From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Hard to believe but when the girls Meet of Champions state in 1979 – 10 years after the boys meet – it was held at Elizabeth High School on what was essentially a gym floor. The “track” was 12 laps to the mile, so about 147 yards per lap.

By 1980, the girls had joined the boys at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym. Both meets moved to the Jersey City Armory in 2006, before the Bubble was ready, and they were at the Bubble in Toms River from 2007 through 2017 and again in 2019 and 2022. In 2018, 2020 and 2023, they meets finally moved to a facility worthy of the meet – Ocean Breeze in Staten Island. (There was no MoC in 2021.)

This year’s meets – the 54th annual for the boys and 44th annual for the girls – return to Ocean Breeze starting at 10 a.m. All events  not introduced in 1979 are listed with their first year at the meet.

Here’s a look at every South Jersey winner ever in the history of the girls meet. I’ll post the boys list tomorrow. Anybody missing? Drop me a note in the comment section.

(Because the lame NJSIAA program is riddled with so many errors, typos, mis-spellings and omissions, several winners of the girls 3,200 were missing. They should all be correct now.) 

All-Time South Jersey Meet of Champions Winners
GIRLS
55-Meter Dash
1980 – Michele Glover [Willingboro], 6.8
1981 – Michele Glover [Willingboro], 6.8
1982 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 7.15
1983 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 6.9
1986 … Artrelia Turner [Wilson], 7.21
1996 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 7.12
1999 …Amandi Rhett [Moorestown], 7.13
2007 … English Gardner [Eastern], 7.08
2010 … English Gardner [Eastern], 7.03
2014 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 6.95
2016 … Aliyah Taylor [Pemberton], 7.04
2017 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 6.99
2019 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 7.06
2023 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 7.00

200-Meter Dash
2006 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 25.07
2015 … Kiera Lester [Deptford], 25.18
2016 … Kiera Lester [Deptford], 24.96
2023 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 24.48

400-Meter Dash
1984 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 55.7
1995 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 58.14
1996 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 57.69
1999 … Nadia Davy [Bridgeton], 56.90
2003 … Okechi Ogbuorki [Willingboro], 57.54
2005 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp,.], 56.93
2007 … English Gardner [Eastern], 56.29
2008 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 55.19
2009 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 55.74
2010 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], 55.96
2020 … Nylah Perry [Winslow Twp.], 56.19

800-Meter Run
1990 … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 2:12.45
2000 … Courtney McCrudden [Eastern], 2:17.15
2010 … Megan Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2:11.53
2011 … Emmy Duffey [Lenape], 2:11.53
2012 … Emmy Duffey [Lenape], 2:15.12

1,600-Meter Run
1982 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 4:55.7
1983 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 4:49.5
1985 … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 4:56.0
1994 … Liz Moore [Shawnee], 5:09.46
2003 … Brittnee Bynoe [Willingboro], 5:06.53
2017 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 4:59.04

3,200-Meter Run
1981 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 10:18.9
1993 … Cathy McGuigan [Bridgeton], 11:21.96
1996 … Ann Klocke [Bishop Eustace], 10:58.93
2001 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 10:38.90
2004 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 10:44.23
2005 … Katie Van Horn [Triton], 10:44.13
2009 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 10:19.31
2010 … Megan Venables [Highland], 10:37.49
2015 … Devon Grisbaum [Ocean City], 10:45.20

55-Meter Hurdles
1980 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 7.9
1981 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 8.0
1983 … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 8.2
1991 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 8.45
1992 … Nichole Belcher [Wilson], 8.13
1993 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 8.36
2000 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 8.21
2006 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 8.15
2008 … Samantha Sharper [Wilson], 8.09
2012 … Stey’ce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 7.94
2017 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 7.94
2019 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 8.03
2020 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 8.03
2022 … Anabella Chin [Rancocas Valley], 8.22

High Jump
1981 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 5-8
1987 … Erin Halpin [Cherry Hill East], 5-6
1990 … Sandy Tokoto [Moorestown], 5-6
1991 … Sandy Tokoto [Moorestown], 5-4
1994 … Shatich Rivers [Moorestown], 5-6
2000 … Patty Dudek [Bordentown], 5-6
2001 … Alison Sheperd [Oakcrest], 5-4
2004 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 5-6
2008 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 5-6
2013 … Alicia Terrell [Timber Creek], 5-7
2015 … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 5-8
2019 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 5-8
2020 … Bryanna Craig [Millville], 5-6
2022 … Alanna Woolfolk [Clayton], 5-6

Pole Vault [since 2005]
None

Shot Put
1984 … Lillian Rivera [Pemberton], 41-10
1996 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 42-11
1997 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 42-0 ¾
1998 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 42-4
2000 … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 45-3
2004 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 44-1 ½
2006 … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 43-8 ¾
2019 … Cydney Thomas [Haddon Heights], 42-4 ¾

1,600-Meter Relay
1992 … Willingboro, 4:04.93
1993 … Willingboro, 4:04.20
1994 … Camden, 4:03.99
1999 … Willingboro, 4:10.15
2001 … Willingboro, 4:00.34
2002 … Willingboro, 4:01.33
2003 … Eastern, 3:57.94
2004 … Willingboro, 4:01.90
2009 … Camden, 3:55.08
2011 … Washington Twp., 3:57.96

3,200-Meter Relay [since 2017]
2022 … Cherokee, 9:13.42

Long Jump [since 2019]
None

Triple Jump [since 2019]
None