From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

South Jersey earned 15 No. 1 seeds in the Meet of Champions 55th annual Meet of Champions, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Pennsauken.

In the boys meet, Burlington City senior Malachi James is the top seed in the 100, Washington Township senior Yashahya Brown is No. 1 seed in the 110 hurdles, Riverside senior Jamir Brown is seeded 1st in the long jump, Moorestown senior Rece Englehardt is No. 1 in the triple jump, Oakcrest senior Ryan Merlino is tops in the pole vault and Winslow’s 1,600-meter relay team is also a No. 1 seed.

South Jersey girls have nine No. 1 seeds: Naylah Jones is No. 1 in the 100 and 200, Pennsauken soph Sianni Wynn is first in the 400 (and No. 2 in both short sprints), Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally will have the inside lane in the 3,200, Washington Township senior Dahlia Beasley, Williamstown junior Addison inge and Clayton senior Alanna Woolfolk are among four jumpers who share the No. 1 seed in the high jump, Ocean City senior Sophia Curtis is top seed in the triple jump, Moorestown junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner in the pole vault, Eastern senior Zoe Goldberg in the javelin and Timber Creek’s 400-meter relay team.

South Jersey also has 17 No. 2 seeds and 14 No. 3 seeds for a total of 46 athletes or relay teams seeded in the top three Wednesday.

South Jersey has a top-3 seed in 12 of 18 boys events and 16 of 18 girls events. That’s all but eight events. The only event South Jersey doesn’t have a top-10 seed is the boys 3,200-meter relay (and Egg Harbor Township is No. 11).

In all, South Jersey has 127 top-10 seeds – 54 in the boys meet and 73 in the girls meet. Here’s a look at every top-10 seed at the Meet of Champs.

Full list of boys seeds, click here.
Full list of girls seeds, click here.

BOYS
100-METER DASH
1. Malachi James [Burlington City] 10.45
5. Julian Conigliaro [Delsea] 10.67
6. **Jaiden Steele [Camden] 10.68
9. Aaron Mull [Hammonton] 10.77
9. Rae-Juan Gayle [Willingboro] 10.77

200-METER DASH
T3. Malachi James [Burlington City] 21.48
T3. *Jayden Poteat [Winslow Twp.] 21.48
5. Julian Conigliaro [Delsea] 21.56
8. Marquis Taylor [Woodbury] 21.67

400-METER DASH
4. *Jayden Poteat [Winslow Twp.] 48.23
5. *Marquis Taylor [Woodbury] 48.23

800-METER RUN
4. Peyton Shute [Woodbury] 1:52.05
5. *Dominic Bassey [Winslow Twp.] 1:52.15
8. Bobby Poplau [Cherokee] 1:53.07

1,600-METER RUN
9. Matt Hoffman [Ocean City] 4:13.00

3,200-METER RUN
3. Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee] 9:05.87

110-METER HURDLES
1. Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 13.43
2. Eric Foster [Willingboro] 13.77
3. Jamir Brown [Riverside] 13.81
4. Alexander Hollimon [Williamstown] 14.15
*9. Emir Canli [Delran] 14.29

400-METER HURDLES
3. *Ashraf Maklache [Cherry Hill East] 53.48
4. Jamir Brown [Riverside] 53.52
6. Abdulazeez Iyiola [Palmyra] 53.92
9. Cartrell Moore [Glassboro] 54.17

400-METER RELAY
2. Washington Twp., 41.94
6. Delsea, 42.07
7. Camden, 42.23
10. Rancocas Valley 42.29

1,600-METER RELAY
1. Winslow Twp., 3:20.10
2. Delsea, 3:20.36

3,200-METER RELAY
None

HIGH JUMP
T5. David Goldbolt [Rancocas Valley] 6-6
T5. Teron Murray [Camden] 6-6

LONG JUMP
1. Jamir Brown [Riverside] 23-8 ¾
7. Rece Englehart [Moorestown] 22-9 ½

TRIPLE JUMP
1. Rece Englehart [Moorestown] 48-4 ½
3. *Davi’Yonn Jackson [Salem] 46-4
8. Cartrell Moore [Glassboro] 45-7
9. Darrell Jackson [Winslow Twp.] 45-6 ¼

POLE VAULT
T1. Ryan Merlino [Oakcrest] 16-0
T3. *Marcus Hood [Deptford] 15-0
T5. Daniel Couse [Clearview] 14-6
T5. *Ed Frey [Cinnaminson] 14-6
T7. *Henry Cifaloglio [Delsea] 14-0
T9., *Leo Davis [Audubon] 13-6
T9. *Ethan Plut [Moorestown] 13-6
T9. Raymond Senatore [West Deptford] 13-6

SHOT PUT
3. *Jonathan Harris [Delsea] 62-10 ¾
4. Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace] 59-10 ¾
6. Julian Williams [Willingboro] 58-4

DISCUS
3. Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace] 179-1
5. *Anthony Liakhnovich [Hammonton] 172-0
6. Brock Schenck [Bordentown] 171-3
7. Damere Lassiter [Glassboro] 169-6

JAVELIN
4. Miles Acchione [Lenape] 186-7

GIRLS
100-METER DASH
1. Naylah Jones [Timber Creek] 11.23
2. **Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken] 11.52
3. *Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek] 11.62
7. **Olivia Okaro [Winslow Twp.] 11.98

200-METER DASH
1. Naylah Jones [Timber Creek] 23.29
2. **Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken] 23.79
3. *Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek] 23.91
5. *Nester Wea [Willingboro] 24.37
6. ***Maya Bolden [Willingboro] 24.54
7. Dominique Clement [Winslow Twp.] 24.57
9. **Olivia Okaro [Winslow Twp.] 24.69

400-METER DASH
1. **Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken] 53.45
2. **Natalie Dumas [Eastern] 54.74
5. ***Cinniya Robinson [Winslow Twp.] 55.60
8. **Olivia Okaro [Winslow Twp.] 56.08

800-METER RUN
7. *Sofia Day [Mainland Reg.] 2:12.55

1,600-METER RUN
2. Shaelan McNally [Paul VI] 4:53.25
7. Sofia Day [Mainland Reg.] 4:59.37
10. Maeve Smith [Ocean City] 5:01.20

3,200-METER RUN
1. Shaelan McNally [Paul VI] 10:24.00
4. *Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington] 10:51.94
8. Ava Thomas [Haddonfield] 11:00.56

100-METER HURDLES
3. Guerlande Pierre [Timber Creek] 14.22
4. Dominique Clement [Winslow Twp.] 14.36
10. *Dakota Jones [WashingtonTwp.] 14.84

400-METER HURDLES
2. Sophia Curtis [Ocean City] 59.80
5. Natalie Dumas [Eastern] 1:01.83
7. Nyla Jones [Timber Creek] 1:02.67
8. ***Cinniya Robinson [Winslow Twp.] 1:02.72

400-METER RELAY
1. Timber Creek, 46.95
2. Pennsauken, 47.72
4. Haddonfield, 48.28
5. Cherokee, 48.38
6. Willingboro, 48.44
8. Washington Twp., 48.77

1,600-METER RELAY
2. Timber Creek, 3:51.81
3. Eastern, 3:53.32
8. Willingboro, 3:59.35

3,200-METER RELAY
1. Ocean City 9:25.06
4. Eastern 9:31.32
7. Winslow 9:34.65

HIGH JUMP
T1. Dahlia Beasley [Washington Twp.] 5-6
T1. *Addison Inge [Williamstown] 5-6
T1. Alanna Woolfolk [Clayton] 5-6
5. **Ma’Syiah Brawner [Winslow Twp.] 5-5
T6. Naa’Irah Andrews [Willingboro] 5-4
T6. *I’Mara Ford [Moorestown 5-4
T6. *Isabella Patruno [Sterling] 5-4

LONG JUMP
2. **Ma’Syiah Brawner [Winslow Twp.] 19-3 ½
3. *Jaidah Garrett [Absegami] 19-0 ½
5. Dahlia Beasley [Washington Twp.] 18-10

TRIPLE JUMP
1. Sophia Curtis [Ocean City] 41-9 ½
2. **Ma’Syiah Brawner [Winslow Twp.] 40-2 ½
4. Lauren Fadairo [Rancocas Valley] 38-7 ¾
6. Ayanna Brown [Sterling] 38-4

POLE VAULT
1. Sophia Curtis [Ocean City] 41-9 ½
1. *Hannah Byrd-Leitner [Moorestown] 12-7
T2. *Rebecca Hoover [Haddonfield] 12-0
T2. Quin Zacamy [Haddon Heights] 12-0
T9. **Cali Lacovara [Washingrton Twp.] 11-6

SHOT PUT
8. Yamilet Basarte-Cruz [Eastside] 40-6 ¾

DISCUS
2. *Brook-lynn Roberts [Winslow Twp.] 140-0
4. **Sunsarai Moore [Glassboro] 139-8
5. Maylisa Bluford [Clayton] 133-8
6. Grace O’Neill [Schalick] 132-2
8. **Mitra Sampson [Hammonton] 130-6
9. Morgan Mankoski [Delsea] 129-5

JAVELIN
1. Zoe Goldberg [Eastern] 140-9
5. Laurel Conway [Sterling] 125-0
9. Aniyah Smith [Eastern] 119-3
10. *Shila Austin [Millville] 116-6