Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.
Today: Yamilet Basarte-Cruz, Camden East Side
Yamilet Basarte-Cruz was one of only four 40-foot throwers in South Jersey this year, and her 42-2 ¼ at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea was the best throw in South Jersey in 2024 and best by a Camden County girl in five years, since Cydney Thomas of Haddon Heights hit 43-11 at Group 2 sectionals – also at Delsea – in 2019.
Basarte-Cruz was a 1st-year junior last year and showed promise in all three throws, with 35-1 ½ in the shot, 98-10 in the javelin and 95-11 in the discus.
She improved to 38-4 ¾ indoors and won Group 3 sectionals with a 37-5 ¾ on her first attempt at the Bubble, becoming the first girl from Eastside / Wilson to win an indoor sectional title since Dennisha Page won the 55 and 400 in 2019.
Basarte-Cruz’s breakthrough in the shot came at Lenape Field Day, where she won with a PR 39-4 ½. She also threw 107-1 in the discus and 109-2 in the javelin in addition to her 42-2 ¼ in the shot. She medaled in all three at SJ-3 sectionals before taking 3rd at states in the shot put with a 40-6 ¾.
On the all-time Camden County shot put list, Basarte-Cruz trails only one girl from the 1980s, one from the 1990s and one from 2000 in addition to Thomas. So her 42-2 ¼ is 2nd-best throw by a Camden County girl in the last 23 years.
Throwers who can score on the sectional level in all three events are rare. Basarte-Cruz this year was one of only five girls in all of New Jersey to throw 100 feet in the discus and javelin and 40 feet in the javelin and one of only two to place in the top eight at sectionals in all three throws.
All-Time Camden County Shot Put List
44-4 ¼ …. Dana White [Camden], 2000
43-11 … Cydney Thomas [Haddon Heights], 2019
43-6 ¾ … Angela Solomon [Overbook], 1989
43-2 ½ … Lacole Fields [Camden], 1996
42-2 ¼ … Yamilet Basarte-Cruz [East Side], 2024
41-10 ½ … Tisha Kerrin [Eastern], 1989
41-9 ¼ … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2006
41-4 …… Ciarra Johnson [Winslow Twp.], 2016
41-2 …… Bernadette McGowan [Paul VI], 2015
41-2 …… Alijah Caul [Sterling], 2019
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 