From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

West Deptford’s Jacob Cobb, a sophomore at MIT, ran one of the fastest steeplechase times in South Jersey history Saturday in a meet in Williamstown. Mass.

Cobb shaved more than 14 seconds off his PR and nearly broke 9 minutes at the Farley Inter Regional Extravaganza at Williams College. He won the race in 9:00.17, winning by 35 meters over Amherst’s Ian Dopp, who was 2nd in 9:06.73.

His time is 5th-fastest ever by a South Jersey high school alum and breaks the Gloucester County alum record of 9:08.3, set 72 years ago by Woodbury Olympian Browning Ross at the 1952 Olympic Trials at Los Angeles Coliseum.

Cobb’s previous PR was 9:12.63 last month in Providence, R.I.

Cob’s time is No. 19 in NCAA Division 3 through Tuesday. The top 22 in each individual event qualify for the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C., May 22-25, so Cobb appears to have a very good chance to race at nationals. He placed 29th out of 229 runners in NCAA Division 3 East Regionals in Hopkinton, N.H., in November – which MIT won – but didn’t run at nationals.

Unbelievably, MIT’s track web site not only doesn’t have an all-time top-10 list it doesn’t even list school records. They might be the only NCAA Division 1 school that doesn’t have school records on its web site.

Thanks to the Wayback Machine I found an old set of meet records and it turns out Cobb’s 9:00.14 is indeed MIT’s fastest time ever.

The previous record was 9:00.98 by current MIT sophomore Arroyo Pablo in May 2023 at the MIT Final Qualifier in Cambridge, Mass.

All-Time South Jersey Alumni Steeplechase List
8:38.94 … Sam Gerstenbacher [Schalick], May 20, 2022, New York
8:46.16 … Mike Ungvarsky [Cinnaminson], May 2022, Durham, N.C.
8:53.66 … Connor Herr [Shawnee], May 10, 2015, Philadelphia
8:56.15 … Terrance Armstrong [Camden], 1994
9:00.17 … Jacob Cobb [West Deptford], 2024, Williamstown, Mass.
9:04.63 … Greg Pelose [Haddonfield], May 4, 2019, Worcester, Mass.
9:05.48 … Louis Corgliano [Hammonton], March 30, 2018, Gainesville, Fla.
9:06.1h … Karl Savage [Eastern], May 16, 2005, Philadelphia
9:07.70 … Dave DeJong [Shawnee], 2001
9:08.3h … Browning Ross [Woodbury], June 28, 1952, Los Angeles
9:12.99 … Pat McCurry [Hammonton], April 28, 2016, Philadelphia
9:13.90 … Martin Suarez [Holy Cross], May 26, 2007,
9:13.93 … Andy Arnold [Bishop Eustace], May 6, 2012, Princeton, N.J.