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: Ryleigh Budsock

Cherry Hill East sophomore Ryleigh Budsock followed an outstanding cross country season – she ran sub-20 at Holmdel – with a promising indoor season (5:18.93 for 1,600) before a breakout outdoor season, where she ran sub-2:20 in the 800 and 5:12 in the 1,600.

Budsock PR’d with her 5:12.05 at South Jersey Elite at Delsea and followed that with a win in the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township and a 6^th-place finish at South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals at Pennsauken. Budsock didn’t run a lot of 800s but she PR”d with a 2:19.45 at sectionals.

Budsock was the 3^rd-fastest sophomore in South Jersey at both 800 and 1,600 meters this spring behind Carly Godfrey of Ocean City and Grace Gutowski of Paul VI  on the 800 list and behind Gutowski and Godfrey on the 1,600 list.

She was one of three Cherry Hill East freshmen or sophomores to break 2:20 this year. Freshmen Maya Morgan [2:17.77] and Addison Weiss [2:19.74]  both went under at sectionals.

Budsock was East’s No. 1 runner in XC this past fall, and the Cougars placed 7^th at Group 4 states. They return Budsock and a total of six of their top seven runners, all but graduating senior Cate Feudtner.

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: Ryan James, Gloucester

The versatile James was the state Group 2 champion in the high jump at 6-6 with a PR of 6-7 at the Deptford Spartan Relays. But he also triple jumped 44-3 ¼ and won South Jersey Group 2 sectionals and long jumped 21-5 ½ and placed 4th at sectionals.

James doesn’t jump during the winter. He’s a three-year starter and two-year captain for Gloucester’s basketball team.

James became Gloucester’s first state champion since Stefano Okoro won the Group 1 long jump in 2013 and first high jump state champ since Ed Malone won Group 1 at 6-10 ¼ in 1985.

James won high jump titles at the Deptford Relays, West Deptford Relays, Camden County Championships and Group 2 sectionals leading up to his state title. His only losses in New Jersey during the season were at Woodbury and South Jersey Elite, both on misses to Highland’s Jayden DeLeon.

Gloucester placed 3rd at sectionals behind only Haddonfield and Haddon Heights, with James scoring 24 of their 59 points. Senior Kadon Harris added 16 with a win in the intermediates in 56.30 and 3rd place in the high jump at 6-0, and senior Jalil Banks [3rd in shot], junior Vincent Kelly [4th in the 3,200] and junior Marcus Flagg [6th in 800] also scored for the Lions.

James is planning to attend Rider and compete for the Broncos.

In our continuing effort to provide context to Natalie Dumas’s astounding weekend at West Philly Nationals, we thought we’d take a look at where she now ranks on the all-time U.S. Under-20 performance lists. The Under-20 category, recognized internationally by World Athletics, is the former “Junior” age group.

The U.S. and World 2025 and all-time Under-20 lists are available for free with no registration on the World Athletics web site. Just go to the “Stats” tab and then the “Toplists” tab and click on “Under 20” for “age category.”

Dumas won the 400 in 51.14, the 800 in 2:00.11 and the 400-meter hurdles in 55.99 at West Philly Nationals last month at Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s top-10 in high school history in all three races, but the Under 20 lists are much more competitive because they also include college freshmen.

Dumas is 16 and doesn’t turn 17 until Aug. 7. So she has three more full indoor and outdoor seasons in the Under-20 division.

400-Meter Dash

Dumas’s 51.14 is No. 1 on the 2025 U.S. and world Under-20 lists, and the girl she edged, Sydney Sutton, is No. 2 with her 51.23. Chioma Nwachukwu of Nigeria, who just finished her freshman year at Iowa, is 3rd with a 51.26 at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville in April.

On the all-time U.S. Under-20 list, Dumas is No. 22 and 4th-fastest among New Jersey athletes behind Olympic gold medalists Athing Mu [49.57 to win the 2021 NCAA Championships at Hayward Field] and Sydney McLaughlin [50.07 at the 2018 Florida Relays in Gainesville] and Montclair’s Mikele Barber [51.03 at Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1999]

Dumas is No. 45 on the all-time World Under-20 list, which is topped by 2021 Olympic 200 silver medalist Christine Mboma of Namibia, who ran 49.22 at the 2021 Namibian Championships in Windhoek, Namibia .

There are also Under-18 lists on World Athletics, but Dumas is not listed in any of them because her birthday is not filed with World Athletics. (World Athletics assumes anyone in high school is under 20.)

But she would be No. 8 in world history and No. 4 all-time U.S. in the 400 and No. 1 in the world this year if World Athletics knew she was under 18.

800-Meter Run

Dumas also leads the world Under-20 list in the 800 and again No. 2 is the girl she edged in West Philly – Emmry Ross of Onsted (Mich.), who was 2nd in 2:00.25. Third is Rin Kubo of Japan, who ran 2:00.28 in May at the 40th Shizuoka International Athletics Meet at Prefectural Shizuoka Stadium in Fukuroi, Japan.

On the all-time Under-20 list, Dumas is No. 50 and trails two New Jersey half-milers – Mu is No. 2 all-time at 1:55.04 at the Pre Classic at Hayward Field in 2021 and Ajee’ Wilson of Neptune is No. 17 at 1:58.21 at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. Dumas is No. 8 on the all-time U.S. Under 20 list.

If her birthdate was listed with World Athletics, she would be No. 10 in world history with her 2:00.11 and No. 2 among U.S. women behind only Mary Cain, who ran a then-U.S. high school record 1:59.51 at the 2013 Pre Classic at Hayward Field.

400-Meter Hurdles

Dumas is No. 4 on the 2025 World Under 20 list in the intermediates, behind Michelle Smith of the Virgin Islands and the University of Georgia [54.56 at the Florida Relays in Gainesville in April], Carlsbad [Calif.] High School senior Morgan Herbst [55.78 at USATF Under-20’s at Hayward Field last month] and South Africa’s Tumi Ramokgopa [55.90 at the South African Championships in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April]. So she’s No. 2 in the U.S.

On the all-time Under-20 list, Dumas is No. 40 and No. 2 among New Jersey athletes behind world record holder and four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin, who ran 52.75 in Knoxville in 2018. Dumas is No. 12 on the all-time U.S. Under-20 list.

On the all-time Under-18 list, Dumas would be No. 5 in world history and No. 4 all-time U.S., behind McLaughlin’s 54.15 in Eugene at the 2016 Olympic Trials, Lesley Maxie’s 55.20 at the 1984 The Athletics Congress Championships in San Jose, Calif., and Ebony Collins’ 55.96 at the 2005 IAAF World Youth Championships at Sidi-Youssef-Ben-Ali in Marrakech, Morocco, in 2005.

Jessica Woodard recorded her 2nd-best throw of 2025 over the weekend at the Iron Wood Classic in Rathdrum, Idaho.

Woodard, a Cherokee graduate, threw 60-10 ¾, just three-quarters of an inch off her season-best 60-11 ½ from the USATF Throws Festival in Tucson in May.

With the USATF Championships in Eugene four weeks away, Woodard is No. 9 in the U.S. with her 60-11 ½. She’s No. 18 in U.S. history with her 63-7 ¾ from U.S. Nationals at Hayward Field in 2022.

In Rathdrum, Woodard surpassed 59 feet three times with a 59-9 opener, 59-2 ¾ on her 3rd throw and the 60-10 ¾ on her 4th.

Woodard has placed in the top 10 in 12 consecutive U.S. Championships in which she’s competed.

Jessica Woodard Lifetime 60-Foot Throws
63-7 ¾ … U.S. Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
62-7 … World Championships [qualifying], Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., July 15, 2022
62-3 ¾ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2021
61-10 ¼ … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
61-8 ¾ … NACAC Championships, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Aug. 21, 2022
61-8 ¾ … Memorial van Damme, Boudewijnstadion, Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 7, 2023
61-7 ¾ … U.S. Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
61-7 ¾ … U.S. Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 26, 2022
61-7 … USATF Golden Games, Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022
61-6 ½ … Ed Murphey Classic, Memphis, Tenn., July 30, 2022
61-5 ¼ … NACAC Championships, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Aug. 21, 2022
61-5 ¼ … Diamond League Meeting de Paris, Stade Charléty, Paris, June 9, 2023
61-4 ¼ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 19, 2023
61-4¼i … U.S. Indoor Championships, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 26, 2022
61-3 ¾ … Ed Murphey Classic, Wolfe Track Complex, Memphis, Aug. 4, 2023
61-3 ½ … NCAA Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 7, 2018
61-3 … World Championships [final], Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., July 16, 2022
61-2 ¼ … Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athletisme de Rabat, Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah, Rabat, Morocco, May 28, 2023
61-1 ¾ … Diamond League Meeting de Paris, Stade Charléty, Paris, June 9, 2023
61-1 ¼ … World Championships [final], Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., July 16, 2022
60-11 ¼ … U.S. Championships, Albuquerque Convention Center, Feb. 16, 2924
60-11 ½ … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 24, 2025
60-10 ¾ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 19, 2023
60-10 ¾ … Iron Wood Classic, Iron Wood Throwers Center, Rathdrum, Idaho, June 29, 2025
60-10i … U.S. Indoor Championships, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 26, 2022
60-10 … USATF Throws Festival, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2022
60-9 ½ … USATF Golden Games, Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif., May 9, 2021
60-7 ¼ … USATF Golden Games, Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif., May 9, 2021
60-7 ½i … Don Kirby Elite, Albuquerque (N.M.) Convention Center, Feb. 12, 2022
60-6 ¾ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 19, 2023
60-6 ½ … USATF Throws Fest, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2023
60-5 ¾ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2021
60-4 ¾ … USATF Throws Fest, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
60-4 ½ … USATF Throws Fest, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 20, 2023
60-4 ½ … USATF Golden Games, Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022
60-4 … Goteborg Grand Prix, Goteborg, Sweden, Aug. 16, 2019
60-4 … USATF NYC Grand Prix, Icahn Stadiun, New York, June 9, 2024
60-3 ¼ … U.S. Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 24, 2021
60-3 ¼ … U.S. National Championships, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., July 8, 2023
60-3 ¼ … U.S. Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 29, 2024
60-3 … Big 12 Championships, Lawrence, Kans., May 13, 2017
60-3 … Ed Murphey Classic, Memphis, Tenn., July 30, 2022
60-3 … U.S. Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 29, 2024
60-3 … NACAC Championships, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Aug. 21, 2022
60-2 ½ … U.S. Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, Ore., June 29, 2024
60-1 ¼ … Chula Vista High Performance #3, Elite Training Stadium, Chula Vista, Calif., May 2, 2021
60-0 ½ … Chula Vista High Performance #1, Elite Training Stadium, Chula Vista, Calif., April 3, 2021
60-0 ½ … USATF NYC Grand Prix, Icahn Stadiun, New York, June 9, 2024
60-0 ½ … Tucson Elite Classic, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 19, 2022

Jessica Woodard U.S. Championships History
2024 Outdoors [Eugene]: 8th, 60-3 ¼
2024 Indoors [Albuquerque]: 4th, 60-11 ¼
2023 Outdoors [Eugene]: 5th 60-3 ¼
2023 Indoors [Albuquerque]: 3rd, 57-11 ½
2022 Outdoors [Eugene]: 3rd, 63-7 ¾
2022 Indoors [Spokane], 3rd, 61-4 ¼
2021 Outdoors [Eugene], 7th, 57-11 ¾
2021 Indoors [cancelled]
2020 Outdoors [cancelled]
2020 Indoors [Albuquerque]: 6th, 57-10 ¾
2019 Outdoors [Des Moines]: 6th, 57-10 ¾
2019 Indoors [New York]: 7th, 57-11 ½
2018 Outdoors [Des Moines]: 9th, 58-0 ¾
2018 Indoors: DNC
2017 Outdoors [Sacramento]: 8th, 57-5 ½