Williamstown’s Ciara Demarest opened her senior year with an indoor shot put PR and the No. 8 throw in Gloucester County history.
Demarest threw 40-5 ½ at the SJTCA meet at the Toms River Intermediate East School adjacent to the Bubble, just beyond her indoor PR of 40-5 set when she won the South Jersey Group 4 sectionals last February. She went on to place 3rd at states and 5th at the Meet of Champions.
Her throw Monday is her second-best ever. She hit 41-0 ¼ last May at the Delsea Crusader Field #1 meet. She also surpassed 40 feet in four other meets, including the Meet of Champions, where she placed 7th.
Demarest’s throw is best by a Gloucester County girl indoors since Emily Hilt of Kingsway threw 40-8 ¾ at the 2017 state Group 4 meet. She’s closing in on the school record of 42-7 ¾ set by Typhanie Bates on her first throw at the 1995 state Group 3 meet at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym.
Here’s the all-time Gloucester County indoor list:
44-3 ½ … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
43-4 ½ … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
43-3 … Janiece Rose [Delsea], 2011
42-7 ¾ … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
42-5 ½ … Genevieve Rybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007
41-3 … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
40-8 ¾ … Emily Hilt [Kingsway], 2017
40-5 ½ … Cierra Demarest [Williamstown], 2022
39-10 ½ … Gianni Johnson-Slater [Delsea], 2022
39-8 ¼ … Karen Johnson [Williamstown], 2006
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 