A couple fast 400s to open the season for Gloucester County sprinters Marquis Taylor Matthew Niedbalski Saturday morning at the Ott Center.
Taylor, a Woodbury senior, won the race in 49.32, and Niedbalski, a Clearview junior ran a huge PR of 49.43.
Taylor just missed his indoor PR of 49.24 from Ocean Breeze this past February. He ran 48.23 indoors when he won the state Group 1 title last year in Somerset. Their times are No. 2 and 3 in New Jersey this year.
This was a big jump for Niedbalski, who had an indoor PR of 54.74 from sectionals last year at the Bubble and an overall PR of 51.02 from outdoor sectionals at Delsea. He’s the first Clearview boy ever to run sub-50 indoors, and his time is 7th-fastest in Gloucester County history indoors.
48.96 … Lathan Brown [Deptford], 2023
49.11 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2012
49.13 … Eric Chekemian [Washington Twp.], 2001
49.24 … Marquis Taylor [Woodbury], 2024
49.26 … Tim Carey [Washington Twp,], 2010
49.34 … Alexander Osayemi [Clayton], 2024
49.43 … Matthew Niedbalski [Clearview], 2025
49.65 … Aaron Younger [Delsea], 2007
49.97 … Kanye Mills [Washington Twp.], 2023
Washington Township senior Jack Schuck, Clearview senior Steven Niedbalski, presumably Matthew’s brother, and Woodstown junior Joshua Crawford also PR’d in the 400, Schuck in 3rd place in 50.22, Steven Niedbalski 4th in 51.17 and Crawford 5th in 51.31.
Taylor also won the 55-meter dash in 6.59, finishing 1-100th of a second ahead of senior John Santos of Washington Township.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 