A handful of South Jersey athletes who didn’t have the automatic A qualifying standard have been accepted into USATF Nationals, which will be held next week in New York, according to the USATF web site’s updated entry list.
Highland’s Floyd Whitaker, Eastern’s Natalie Dumas, Winslow’s Tionna Tobias, Delsea’s Elisia Lancaster, Cherokee’s Jessica Woodard and Pennsville’s Arianna Smith have all been accepted into the national championship meet, scheduled for next Thursday through Sunday at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in Manhattan.
First, a rundown of the South Jersey athletes who qualified with the automatic standard: Josh Awotunde from Delsea [69-1 shot put], Greg Foster of Lumberton [27-0 ¼ long jump], Florence’s Curtis Thompson [282-1 javelin], Paul VI’s Aliya Garozzo [54.90 400 hurdles] and Ajani Dwyer of Washington Township [legal 9.98 in 100].
They will be joined by the second group who qualified with a B standard that was strong enough to qualify.
Whitaker qualified with his 53-11 ¼ PR in the triple jump, Dumas qualified in the 400 hurdles with her 56.13 and will be joined by Smith with a 56.29, Tobias had a strong long jump B qualifier at 21-10 ½, Lancaster PR’d recently with a 227-0 in the hammer and Woodard’s 62-8 got her in the shot.
Additionally, two Rowan Division 3 national champions qualified, Jason Agyemang from North Plainfield, the national indoor champ last year over the 60-meter highs, qualified in the 110 highs at 13.72, and Damitrius Hester of Mawah, the national javelin champ this spring at 245-10, will also compete.
Notably, Riverside’s Jamir Brown, ranked 15th among American men in the 110-meter hurdles at 13.25, did not enter.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 