Dylan Hosty finished up an astonishing weekend at her first outdoor state meet by running the 5th-fastest 1,600 in South Jersey history and 5th-fastest freshman time in state history.
Hosty, who won the 800 on Friday at the state Group 2 meet in Mansfield Township in 2:09.61, placed 2nd in the 1,600 in 4:47.58. Ocean Township sophomore Leah Starkey, the Armory track two-mile national champ in March, won the race in 4:42.92, the fastest ever in any group at the New Jersey state meet.
Hosty’s time is fastest ever run at the state meet by a South Jersey girl. The previous fastest time was 4:48.0 by Washington Township’s Michelle Rowan at the 1983 Group 4 meet in Piscataway.
Hosty’s previous PR was 4:47.80 converted from 4:49.48 for a full two miles at the Penn Relays last month.
In the 800, Hosty has run faster with a 2:08.12 at the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township earlier this month. But that 2:09.61 is also the fastest ever by a South Jersey girl at a state meet. The previous fastest time was 2:09.89 by Haddonfield’s Marielle Hall in 2009 in South Plainfield.
Hosty goes into the Meet of Champions as the No. 2 seed in the 1,600 behind Starkey and the No. 7 seed in the 800.
Hosty also ran a 57.41 anchor split on Haddonfield’s 4th-place 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 4:06.21. Junior Saya Sood, freshman Scarlet Perry and senior Edith Green also raced on the 4-by-4.
Haddonfield placed 2nd in Group 2 with 34 points, behind only West Morris Central’s 56 points.
Haddonfield junior Nina Fisicaro placed 2nd in the pole vault with an 11-0 clearance and Sood took 4th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.40.
All-Time South Jersey 1,600-Meter List
4:41.16 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
4:41.5y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
4:45.91 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2024
4:45.97 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:47.58 … Dylan Hosty [Haddonfield], 2026
4:48.82y … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
4:48.73y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:49.11 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
4:49.26 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
All-Time New Jersey Freshman 1,600-Meter List
4:43.38 … Paige Sheppard [Regional All-Star Team], 2024
4:45.57 … Claudia DiSomma [Sparta], 2013
4:45.97 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:46.84 … Ajee’ Wilson [Neptune], 2009
4:47.58… Dylan Hosty [Haddonfield], 2026
4:47.80y … Dylan Hosty [Haddonfield], 2026
**Leah Starkey, Ocean Township, 4:42.92
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 