Kingsway graduate Tom Cooke finished 1st among nearly 5,000 runners Sunday in the 2025 Phillies Charities 5K in Philadelphia.

Cooke, 30, ran 15:04 and finished two seconds ahead of former Penn XC runner Patrick Hally, from Salesianum in Wilmington, Del.

Cooke, who now lives in West Deptford, ran 1:54.53 and 4:11.84 at Kingsway before running briefly for Felician University in Rutherford. He’s since run 4:01.08 and 14:20.39 on the track.

Former Shawnee runner Eric Reitinger of Mount Laurel, 41, placed 4th in 15:35 and won the men’s 40-to-49 age group.

Top woman was Erica Green of Collingswood, who was 11th overall in 17:50. Green, 35, has only been running since 2018. On the roads, Green has PRs of 1:22:30 for a half marathon and 58:26 for 10 miles. She ran 2:50.40 at the 2022 Boston Marathon. Green is listed in the results as a Canadian citizen.

Also in the top 25: Austin Milou of Sewell, 24, a former Washington Township and Rowan runner; ran 17:42 and was 10th overall; Jon Ratliffe of Washington Township, 29, rtan 18:06 and was 14th; John Meehan of Woolwich Township, 36, ran 18:41 and was 21st; and Sean Mimier from Estell Manor, 16, placed 25th in 18:59.

No. 3 woman was Delsea senior Juliana Sieminski, 18, who ran 19:12 and placed 31st overall, and 5th woman was Jessica Laporta of West Deptford, 39, who ran 20:15 and was 47th overall. Laporta ran for the University of Scranton.

Washington Township’s Kami Joi Hickson, a senior at Maryland, opened her outdoor season Saturday with a lifetime-best at 800 meters at the University of Central Florida Black and Gold Invite in Orlando.

Hickson ran 2:07.32, 5th-fastest in Maryland history and fastest in 12 years, since Julie Sinkovitz of Woodcliff Lake and Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, Bergen County, ran 2:07.15 in the prelims of the the 2013 ECAC Championships at Princeton. (Yes, both are from Washington Township … just different ones.)

Hickson’s previous outdoor PR was 2:08.15 last April in a meet in Azusa, Calif. Her former overall PR was 2:07.63 indoors at Penn State early last month.

Hickson ran 2:12.72 outdoors and 2:14.99 at Washington Township before finishing her high school career at Neumann Goretti in Philadelphia.

Here is my best attempt at an all-time South Jersey 800 list:

1:59.85 … Michelle DiMuro [Shawnee], June 17, 1996, Atlanta
1:59.99 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], July 13, 2010, Liège, Belgium
2:02.20 … Kimarra McDonald [Rancocas Valley], June 2, 2012, Nashville
2:02.49 … Krista Ferrara [Vineland], June 25, 2006, Indianapolis
2:03.34 … Greta Feldman [Haddonfield], June 15, 2013, Indianapolis
2:03.88 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], May 13, 2012, Baton Rouge, La.
2:05.06 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], May 31, 2013, West Chester, Pa.
2:05.14 … Shelby Whetstone [Lenape], May 23, 2024, Lexington, Ky.
2:06.15 … Sydney Coppolino [Sterling], May 13, 2022, Durham, N.C.
2:07.18 … Kristen Neidrach [Shawnee], July 10, 2021, Kortrijk, Belgium,
2:07.25 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], March 26, 2011, Houston
2:07.32 … Kami Joi Hickson [Washington Twp.], March 22, Orlando
2:07.68 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], March 16, New York

When Mainland Regional’s Mawali Osunniyi disappeared from Uconn’s track roster this indoor season after an outstanding freshman year in Storrs, I figured he was either injured or red-shirting.

Osunniyi had a high school PR of 6-8 and then as a true freshman at Connecticut jumped 7-1 ½ last indoor season and won the Big East both indoors in Chicago [7-0 ¼] and outdoors [6-11] at Villanova.

And then nothing.

It turns out, Osunniyi was competing along. I just missed it. But he transferred to New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, N. Mex., which is about 100 miles southwest of Lubbock, Texas.

Osunniyi capped his indoor season by winning the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships at Texas Tech’s Sports Performance Center – in Lubbock – with a 6-11 ½ clearance.

He passed 6-4 ¼ and 6-6 ¼ and then cleared 6-8 ¼ on his second attempt. He got over the bar at 6-10 ¼ and 6-11 ½ on his first attempts and had the victory locked up when the two other jumpers who were still alive went out at 6-11 ½.

So Osunniyi had the bar moved up to 7-1 ¾, which would have been a PR, but he missed three tries there, settling for his first national title.

Osunniyi had set the New Mexico JC school record of 6-11 ¾ in February in another meet in Lubbock.

New Mexico lists Osunniyi as a sophomore on its outdoor track roster.

Osunniyi triple jumped 47-0 ½ at Mainland but has only triple jumped once in his college career.

Here’s a look at all the 7-foot jumpers from South Jersey [let me know if I missed anyone!]:

7-5 ¾ … Darren Burton [Delran], July 23, 1989, Ylivieska, Finland
7-5 ¼ … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], June 6, 1992, New York
7-4 ½ … Jim Pringle [Moorestown], March 21, 1982, Tallahassee, Fla.
7-4 ½ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], June 17, 2000, Raleigh, N.C.
7-4 ½ … Montez Blair [Timber Creek], June 23, 2013, Des Moines, Iowa
7-4 ½ … Robert Jordan [Millville], Jan. 22, 2000, Ames, Iowa
7-4 ¼ … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], March 16, 2003, Landover, Md.
7-4 … Terrance Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], May 5, 1991, Princeton
7-3 … Anthony Butler [Schalick], June 10, 2006, Colts Neck
7-2 ¼ … Jeffrey-Jon Tucker [Eastern], April 28, 2018, Ewing
7-1 ¾ … Drew Kanz [Seneca], Feb. 28, 2014, Birmingham, Ala.
7-1 ½ … Devin Bradham [Williamstown], May 3, 2019, University Park, Pa.
7-1 ½ … Mawali Osunniyi [Mainland Reg.], Feb. 2, 2024, Cambridge, Mass.
7-0 ½ … Todd Lowber [Delran], May 26, 2006, Lisle, Ala.

Junior Natalie Dumas moved Eastern into the lead on her anchor leg and the Vikings shattered the South Jersey sprint medley record Sunday with a triumph at Virginia “Nationals.”

Dumas, who set a South Jersey 800 record of 2:07.68 last weekend at Armory Nationals after racing the 400 at Boston Nationals, ran 2:07.78 and Eastern won the sprint medley at Virginia “Nationals” at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.

The team of senior Jasmine Davies, freshman Brynn Dumas, senior Samantha Osei-Kyei and Dumas ran 4:00.48, lowering the South Jersey record from 4:01.41, which Willingboro’s Halimah Bashir, Channel Hamilton, Rhea Mann and Okechi Ogbuokiri ran at 2003 Armory Nationals.

Osei-Kyei split 57.00 to set up Dumas, who got the stick in 3rd place – five meters behind Hermitage High of Virginia and Ursuline School of New Rochelle, N.Y. – but won by four meters over 2nd-place Ursuline, whih ran 4:01.04.

Eastern’s time is No. 5 in state history indoors and it’s No. 36 on the all-time U.S. performance list [which doesn’t exist, but I looked it up].

The previous Camden County record was Haddonfield’s 4:03.93 with Kristina Keegan, Bridget Barnes, Holly Cosnett and Olympian Erin Donohue at the 2001 Prince George’s Learning and Sports Complex Nationals in Landover, Md. Long Beach Wilson set a national record of 3:53.17 in the same race.

Eastern ran 4:01.78 with Johnay Stilley, Lomaria Tengbeh, Dumas and older sister Kadence Dumas in Virginia Beach and 4:03.75 with Johnna Gonter, Eva Sprewell, Natalie Dumas and Osei-Kyei at last year’s Armory Nationals. This is the 3rd straight year Eastern has had the fastest time in New jersey during the indoor season.

We’re pretty sure there aren’t any more so-called national meets coming up.

All-Time New Jersey Indoor Sprint Medley List
3:54.62 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:57.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:58.46 … Union Catholic, 2019
4:00.33 … Neptune, 2011
4:00.48 … Eastern, 2025
4:01.41 … Willingboro, 2003
4:01.78 … Eastern, 2023
4:03.13 … Sparta, 2010
4:03.14 … Westwood, 2014
4:03.18 … Columbia, 2010
4:03.22 … Columbia, 2013
4:03.57 … Piscataway, 2006
4:03.69 … Pope John, 2007
4:03.75 … Eastern, 2024
4:03.85 … Hopewell Valley, 2005
4:03.93 … Haddonfield, 2001
4:04.27 … Cherokee, 2022
4:04.36 … Columbia, 1983
4:04.38 … Washington Twp., 2010
4:04.47 … Neptune, 2009
4:04.49 … Hunterdon Central, 2015
4:04.63 … Rumson-Fair Haven, 2025
4:04.81 … Union Catholic, 2017

All-Time U.S. Indoor Sprint Medley List
3:52.68 … Rush Sperry [Henrietta, N.Y.], 2015
3:53.17 … Wilson Long Beach, CA 2001
3:54.31 … Randolph Campus, NYC, NY 2002
3:54.48 … Suffern [N.Y.], 2015
3:54.62 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:54.78 … Cardozo [Queens, N.Y.]
3:55.40 … Mount De Sales Academy [Catonsville, Md.], 2020
3:55.48 … Rush Sperry [Henrietta, N.Y.], 2016
3:55.92 … Randolph Campus, NYC, NY 2004
3:56.46 … Easton [Pa.] Area, 2007
3:56.47 … West Catholic, Philly, PA 2005
3:56.67 … Penn Charter, Philly, PA 1997
3:56.80 … Oak Park [Mich.], 2015
3:56.97 … Oak Park [Mich.], 2025
3:57.02 … Wilson Long Beach, CA 2003
3:57.19 … Columbia, 2014
3:57.20 … Boys & Girls, NY 2002
3:57.53 … Poly Long Beach, CA 1997
3:57.66 … Oak Park [Mich.], 2024
3:57.78 … Bellport, Brookhaven, NY 2004
3:57.83 … West Catholic, Philly, PA 2006
3:58.46 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:59.16 … Western Branch [Chesapeake, Va.], 2018
3:59.31 … Assumption [Davenport, Iowa], 2017
3:59.42 … Randolph Campus, NYC, NY 2001
3:59.62 … Wilson Long Beach, CA 2002
3:59.81 … West Catholic, Philly, PA 2004
3:59.81 … Bullis School [Potomac, Md.], 2023
3:59.96 … Oak Park [Mich.], 2023
3:59.98 … Oak Park [Mich.], 2021
4:00.05 … Washington, NYC, NY 1995
4:00.11 … Bullis School [Potomac, Md.], 2024
4:00.33 … Neptune, 2011
4:00.36 … Hempstead [N.Y.], 2009
4:00.43 … Magnet, Baton Rouge, LA 2005
4:00.48 … Eastern, 2025
4:00.54 … Cardozo, NY 2005
4:00.58 … Hillhouse [New Haven, Ct.], 2012
4:00.72 … Gratz, Philly, PA 1998
4:00.77 … Southridge [Miami, Fla.], 2017
4:00.77 … Hillhouse [New Haven, Ct.], 2013
4:00.82 … James Logan, CA 2006
4:00.84 … Westerly, RI 2005
4:00.86 … Poly Long Beach, CA 1995
4:00.94 … Roosevelt, Greenbelt, MD 2002

Desi Stroud, a sophomore at Holy Family from Mays Landing, opened the spring season with an outdoor long jump PR and the No. 2 mark in school history.

Stroud, placed 2nd to teammate Odane Smith with a 23-4 ¾ jump at the Stockton Invite in Galloway Township, surpassing his outdoor PR of 22-1 ¼ from 2023 South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken.

Smith, a senior from Edwin Allen in Frankfield, Jamaica, won with a 23-5 ½. He’s the school record holder outdoors with a 23-5 ¾ at the Doc Jopson Invitational in Bridgewater, Va., last March (that mark – 7.16 meters – is listed incorrectly as 23-6 in the results but 23-5 ¾ in the record section of Holy Family’s web site).

So Stroud was only one inch from Smith’s school record.

Javon Bowen, a current Holy Family junior from Jamaica College in Kingston, set the indoor school record of 24-0 ¾ at the East Coast Conference Championships at Ocean Breeze last month. Smith jumped 23-8 in the same meet, and Stroud jumped a lifetime-best 23-8 ¾ indoors at the Fastrack National Invite at Ocean Breeze in February 2024. Bowen did not compete Saturday at Stockton.

Stroud also has a triple jump PR of 46-5 ¼ and he ran on the school-record 800-meter relay team that ran 1:29.06 at the Penn Relays last year.

At Atlantic County Tech Stroud

Apparently there’s a 3rd “national” meet, and it’s held a week after Armory and Boston “Nationals” in Virginia Beach.

Eastern junior Natalie Dumas, hot off her South Jersey-record 2:07.68 at Armory Nationals, made the trip to Virginia Beach to anchor Eastern’s sprint medley team on Sunday.

While she was waiting, she jumped in the 400 and … won it.

Dumas ran 53.66 and one by eight meters over Kadia Rock of SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, who was 2nd in 54.66.

Dumas set a South Jersey-record 53.55 when she won the Meet of Champions 400 at Ocean Breeze earlier this month, so she was only 11-100ths of a second off her PR Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. That time is No. 4 in state history.

The previous South Jersey record was 54.24 set in 2003 by Willingboro’s Okechi Ogbuokiri when she won the 400 at 2003 Armory Nationals. So Dumas now has the two-fastest indoor times in South Jersey history.

Delsea’s Nico Morales recorded the best outdoor pole vault mark ever by a South Jersey athlete Friday at the South Florida Alumni Invitational in Tampa.

In his first outdoor meet since the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind., in May of 2023, Morales cleared 17-5, surpassing his outdoor PR of 16-9 ½ from the 2023 Penn Relays.

Morales had a stretch of indoor meets where he cleared 17-6 ¼, 17-6 ½ and 17-5 ½ this past January and February, with that 17-6 ½ in Cambridge, Mass., establishing an indoor or outdoor South Jersey alumni record.

The previous South Jersey alumni outdoor record was set by Morales’ current Rutgers teammate, Cherry Hill East graduate Noah Kriesman, a Rutgers sophomore. He cleared 17-3 ½ in a meet last April in Columbia, S.C.

Morales’ 17-5 appears to be No. 2 in Rutgers history outdoors, although the school hasn’t updated its all-time performance list in a while.

Current Rutgers sophomore Brian O’Sullivan cleared 17-5 ½ in the NCAA East Prelims in Lexington last May.

His brother, junior Kevin O’Sullivan, is the Rutgers indoor school record holder at 18-2 from a meet at the Armory in January, but his outdoor PR appears to be 17-1 from last year’s South Florida Invitational.

All-Time New Jersey Alumni Pole Vault List
18-9 ¼ … Bradley Jelmert [Watchung Hills], Dec. 9, 2023, Pittsburg, Kan.
18-2 … Kevin O’Sullivan [Hillsborough], Jan. 31, 2025, New York
18-0 … Brian Sullivan [Hillsborough], Jan. 24, 2025, Indianapolis
17-10 ½ … Craig Hunter [Robbinsville], June 8, 2016, Eugene, Ore.
17-9 … Kevin McGuire [Lawrenceville], May 26, 1993, Fairfax, Va.
17-8 ½ … Steve Keating [Pompton Lakes], June 12, 1993, Los Gatos, Calif.
17-6 ½ … Adam Sarafian [Ocean Township], Jan. 28, 2006, Reno, Nev.
17-6 ½ … Nico Morales [Delsea], Feb. 8, 2025, Cambridge, Mass.
17-4 ½ … Ed Keefe [St. John Vianney], Feb. 17, 2002, Syracuse
17-3 ½ … Noah Kriesman [Cherry Hill East], April 20, 2024, Columbia, S.C.
17-2 ½ … Christian Mazza [Toms River East], Feb. 23, 2003, Syracuse
17-0 ¾ … Chris Wykoff [Toms River East], May 25, 2013, Greensboro, N.C.
17-0 … Bill Lange [Bridgewater East], 1980, Hanover, N.H.

In her first meet of the outdoor season, Jenovia Logan from Sterling smashed the Rutgers school record in the high jump.

Logan set a PR and school record of 5-11 ¼ at the University of South Florida Alumni Invitational in Tampa, breaking the school record of 5-10 ½ set by Kimberly Fife from Ringwood High at the 1999 Colonial Relays in Williamsburg and matched by Courteney Campbell from Ridge in 2021 at the Big Ten Tri-Meet in Piscataway.

Logan’s previous PR was 5-10 ¾ in her final indoor meet – the Big Ten Championships earlier this month in Indianapolis. Her previous outdoor PR was 5-7 at last year’s USF Alumn Invite.

On Saturday, she passed 5-1 and 5-3 and cleared 5-5 on her first attempt. She cleared 5-7 and 5-8 ¾ on her second attempts and then 5-10 on her first. Four jumpers were left at 5-11 ¼ , but only Logan got over the bar, and she did it on her 1st attempt. She finished by taking three attempts at 6-0.

Both Rutgers high jump records are now held by South Jersey alums. Schalick graduate Anthony Butler jumped 7-1 ½ in Charlotesville in 2004.

Other Rutgers records held by South Jersey athletes: Paul Friedman [Moorestown] men’s outdoor 10,000 [29:20.80], Chris Mirabelli [Rancocas Valley], men’s javelin [251-6], Dennisha Page [Wilson] women’s outdoor 100 [11.30] and indoor 60 [7.26], Gabrielle Farquharson [Williamstown] women’s outdoor 200 [23.07] and indoor 200 [23.32], Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest] women’s outdoor hurdles [13.30], outdoor long jump [21-6 ¾], indoor long jump [21-10 ¼] and indoor hurdles [8.19] and Claudine Smith [Atlantic City] indoor triple jump [41-10].

At Sterling, Logan jumped 5-6 several times and won the 2022 state Group 2 champ in Somerset. Her mark Saturday is 4th-best ever by a South Jersey high school graduate. Here’s a look at the eight South Jersey jumpers I’m aware of who’ve cleared 5-9 or better.

6-3 … Priscilla Frederick [Paul VI], July 22, 2015, Toronto, Canada
6-1 ½ … MaryBeth Labosky [Holy Cross], April 17, 1992, Lawrence, Kan.
6-0 ¾ … Kenady Wilson [Willingboro], April 23, 2022, Greensboro, N.C.
5-11 ¼ … Jenovia Logan [Sterling], March 22, 2025, Tampa
5-10 ½ … Megan Kirschling [West Deptford], June 2, 2012, South Plainfield
5-10 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], June 9, 2018, Mansfield Twp.
5-10 … Bryanna Craig [Millville], April 14, 2022, West Monroe, La.
5-9 ¼ … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], May 15, 2011, Princeton

In her first race for Howard, Pennsville’s Arianna Smith ran the 4^th-fastest time in school history and nearly ran a PR.

Smith, who started at Princeton and then spent a year at Rutgers, won the intermediates Friday in her 2025 season opener at the University of Southern Florida Alumni Invitational in Tampa.

Smith ran 57.89 to finish 1^st in a field of 42 hurdlers opening their 2025 outdoor track season. Jessica Wright set the school record of 55.81 in 2003, Simone Watkins ran 55.92 in 2024 and Landria Buckley ran 57.88 in 2009.

Smith set a school record of 57.84 while she was at Princeton at the 2023 Heps at Franklin Field. Her best time last year at Rutgers was a 59.55 when she won this meet last year, and that’s No. 3 in Rutgers history. So she’s now top-4 all-time at three different schools.

Catching up on some remarkable performances last weekend, we’ll start with the Winslow Township girls, who smashed the South Jersey 4-by-4 record at Boston Nationals.

Freshman Jasmine Jackson, sophomore Skyhe Seamon, Amariah Arango and Cinniya Robinson ran 3:44.74, breaking a 22-year-old South Jersey record.

Jackson led off in 56.82, Seaymon ran 55.26, Arango split 55.50 and Robinson anchored in 57.12, with each earning All-America honors.

The time is 5th-fastest in state history and 2nd-fastest by a public school, behind only Columbia’s 3:42.03 with Olivia Baker at Armory Nationals [which was the same meet as this year’s Boston Nationals, just in a different place].

Willingboro set the previous South Jersey record of 3:45.37 at 2003 Armory Nationals, at the time the state record. Rhea Mann [58.01], Channel Hamilton [57.12], Halimah Bashir [56.03] and Okechi Ogbuokiri [54.21] ran on that team.

Winslow also placed 4th in the shuttle hurdles in 33.04, with Jackson, junior Ma’Syiah Brawner, sophomore Justice Green and senior Sanaa Bradley earning All-America honors. Winslow also ran 1:39.77 in the 4-by-2 with junior Olivia Okaro, sophomore Jordyn Cato, sophomore Skyhe Seamon and sophomore Cinniya Robinson is No. 2 in South Jersey history.

All-Time New Jersey Indoor 4-by-4 List
3:40.28 … Union Catholic, 2016
3:41.19 … Union Catholic, 2025
3:42.03 … Columbia, 2013
3:43.38 … Union Catholic, 2025
3:44.74 … Winslow Twp., 2025
3:45.37 … Willingboro, 2003
3:45.89 … Winslow Twp., 2025
3:46.42 … Columbia, 2014
3:47.03 … Union Catholic, 2015
3:47.31 … Union Catholic, 2019
3:47.59 … Union Catholic, 2024
3:47.95 … Willingboro, 2002
3:48.9h … Plainfield, 1980
3:49.07 … Camden, 1995
3:49.18 … Rumson-Fair Haven, 2025
3:49.50 … East Orange, 2006
3:49.50 … Winslow Twp., 2024
3:49.59 … Timber Creek, 2024
3:49.9h … Plainfield, 1981
3:50.82 … Union Catholic, 2017
3:50.88 … Lawrenceville, 2025
3:50.89 … Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 2022
3:50.90 … Winslow Twp., 2005
3:50.8h … Snyder, 1981

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 4×4 List
3:44.74 … Winslow Twp., 2025
3:45.37 … Willingboro, 2003
3:45.89 … Winslow Twp., 2025
3:47.95 … Willingboro, 2002
3:49.07 … Camden, 1995
3:49.50 … Winslow Twp., 2024
3:49.59 … Timber Creek, 2024
3:51.49 … Winslow Twp., 2017
3:52.37 … Willingboro, 2000
3:52.55 … Wilson, 2006
3:53.61 … Willingboro, 1998
3:53.81 … Paul VI, 2020
3:53.6h … Willingboro, 1999
3:53.82 … Timber Creek, 2023
3:53.97 … Rancocas Valley, 2019

A personal note: Apologies for not posting any results the last several days, but it was out of respect to South Jersey track legend Mike Pascuzzo, who we lost last weekend. You can find my remembrance of Mike here.