From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Winslow’s Jasmine Jackson shattered her own South Jersey record and state sophomore record Saturday in leading all qualifiers into the 100-meter hurdles final at West Philly Nationals.

Jackson ran 13.24, lowering her PR and South Jersey record from 13.28 from the Meet of Champions earlier this month at Pennsauken. She raced with a legal 0.6 meters-per-second tailwind.

Her time is 2^nd-fastest ever by a U.S. high school sophomore, behind only a 13.01 by Tia Jones of Walton High in Washington, D.C., at the 2017 Pan Am Junior Championships in Trujillo, Peru.

It’s 3^rd-fastest in New Jersey history and only 6-100ths of a second off the state record of 13.18 set last year at the Meet of Champions at Pennsauken. Former Neptune star Dawn Bowles is No. 2 on the all-time state list with her 13.20 at the 1985 Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, Calif.

Her time is also 5^th-fastest ever by a New Jersey resident behind 2019 World Champion Nia Ali of Pleasantville [12.34 in Doha, Qatar, in 2019], Bowles [12.76 in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1996], Eastern’s Jailya Ash [13.08 in Fayetteville last month], Winslow’s Tionna Tobias [13.11 in Bloomington, Ind., in 2023] and Pennsville’s Arianna Smith [13.19 last May in Norfolk, Va.].

Atlantic County Tech junior Brianna Growalt also qualified for the final with a legal 13.79. She was 7^th-fastest in the trials. Growalt ran a wind-aided PR 13.59 in the first round. Her legal PR is 13.62 from the Meet of Champions, where she was 2^nd to Jackson.

The final is scheduled for 11:43 a.m. Sunday.

13.01 … Tia Jones [Walton, Washington, D.C.], 2017, Trujillo, Peru
13.26 … Aleesa Samuel [Somerset Academy, Pembroke, Fla.], 2023, Miami
13.27 … Jackie Coward [West, Knoxville, Tenn.], 2006, Baltimore
13.28 … Kendall Williams [Kell, Marietta, Ga.], 2011, Lille, France
13.28 … Rebekah Jhade-Garrett [North Canyon, Phoenix], 2024, Albuqurque
13.28 … Jasmine Jackson [Winslow Twp.], 2026, Pennsauken
13.32 … Kaahilyah Lacy [San Jacinto (Texas) Valley Academy], 2026, Clovis, Calif.
13.33 … Alexis Duncan [DeSoto (Texas)], 2014, Greensboro, N.C.
13.33 … Nia Armstrong [Sickles, Tampa, Fla.], 2026, Gainesville, Fla.
13.34 … Haley Richardson [Cedar Hill (Texas)], Red Oak, Texas
13.35 … Trinity Wilson [St. Mary’s College, Berkeley, Calif.], 2010, Clovis, Calif.
13.35 … Rylee Hampton [Cypree Ridge, Houston], Eugene, Ore.

13.50 .. Sonya Hardy [Boulder, Colo], 1976

All-Time New Jersey Alumni 100-Meter Hurdles List
12.34 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], Oct. 6, 2019, Doha, Qatar
12.76 … Dawn Bowles [Neptune], July 15, 1996, Nassau, Bahamas
13.11 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow], May 25, 2023, Bloomington, Ind.
13.19 … Arianna Smith [Pennsville], May 17, 2025, Norfolk, Va.