Hammonton junior Anthony Liakhnovich surpassed the 180-foot barrier Wednesday and placed 2nd in the discus at the Meet of Champions at Pennsauken.
Liakhnovich, who had a PR of 149-0 last year, capped a fantastic season with a throw of 181-3, snapping his PR of 178-0 at the Delsea Crusader Invitational in April. Liakhnovich surpassed 170 feet five times this year and placed 2nd in his first Meet of Chapions to Benjamin Shue of Bergen Catholic, the West Philly Nationals runner-up last year as a sophomore. Shue threw a PR 205-4, No. 3 in meet history.
Liakhnovich had four 170-foot throws in his series, and his 181-3 on his 4th attempt is No. 1 in South Jersey history and No. 3 in Atlantic County history, behinde Egg Harbor Township’s James Plummer [197-0 in 2013] and St. Augustine’s Franklin Simms [191-11 in 2022].
Bishop Eustace senior Shawn Brady was 3rd with a 179-7 on his final attempt. He threw at least 172 feet on all six throws and averaged 175-2 per throw.Bordentown’s Brock Schenck was 8th with a 166-2, giving South Jersey three of the top eight placers.
Six of the top 18 throwers in South Jersey history have come in the last three years.
All-Time South Jersey Discus list
216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
199-6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197-0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
192-5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
189-7 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
185-11 … John Mooers [Middle Twp.], 2015
185-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], 1985
185-7 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], 2010
185-6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
185-5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
184-8 … Damere Lassiter [Glassboro], 2023
184-4 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], 2017
183-9 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
183-4 … Janier Armstead [Penns Grove], 2023
181-10 … Jason Winrow [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
181-10 … Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace], 2024
181-3 … Anthony Liakhnovich [Hammonton], 2024
180-3 … Howard Clark [Pennsauken], 1998
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 