A look at South Jersey contingent heading to Ocean Breeze for U.S. Nationals this weekend!!!!!!!!

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One long jumper, two 400 runners and three throwers are set to represent South Jersey this weekend at the USATF Championships at Ocean Breeze.

The heat sheets are finally out and Winslow’s Tionna Tobias will long jump, Arianna Smith of Pennsville and Aliya Garozzo of Paul VI will run the 400, Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard and Delsea’s Josh Awotunde will throw the shot and Delsea’s Elisia Lancaster is entered in the weight throw.

Most South Jersey qualifiers will be in action instead this weekend in their college conference meets.

Let’s take a look at what to expect this weekend:

TIONNA TOBIAS: Tobias will compete in the long jump starting at 3:05 p.m. Saturday. Tobias, a former Big Ten Conference heptathlon champion, has a long jump PR of 22-9 ¼ and a season best of 20-11 ½, which ranks her 19th among U.S. Women.

ARIANNA SMITH: Smith, a 56.11 intermediate hurdler, ran a lifetime-best 53.93 last weekend at Ocean Breeze. She’ll be in the second of four heats of the 400 qualifying at 3:48 p.m. Saturday.

ALIYA GAROZZO: Garozzo, like Smith an intermediate hurdler outdoors, ran a PR 52.43 at Clemson earlier this month. She has a 400IH PR of 55.77. Garozzo is racing in the third heat of the 400 trials at 3:48 p.m. Saturday.

JESSICA WOODARD: Woodard has a shot put PR of 63-7 ¾ and a season best of 59-5 ¼ going into nationals. She throws at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in a field of nine women.

JOSH AWOTUNDE: Awotunde has a season best of 68-4 ¾ from France earlier this month and a lifetime-best 73-8 ½ from his 3rd place at 2022 Worlds at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The men’s shot put starts at 1:25 p.m. Sunday.

ELISIA LANCASTER: Lancaster is one of only four women entered in the weight throw, which is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. Sunday. World Athletics doesn’t recognize the weight throw, so there are no U.S. or world rankings available, but I think her season best is 71-11 ¾ from last month at the Ott Center and as far as I can tell with no help from World Athletics (and of course no help ever from USATF) her lifetime-best is 78-2 ¼ from a meet in Bloomington, Ind., in 2024.

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