Tey’ana Ames, a junior from Atlantic County Tech, bombed one of the longest shot put throws in Rutgers history and South Jersey history Friday in New York.
Ames popped a two-foot PR and won the Scarlet Knight Open at the Armory with a monster 52-9 ¼ on her 3rd throw. Three of the top four placers in the meet are from South Jersey and all three PR’d.
For Ames, her 52-9 3/4 surpasses her previous PR of 50-8 ¼ from the Ott Center last month.
Ames’s throw is No. 2 in Rutgers history, behind only a 54-5 ¼ by Jasmine Van Note of Sayreville High at the same meet three years ago.
Ames’ throw is also No. 3 all-time by a South Jersey athlete, behind Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard, whose PR is 63-7 ¾ in Tucson in 2021, and Delsea’s Jamine Moton, who threw 58-6 ¼ in Clemson, S.C., in 2001. South Jersey’s other 50-footer is Cornell’s Victoria Imbesi from Estell Manor and Our Lady of Mercy in Newfield, who threw 50-5 when she won the 2013 indoor Ivy League meet in Cambridge, Mass.
Ames’ high school PR was only 41-2 from the 2022 Meet of Champions in Somerset, and her indoor PR was 39-11 from a meet at the Bubble in December 2021.
Ames’ throw makes her No. 34 in NCAA Division 1 and No. 28 among U.S. women.
Ames opened with a 47-1 and a 47-7 before her big 52-9 ¼. She finished with a foul, a 48-0 ¾ and another foul.
She’s now been over 50 feet in three meets this indoor season after coming into the year with a PR of 47-11 from the 2024 Penn Relays.
The versatile Ames has also cleared 5-7 in the high jump for Rutgers although she hasn’t high jumped since the 2024 outdoor season.
Also Friday, Williamstown graduate Ciara Demarest placed 3rd with a lifetime-best 44-9 ¾ on her final throw. Her previous PR was a 44-8 from the 2023 Tri-County Conference meet at Delsea and her previous collegiate best was a 44-0 ¾ at this meet in 2024.
Demarest bumped Zyra Thomas of Schalick from the No. 10 spot on the all-time Rutgers indoor performance list. Thomas threw 43-9 ¾ in Ann Arbor in 2019.
In 4th place was Rider freshman Kendra Green, who threw a PR 44-3 ¼, on her 2nd attempt, snapping her previous best of 43-6 ½ from last month at Ocean Breeze. That’s No. 7 on the all-time Rider list and No. 1 this year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
All-TIme New Jersey Alumni 50-Foot List
60-6 ¼ … Jessica Oji [], Jan. 24, 2026, Philadelphia
63-7 ¾ … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], May 20, 2021, Tucson, Ariz.
62-7 ¾ … Maren Seidler [Governor Livingston], June 11, 1979, Walnut, Calif.
59-5 … Pam Dukes [Freehold Twp.], June 26, 1987, San Jose, Calif.
59-1 ½ … Alyssa Wilson [Donovan Catholic], April 20, 2019, Long Beach, Calif.
58-6 ¼ … Jamine Moton [Delsea], May 13, 2001, Clemson, S.C.
56-6 … Nickolette Dunbar [Whippany Park], May 14, 2021, College Station, Texas
54-8 ¼ … Jasmine Van Note [Sayreville], April 1, 2023, Gainesville, Fla.
53-6 ½ … Jessica Oji [Livingston], Jan. 25, 2025, New York
52-9 ¼ … Teyana Ames [Atlantic Tech], Feb. 6, 2026, New York
52-4 ¾ … Maureen Laffan [Toms River North], Feb. 27, 2010, Blacksburg, Va.
51-11 ½ … Alicia Campbell [Snyder], Feb. 24, 2024, Geneva, Ohio
51-1 … Kelly Fazekas [Northern Valley-Demarest], May 25, 2007, Gainesville, Fla.
50-10 ¾ … Vanessa Wood [Toms River South], April 29, 2025, Piscataway
50-6 ¼ … Shelby Bigsby [Montclair], June 22, 2019, Miramar, Fla.
50-5 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], May 6, 2012, Philadelphia
50-2 ¾ … Danielle Notarfrancesco [Jackson Liberty], April 18, 2021, Amherst, Mass.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 