Millville junior Leah Howard popped the No. 6 javelin throw in South Jersey history Friday and won the state Group 4 title at Franklin High.

Howard threw 148-2 and won by more than 15 feet over Hailey Romero of Fair Lawn, who was second at 132-7.

Her throw is No. 14 in the U.S., according to the MileSplit database and just over two feet off the meet record for the new javelin of 150-5 set in 2019 by Alianna Eucker of Bergen Tech.

Howard came into the season with a PR of 123-3 from last year’s sectionals. He improevd to 132-10 at the Woodbury Relays, 134-10 at the South Jersey Elite and 138-6 at sectionals before bombing a 13-foot PR Friday.

Unfortunately, the timing company did not see fit to include full series info, so we can’t tell you what her five other throws looked like.

But Howard came up less than two feet from becoming the 16th 150-foot thrower in state history with the new implement, which went into use in 2002.

The only South Jersey underclassman to ever throw farther than Howard is state record holder Brielle Smith of Oakcrest, who threw 163-8 at the 2018 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.

Her mark is just over a foot shy of the qualifying standard for the USATF Under 20 Championships in Eugene later this month.

168- 6 … Brielle Smith [Oakcrest], 2019
160- 8 … Maria Jimenez [Vineland], 2012
152- 9 … Kate Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
152- 4 … Jill Shaner [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
148- 8 … Caitlin Cielo [Eastern], 2002
148- 2 … Leah Howard [Millville], 2022
146- 7 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2008
143-11 … Ayana Culhane [Absegami], 2016
142- 6 … Kaela Schrier [Cherokee], 2016
142- 1 … Alexa Gardner [Hammonton], 2018
141- 6 … Lindsay Minch [Pennsville], 2009
141- 5 … Kelly Yanucil [Bordentown], 2013
141- 1 … Tumelo Nwanma [Vineland], 2016
141- 0 … Jocelyn McRae [Millville], 2006
140- 8 … Julianne Foering [Rancocas Valley], 2017
140- 0 … Melissa Lake [Cherokee], 2011

Racing on their home track, Pennsauken juniors Bryce Tucker and Premier Wynn ran 1-2 in the intermediate hurdles at the state Group 3 meet Friday.

Tucker ran 53.82, repeating his win from last year on his way to winning the Meet of Champions in 52.17. Wynn ran a personal-best 54.28, lowering his PR from 54.69 from sectionals last weekend.

Along with a win in the 400-meter relay – with Elijah Jennings, Kahlil Ali, Bronze Whitmore and Wynn – Pennsauken already has 28 points as it seeks its second straight state team championship.

This is the first 1-2 sweep in the Group 3 intermediate hurdles in 23 years, since Camden teammates Danyne Brown and Dwight Ruff ran 53.57 and 53.93 at the 1999 meet in South Plainfield.

Smoking hot 800 from Cherokee teammates Nicole Clifford and Kelsey Niglio at the state Group 4 meet.

Clifford, a senior, won the race in a personal-best 2:11.12 and Niglio, a junior, finished right behind her in 2nd place with a PR 2:11.80.

They are the two-fastest times from among the four public school 800 races.

Their times are No. 12 and No. 15 in South Jersey history and No. 3 and 5 in Burlington County history. Full lists below.

All six medalists at Franklin High ran sub-2:14.

Clifford’s previous PR was 2:11.52 at the Olympic Conference Championships last month, and Niglio’s was 2:13.31 last weekend at sectionals.

Here are the top 10 times from the four public school races [parochials haven’t raced yet]:
2:11.12 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], Group 4 [1st]
2:11.80 … Kelsey Niglio [Cherokee], Group 4 [2nd]
2:12.19 … Christina Allen [River Dell], Group 2 [1st]
2:12.43 … Lucia Rabolli [Ridgewood], Group 4 [3rd]
2:13.43 … Jenai Berry [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], Group 4 [4th]
2:13.53 … Emma Zawatski [Freehold Twp.], Group 4 [5th]
2:13.91 … Olivia Takla [Toms River North], Group 4 [6th]
2:14.20 … Caroline Schleif [Metuchen], Group 2 [2nd]
2:14.89 … Lily Oliver [Toms River South], Group 3 [1st]
2:16.26 … Alexa LaSasso [North Hunterdon], Group 3 [2nd]

All-Time Burlington County Top-10
2:07.33 … Marielle Hall (Haddonfield), 2009
2:08.87 … Erin Donohue (Haddonfield), 2001
2:09.2h … Katrina Sye (Buena), 1999
2:09.50 … Renee Tomlin (Ocean City), 2005
2:09.84 … Rachel Stremme (Ocean City), 2014
2:10.1h … Michelle Rowen (Washington Twp.), 1982
2:10.55 … Shelby Whetstone (Lenape), 2019
2:10.57 … Nijgia Snapp (Oakcrest), 2009
2:10.79 … Krista Ferrara (Vineland), 1991
2:10.9h … Ruth Lockbaum (Glassboro), 1985
2:11.07 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2007
2:11.12 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
2:11.45 … Sydney Coppolino (Sterling), 2017
2:11.56 … Mary Bohi (Seneca), 2009
2:11.80 … Briana Gess (Haddonfield), 2016
2:11.80 … Kelsey Niglio [Cherokee], 2022
2:11.88 … Kayla Martin (Seneca), 2015
2:11.94 … Bridget Flynn (Ocean City), 2014

All-Time Burlington County Top-10
2:10.55 … Shelby Whetstone (Lenape), 2019
2:11.07 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2007
2:11.12 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
2:11.56 … Mary Bohi (Seneca), 2009
2:11.80 … Kelsey Niglio [Cherokee], 2022
2:11.88 … Kayla Martin (Seneca), 2015
2:11.95 … Miya Johnson [Lenape], 2007
2:12.0h … Monica Olkowski (Cherokee), 1990
2:12.78 … Megan Quimby (Lenape), 2015
2:12.93 … Carly Pettipaw (Lenape), 2015

Great start to state meet weekend from Audubon senior Scott Hubbard, who won the 800 at the state Group 1 meet at Pennsauken in 1:56.15.

Hubbard led a 1-3-4 South Jersey finish, with Maple Shade senior Lincoln Ormsby 3rd in a PR 1:58.86 and another Audubon half-miler, senior Makaio Kelii 4th in 2:00.70.

Hubbard entered the spring season with a PR of 1:59.30 from the indoor Meet of Champions at the Bubble and then lowered it in each major 800 he ran this spring – 1:58.93 at the Camden County Championships, 1:57.47 to win sectionals and then his 1:56.15 win Friday.

Audubon won the 4-by-4 at last year’s state Group 1 meet, but Hubbard is Audubon’s first individual state champion in at least 30 years.

Hubbard won by nearly a second over Evan Morrow of Hasbrouck Heights, who ran 1:57.04. Ormsby’s previous PR was 1:59.72 at sectionals last weekend, and Kelii’s was 2:00.39 at the Haddonfield Invitational.

They should have been released a few days ago, but the NJSIAA finally got around to releasing the official performance lists for this weekend’s state championship meets.

The state Group 1 and 3 meets are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Pennsauken and the Group 2 and 4 meets will be held at Franklin. Parochials are at Middletown North, but they didn’t have sectionals so no performance lists.

Here ya go!

GROUP 1: Click here
GROUP 2: Click here
GROUP 3: Click here
GROUP 4: Click here

 

Delsea graduate Elisia Lancaster, a senior at Southern Illinois, competed in her first NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships Thursday evening and placed 20th in the hammer throw.

Lancaster fouled on her first throw but went 203-8 and 210-7 on her next two attempts at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon’s campus in Eugene.

Her lifetime best is a 220-4 from just a couple weeks ago when she won the hammer at the Missouri Valley Conference meet in Des Moines, Iowa.

She qualified for the NCAA Finals by throwing 214-6 last weekend in the West Preliminary Meet in Fayetteville, Ark.

Lancaster placed 10th in the weight throw in March at the NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships at the Metro CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., with a throw of 71-10, only two feet off her lifetime best of 73-10 ¼.

Lancaster won six NJCAA Division 3 national championships while at Rutgers College-Gloucester and then competed indoors for Towson for one season before spending the last two years in Carbondale.

The 103rd annual state track championships are set for Friday and Saturday, with Groups 1 and 3 at Pennsauken,  Groups 2 and 4 at Franklin Township High and parochials at Middletown North.

Action begins at 2:30 p.m. Friday and 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Pennsauken and Franklin and 3:30 p.m. Friday and 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Middletown North.

The first South Jersey school to win a state title was Vineland in 1925 – 97 years ago! The most recent were Clayton in Group 1 and Pennsauken in Group 3 last year.

The first South Jersey girls team to win a state title was Woodbury in 1976, the third year the girls meet was held. The most recent were Clayton in Group 1, Haddonfield in Group 2 and Egg Harbor Township in Group 4 last spring.

Unbelievably, the NJSIAA still had not released the official meet performance lists as of Thursday morning. We’ll add it when (if?) it’s finally available. But we’ve got links to everything else you’ll need to enjoy the meet right here.

Good luck to everyone competing, coaching or spectating this weekend!

Ad-Free State Meet Program [I deleted all 3,188 pages of ads]: Click here
Order of Events: Click here
Sectional merges from: Click here
State Meet Records: Click here
State Meet All-Time Team Champions: Click here
How to Advance to Meet of Champions: Click here
Buy Tickets: Click here

OFFICIAL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE LISTS:
GROUP 1: Click here
GROUP 2: Click here
GROUP 3: Click here
GROUP 4: Click here

LIVE RESULTS [links will be live Friday]
GROUP 1 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 2 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 3 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 4 BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL A BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL B BOYS: Click here
GROUP 1 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 2 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 3 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 4 GIRLS: Click here
PAROCHIAL A BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL B BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL A GIRLS: Click here
PAROCHIAL B GIRLS: Click here

2021 RESULTS
GROUP 1 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 2 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 3 BOYS: Click here
GROUP 4 BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL A BOYS: Click here
PAROCHIAL B BOYS: Click here
GROUP 1 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 2 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 3 GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 4 GIRLS: Click here
PAROCHIAL A GIRLS: Click here
PAROCHIAL B GIRLS: Click here
GROUP 1 & 3 TEAM SCORING: Click here
GROUP 2 & 4 TEAM SCORING: Click here
PAROCHIAL A & B TEAM SCORING: Click here

When Haddonfield won last year’s South Jersey Group 2 title, 81 of their 130 points were scored by seniors.

Usually, when a team loses that many seniors it’s a sign that the next year is going to be challenging.

Not for Haddonfield.

The Lady Bulldogs scored exactly 130 points again this past weekend at Delsea, only 14 from seniors to wrap up another sectional championship.

Haddonfield topped a very good Sterling team 130-86 to win its fourth straight sectional title and state-record 20th overall.

Haddonfield has won 14 of a possible 23 South Jersey sectional titles since 1998 and 21 overall – Group 1 in 1983, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999 and Group 2 in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

The only other South Jersey girls programs to reach double-digits in sectional titles are Winslow [13] and Paulsboro [10].

State-wide, schools with the next-most sectional titles are Columbia [17], Metuchen [17], Ridgewood [14], New Providence [14] and Hopewell Valley [11].

Last year, Haddonfield scored 64 of a possible 72 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, with seniors scoring 58 of those points.

With that entire group having graduated, Haddonfield came back this year and scored 68 of a possible 72 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 – with 36 of those 68 scored by sophomores and 32 by juniors.

Haddonfield swept the 800 behind sophomore Riley Slootsky [2:21.18], junior Thea Spellmeyer [2:21.68] and sophomore Sarah Fetter [2:22.89]. All three PR’d.

Sophomore Audrey Naticchia won the 1,600 in 5:13.86 and the 3,200 in a PR 11:06.91.

Junior Libby DeMichele was second in the 1,600 in 5:18.89, and senior Jess Goode 4th in 5:22.37. In the 3,200, junior Helene Usher ran 2nd in 11:13.53, with sophomore Ava Thomas 4th in 11:22.28. both PRs, of course.

Cinnaminson junior Stephanie Renouf broke up both bids for Haddonfield sweep, taking 3rd in 5:22.24 and a PR 11:17.39.

That’s 64 points with only Naticchia doubling.

But there was much more to Haddonfield’s performance than the three distance runs.

Senior Livsey Kegler won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.84 for 10 big points and versatile freshman Audrey Adams scored 14 points with a 3rd-place finish in the intermediates at 1:09.24 and 4th-places in the high hurdles [16.45] and high jump [4-8].

Sophomores Mia Bompensa [8-0 pole vault] and Layla Petrovich [100-3 discus] recorded 4th-place finishes, junior Grace Malcarney took 5th in the intermediates [1:12.34], junior Franchesca Richards was 5th in the high jump at 4-8 and junior Chloe Kamp placed 5th in the long jump at 16-6.

Haddonfield also piled up 24 points in the three relays.

Slootsky, Thomas, Fetter and junior Maya Carey ran 9:38.44 to win the 4-by-8.

This is the 7th straight time Haddonfield has won the South Jersey Group 2 4-by-8 (there was no meet in 2000). Since the 4-by-8 was added to the state program in 2013, Haddonfield has won it every year except 2014, when Sterling won it.

Sophomore Miranda Keith joined Malcarney, Spellmeyer and Carey to place 3rd in the 1,600-meter relay in 4:15.12, and Kegler, Kamp and freshmen Molly Minor and Nicolette Pinkerton took 2nd in the 400-meter relay in 50.28.

The Sharpe sisters combined to score 80 points in their individual events and lead Clayton to its second straight sectional title.

They also got some help. More on that below.

The Sharpes combined for 34 points for Paulsboro at the 2018 meet, 53 points for Paulsboro in 2019 and 82 for Clayton last year. Paulsboro was 3rd in Group 1 in 2018 and first in 2019 and Clayton won its first two sectional titles last year and this year. There was no meet held in 2020.

This past weekend, Clayton outscored 2nd-place Haddon Township 129-93 in the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

The 129 points are 3rd-most ever scored in South Jersey Group 1.

Clayton this weekend goes for its 2nd straight state Group 1 title at Pennsauken.  The last school to repeat a state Group 1 title was Penns Grove in 2013 and 2014.

Arianna Sharpe won the 100 in 12.03, the 200 in 24.35 and the 400 in 53.49.

The 200 came down to a photo finish with Amirah Sharpe, who was also timed in 24.35. When the timers broke the performances down to 100ths of a second, Arianna had won in 24.341 with Amirah in 24.347, the difference of 6-1,000ths of a second.

Amirah won the intermediates in 1:01.66 and was also 2nd in the 400 in 53.60 in addition ot her 24.35 in the 200.

Ariel Sharpe ran 1:06.21 for 2nd in the intermediates, 57.27 for 3rd in the 400 and 25.84 for 3rd in the 200.

For Arianna, the 12.03 after a 12.23 in the trials broke a PR of 12.35 from South Jersey Elite at Delsea, the 24.35 broke a PR of 24.47 from last year’s Tri-County meet at Kinsgway, and the 53.49 broke a PR of 53.95 from Fast Times at Cherokee in April.

Amirah PR’d in the 200 and 400. Her previous bests were 24.51 and 54.19.

For Ariel, the 800 was a PR and it was the first time she had ever run it in a major meet.

Clayton also won the 400-meter relay in 50.22 and the 1,600-meter relay in 3:56.72.

Thomas, freshman Miyana Johnson, junior Erica Thomas and freshman Leila Ortiz ran on the 4-by-1 and Amirah and Arianna Sharpe were joined by juniors Kelsey and Erica Thomas on the 4-by-4.

Sophomore Alanna Woolfolk also had a big meet for Clayton, winning the high jump for a second straight year – she won SJ-2 for Delsea last year – and tying PR at 5-6. She also placed 4th in the long jump at 15-6 in what appears to be her first lifetime long jump competition.

Sophomore Maylisa Bluford recorded a 3 ½-foot discus PR and placed 2nd at 103-6, Johnson took 4th in the 100 in 12.86 [with a PR 12.71 in the trials] and was 5th in the high jump at 4-10; and Kelsey Thomas ran a PR 12.87 for 6th in the 100.

Clayton is heavily favored to win another state Group 1 title this weekend at Pennsauken, with North Section 1 runner-up Hasbrouck Heights, North Section 1 winner Hawthorne and Central Jersey Group 1 champion Shore Regional also capable of scoring big points.

Here are the highest point totals in South Jersey Group 1 history. Remember, the meet was scored 6-4-3-2-1 until 1990, so all the high scores are always going to be since that change:

148 … Penns Grove, 2013
132 ½ … Woodbury, 2007
129 … Clayton, 2022
128 ½ … Penns Grove, 2014
119 … Paulsboro, 1992
117 … Paulsboro, 2004
115 ½ … Haddonfield, 1998
113 … Haddonfield, 1999
113 … Clayton, 2021
109 … Palmyra, 2006
108 … Schalick, 1996
108 … Paulsboro, 2019
107 … Schalick, 2011
107 … Schalick, 2015
101 … Schalick, 2018

Burlington City’s first sectional champ in 13 years. City’s first double winner in 40 years. City’s first triple winner ever.

It sure was a historic weekend for junior Ny’era Hand-Brooks, who turned in a magnificent performance in the Central Jersey Group 1 meet at Howell.

Hand-Brooks entered three events, she won three events and she PR’d in two events.

Hand-Brooks won the 200 in 25.56, just 12-100ths of a second off her PR of 25.44 set at the BCSL divisional meet last month at Pennsauken.

She won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.15 after a 15.50 in the trials that was her first race ever under 16 seconds. Talk about a huge PR.

She also won the intermediates in 1:04.60, more than a 1 ½-seconds PR from her previous best of 1:06.25, also from divisionals.

Hand-Brooks also anchored City’s 3rd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which also included junior La’Secret Bolds, senior Ember Foreman and sophomore Rana Aykutoglu and ran a season-best 4:20.89.

At the Group 1 state meet this weekend at Pennsauken, Hand-Brooks will be the top seed in the high hurdles, nearly half a second ahead of Haddon Township’s Kaelin Marshall, who ran 15.63 to win the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

She’ll be No. 2 seed in the intermediates behind only Clayton’s Amirah Sharpe, who won the South Jersey race in 1:01.66, and the No. 4 seed in the 200.

Hand-Brooks is the top-ranked underclassman in all three races in New Jersey Group 1.

Bolds also had a big huge for City, winning the 100 in 12.81, taking 2^nd in the 400 in 1:00.61 and long jumping 16-1 for 4^th. All three marks are PRs.

Also for City, Foreman ran 4^th in the 800 [2:31.68]. Her PR was 2:44 two weeks ago.

Before this past weekend, City’s last sectional champ was Bessie Dean, who won the Central Jersey high jump at 5-0 in 2008 and the 200 in 2009 with a 25.80.

The last City girl to win more than one event at a sectional was Gina McMenamin, first in both the 1,600 [5:14.1] and 3,200 [11:03.2] in 1982.

City’s only other sectional champs over the years are Tonya Morris, who won the S.J. Group 2 long jump in 1988 at 16-9; Kelly Dickerson, who won the S.J. Group 1 high jump at 5-2 in 2001; and Ashley Smitherman, first in the 2003 S.J. Group 1 high jump at 5-0.

Thanks in large part to 30 points from Hands-Brooks and 22 from Bolds, City tallied 62 points and placed 4^th in team scoring behind Shore Regional of West Long Branch [107], Jonathan Dayton of Springfield, Union County [87], and David Brearley of Kenilworth, also in Union County [67].