From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Nester Wea may have gotten overlooked because she competed at the same time as Sianni Wynn and Natalie Dumas, two all-time New Jersey greats, but Wea is without question an all-time New Jersey great as well.

Wea, a senior at Willingboro, earned four more medals at the Meet of Champions Wednesday and has now won total of 13 MoC medals in her four years at Willingboro.

She’s also now one of only two girls in state history who’s ranked in the top 20 in state history in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes, considering only wind-legal times.

On Wednesday, Wea placed 3rd in the 100 with a windy 11.73 and 3rd in the 200 in 24.28. She also ran a 53.96 anchor on Willingboro’s 3rd-place 4-by-4 team, which ran 3:47.01, and led off the Chimeras’ 400-meter relay team, which was 2nd in 46.71.

Wea has wind-legal PRs of 11.62 and 23.89 ad well as 53.98 in the 400, all from the state Group 2 meet earlier this month in South Plainfield, where she won all three – her 9th, 10th and 11th individual state titles.

In state history, considering only legal times, she’s 13th in the 100, 12th in the 200 and 14th in the 400. On the all-time South Jersey lists, she’s 8th in the 100, 5th in the 200 and 9th in the 200.

The only other runner in state history in all three top-20s is current Pennsauken junior Sianni Wynn – 3rd at 11.36, 3rd at 23.20 and 6th at 52.80.

Racing with Kaila Speight, Jade Pinder and Maya Bolden, Wea led Willingboro to two hot relay times as well on Wednesday at Pennsauken.

We wrote the other day about Willingboro’s 4-by-1, which ran 46.71, which is 10th-fastest in state history, 3rd-fastest in South Jersey history, 3rd-fastest in meet history and a Burlington County record.

Willingboro’s 4-by-4 – with the same four runners and a slightly different lineup – ran 3:47.01, which is 13th-fastest in meet history, 14th-fastest in South Jersey history and 4th-fastest in Burlington County history, behind only Willingboro teams from 2001 [3:43.93], 2002 [3:44.64] and 1999 [3:45.74].

Wea is planning to compete for Towson (Md.) University next year!

2025 Outdoors
3rd, 100-Meter Dash, 11.73
4th,. 200-Meter Dash, 24.28
2nd, 400-Meter Relay [with Kaila Speight, Jade Pinder, Maya Bolden], 46.71
3rd, 1,600-Meter Relay [with Maya Bolden, Jade Pinder, Kaila Speight], 3:47.01
2025 Indoors
4th, 400-Meter Dash, 55.52
5th, 1,600-Meter Relay [with Kaila Speight, Jaden Murry, Maya Bolden], 3:55.71
2024 Outdoors
8th, 200-Meter Dash, 24.78
2nd, 1,600-Meter Relay [with Jaden Murry, Maya Bolden, Kaila Speight], 3:51.08
2024 Indoors
4th, 55-Meter Dash, 7.22
4th, 200-Meter Dash, 24.76
3rd, 1,600-Meter Relay [with ???], 3:54.59
2023 Outdoors
2nd, 400-Meter Relay [with Kaila Speight, Aaliyah Robinson, Jaden Murry], 47.78
2023 Indoors
4th, 1,600-Meter Relay [with Aaliyah Robinson, Kaila Speight, Jaden Murry], 4:01.17

All-Time New Jersey Wind-Legal 100-Meter Dash List
11.23 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
11.33 … Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek], 2024
11.36 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2025
11.42 … Michele Glover [Willingboro], 1981
11.44 … Myasia Jacobs [Paramus Catholic], 2010
11.49 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
11.50 … Wendy Vereen [Trenton], 1984
11.53 … Taylor Aska [Union Catholic], 2025
11.57 … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
11.57 … M’elisa Barber [Montclair], 1998
11.57 … Jada Ellis [Manchster Twp.], 2021
11.58 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
11.62 … Nester Wea [Willingboro], 2025
11.62 … Cathy Crawford [Perth Amboy], 1977
11.65 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholilc], 2025
11.65 … Ogechi Nwaneri [Chatham], 2006
11.65 … Aleah Williams [Montxlair
11.66 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2021
11.68 … Shavon Greaves [Lakewood], 2007
11.70 … Christiana Nwachuku [Kent Place], 2022
11.71 … Jay-Deen Batchelor [Hillside], 2025

All-Time New Jersey Wind-Legal 200-Meter Dash List
22.96 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2017
22.99 … Wendy Vereen [Trenton], 1983
23.20 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2025
23.29 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
23.42 … Aleah Williams [Montclair], 1999
23.46 … Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek], 2025
23.63 … Athing Mu [Trenton], 2018
23.69 … Michele Glover [Willingboro], 1981
23.73 … Myasia Jacobs [Paramus Catholic], 2010
23.87 … Jenna Harris [Franklin], 2003
23.89 … Shavon Greaves [Lakewood], 2007
23.89 … Nester Wea [Willingboro], 2025
23.90 … Denise Liles [Kingsway], 1984
23.90 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2018
23.91 … Sydney Hawkins [Phillipsburg], 2018
23.92 … Mikele Barber [Montclair], 1997
23.94 … M’elisa Barber [Montclair], 1998
23.95 … Olivia Baker [Columbia], 2013
23.96 … Regina Trotter [Weequahic], 1991
23.96 … Ogechi Nwaneri [Columbia], 2006
23.96 … Shakira Dancy [Winslow Twp.], 2017

All-Time New Jersey 400-Meter Dash List
51.87 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2017
51.87 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2025
51.98 … Athing Mu [Trenton], 2019
52.46 .. .Olivia Baker [Columbia], 2014
52.56 … Mikele Barber [Montclair], 1998
52.80 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken ], 2025
52.91 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], 2009
53.12 … Julia Jackson [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], 2022
53.49 … Arianna Sharpe [Clayton], 2022
53.51 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1996
53.60 … Amirah Sharpe [Clayton], 2022
53.64 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 2008
53.98 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2007
53.98 … Nester Wea [Willingboro], 2025
54.04 … Nadia Davy [Bridgeton], 1998
54.19 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 2003
54.36 … Shakira Dancy [Winslow Twp.], 2018
54.41 … Dennisha Page [Woodrow Wilson], 2019
54.51 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1998
54.62 … Audrey Wilson [Deptford], 2008
54.75 … Faleesha Dowe [Penns Grove], 2014
54.93 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2004