colombia.
South Jersey All-Time List
50.37 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
51.39 … Rueben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
51.5h … Martin Booker [Camden], 1981
51.62 … Fred Sharpe [Paulsboro], 1997
51.82 … Azim Smith [Millville], 2001
52.14 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2021
52.0h … Vince Rawlins [Eastern], 1992
52.4h … Diandre Chandler [Camden], 1986
52.4h … Donovan Darius [Wilson], 1993
52.54 … Marcus Lee [Vineland], 2004
52.56 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1995
52.62 … Devon Matthews [Pleasantville], 1999
52.62 … Harran Williams [Delran], 1999
52.62 … Ian Moore [Lenape], 2001
52.66 … Justin Dupree [Camden], 1996
52.66 … Aaron Younger [Delsea], 2007
52.71 … Mike Brown [Lenape], 1996
52.71 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003
52.72 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 2000
52.87 … Demetrius Rooks [Absegami], 2008
52.89 … Barry Bethea [Eastern Reg.], 2010
52.92 … Alex Reber [Eastern Reg.], 2012
52.8h … Jack Thompson [Edgewood], 2001
52.89 … Devon Patton [Willingboro], 1990
52.94 … Maurice Young [Camden], 2002
52.96 … Tyler Davidson [Willingboro], 2016
New Jersey All-Time List
50.14 … Cory Poole [East Orange], 2017
50.20 … Taylor McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
50.37 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
50.84 … Justin Gaymon [Phillipsburg], 2005
51.02 … Tony Valentine [Plainfield],. 1983
51.0h … Chris Person [Plainfield], 1978
51.39 … Rueben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
51.5h … Martin Booker [Camden], 1981
51.62 … Fred Sharpe [Paulsboro], 1997
51.62 … Shaquan Brown [JFK Paterson], 2006
51.66 … Ramy Berberena [North Brunswick], 2019
51.69 … David Jones [Montclair], 1985
51.78 … Randall Walker [Rahway], 1985
51.82 … Azim Smith [Millville], 2001
51.85 … Akeem Lindo [East Orange], 2018
51.91 … Paul Quitzau [Mount Olive], 1983
51.92 … Anthony Hampton [Englewood], 1994
51.98 … Emanuel Mayers [Lakewood], 2007
52.05 … Andrew Cameron [Paterson East Side], 1987
52.06 … Christopher Serrao [East Brunswick], 2022
52.09 … Mark Cooke [J.P. Stevens], 2014
52.10 … Tim Carey [Washington Twp.], 2009
52.12 … Felix Lawrence [Freehold Twp.], 2019
52.13 … Greg Christie [Perth Amboy], 1997
52.14 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2021
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 