This was fun last year, so we’re going to do it again! Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.
Today: Jermain Nelson, Pleasantville
Nelson did his part to maintain the Pleasantville middle-distance tradition, winning a state Group 2 title and running the 4th-fastest time in school history.
Nelson ran his first sub-49 race at South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals at Delsea, where he placed 2nd in 48.65, 2-100ths of a second behind Barnegat’s Kyle Greenleaf. A week later at states at South Plainfield, he out-raced Greenleaf, winning his 1st state title in 48.74 to Greenleaf’s 49.20.
He joined Don Brooks [50.2ht in 1986], 50.0ht in 1987], Mike Patterson [48.05 in 1997], Joe Lewis [49.17 in 1998], Devon Matthews [49.07 in 1996, 48.16 in 1999] Isaac Clark [48.07 in 2013] and Sahmir Jones [49.06 in 2018] as the 7th Pleasantville runner to win a state 400 title.
Nelson then PR’d at West Philly Nationals with a 48.50, 12th-fastest in Atlantic County history. Hammonton’s Jake Edwards [48.32] and St. Augustine’s Marc Maccario [48.33] also ran well under 49 this year.
Nelson also ran 22.08 in the 200 and placed 2nd to Kani Golden of Haddon Heights at sectionals and he high jumped 6-4, placing 3rd at sectionals.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 