There continue to be two “national” indoor high school championship meets this year, with Shoe Company #1 sponsoring a meet at THE TRACK in Boston and Shoe Company #2 sponsoring a meet at the Armory in New York.
Both meets are scheduled to run from Thursday through Sunday, and South Jersey will have a presence at both, with a much larger contingent heading to Boston but some of the top South Jersey runners, jumpers and throwers going to New York.
Because some schools go by club names with no connection to the name of the high school and the Boston Nationals entry list *.pdf is formatted to slice off school or club names – and has for years but has never been fixed – it’s impossible to find all the South Jersey competitors heading to the two meets.
But we’ll take a look at the top South Jersey entries at both meets over the next couple days, starting with Armory Nationals today.
Armory Nationals Order of Events: Click here.
Armory Nationals Entries: Click here.
Armory Nationals Live Results: Click here
Armory Nationals meet records: Nobody keeps them.
BOYS
✓ Marquis Taylor, Woodbury: Taylor showed tremendous range again this year, running 6.40, 21.64 and 49.14, but at nationals he’ll focus on the 400.
✓ Matthew Littlehales, Delsea: After breaking the South Jersey 1,600 / mile record with his 4:09.37 at the Meet of Champions, Littlehales will go after the 800 at the Armory. He ran 1:54.93 last spring and is obviously much faster now.
✓ Haddonfield: Luke Andresen, Benjamin Andrus, Peter Simpson and Bennett Wright will go after the state record of 17:07.17 set by CBA in 2014 at the Armory. The South Jersey record is Haddonfield’s 17:22.12 from 2010 Armory Nationals with Jonathan Vitez, Colin Baker, Matthew Nussbaum and Ben Potts.
✓ Haddonfield: The Bulldogs will also put together a fast DMR after running a U.S. No. 4 10:11.71 at the Ott Center last month with Brand, Wright, Andrus and Keith. They’ll use the same lineup at Nationals. South Jersey record is Haddonfield’s 10:09.78 with Baker, Jordan Harris, Potts and Vitez winning nationals.in 2010.
✓ Jayden DeLeon, Highland: Meet of Champions winner with a 6-10 ¼ PR is hoping to join the South Jersey 7-foot club, which indoors consists only of Cherry Hill West’s Terry Ferguson [7-0 in 1987] and Willingboro’s Mike Morrison [7-4 ¼ in 2003].
✓ Henry Cifaloglio, Delsea: While Deptford’s Marcus Hoods travels to Boston, South Jersey’s other 15-foot vaulter will compete in New York.
✓ Jacob George, Haddon Twp: And George, who has jumped 14-6, will also vault at the Armory.
✓ Jonathan Harris, Delsea: New Jersey No. 1 thrower at 65-6, was 6th in Boston last year and will try to top that this year in New York.
✓ Anthony Liakhnovich, Williamstown: New Jersey No. 4 thrower with a season-best 62-6 ¾ will join Harris at the Armory.
GIRLS
✓ Sianni Wynn, Pennsauken: Already a two-time All-America, Wynn will race the 60 and 200 at the Armory. She’s currently No. 3 in the U.S. at 55 meters [6.73] and No. 5 in the 200 [23.31], both state records.
✓ Ryan Jennings, Timber Creek: Jennings is top-20 nationally in both the 55 [6.90] and 200 [23.93] and will contest both in New York.
✓ Natalie Dumas, Eastern: After running 53.55 and 2:11.42 this year, Dumas chose the 800 for Nationals. Dumas won the intermediate hurdles last spring at West Philly Nationals.
✓ Egypt Bolan, Lindenwold: Bolan is tied for No. 10 nationally in the high jump at 5-8 and is coming off a Meet of Champions win.
✓ Isabella Alvarez, Pleasantville: Versatile freshman could take her pick of events but will contest the championship high jump and freshman long jump.
✓ Jaidah Garrett, Absegami: New Jersey No. 5 long jumper at 18-4 ¾ will also run the emerging elite 400.
✓ Ella Karp, Washington Twp.: Coming off her PR 43-3 ¾ at Easterns – No. 13 in South Jersey history – Karp goes after the Gloucester County indoor record of 44-3 ½ set by Delsea’s Jocelyn White in 2004.
✓ Hannah Nuhfer, Delsea: Nuhfer also PR’d in the shot put at Easterns with a 41-9 ½.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 