With the U.S. Championships just two weeks away on Staten Island, we thought we’d take a look at South Jersey athletes who’ve achieved either the A or B qualifying standard so far and a few others who are close.
The A standard guarantees an athlete a spot in the Championships. Those with the B standard fill spots in the field if there aren’t enough athletes with the A standard.
The qualifying window, which opened Nov. 1, closes at the end of the day Sunday, so athletes who are close have one more good chance to qualify or improve their B standard.
U.S. Nationals are scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1 at Ocean Breeze.
Men
Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.]: Dwyer ran 6.52 on his home track in State College earlier this month, dipping below the A standard of 6.59. Dwyer is currently No. 6 in the world and No. 3 among Americans.
Jamir Brown [Delran, Riverside]: Brown, a sophomore at Syracuse, PR’d with his 7.60 in Clemson last month. That’s below the A standard of 7.65 and guarantees the former Rowan star a lane at nationals.
Greg Foster [Lumberton, Lawrenceville Prep]: Princeton junior hit a huge long jump PR of 26-10 ½ last weekend, surpassing the A standard of 26-6 ¾. Foster is also under the B standard of 7.90 in the hurdles with his 7.77 at the Ott Center last month. Note that Washington Township’s Yashahyah Brown, a Hampton sophomore, is 5-100ths of a second off the B standard of 7.90 with his 7.95 PR last weekend, also at the Ott.
Floyd Whitaker [Highland]: Whitaker, the NCAA outdoor triple jump runner-up last year, is currently No. 5 American and has a strong B standard with his PR 53-8 in Norman, Okla., last month. The A standard is 54-1 ½ and only three Americans have jumped that far this year, so even if he doesn’t hit 54-1 ½ he’s still got a very good chance to qualify.
Josh Awotunde [Delsea]: Awotunde, the is No. 10 among American with his 65-1 ½ at Millrose at the Armory earlier this month. That’s well beyond the B standard of 62-0 ¾ Awotunde was 3rd at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Ore. The A standard is 68-10 ¾.
Alexander Osayemi [Clayton]: The Alabama freshman ran 46.80 in Albuquerque earlier this month, well below the B standard of 47.20. He needs to go 46.00 for the A standard.
David Brown [Rowan]: Brown cleared a lifetime-best 7-2 ½ at the Ott Center this past weekend, an NCA Division 3 freshman record and No. 3 in d-3 history. Brown, from Edison, nailed the B standard. He needs 7-4 ½ for the A standard.
Women
Elisia Lancaster [Delsea]: Lancaster threw 71-11 ¼ at the Ott Center last month to nail the B standard. The auto qualifier in the weight throw is 77-1.
Tionna Tobias [Winslow]: Tobias jumped 20-11 ½, well beyond the B standard of 20-4. The A standard she’s shooting for is 22-1 ¾. Tobias is No. 17 American woman.
Jessica Woodard [Cherokee]: Woodard is No. 11 among U.S. women at 58-2 from a meet in Saskatoon, Canada, last month. That’s well beyond the B standard of 54-1 ½ and not far from the A standard of 61-4.
Jenovia Logan [Sterling]: Rutgers sophomore cleared 5-10, which equals the B standard. She would need to clear 6-1 ½ for the A qualifier.
Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken]: Pennsauken senior is 1-100th of a second off the B standard of 7.35 in the 60-meter dash. She ran 7.36 at the Ott Center last month. The A standard is 7.20. Wynn has run as fast as 7.29 last March at the Armory.
Aliya Garozzo [Paul VI]: Forner Penn and Duke intermediate hurdles star PR’d this past weekend in Clemson with a 52.43, not far off the A standard of 52.20 and well below the 400-meter dash B standard of 54.00.
Ryan Jennings [Timber Creek]: Jennings doesn’t quite have the B standard of 7.35 in the 60 but she’s close with her 7.41 in Fayetteville last week.
Sophia Curtis [Ocean City]: The B standard in the triple jump is 42 feet. Curtis, a Clemson freshman, has jumped 40-8 ¼ this year but she has jumped as far as 41-9 ½ in the past.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 