From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

The mighty Winslow Township girls program, which won seven straight state titles from 2013 through 2019, is back on top of Group 3.

And they’re not going away anytime soon.

Led by tireless sophomore Ma’Syiah Brawner, Winslow won its 9th state championship but first in five years this weekend, coming out on top of an epic battle with Camden County neighbor Timber Creek in the Group 3 meet at Delsea.

The only schools to win more state titles than Winslow are Notre Dame and Pope John XXIII with 12 titles each and Columbia – the only public school with more – which has won 10.

Winslow finished with an 84-76 margin of victory over sprint powerhouse Timber Creek, and underclassmen scored 71 of Winslow’s 84 points, including 55 by freshmen and sophomores. Ocean City, led by senior Sophia Curtis, finished 4th with 44 points.

Winslow had 21 individual entries in the meet and 15 of them scored.

Brawner continues to dazzle with three PRs, winning her 2nd straight long jump at 19-3 ½, taking 2nd to Curtis in a wild triple jump with a 40-2 ½ and clearing 5-5 in the high jump. She also medaled in the 100-meter hurdles.

But she had plenty of help.

Sophomore Olivia Okaro PR’d in three events as well, taking 2nd in a fast 400 in 56.08, 4th in the 100 in 12.06 after an 11.98 in the trials and running 5th in the 200 in 24.69.

Dominique Clement, Winslow’s one scoring senior, had a huge weekend with 3rd-place finishes in the hurdles with a PR 14.36 and 3rd in the 200 with a PR 24.57. She also medaled in the 400 hurdles in 1:03.90.

Amazing freshman Cinniya Robinson ran a monster lifetime-best 55.60 to win the 400. That’s the 4th-fastest freshman time in South Jersey history. She also took 4th in the intermediates in 1:02.72, also a personal best.

And junior Brook-lynn Roberts popped a 140-0 for 2nd place in the discus.

Okaro, freshman Tristan Hughes, junior Ava Millner and Robinson ran 2nd in the 4-by-8 with a school-record 9:34.65.

As we wrote about earlier, Timber Creek got monster 1-2 finishes in the 100 and 200 from senior Naylah Jones and junior Ryan Jennings. Jones won the 100 in 11.23 and the 200 with a state-record 23.29 in the fastest sprint double in New Jersey history, and Jennings ran 11.65 [11.62 in the trials] and 23.91.

Senior Guerlande Pierre and junior Billie Frazier placed 2nd and 5th in the 100-meter hurdles for Timber Creek, Pierre in a PR 14.22 and Frazier 14.92. Freshman Taylor Gaines ran 57.59 for 5th place in a very fast Group 3 400.

Timber Creek also won the 400-meter relay with a Group 3 and overall meet-record 46.95 and the 1,600 relay in 3:51.81. Naylah Jones, Jennings, Frazier and sophomore Samiyah Puckett ran on the 4-by-1. Previous 4-by-1 meet record was Winslow’s 47.19 in Group 3 in 2018. The 4-by-4 lineup was freshman Amaya Jones, Jennings, Gaines and Frazier.

Mainland junior Sofia Day had a super impressive distance double, winning the 800 in 2:12.55 and the 1,600 in 4:59.37. Both are PRs.

Curtis won the triple jump with that monster last-jump . She also placed 2nd in the 400 hurdles in 59.80, 5th-fastest in South Jersey history, and 5th in the long jump at 17-5 ¼.

Ocean City also got a nice double from junior Maeve Smith, who was 3rd in both the 1,600 in a PR 5:01.20 and 3,200 in 11:06.37. And Ocean City won the 4-by-8 in 9:25.06.

Moorestown junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner won the pole vault with a PR 12-7, the 4th-best jump in South Jersey history. She broke the Group 3 meet record of 12-6 set in 2018 by Delsea’s Ashley Preston by an inch and tied the overall meet record set last year by Emma Keating of Pompton Lakes.

Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon ran 10:51.94 for 2nd in the 3,200.

Absegami junior Jaidah Garrett popped her 1st 19-foot long jump, taking 2nd to Brawner with a 19-0 ½. She also placed 5th in the triple jump with a 37-9 ½.