Pleasantville’s Gabriel Moronta easily advanced to the 2nd round in the 400 at NCAA East Prelims Wednesday night in Jacksonville.
Moronta, a South Florida senior and one of the top-ranked quarter-milers in college track, ran 45.95 and placed 3rd in the 3rd of six heats late Wednesday evening following a long rain delay.
The top three in each race plus the next six-fastest advanced to the quarterfinals at 6:50 p.m. Friday. The top three from each of three heats Friday and the next three-fastest advance to the NCAA semifinals in Eugene, Ore., on June 11.
Moronta ranks 16th in Division 1 with his 45.31 at the Florida Relays last month. His 45.95 placed him 14th of 48 qualifiers in the first round. He’ll be in Lane 4 in the first semifinal on Friday along with sub-45 quarter-milers Samuel Ogazi of Alabama and Jenoah McKiver of Florida.
Moronta is the 3rd-fastest 400 runner from South Jersey, behind Olympic gold medalists Lamont Smith [44.30] and Dennis Mitchell [45.26]. He’s 8th-fastest on the all-time New Jersey alumni list, 1-100th of a second behind Willie McLaughlin of East Orange, who ran 45.30 in 1983. His daughter is four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin.
Moronta competed in the 400 hurdles and 800 at NCAA East Prelims while attending Southern Mississippi but since transferring to South Florida he’s been exclusively a 400 runner, and he’s become one of the best in the country.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 