After a 13.91 in the first round, Washington Township junior Yashahya Brown ran a PR 13.82 in the semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles Championship to advance to Sunday’s final at West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field.
Brown was the 4th-fastest qualifier. The top eight advanced, and 14.07 was the cutoff.
Brown will be in lane 7 for the final, which is scheduled for 10:44 a.m. Sunday. Top seed is New Jersey Meet of Champions winner Nathaniel Rayan, who led all qualifiers with a 13.43 in the semis. He’ll be in lane 5.
Brown’s 13.82 ranks 13th in South Jersey history. Brown’s time is No. 2 in Gloucester County history, behind Sultan Tucker’s 13.66 for Delsea when he placed 2nd to Notre Dame’s Todd Matthews in the 1997 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.
All-Time South Jersey 110-Meter Hurdles List
13.43 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
13.51 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
13.59 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
13.66 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1997
13.73 … Kevin Hagamin [Timber Creek], 2014
13.74 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
13.75 … Rashad Baker [Wilson], 2000
13.76 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
13.76 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
13.77 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 2001
13.81 … Scot McCray [Camden], 1997
13.81 … Jeff Young [Wilson], 1999
13.82 … Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 2023
→ Timber Creek and Cherry Hill East ran the two-fastest sprint medleys by South Jersey schools this year Saturday at West Philly Nationals, Timber Creek with a 3:33.30 and Cherry Hill East 3:33.92. Tytan Frazier, Kysim Khan, Nasir Ali and Robert Wakefield ran for Timber Creek and Ben Matthews, Zachart Mailman, Ashraf Maklache and Peter Tepper for East. Both broke school records.
→ Williamstown junior Alex Hollimon, 6th in the Meet of Champions in 14.46 after a personal-best 14.43 in the trials, . Hollimon ran 14.48 to lead all qualifiers in the trials earlier Saturday.
→ Rancocas Valley’s Julian Coppage-Seepersand placed 4th in the freshman 400 in 49.18, lowering his PR and Burlington County freshman class record from 49.38 from sectionals. That’s fastest by any Burlington County quarter-miler in six years, since five went sub-49 in 2017 – Moorestown’s Brandon Outlaw [46.82], Maple Shade’s Kenneth Karcher [48.48], R.V.’s Brian Merriman [48.88] and Lenape’s Chase Campbell [48.89] and Burlington Township’s Jalen Jones [48.96]. It’s also fastest by a South Jersey 400 runner since Haddonfield’s Luke Colehower ran 48.31 in 2016. Another R.V. freshman, Xavier Bancroft, PR’d and placed 10th in the freshman 200 at 22.60.
→ Delsea’s Mason Murray cleared a PR 12-7 ½ on his 1st attempt and placed 5th in the freshman pole vault. Murray’s previous PR was 12-6 from the South Jersey Open last month at Delsea. That equals the best vault by a South Jersey freshman since Eric Pontrello of Cherokee cleared 13-0 at 2006 South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Egg Harbor.
→ Freshman Ma’Syiah Brawner, senior Janelle Marshall, junior Sierra Handy and senior Kamryn Holness ran 1:03.97 and placed 6th in the shuttle hurdles, earning All-America honors.
→ Pennsauken’s Robert Bayard, Elijah Jennings, Bronze Whitmore and Premier Wynn Pennsauken [42.00], Egg Harbor’s Ahmad Fogg, Jamil Wilkins, Leon Ellis and D.J. Germann [42.10] and Washington Township’s Yashahya Brown, Quasir Robinson, John Williams and John Santos [42.11] all ran hot in the 4-by-1. Those are season bests for Egg Harbor and Washington Township. The cutoff to advance to the final was 41.86.
→ Winslow took 7th in the Rising Stars 400-Meter Relay with Jamil Peterson, Jaylen Wall, James Wilson and Cameron Miller running a season-best 42.57.
→ Williamstown’s Wayne Farmer placed 9th in the freshman javelin with a 133-8.
→ Eastern ran 4:14.42 in the sprint med on senior Alexis Tepper’s 2:18.39 anchor. Sophomore Janell Mordi, junior Kristen Maye and junior Giuliana Puglisi also ran for the Cougars.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 