Deptford grad Naseem Smith, a junior at Syracuse, dipped under 14 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles for the first time Friday in the qualifying rounds at the ACC Championships in Atlanta.
Smith ran 13.97 with a legal 0.1 meters-per-second tailwind and was the 5th-fastest qualifier, although the 4th, 5th and 6th were separated by 1-100th of a second.
Smith’s previous PR was a 14.02 in the prelims of last year’s ACC meet in Raleigh, N.C. He’s been close in his last two meets – 14.4 last month in Albany and 14.07 at the Penn Relays.
On the all-time South Jersey alumni list, Smith becomes the 17th hurdler to run sub-14 seconds
All-Time South Jersey Alumni 110-Meter Hurdles List
12.94 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], June 22, 1996, Atlanta
13.12 … Anwar Moore [Camden], May 5, 2007, Modesto, Calif.
13.43 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], April 16, 2016, Walnut, Calif.
13.48 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], May 12, 2023, Raleigh, N.C.
13.51 … Martin Booker [Camden], June 7, 1986, Indianapolis
13.54 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], May 22, 2004, St-Martin, France
13.77 … Jeffrey Young [Camden], May 11, 2022, Bloomington, Ind.
13.81 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], May 13, 2005, Cedar Falls, Iowa [+2.0]
13.82 … John Sease [Willingboro], March 26, 1982, El Paso, Texas
13.84 … Jusson Boyd [Willingboro], April 15, 2011, Greensboro, N.C. [+0.6]
13.90 … Garry Moore [Overbrook], May 29, 1982, Naperville, Ill.
13.90 … Danyne Brown [Camden], May 30, 2003, Fairfax, Va.
13.91 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], May 30, 2014, Jacksonville, Fla.
13.92 … Dave Still [Pennsauken], April 1, 1978, Tucson, Ariz.
13.93 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], June 8, 2005, Sacramento, Calif.
13.96 … Stanley Moore [Overbrook], May 26, 1983, Naperville, Ill.
13.97 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], May 10, 2024, Atlanta
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 