In the first indoor race of his life, Washington Township senior Ajani Dwyer ran the 8th-fastest 55-meter dash in South Jersey history Wednesday morning at Ocean Breeze, setting up a monster final vs. two-time Meet of Champions sprint winner Malachi James of Burlington City.
In the first race of the trials, Dwyer ran 6.40 and in the next race James ran 6.53 in his first race in nearly a year.
James, the 2022 Meet of Champions winner at 100 and 200 meters, has a 55 PR of 6.44 from the Millrose Trials at the Armory in January – which because of injuries was his last race and one of only three races he’s run since the end of his outstanding 2022 outdoor season.
Dwyer ran a handful of races as a 1st-year junior last spring but did not compete at sectionals.
Outdoors, James has PRs of 10.54 and 21.68 and and Dwyer has run 10.59 and 21.47.
On the all-time South Jersey 100 list, James is 9th and Dwyer is 15th. On the 55 list, Dwyer is now 8th and James is 15th but only 2-100ths of a second outside the all-time top 10.
The final is coming up soon!
Here’s a look at every South Jersey sprinter that’s run sub-6.50:
6.30 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2001
6.31 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.36 … Kenny Reynolds [Willingboro], 1986
6.37 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
6.39 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2009
6.40 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.41 … Chris Church [Millville], 2007
6.42 … Thomas Walls [Wilson], 2006
6.42 … Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
6.42 … Samuel Thomas [Northern Burlington], 2023
6.43 … George McKey [Willingboro], 1982
6.43 … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
6.44 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2019
6.44 … Malachi James [Burlington City], 2023
6.45 … Paul Wheeler [Kennedy], 1983
6.45 … Miekel House [Rancocas Valley], 2020
6.45 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2004
6.45 … Rob McGriff [Camden], 2006
6.45 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2018
6.46 … Albert Newkirk [Camden], 1996
6.46 … Darnell Charles [Oakcrest], 2012
6.46 … Kashif Miller [Haddon Heights], 2014
6.47 … Anthony Jones [Edgewood], 1982
6.47 … Darren Ford [Vineland], 2004
6.47 … Reggie Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
6.47 … Curtis Fitzpatrick [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
6.47 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2016
6.47 … Josh Washington [Woodbury], 2019
6.47 … Ahmad Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
6.48 … Gary Gordon [Willingboro], 1995
6.48 … Fabian Santiago [Oakcrest], 2012
6.48 … Caleb Williams [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2015
6.48 … Clayton Crosse [Washington Twp.]. 2016
6.49 … Louis Smith [Burlington Twp.], 1997
6.49 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2001
6.49 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2016
6.49 … Ryquell Amstead [Millville], 2014
6.49 … Malachi
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 