Ocean City senior Sophia Curtis, Winslow Township sophomore Ma’Syiah Brawner and Rancocas Valley senior Lauren Fadairo – the top three seeds in the triple jump – lead 59 South Jersey entries in the four “showcase” events Sunday at the Meet of Champions.
The showcase events aren’t contested at sectionals or states so instead of advancing to the Meet of Champions the competitors are selected based on their performances during the season.
And Curtis, Brawner and Fadairo are the top three triple jumpers in New Jersey this winter.
Curtis, a state champion last spring in the 400, 400-meter hurdles and triple jump, has a PR of 40-10 ¼ from the Penn Relays last spring. Her best jump so far this year is a 39-11 back in December at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the Armory. She’s been over 39 feet in three of her four meets. She’s only lost to a New Jersey triple jumper once since transsferring over from Padua Academy in Wilmington, Del., after her sophomore year. That was in last year’s indoor Meet of Champions, where she was 2nd to Union Catholic’s Alexandra Bonn.
Brawner set an indoor PR last month with a 39-3 at the Armory Officials Hall of Fame Invitational. Last spring, she jumped 39-10 ¼, a state freshman record. Her only loss this year came to Mekiyah Earnest of Padua Academy, Curtis’s former teammate.
Fadairo PR’d last week with her 38-1 ½ to win Easterns at the Armory. Like Brawner, she qualified for M-o-C in the long jump as well. Brawner is the No. 1 seed at 19-3 ½.
Curtis, Brawner and Fadairo rank No. 1, 3 and 5 in South Jersey history indoors. They’re ranked 14th, 23rd and 63rd nationally this winter, according to the MileSplit national database. All three own their current county record – Curtis in Cape May County, Brawner in Camden County, Fadairo in Burlington County.
Other top-5 seeds from South Jersey in the showcase events Sunday: Malachi James and Julian Conigliaro in the 200, Cherokee in the 4-by-8, Rece Englehart of Moorestown in the long jump and Glassboro’s Cartrell Moore in the triple jump. On the girls side, Sianni Wynn of Pennsauken and Timber Creek’s Naylah Jones and Ryan Jennings are the top three seeds in the 200 and Brawner is top seed in the long jump.
Here’s the full list of South Jersey showcase acceptances:
Boys
200
Malachi James [Burlington City], 21.58
Julian Conigliaro [Delsea], 21.71
Marquis Taylor [Woodbury], 21.98
Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 22.02
Logan Perez [Washington Twp.], 22.08
Jayden Poteat [Winslow Twp.], 22.35
Julian Coppage-Seepersaud [Rancocas Valley], 22.35
Aaron Mull [Hammonton], 22.45
Rae-Jaun Gayle [Willingboro], 22.46
3,200-Meter Relay
Cherokee, 7:53.90
Egg Harbor Twp., 8:07.86
Washington Twp., 8:09.43
Deptford, 8:12.43
Long Jump
Rece Englehart [Moorestown], 22-5
Christian Langston [Delea], 21-6
Gordon Pinnock [Williamstown], 21-4 ¼
Hercules Stewart [Ocean City], 21-2
Bright John [Sterling], 21-1 ¾
David Goldbolt [Rancocas Valley], 21-1
Josiah Williams [Mainland Reg.], 21-0 ¾
Triple Jump
Cartrell Moore [Glassboro], 46-6 ½
Hercules Stewart [Ocean City], 45-0
Adris Lewis [Rancocas Valley], 44-8
Josiah Williams [Mainland Reg.], 44-7
Darrell Jackson Jr. [Winslow Twp.], 44-5
Gordon Pinnock [Williamstown], 44-0 ¼
Rece Englehardt [Moorestown], 43-10 ¼
Khaleeb Foster [Mainland Reg.], 43-0 ½
Derrick Robinson [Cinnaminson], 42-9 ¾
Atrill Evans [Eastside], 42-4 ¾
Girls
200
Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 24.12
Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 24.15
Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek], 24.47
Olivia Okaro [Winslow Twp.], 25.05
Nester Wea [Willingboro], 25.21
Dominique Clement [Winslow Twp.], 25.49
Dylan Giloley [Washington Twp.], 25.55
Dahlia Beasley [Washington Twp.], 25.58
Chloe Jones [Timber Creek], 25.65
Maya Bolden [Willingboro], 25.67
3,200-Meter Relay
Eastern, 9:34.14
Cherokee, 9:37.42
Haddonfield, 9:39.04
Mainland Reg., 9:40.19
Washington Twp., 9:49.30
Paul VI, 9:49.44
Long Jump
Ma’Syiah Brawner [Winslow Twp.], 19-3 ½
Guerlande Pierre [Timber Creek], 17-8 ½
Jaidah Garrett [Absegami], 17-8
I’mara Ford [Moorestown], 17-4 ½
Chantina Walker [Winslow Twp.], 17-4
Lauren Fadairo [Rancocas Valley], 17-2 ¾
Triple Jump
Sophia Curtis [Ocean City], 39-11
Ma’Syiah Brawner [Winslow Twp.], 39-3
Lauren Fadairo [Rancocas Valley], 38-1 ½
I’mara Ford [Moorestown], 37-4 ¾
Ayanna Brown [Sterling], 37-0 ¼
Riley Gramble [Washington Twp.], 35-10
Chantina Walker [Winslow Twp.], 35-3
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 