Pennsauken senior Bryce Tucker shattered the South Jersey indoor 400 record Sunday morning with a historic performance at the 55th annual Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze.
In a race that produced three of the 15-fastest times in state history, Tucker ran 47.45 and placed 2nd to Seton Hall Prep’s Xavier Donaldson, who ran 47.35.
Both ran well under the meet record of 48.26 set by Trenton’s Zyaire Clemes in 2013 at the Bubble.
Tucker destroyed the South Jersey record of 47.90 set by Moorestown’s Brandon Outlaw at 2017 Nationals at the Armory as well as the Camden County record of 48.27 set in 2002 by Camden’s Jade Smith at Midwest Indoor Track Classic in Lincoln, Neb.
Tucker, a two-time Meet of Champions winner outdoors in the 400-meter hurdles, lowered his PR nearly a second from 48.44, which he just ran Wednesday when he won Easterns.
Donaldson and Tucker now rank No. 6 and No. 7 nationally in the 400, according to the MileSplit national database.
The fastest previous time at Meet of Champions by a South Jersey quarter-miler was a 48.66 by Olympic gold medalist Lamont Smith of Willingboro when he won the 1991 meet at Jadwin Gym in Princeton.
The race produced the fastest times for at least 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th places in meet history and probably much deeper with 14 boys under 50 seconds.
Third-place Alexander Sadikov of Ocean Township placed 3rd in 48.00, also under the previous meet record.
Deptford senior Lathan Brown placed 6th in 48.96, breaking the Gloucester County indoor 400 record of 49.11 set at the 2012 Meet of Champions at the Bubble by Woodbury’s Darrell Bush. His time is No. 16 on the all-time Meet of Champions performance list.
Also under 50 were Pleasantville senior Xander Roberts-Bogin [9th in 49.62 in an earlier heat] and Atlantic City senior Darrel Farrow [14th in PR 49.99].
All-Time State Indoor 400 List
46.06 … Najee Glass [St. Peter’s Prep], 2012
46.80 … Taylor McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2015
47.13 … Zyaire Clemes [Trenton], 2014
47.20 … Lance Wigfall [East Orange], 2003
47.35 … Xavier Donaldson [Seton Hall Prep], 2023
47.37 … Bryan McCombs [Old Bridge], 2005
47.45 … Ray Williams [Scotch Plains], 2002
47.50 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023
47.58 … Clayton Parros [Seton Hall Prep], 2009
47.75 … Shaquon Brown [Paterson Kennedy], 2005
47.76 … Adian Sanderson [Ewing], 2004
47.82 … Cory Poole [East Orange], 2017
47.85 … Alexander Sadikov [Ocean Twp.], 2022
47.90 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2017
All-Time South Jersey List
47.50 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023
47.90 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2017
48.27 … Jade Smith [Camden], 2002
48.36 … Mohammad Kanu [Lenape], 2000
48.45 … Xander Roberts-Bogin [Pleasantville], 2022
48.48 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
48.50 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2013
48.55 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1995
48.64 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
48.68 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
48.74 … John Morris [Camden], 2001
48.75 … Luke Colehower [Haddonfield], 2017
48.79 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
48.7h … Curt Mcintyre [Bridgeton], 1992
48.91 … Marlin Gross [Bridgeton], 2001
48.91 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
48.96 … Lathan Brown [Deptford], 2023
All-Time Meet of Champions Performance List
47.35 … Xavier Donaldson [Seton Hall Prep], 2023 [1]
47.50 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023 [2]
48.00 … Alexander Sadikov [Ocean Twp.], 2023 [3]
48.26 … Zyaire Clemes [Trenton], 2013 [1]
48.26 … Ryan Matulonis [Seton Hall Prep], 2023 [4]
48.33 … Taylor McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2015 [1]
48.48 … Najee Glass [St. Peter’s Prep], 2011 [1]
48.50 … Lance Wigfall [East Orange], 2003 [1]
48.58 … Chinedu Amonu [Ewing], 2013 [2]
48.66 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991 [1]
48.66 … Adam Gorka [South Brunswick], 2020 [1]
48.71 … Mario Heslop [Franklin Twp.], 2018 [1]
48.77 … Nasir Haines [Freehold Twp.], 2015 [2]
48.87 … Jack Ahart [Kinnelon], 2023 [5]
48.92 … Charles Cox [Monmouth], 2007 [1]
48.96 … Lathan Brown [Deptford], 2023 [6]
48.98 … Nadale Buntin [J.P. Stevens], 2018 [2]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 