What a huge breakthrough race Thursday for Cherry Hill East senior Brandon Lyons, who trimmed more than four seconds off his PR and won a very deep 800 at the South Jersey Elite Invitational at Delsea.

Lyons ran 1:53.77 and won by 15 meters over Kingsway sophomore Ryan Duffy, who PR’d in 2nd at 1:56.03 in only his 3rd race since the 2024 indoor season.

His time is fastest in New Jersey this year, bumping a 1:54.73 by Ayodele Joa-Griffith of the Lawrenceville School at a meet last month in Lorton, Va.

Lyons came into the race with a 1:57.84 PR from last year’s Olympic Conference Championships at Rancocas Valley, where he placed 2nd to Winslow’s Dominic Bassey.

Lyons led the field through 400 meters in 56.03, but with three others within a second. But Lyons had the strongest finish, closing in 57.75. Duffy closed in 59.3, with Cherokee senior Tate Midora [1:57.13] and Highland senior Mason Wassell [1:57.69]. Midora’s previous PR was 2:00.43 at last year’s Burlington County Open at Northern Burlington, and Wassell’s previous PR was 1:59.06 indoors at the Ott Center in January.

In all, 10 runners broke two minutes and all 10 PR’d: After Lyons, Duffy, Midora and Wassell: Atlantic County Tech senior Thomas Wodazak was 5th [1:59.19], followed by Shawnee senior Brody Dillich [1:59.31], Eastern soph Timothy Shack [1:59.37], Cherokee junior Dominic Pileri [1:59.66], Millville senior Arjun Patel [1:59.74] and Cherry Hill East junior Will Nelson [1:59.93].

As for Duffy, his 1:56.03 is fastest this year by a New Jersey sophomore. His previous PR was a 1:59.63 at 2024 indoor Group 4 sectionals in Toms River.

Lyon’s time is 6th-fastest on the all-time Camden County list. He broke the school record of 1:54.59 set at the 2016 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor by Isaiah Jean-Baptiste.

All-Time Camden County 800 Top 10
1:51.53 … Jeff Boyer [Camden], 1978
1:52.15 … Dominic Bassey [Winslow Twp.], 2024
1:53.25 … Greg Pelose [Haddonfield], 2016
1:53.49 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2010
1:53.54y … Frank Romero [Haddon Twp.], 1977
1:53.77 … Brandon Lyons [Cherry Hill East], 2025
1:53.78 … Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2015
1:53.79 … Mike Shemonsky [Eastern], 1990
1:53.88 … Derek Gess [Haddonfield], 2019
1:54.27 … Billy Clewell [Camden Catholic], 2022

Just a couple weeks ago, Delsea’s Hannah Nuhfer bombed one of the top discus throws in state history.

On Thursday, another Gloucester County junior did the same thing.

Glassboro junior Sunsarai Moore popped a more than 10-foot PR in the South Jersey Elite Invitational at Delsea.

Moore won the disc with a monster 155-2 on her 1st attempt, the best mark by a South Jersey discus thrower in 12 years and 4th-best all-time.

It’s also No 9 in state history and No. 4 all-time by a junior.

Moore’s previous PR was a 143-10 at last year’s South Jersey Group 1 Sectionals at Pennsauken. She went on to place 3rd at the Meet of Champions with a 143-0. Her best throw this year was a 140-0 at the Penn Relays.

But on Thursday, she popped the two biggest throws of her life around three fouls. After opening at 155-2 and a foul, she hit 144-8 on her 3rd throw. She finished with a 136-7 and two fouls.

Four of the top 13 throwers in state history are now from Gloucester County. Jocelyn White threw 172-2 at the 2004 state Group 3 meet at Egg Harbor is No. 2, Cherokee’s Jesssica Woodard is No. 4 with her 168-10 at 2013 U.S. Juniors in Des Moines, Iowa, Moore is now No. 9 and Nuhfer is No. 13 with her 153-2 from Woodbury two weeks ago.

Glassboro’s discus record before Moore threw 130-4 at last year’s Woodbury Relays was held by Stacie Belzer, who threw 129-7 at the 2002 Tri-County Conference All-Star Meet at Delsea.

All-Time New Jersey 150-Foot Discus List
182-0 … Alyssa Wilson [Donovan Catholic], 2017
172-2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
172-2 … Layla Giordano [Old Tappan], 2024
168-10 … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2013
161-11 … Helene O’Connell [Jackson], 1977
161-7 … Jessica Oji [Livingston], 2024
161-1 … Jamine Moton [Delsea], 1997
155-7 … Jada Mia Puryear [Union Catholic], 2022
155-2 … Sunsarai Moore [Glassboro], 2025
153-6 … Tisha Kerrin [Eastern], 1989
153-3 … DeAnne Hahn [Brick Twp.], 2008
153-2 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
153-2 … Hannah Nuhfer [Delsea], 2025
152-4 … Kirsten Batts [Marlboro], 2007

All-Time South Jersey 140-Foot Discus List
172-2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
168-10 … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2013
161-1 … Jamine Moton [Delsea], 1997
155-2 … Sunsarai Moore [Glassboro], 2025
153-6 … Tisha Kerrin [Eastern], 1989
153-2 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
153-2 … Hannah Nuhfer [Delsea], 2025
149-3 … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
147-7 … Brook-lynn Roberts [Winslow Twp.], 2024
146-5 … Kim Warren [Atlantic City], 2006
143-10 … Sunsarai Moore [Glassboro], 2024
143-3 … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006
143-2 … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017
140-6 … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
140-1 … Melinda Boykin[Bridgeton], 1997
140-0 … Geri Riley [Millville], 1987

Washington Township senior Ella Karp popped the No. 11 shot put in South Jersey history Thursday – and only one inch out of No. 8 – at the South Jersey Elite at Delsea.

Karp threw 44-8 ½ on her 1st throw, improving her lifetime best from 43-3 ¾ indoors at the Armory in March and increasing her outdoor PR from 42-1 ½ from the Woodbury Relays two weeks ago.

Karp moved up No. 3 in Gloucester County history, behind Delsea throwers Janiece Rose – who threw 46-4 at the 2011 Rowan Open in Glassboro and Hannah Nuhfer, who threw 46-4 at the Deptford Spartan Relays last month.

Nuhfer was 2nd with a best throw of 42-11 ½ on her 5th throw. Her 44-8 1/2 is No. 4 in New Jersey this year. She broke the meet record of 41-10 set in 2023 by Williamstown’s Ciara Demarest.

All-Time South Jersey 44-Foot Club
47-1 ¼ … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2013
46-4 ……… Janiece Rose [Delsea], 2011
46-4 ……… Hannah Nuhfer [Delsea], 2025
46-1 ½ … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 2000
46-0 ¼ … Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018
45-7 ½ … Ronetta Hunter [Burlington Twp.], 2015
45-5 ……… Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
44-9 ¾ … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2016
44-9 ……… Kim Warren [Atlantic City], 2006
44-9 ……… Lola Agabalogun [Egg Harbor], 2013
44-8 ½ … Ella Karp [Washington Twp.],. 2025
44-8 ……… Ciara Demarest [Williamstown], 2023
44-5 ¼ …. Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 1998
44-5 ……… Jamine Moton [Delsea], 1997
44-4 ¼ …. Dana White [Camden], 2000
44-3 …. Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
44-2 ½ …. Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
44-0 ¾ …. Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006