In his second meet in the last year, St. Augustine’s Sincere Rhea, now a senior at Texas Tech, ran a hurdles PR Friday on his home track at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas.
Rhea, a national scholastic hurdles champion at St. Augustine and a native of Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, ran 7.72 in the trials of the Red Raider Invite. He ran 7.74 in the final.
His 7.72 breaks his PR of 7.73, which he ran as a University of Miami junior in January 2020, at the Red Raider Open, ironically on the same track.
His time equals 9th-fastest ever by a New Jersey hurdler and 3rd-fastest by a South Jersey hurdler.
World No. 2 Johnny Brackens of USC won the race in 7.56. DeVontae Ford of Texas Tech was 2nd in 7.66. Rhea’s time is No. 31 among U.S. men so far this year.
Rhea began his college career at Penn State and ran 7.76, No. 2 in school history behind Guy Rose of Wayne Hills, who ran 7.69 in 2001. He ran that 7.73 at Miami, No. 3 in school history behind Trenton’s Devin Hill [7.55] and Artie Burns [7.68]. He didn’t race last spring.
I can’t tell you where his 7.72 ranks in Texas Tech history because their top-10 list is a top-10 performances list, not a top-10 performers list, so there are just three hurdlers on it.That’s stupid. Anyway, here’s a look at the al-tiume New Jersey 60-meter hurdles list:
7.46 … Jeff Porter [Franklin Twp.], Feb. 1, 2014, Mondeville, France
7.50 … Renaldo Nehemiah [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], March 10, 1989, Madrid, Spain
7.50 … Anwar Moore [Camden], Feb. 24, 2008, Boston
7.52 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], Feb. 25, 1995, Fairfax, Va.
7.55 … Devon Hill [Trenton], March 10, 2012, Nampa, Idaho
7.66 … Cory Poole [East Orange], Feb. 14, 2020, Clemson, S.C.
7.69 … Guy Rose [Wayne Hills], Feb. 24, 2001, State College, Pa.
7.71 … Chris Serrao [East Brunswick], Jan. 11, 2025, Philadelphia
7.72 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], Jan. 9, 2015, Houston
7.72 … Jamir Brown [Riverside], Dec. 6, 2024, Staten Island
7.72 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], Jan. 25, 2025, Lubbock, Texas
7.73 … Todd Matthews [Notre Dame], Feb. 17, 2001, Blacksburg, Va.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 