Seven South Jersey runners and jumpers from seven different high schools are on their way to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field.
All seven qualified in the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville or West Regional preliminary rounds in College Station, Texas.
The meet is scheduled to begin Wednesday evening EST and continue through Saturday. Men compete Wedenesday and Friday, women Thursday and Saturday.
Full women’s start lists are here and full men’s start lists are here:
Men’s start lists: Click here.
Women’s start lists: Click here.
Live results will be posted here.
Complete order of events is here:
The most recent NCAA Championship record book that I could find is from 2022. Click here.
For the broadcast schedule, click here.
Here’s an alphabetical look at the contingent that will represent South Jersey later this week:
**Kevin Burr [Eastampton, Rancocas Valley, Tennessee], Javelin: Burr threw 221-1 on his final attempt in Jacksonville to snag the final qualifying spot. Although he’s the 24th seed out of 24 competitors in Eugene, his 246-8 last month in Knoxville ranks him 10th in NCAA Division 1 this year and 1st among all freshmen and sophomores. It’s also 6th-best all-time by any thrower from South Jersey and No. 8 this year among U.S. men.
The men’s javelin final is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. Burr is in the first of two flights of 12. The 24 competitors will get three throws, with the top nine getting three more.
*Greg Foster [Lumberton, Lawrenceville School, Princeton], Long Jump: Similar to Burr, Foster is only the No. 15 seed based on performances at prelims with a 25-0 ¼ in Jacksonville. But he’s ranked 3rd in Division 1 with his 26-7 in Charlottesville in April, and he has a wind-legal PR of 26-1 ¾ from 2023. That’s No. 3 in South Jersey history behind Carl Lewis [29-1 ¼] and Matt Rose [26-3 ¼]. Foster is competing after missing all of last spring after undergoing surgery to repair a foot injury.
The men’s long jump final is scheduled for 5:40 p.m. Wednesday. Foster is scheduled to jump in the second of two flights of 12. The 24 competitors will get three jumps, with the top nine getting three more.
Aliya Garozzo [Sicklerville, Paul VI, Duke], 400-Meter Hurdles: Garozzo is the No. 11 seed in the 400-meter hurdles with her 56.46 at East Prelims, but she’s the No. 9 intermediate hurdler in Division 1 with her 55.77 PR in April in Durham, N.C., which ranks her 14th among all U.S. women. Garozzo is the 2nd-fastest intermediate hurdler ever from New Jersey, behind world record holder and four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughin, who ran 50.68. Garozzo is in the first of three heats.
The women’s 400-meter hurdles semifinals are scheduled for 6:14 p.m. Thursday The top two from each heat plus the next three-fastest advance to the final at 7:27 p.m. Saturday. Garozzo is also expected to lead off Duke’s 4-by-4 team, which races in the semifinals at 7:46 p.m. Thursday, with the final scheduled for 8:21 p.m. Saturday to end the meet. Duke is in the first of three heats. The top two in each heat and the next three-fastest advance to the final.
Nico Morales [Franklinville, Delsea, Rutgers], Pole Vault: Morales qualified at 17-5 ¾ but cleared 18-2 at the Big Ten Championships and has an official PR of 17-9 because all the Big Ten results were negated by some sort of technical snafu with the pegs that hold the bar in place. Either way, Morales has had a fantastic season and is one of two Rutgers pole vaulters heading to Eugene, along with junior Kevin O’Sullivan from Hillsborough.
The men’s pole vault is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. Wednesday on the East pit at Hayward with a progression of 17-0, 17-5 ¾, 17-9 ¾, 18-1 ¾, 18-3 ½, 18-5 ½, 18-7 ½ and so on.
Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville, South Florida], 400-Meter Dash: With his PR 45.01 at East Prelims, Moronta is the No. 2 seed in the 400, behind only Alabama sophomore Samuel Ogazi, who ran 44.43 in Jacksonville. Moronta is ranked 15th among U.S. men this year, and he’s now the 2nd-fastest 400 runner South Jersey has ever produced, behind only Olympic gold medalist Lamont Smith of Willingboro, who ran 44.30 at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta.
The men’s 400 semis are scheduled for 5:41 p.m. Wednesday. Moronta will be in the 2nd of three heats. The top two from each heat plus the next three-fastest advanced to a nine-man final, scheduled for 6:02 p.m. Friday.
Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken, Rutgers], 400-Meter Hurdles: Tucker advanced with a lifetime-best 50.00 at East Prelims, and he’ll race in the first of three heats. In 2023, Tucker won the Meet of Champions 400 hurdles in 50.96, and the runner who placed 2nd in that race – Alexander Sadikov of Ocean Township – is also in his heat at NCAAs, now racing for Penn.
The men’s 400-meter hurdles semis are scheduled for 6:14 p.m. Wednesday. The top two from each heat plus the next three-fastest advanced to a nine-man final, scheduled for 6:27 p.m. Friday.
Floyd Whitaker [Clementon, Highland, Oklahoma], Triple Jump: Whitaker is the No. 10 triple jumper in NCAA Division 1 with his PR 53-4 ½ in the West prelims in College Station. That makes him the No. 6 seed at NCAAs. He’s also currently ranked 13th among U.S. men going into nationals. Whitaker is the No. 2 triple jumper in South Jersey history, just two inchs behind Greg Foster, who jumped 53-6 ½ in Flagstaff, Ariz., in May of 1988. Foster’s son Greg is the Greg Foster listed above, who will also compete in Eugene.
The men’s triple jump is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. Friday. Whitaker jumps in the 2nd of two flights of 12. The top nine after three jumps get three more jumps.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 