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: Xavier Sabb, Glassboro
Xavier Sabb had quite a freshman year for Glassboro, and since he plays basketball for the Bulldogs the spring season was actually his first try at high school track.
Sabb didn’t take long to make a name for himself. At his first major meet – Delsea Crusader Field Meet – he won the long jump with a 20-7 1/2. Two weeks later at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford, he ran 10.97 and placed 2nd to All-America Ajani Dwyer in the 100, ran 22.23 for 3rd in the 200 and high jumped 6-0 to take 2nd.
Championship season brought out the best in Sabb, who ran a PR 10.79 for 3rd in the 100 at the South Jersey Group 1 meet and 22.50 for 5th in the 200. He went on to place 3rd in the 100 at states and 7th in the 200.
And at West Philly Nationals, he ran 10.83 and set a high jump PR of 6-2 ¾, taking 3rd and 6th in the country in the freshman division.
Sabb was the No. 1 freshman in New Jersey in the 100, No. 2 in the 200 (Neptune’s Essien Plummer ran 22.02 at Group 3 states), No. 3 in the high jump and No. 14 in the long jump.
His 10.79 is 2nd-fastest ever by a South Jersey freshman, behind Malachi James’ 10.76 for Willingboro at the 2021 Meet of Champions. His 100 and high jump marks are best ever by Gloucester County freshmen.
Amari Sabb, Xavier’s brother, was Gloucester County high jump champ at 6-2 this spring as a sophomore.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 