In just her third collegiate 400, Arianna Sharpe ran the fastest indoor 400 ever by a South Jersey high school graduate and narrowly missed the Auburn school record.
Sharpe, who ran for Paulsboro and Clayton along with her twin sisters Amirah and Ariel, ran a huge PR 52.42 at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson.
https://results.adkinstrak.com/meets/19790/events/704039/results
That’s No. 2 in Auburn history behind only a 52.24 run by Joanna Atkins at the 2011 SEC meet in Fayetteville, Ark.
It’s also the fastest indoor 400 ever run by a South Jersey woman. The previous record was set on March 12, 1988, by Edgewood garduate Denise Mitchell, who ran 53.02 in Oklahoma City. Seneca’s Michelle Brown is next on that all-time South Jersey indoor list at 53.47 in Indianapolis in 1997.
Click to access 2023_Almanac.pdf
Sharpe is now tied for the No. 1 ranking among all NCAA Division 1 freshmen with Christina Mallard of USC, who ran 52.42 at the same meet as sharpe. Sharpe placed ahead of Mallard based on their times to the 1,000th of a second – Sharpe ran 52.417 and Mallard 52.420 – but for ranking purposes they share a ranking.
On the 2023 NCAA Division 1 list, Sharpe is No. 20 and on the U.S. women’s list she’s No. 16. She’s No. 41 in the world and No. 16 in the U.S. – tied with Mallard on all those lists.
World Athletics does not list a birthday for Sharpe, so it’s unknown whether she’s eligible for the U.S. Under-20 Championships. The next World Under-20 Championships isn’t until 2024.
https://www.tfrrs.org/lists/3901/2022_2023_NCAA_Division_I_Indoor_Qualifying_List#event53
Sharpe’s previous PR was a 53.01 at the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock in January. Before this year, her high school PRs were 54.36 outdoors at Franklin Field in June and 56.09 indoors at the Armory last March.
Her time also makes her 4th-fastest ever from New Jersey indoors in the 400 behind Olympic gold medalists Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic and Athing Mu of Trenton and World Championsips gold medalist Mikele Barber of Montclair.
Amirah Sharpe also PR’d at the Tiger’s Paw Invitational with a 53.80. That 53.80 is No. 6 in Auburn history. Both have been running on Auburn’s 4-by-4, which has a season-best 3:36.05.
Four of the top seven girls on Auburn’s all-time indoor 400 list are South Jersey natives: Arianna Sharpe at No. 2, Amirah Sharpe at No. 6, Highland’s Eusheka Bartley with a 53.29 in 1996 and her twin sister Nichole Bartley at 54.22 in the No. 7 spot from 1997.
Arianna Sharpe’s 52.42 makes her No. 10 all-time among New Jersey natives and No. 5 among South Jersey girls.
Ariel Sharpe also ran an indoor 400 PR this year with a 58.14 earlier this month in a meet in Nashville.
Here’s a look at the all-time New Jersey alumni 400 list:
49.57 … Athing Mu [Trenton], June 12, 2021, Eugene, Ore.
50.07 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], March 30, 2018, Gainesville, Fla.
50.63 … Mikele Barber [Montclair], May 13, 2001, Columbia, S.C.
50.66 … Nadia Davey [Bridgeton], 2003, Sacramento
50.87 … Me’Lisa Barber [Montclair], June 1, 2002, Baton Rouge, La.
51.70 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], June 13, 2014, Eugene, Ore.
51.72 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], June 27, 1987, San Jose, Calif.
51.94 … Stephanie Saleem [Neptune], May 20, 1989, Knoxville, Tenn.
52.24 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], March 16, 1996, Westwood, Calif.
52.37 … Joetta Clark [Columbia], June 1, 1996, New York
52.42 … Arianna Sharpe [Clayton], Feb. 10, 2023, Clemson, S.C.
52.46 … Olivia Baker [Columbia], July 6, 2014, Eugene, Ore.
And here’s the all-time New Jersey indoor top-10
50.36 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], March 10, 2018, College Station, Texas
50.52 … Athing Mu [Trenton], Feb. 6, 2021, College Station, Texas
51.92 … Mikele Barber [Montclair], March 14, 2003, Fayetteville, Ark.
52.42 … Arianna Sharpe [Clayton], Feb. 10, 2023, Clemson, S.C.
52.62 … Me’Lisa Barber [Montclair], Feb. 24, 2002, Fayetteville, Ark.
52.74 … Jenna Harris [Franklin], March 9, 2007, Fayetteville, Ark.
53.02 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], March 12, 1988, Oklahoma City, Okla.
53.14 … Shavon Greaves [Lakewood], Feb. 6, 2010, University Park, Pa.
53.25 … Julia Jackson [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], Feb. 25, 2023, Louisville, Ky.
53.35 … Olivia Baker [Columbia], Feb. 10, 2018, Albuquerque, N. Mex.
53.47 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], March 8, 1997, Indianapolis
Sharpe is now 4th-fastest ever from New Jersey indoors in the 400 behind Olympic gold medalists Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic and Athing Mu of Trenton and World Championsips gold medalist Mikele Barber of Montclair.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 