Historic race Sunday morning for Washington Township junior Yashahya Brown, who out-raced U.S. No. 1 Nathaniel Rayan of Scotch Plains-Fanwood at the 55th annual Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze and broke the state junior class record along the way.
Brown got a fast start, got out in front of Rayan and never allowed the Scotch Plains senior to close on him, finishing in 7.22 – No. 6 in state history and No. 2 in the U.S. this year, behind Rayan’s 7.14 at Easterns Wednesday at the Armory.
Brown was only 4th-fastest in qualifying rounds at 7.59, behind Rayan (7.25), Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker (7.47) and Toms River North’s Jacob Klyer (7.52), who edged Brown in his own heat.
But the final was all Brown, who blew away his PR of 7.36 from sectionals at the Bubble last month and lowered the state junior class record set in 1996 by another Gloucester County hurdler, Delsea’s Sultan Tucker, who ran 7.23 at Easterns at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym.
His time is tied for 3rd-fastest in meet history, behind Jermaine Collier of Trenton, who won the 2012 race in 7.19, and East Orange’s Cory Poole, who ran 7.21 in 2017. Willingboro’s Isaad Williams in 2012 and St. Augustine’s Sincere Rhea in 2019 also ran 7.22.
Brown is the fourth Washington Township boy to win a Meet of Champions title, following Carmen Cavella in the 1,600 in 2004 [4:19.09], Xavier Fraction in the 800 in 2009 [1:54.82] and Devon Carter in the hurdles in 2010 [7.49].
Tucker finished 3rd in a PR 7.36 – more on him later but that’s No. 14 in South Jersey history.
ALL-TIME N.J. 55-METER HURDLES LIST
7.07 … Cory Poole [East Orange Campus], 2017
7.10 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
6.9h … Renaldo Nehemiah [Scotch Plains], 1985
7.18 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1996
7.19 … Jermaine Collier [Trenton], 2012
7.22 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
7.22 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
7.22 … Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 2023
7.27 … Dwight Henry [Irvington], 2020
7.29 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
7.29 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
7.29 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 2006
7.29 … Chris Serrao [East Brunswick], 2022
ALL-TIME S.J. 55-METER HURDLES LIST
7.10 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
7.18 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1996
7.22 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
7.22 … Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 2023
7.22 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
7.29 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
7.29 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
7.29 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 2001
7.29 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 2006
7.31 … Anthony Vasquez [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
7.32 … Jon Dickey [Penns Grove], 1985
7.34 … Chais Hill [Highland], 2015
7.35 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
7.36 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023
7.39 … Rashad Baker [Wilson], 2000
7.39 … Isaiah Lewis [Winslow Twp.], 2020
1970 … Jim Robinson [Camden], 7.3h
1984 … George Barry [Camden], 7.6h
1985 … Jonathan Dickey [Penns Grove], 7.6h
1987 … George Bland [Penns Grove], 7.43
1989 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 7.58
1990 … Mike Anderson [Edgewood], 7.56
1992 … Ed Loges [Shawnee], 7.54
1996 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 7.36
1997 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 7.44
1999 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 7.44
2001 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 7.42
2002 … Aaron Ross [Clearview], 7.77
2004 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 7.48
2006 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 7.71
2010 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 7.49
2018 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 7.35
2019 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 7.22
2020 … Anthony Vazquez [Egg Harbor Twp.], 7.31
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 