Delsea senior Jonathan Harris tied the No. 5 indoor shot put mark in South Jersey history in the South Jersey Track Coaches Association #2 meet Saturday at Penn’s new Ott Center in West Philly.
Harris threw 62-0 ½ on his 6th and final throw, matching the Delsea school record set by Jason Nwosu at the 2022 South Jersey Group 2 Championships at the Bubble in Toms River.
He was just over a foot shy of the Gloucester County indoor record of 63-1 ¾ set by West Deptford’s Nick Pulli at the 2014 Cherokee Throwdown in Marlton.
Harris had a previous indoor PR of 60-0 ¼ from Cherokee last year. His outdoor PR is 63-0 ½ from Group 3 sectionals this past spring at his home track in Franklinville.
Harris opened with throws of 54- 4 ½, 58-6 ¼ and 58-4 before two fouls. On his final throw, he popped the 62-0 ½, which is the No. 2 throw in the U.S. so far according to the MileSplit national database. Alex Jackson of Peabody (Mass.) High threw 66-6 ¼ at the Northeast Conference Winter Invitational in Boston on Saturday.
The 62-0 ½ puts Harris No. 30 on the all-time New Jersey indoor list.
Williamstown senior Jayron Lewis also surpassed 50 feet in 2nd place with a throw of 52-0 on his 4th attempt. He also had a 51-11 ¼ and a 51-2 ¾. His previous indoor PR was a 42-4 ¼ as a 1st-year junior last winter, although he threw 53-5 outdoors when he placed 5th at Group 4 states in Somerset.
All-time South Jersey Indoor 60-Foot Club
70-8 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2012
63-11 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
63-1 ¾ … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
62-7 ¾ … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
62-0 ½ … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
62-0 ½ … Jonathan Harris [Delsea], 2025
61-9 … Lou Gordon [Bridgeton], 1995
60-3 … Harry Dilks [Pitman], 1971
60-10 ¾ … John Purvis [Winslow Twp.], 2020
60-1 … Damere Lassiter [Glassboro], 2024
60-0 ½ … Ell Ash [Willingboro], 2004
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 