Huge double PR meet over the weekend for Williamstown grad Anne Sasse, now a sophomore at Rowan.

Racing at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener in Chester, Pa., Sasse placed 3rd in the 800 in 2:17.86 after placing 3rd in the 1,500 in 4:45.11.

In the 800, she was the 2nd collegiate runner across the line and dropped her PR from 2:19.55, which she ran last April at a meet in Baltimore. That’s a nearly two-second drop.

In the 1,500, she lowered her PR from 4:49.11, which she ran last April in a meet also in Chester. She was also the 2nd collegiate runner in the 1,500. Her time converts to 5:06.12 for 1,600 meters or 5:07.92 for the full mile. Considering that her high school PR was 5:30.70, that’s an incredible result.

Sasse is No. 1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference in both the 800 and 1,500. She’s also No. 3 in the 5,000 with a 19:15.56 from a meet in Lexington, Va., last month. She’s No. 2 in NCAA Division 3 in the 800 and No. 42 in the 1,500.

Rowan’s web site lists the school record in the 1,500 as 4:43.76 by Holy Spirit’s Linda Vaughan in 1991, but that is wrong. Vaughan ran 4:42.0 at the 1989 Millersville Metric Invitational. And we found the Courier-Post article from April 30, 1989, that proves it.

In the 800, Collingswood’s Quinn Basewitz of Swarthmore PR’d with a 2:21.47, and in the 1,500 Widener’s Jaden Sweeley from Cherokee  PR’d at 4:55.48.

You can list incorrect information from 30 years ago and assume nobody will notice, but I will check that info every time and find those mistakes.

Dennisha Page blasted a 200 PR this weekend with the 2nd-fastest time in Rutgers history.

Page, a Wilson graduate who began her college career at Syracuse, ran 23.48 at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, lowering her PR from 23.55 from last spring at the same meet. The performance was wind-legal at 0.1.

The only faster time in Rutgers history is 23.07 by Williamstown graduate Gabrielle Farquharson at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Lincoln, Neb.

Other South Jersey women on the Rutgers all-time 200 top-10 are Bordentown’s Andrea Conaway at No. 6 with a 23.95 at the Metropolitan Championships at St. John’s in 1987 (listed incorrectly as 1988 on Rutgers’ website) and Egg Harbor Township’s Ajae Alvarez-Tyler at No. 8 with her 24.19 in Orlando in 2022.

Page is No. 9 in the Big Ten Conference in the 200, but the top 10 are all between 23.23 and 23.55.

She also anchored Rutgers’ 400-meter relay team, which ran 44.88, the No. 3 time in Rutgers history and fastest since the 2016 team – including Farquharson on the 2^nd leg – ran 44.46 at the Big Ten Championships in Lincoln.

In his first lifetime 1,500, Brady Shute ran a mile PR equivalent this past weekend.

Shute, a Cornell sophomore from Woodbury, placed 2nd in the 1,500 at the UConn Dog Fight in Storrs, Conn., in 3:54.56. That’s the equivalent of a 4:13.32 full mile.

Shute ran 4:16.76 full mile indoors in January in a meet at Ocean Breeze. His high school PR was 4:18.07 for 1,600 meters in a prime-time meet at Haddonfield in May of 2021, so this is the equivalent of a five-second PR and a 6 ½-second outdoor PR.

UConn sophomore Alex Sauter won the race in 3:53.55.

Shute was in 3rd place with 400 to go but closed in 59.48 to pass teammate Colden Longley and finish 2nd overall. Longley was 3rd in 3:54.64.

Monster discus opener Monday for Cinnaminson senior Malicah Etienne at the Penn Relays Throws Qualifier in Lincroft.

Etienne placed 2nd in 174-5, a huge PR and the No. 24 throw in South Jersey history. Fabian Gonzalez of Southern Regional, the state Group 4 champ last year, won with a 183-5 throw.

Unfortunately, field event series are not available, which is ridiculous in this day and age. But here we are.

Etienne’s improvement in the discus has been dramatic. He didn’t throw as a freshman, had a PR of 134-3 as a sophomore and then hit 158-1 last spring to win the state Group 2 meet at Delsea.

So this is a 16-foot PR in his first meet of the year, although he was over 170 feet in a scrimmage last week.

His throw is No. 2 in Burlington County and also No. 2 in school history, behind Kamron Kobolak’s 185-6

Etienne also placed 3rd in the shot put at 55-5 ¾, another PR. Etienne PR’d at 54-2 indoors at the Group 2 state relays at the Bubble. His previous outdoor PR was 51-6 from the SJTCA Elite at Delsea last May. He’s Cinnaminson’s fourth 55-footer, following Kamron Kobolak [61-11 ¾ in 2018], Duane Sanders [58-7 in 2003] and Ryan Addlesberger [57-5 ¼ in 2015].

I was remiss in not mentioning R.V. senior Devon Brooks, who also PR’d with a 163-5 for 3^rd place. Brooks’ previous PR was a 159-9 at the state Group 4 meet last year at Franklin High.

From what I can find, that’s a school record for Brooks. Nick Mirabelli, better known as the Meet of Champions javelin champ, threw 161-9 at the 2018 state Group 4 meet, also at Franklin.

All-Time Burlington County Discus Top 10
185- 6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
174-5 … Malicah Etienne [Cinnaminson], 2023
174- 4 … Dennis Norman [Cherokee], 1997
174- 3 … Alex Lewis [Delran], 2000
171-10 … Steve Muse [Kennedy], 1984
171- 6 … Rashaun Graves [Willingboro], 2013
170-10 … John McNeil [Kennedy], 1976
170- 4 … Kurtis Johnson [Burlington Twp.], 1987
169- 8 … Ell Ash [Willingboro], 2004
169- 7 … Chuck Spinner [Willingboro], 1979

All-Time South Jersey Discus 170-foot List
216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
199- 6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197- 0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
192- 5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
189- 7 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
185-11 … John Mooers [Middle Twp.], 2015
185-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], 1985
185- 7 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], 2010
185- 6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
185- 5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
184- 4 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], 2017
183-9 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
181-10 … Jason Winrow [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
180- 3 … Howard Clark [Pennsauken], 1998
179-11 … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
179-11 … Will Cioffi [Pitman], 2013
178- 0 … Jim Stites [Millville], 1970
174- 9 … John Ridinger [West Deptford], 1982
173-10 … Mark Rifkin [Cherry Hill West], 1978
175- 7 … John Clark [Pennsville], 2007
174-11 … Rich Lewis [Williamstown], 1985
174-11 … Cadee Berardelli [Delsea], 2022
174- 6 … Josh Dillard [Lindenwold], 2005
174-5 … Malicah Etienne [Cinnaminson], 2023
174- 4 … Dennis Norman [Cherokee], 1997
174- 3 … Alex Lewis [Delran], 2000
173- 6 … Ryan Knight [Delsea], 1996
173- 3 … Jake Nwosu [Delsea], 2019
173- 2 … Darren Wan [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
172- 1 … Derek Frazier [Williamstown], 1978
171-10 … Steve Muse [Kennedy], 1984
171- 6 … Rashaun Graves [Willingboro], 2013
171- 4 … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], 1998
170-10 … John McNeil [Kennedy], 1976
170- 4 … Kurtis Johnson [Burlington Twp.], 1987
170- 0 … Anthony Robertson [Penns Grove], 2014

We just wrote about Princeton junior Arianni Smith, but we have to again because she set two more PRs Saturday and moved up in both events on the all-time Princeton top-10 lists.

Last weekend at the Raleigh Relays, the Pennsville native ran 14.02 in the hurdles, 57.74 in the flat 400 and 24.74 in the 200. Those moved her into No. 6 on the all-time Princeton list in the hurdles and No. 4 in the 400.

On Saturday at the Big 5 Meet at Franklin Field in West Philly, Smith won both hurdles and set lifetime bests in both races.

In the 100-meter highs, she broke 14 seconds for the first time, lowering her PR from 14.02 to 13.94 and beating the field by 2 ½ meters. Monmouth’s Yasmeen Tinsley was 2nd in 14.28. That 13.94 is No. 5 in Princeton history and No. 3 this year in the Ivy League, behind two Harvard runners – Izzy Goudros ran 13.66 and Josefina Biernacki 13.81 at a meet last month in Houston.

In the 400-meter intermediates, Smith lowered her PR nearly a second from 59.69 to 58.76. She had run 59.69 in a meet last April in Coral Gables, Fla. The 58.76 is No. 1 in the Ivy League this year and No. 2 in Princeton history, behind only Sally Anderson’s 58.19 when she placed 9th at the 1983 NCAA Championships in Houston. Anderson is now Sally Willig, an accomplished geologist. The woman Smith bumped to move into the No. 2 spot is Haddonfield’s Carly Bonnet, who ran 59.12 at 2019 Heps at Princeton.

In the highs, three of the top six finishers are from South Jersey. Penn’s Shevell Higgs from Winslow ran 14.78 for 5th place in only her second race in the last 14 months and Monmouth sophomore Meredith Upikle from Cinnaminson was just behind her in 6th place in 14.85.

Updike also placed 3rd in the 400IH in 1:02.97, followed by Anne Rutledge of Egg Harbor in 4th place in 1:03.16 in her first intermediates race since the 2021 Meet of Champions.

Jah’mere Beasley is usually too busy with the short sprints and relay duty to run the open 400, but he jumped in one Saturday and turned in a PR and the fastest time by a Rowan quarter-miler in five years.

He came back and ran a hot 200, winning unpressed in 21.39, his fastest since he ran 21.22 last May when he placed 6th at NCAA Division 3 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.

More on the 200 later.

As for the 400, it was only the second open 400 of Beasley’s college career indoors or out. He won the 400 at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University in Chester, Pa., in 47.86. That’s nearly a second faster than his previous PR of 48.78, which he ran last April in a meet in Baltimore.

Beasley run some hot 400 splits for the Profs, including a 47.82 indoors in February when Rowan ran an NCAA Division 3-record 3:10.09. He also ran on Rowan’s national-champion 4-by-4 last year indoors.

He also never ran a 400 at Sterling, according to the New Jersey MileSplit database. So he apparently just ran 47.86 in his second lifetime open 400.

Beasley is a seven-time NCAA Division 3 All-America in the 60, 200 and various relays.

His time is fastest by a Rowan 400 runner since his high school teammate, Francis Terry, ran 47.55 in a meet at Swarthmore in 2018.

Beasley won the race by half a meter over former Bucknell runner Christian Lupica, who was 2nd in 47.95.

The Rowan school record is held by Salem graduate Maurice Ransome, who ran 46.19 in 1990. I can’t find any record of that performance anywhere, so don’t know where he did it, but Ransome did place 2nd at 1990 NCAA Division 3 Nationals in Naperville, Ill., in 47.38 and 4th in 1989 in 47.83.

As for the 200, Beasley led a 1-2 Rowan finish ahead of freshman Evan Corcoran from Kingsway, who was 2nd in 21.96.

Beasley set the Rowan school record of 20.91 when he placed 5th at last year’s NCAA Division 3 Championships.

Florence Olympian Curtis Thompson recorded the best season-opening throw of his javelin career Friday.

Thompson, competing at the Texas Relays in Austin, threw 260-1 on his second throw of the season. His previous-best season opener was a 252-8 in his opener two years ago on March 20, 2021, at the Falcon Classic in Montevalla, Ala.

Thompson placed 3rd overall behind Keyshawn Strachan of Auburn and the Bahamas, who PR’d with a world-leading 276-5, and Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi of Baylor and Nigeria, who threw 262-5.

It was Thompson’s first meet since Sept. 8, when he finished his 2022 season with a 269-4 for 4th place at Weltklasse at Letzigrund in Zürich.

Thompson finished last year ranked No. 8 in the world and No. 1 American with a lifetime-best 287-8 at the American JavFest at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) South High School. That’s No. 3 in U.S. history.

He became the first American ranked in the top 10 in the world in the javelin in 15 years, since Breaux Greer in 2007.

Next up for Thompson is the Mt. SAC Relays at April 14 at Hilmer Lodge Stadium on the Mt. San Antonio College campus in Walnut, Calif.