Juniors Jade Pinder and Trinity Brapoh turned in massive performances for Willingboro in the Central Jersey Group 2 Sectionals at Hillsborough, both winning three events and placing in a 4th.
Pinder won the 100 in 12.34 after a 12.25 in the trials, ran a PR 24.23 to win the 200 and ran 57.51 to win the 400. She also jumped a big long jump PR 18-4 ½ to finish 2nd to Brapoh.
Brapoh won the 100-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump, all with PRs. She hurdled 14.35 and jumped 18-11 ¼ and 37-3. She also took 3rd in the high jump at 4-10.
Brapoh and Pinder recorded the best long jumps by Willingboro girls in 47 years, since Olympian and former U.S. record holder Carol Lewis set the national schoolgirl record of 21-7 3/4 at the Liberty Bell Classic at Franklin Field. Willingboro’s only other 18-footer since Lewis is Shanavia Thomas, who went 18-0 in 2009.
Willingboro, which competed this spring without a couple returning sectional point scorers from indoors and last spring, fell two points shy of winning the team title, but also got big performances from junior Maya Bolden, who was 3rd in the 100 with a 12.54 after a 12.41 in the trials, and 4th in the 400 in 59.07, and freshman Erin Scott, who took 3rd in the 200 in a PR 25.58, 4th in the intermediates with a PR 1:08.88 and 6th in the 100 in 12.80 after a PR 12.38 in the trials.
Sophomore Annalyse Brown placed 2nd in the intermediates in 1:08.08, also a PR.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 