A remarkable high school penathlon debut for Pleasantville freshman Isabella Alvarez at Ocean Breeze earlier this month.
Alvarez scored 3,266 points at the 10th annual Ocean Breeze Invitatioal on Staten Island, the 5th-highest pentathlon score in South Jersey history and the highest score in New Jersey history by a freshman.
Alvarez opened up with a 9.51 in the 60-meter hurdles (through 55 meter hurdles in 8.65) for 806 points, then cleared 5-3 on her 1st attempt for 736 points in the high jump and threw 34-2 ¾ for 558 points in the shot. She finished with a 17-4 ¼ long jump for 640 points and finished with a 2:44.16 in the 800, good for 526 points.
She PR’d in all but the long jump and high jump. She’s done 17-4 ¾ and 5-4 this year. Alvarez is No. 1 in Atlantic County this year in the long jump, high jump, shot put and hurdles. She’s No. 2 in South Jersey in the high jump, No. 5 in the long jump, No. 9 in South Jersey in the shot put and No. 10 in South Jersey in the hurdles. She’s the No. 1 freshman in New Jersey in the high jump and long jump, No. 2 in the shot put and No. 2 in the hurdles.
Her 5-4 is No. 3 on the all-time Atlantic County performance list, and her 17-4 ¾ is No. 6. She’s got Atlantic County freshman records in the hurdles, high jump, long jump and shot put.
According to the MileSplit database, Alvarez’s 3,266 is highest by any freshman in the U.S. this year and 4th-highest in the last 10 years.
Teaneck’s Fiona Carter had the previous New Jersey freshman record of 2,793 points in a meet at the Armory in 2019.
Millville’s Bryanna Craig set a national scholastic freshman heptathlon record of 4,958 points at Greensboro Nationals in the spring of 2019 but she never competed in a multi indoors as a freshman. Craig current competes for Purdue.
All-Time New Jersey Pentathlon List
3674 … Tia Livingston [Union Catholic], 2016
3584 … Bryanna Craig [Millville], 2020
3570 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
3548 … Anne Bansemir [Nutley], 1986
3546 … Amber Williams [Roxbury], 2001
3528 … Josefine Kvist [Ridge], 2006
3521 … Ahsley Newby [Columbia], 2007
3514 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1994
3511 … Bridgette Ingram [Columbia], 1998
3438 … Danya Spoor [Oak Knoll School], 2025
3421 … Jessica Creedon [Ridge], 2017
3378 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
3368 … LaShonda Carter [Rahway], 2006
3344 … Charisse West [Notre Dame], 1985
3329 … Kennedee Cox [Paramus Catholic], 2019
3322 … Shelley Mitchell [Lakewood], 1988
3292 … Jenna Rogers [Rutherford], 2020
3266 … Isabella Alvarez [Pleasantville], 2025
3265 … Aiyanna Burton [Columbia], 1995
3262 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 2020
3240 … Tessa Hughes [Peddie School], 2025
3232 … Jamie Lilien [Pascack Valley], 2000
3224 … Brittney Jackson [Columbia], 2010
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 