Atlantic County Tech junior Brianna Growalt ran one of the fastest wind-legal hurdles races in New Jersey history at the state Group 4 meet and also recorded a couple very fast times in two other events.
Growalt ran 13.66 with a legal 2.0 wind – the maximum allowable – and placed 2nd in the 100-meter hurdles behind Hackensack sophomore Kaleah Montgomery, who won the Group 4 race in 13.63, 6th-fastest wind-legal time in state history.
Growalt’s time is No. 8 in state history with legal wind and No. 10 in all conditions. It’s 3rd-fastest in South Jersey history, behind Jasmine Jackson, who has run 13.39 twice, and 2019 World Champion Nia Ali of Pleasantville and just 1-100ths of a second off Ali’s Atlantic County record, which she ran 13.65 at 2006 Greensboro Nationals.
Growalt’s previous PR was a windy 13.87 in the prelims of the Atlantic County Championships earlier this month at Egg Harbor Township. Her legal PR was 13.98 with a 1.8 in the final that same day. She ran a windy 13.66 in the trials Saturday before matching that with legal wind later in the day.
Growalt at states also PR’d in the 400-meter hurdles with a 1:00.55 for 3rd behind Natalie Dumas and Hope Edwards – that’s No. 15 in South Jersey history – and was 5th in the 200 in 24.55. She was just 29-100ths of a second off the Atlantic County 400IH record of 1:00.26 set by Buena’s Helena Leyrer at the 2012 Meet of Champions at Old Bridge.
At the Meet of Champions Wednesday at Pennsauken, Jackson will be the No. 1 seed in the high hurdles, Montgomery No. 2 and Growalt No. 3.
The next three seeds are also from South Jersey.
Pennauken senior Olivia Dupree placed 3rd in Group 4 with a PR 14.00 with a legal 2.0 wind behind Montgomery and Growalt – that’s No. 14 in South Jersey history and 1-100th of a second off the school record of 13.99 set by Imani Gilliam at the 2004 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor. Dupree dropped her PR from 14.26 at the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township.
Group 2 winner Trinity Brapoh of Willingboro is the No. 5 seed with her PR 14.04 with a legal 1.7 wind, No. 2 in Burlington County history behind Olympian Carol Lewis’s 13.85 in 1980 and No. 14 on the all-time New Jersey list. Brapoh, who also won the Group 2 long jump at 18-5 and triple jump at 38-5 ¾ as part of a tremendous triple, dropped her hurdles PR from 14.35 at sectionals.
Washington Township sophomore Nia’Leila Cuascut earned the No. 6 seed in the Meet of Champions with her 14.09 for 4thin the Group 4 race, held with a legal 2.0 wind. That’s No. 19 in South Jersey history and No. 2 all-time Gloucester County, just 4-100ths of a second off the county record of 14.05 set by Kingsway’s Jasmine Waddell when she won the 2011 state Group 3 meet in South Plainfield.
All-Time New Jersey 100-Meter Hurdles List
13.18 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], 2025 [+1.4]
13.20 … Dawn Bowles [Neptune], 1985 [nwi]
13.34 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2014 [+0.5]
13.35 … Charmaine Walker [Plainfield], 1997 [nwi]
13.39 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp,], 2026 [+1.7]
13.49 … Sofia Swindell [Lawrenceville School], 2025 [+0.3]
13.50 … Porscha Dobson [Kent Plaeace], 2003 [+1.3]
13.63 … Kaleah Montgomery [Hackensack], 2026 [+2.0]
13.65 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006 [-0.1]
13.66 … Brianna Growalt [Atlantic County Tech], 2026 [+2.0]
13.67 … Patricia Dziekonska [West Windsor-Plains. North], 2014 [+0.8]
13.67 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019 [nwi]
13.69 … Grace O’Shea [Ramapo], 2019 [+1.3]
13.71 … Lanyka Brown [Metuchen], 1996 [+0.8]
13.72 … Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 1997 [+0.0]
13.73 … Kim Turko [North Edison], 1997 [+0.0]
13.77 … Amber Williams [Roxbury], 2001
13.78 … Lakeema Lewis [Plainfield], 1998
13.79 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow], 2012 [nwi]
13.80 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019 [+1.1]
13.82 … Trier Young [Neptune], 2005
13.84 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
13.85 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1980
13.85 … Danielle Delgado [Franklin Twp.], 2013
13.85 … Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 1998
13.86 … Amaya Chadwick [Union Catholic], 2017
13.88 … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
13.88 … Amber Williams [Roxbury], 2001
13.89 … Dashona Ransome [Irvington], 2012
13.90 … Kim Henry [Old Bridge], 2003
13.91 … Kayann Richards [Columbia], 2010
13.91 … Samantha Jensen [Central Regional], 2012
13.91 … Ajanae Thompson [Union Catholic], 2022
13.95 … Selena Lewis [Elizabeth], 1998
13.95 … Morgan Harvey [North Hunterdon], 2013
13.96 … Ashley Adams [Plainfield], 2006
13.98 … Tramaine Shaw [Piscataway], 2004
13.98 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2014
13.98 … Kayla Ewing [Morristown], 2026
13.99 … Imani Gilliam [Pennsauken], 2004
13.99 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2018
All-Time South Jersey 100-Meter Hurdles List
13.39 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp,], 2026
13.65 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
13.66 … Brianna Growalt [Atlantic County Tech], 2026
13.67 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
13.72 … Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 1997
13.79 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow], 2012
13.84 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
13.85 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1980
13.85 … Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 1998
13.88 … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
13.98 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2014
13.99 … Imani Gilliam [Pennsauken], 2004
13.99 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2018
14.00 … Olivia Dupree [Pennsauken], 2026
14.02 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 2021
14.04 … Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2016
14.04 … Trinity Brapoh [Willingboro], 2026
14.05 … Jasmine Waddell [Kingsway], 2011
14.09 … Nichole Belcher [Wilson], 1992
14.09 … Nia’Leila Cuascut [Washington Twp.], 2026
14.15 … Aliya Garozzo [Paul VI], 2019
14.17 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow], 2006
14.17 … Samantha Sharper [Wilson], 2008
14.17 … Andrea Olsen [Buena], 2013
14.20 … Sarah Jones [Bishop Eustace], 2018
14.20 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 1999
14.23 … Yvette Murray [Edgewood], 1999
14.25 … Kris Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
14.25 … Joshonda Johnson [Absegami], 2017
14.26 … Malea Broome [Millville], 2019
14.27 … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow], 2015
14.29 … Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], 2001
14.29 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2013
14.30 … Lexie Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2014
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 