Kingsway graduate Allie Pierontoni became the second South Jersey runner to shatter Monmouth’s freshman mile record on Friday. 

Racing at the Great Dane Classic at Ocean Breeze, Pierontoni ran a huge PR of 4:59.74, her first lifetime race at 1,600 meters or the full mile under 5 minutes.

She broke the Monmouth women’s freshman record of 5:01.63, set in 2019 by Sarah Crissman, also at Ocean Breeze.

The Woolwich Township native negative split the race, going out in 2:31.34 and coming back in 2:28.40. She closed in 73.62 for her final 400 and 35.81 for her final 200.

Pierontoni ran 5:06.79 earlier this month in her only previous collegiate mile. She ran 5:02.92 for 1,600 meters at Group 4 states at the Bubble in February of 2020. Her outdoor PR is 5:03.71, also for 1,600 meters. 

She did run a 4:42.56 for 1,500 meters in a dual meet in March with Army outdoors at Shea Stadium in West Point, N.Y., which converts to a 5:05.16 full mile.

Pierontoni’s time is 2nd-fastest in Monmouth indoor track history by a South Jersey woman. Millville graduate Amanda Eller ran 4:58.57 in 2012, also at West Point but indoors at the Gillis Fieldhouse.

Pitman graduate Sebastien Reed annihilated his mile PR last weekend at Ocean Breeze, destroying the Monmouth freshman record along the way.

Reed, a 2nd-year freshman at Monmouth, ran 4:12.15 to place 4th at the Villanova Invitational.

Reed’s time is No. 9 in Monmouth history and broke the indoor freshman mile record of 4:14.57, set in January of 2019 by Louis DiLaurenzio of Raritan High at the Penn 8-Team Select on the same track on Staten Island. DiLaurenzio PR’d at 4:10.76 winning the same race Reed ran his 4:12.15.

In his only other full mile race, Reed ran 4:19.17 in February of 2020 as a Pitman senior in the North Shore Invitational at the Armory.  

He had run 3:59.53 for 1,500 meters outdoors at West Point in March, which converts to a 4:18.69 full mile.

Reed’s time is No. 3 in the Metro Atlantic Conference behind Brandon Olden of Siena [4:07.67] and DiLaurenzio.

Reed has also run 8:34.60 for 3,000 meters this winter in a meet at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse. That’s also No. 3 in the MAC this winter, behind Iona sophomore Nick Soldevere [8:09.57] and Marist sophomore Ramsey Little [8:25.69].

In the same race at Ocean Breeze, Reed’s former Colonial Conference rival Brady Shute of Woodbury, a freshman at Cornell, ran a PR of his own with a 4:16.76. It was his first race on the track as a collegian.

This was Shute’s first indoor race in two years, since he ran his previous indoor PR of 4:31.66 for 1,600 meters at Group 1 sectionals in Toms River in 2020. He finished second to Reed in both that race and 3,200 at states that day. Shute’s outdoor PR is 4:18.07 for the slightly shorter 1,600-meter distance. He ran that at the Haddonfield Invitational in May.

In his first open 800 of the season, Kingsway graduate Stone Caraccio ran an indoor PR last weekend at Ocean Breeze.

Caraccio, a second-year freshman at Monmouth, ran 1:53.58, placing 3rd at the Villanova Invitational.

This was Caraccio’s first collegiate 800 indoors. His  previous indoor PR was a 1:54.53 as a Kingsway senior in February of 2020 at the Morris County Coaches Invitational on the same track in Staten Island, N.Y.

Caraccio has a lifetime 800 best of 1:52.32 from May in a meet at Rowan University in Glassboro.

The Monmouth top-10 performance list goes down to 1:53.22, so Caraccio didn’t quite make it onto the all-time list, but he’s less than half a second away.

Caraccio placed third behind Villanova sophomore Miller Anderson [1:53.21] and 1-100th of a second behind Long Island University junior Lucas Fernandez [1:53.57].

Caraccio got out slowly and was in 11th place after a 28.5 lap. He split 27.9 for his second lap and moved up to 8th, coming through the 400 in 56.4. He moved up to 5th with a 28.8 third lap and closed in 28.9 to finish 3rd.

Winslow Township graduate Tionna Tobias joined the 20-foot club over the weekend.

Tobias, a University of Iowa sophomore leaped a PR 20-1 1/2 at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the Iowa Rec Center in Iowa City. That’s the No. 1 mark in the Big Ten Conference this year.

That is the No. 3 mark in Iowa history, behind Jahisha Thomas’s school record of 21-0 3/4 from 2018 and Zinnia Miller’s 20-4 1/4 in 2014. She’s Iowa’s fifth 20-footer including indoor and outdoor competition.

Her previous college best was 19-9, which she hit outdoors last May at the Billy Hayes Invitational at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Her previous indoor PR was 19-8 1/4 as a Winslow senior at 2018 Easterns at the Armory in New York. Her collegiate indoor best before this past weekend was 19-4 at the Hawkeye B1G Invitational in Ames last February. At Winslow, Tobias had an outdoor PR of 19-11 in the spring of 2018 at the state Group 3 meet at Central Regional.

With the 20-1 1/2 jump, Tobias ranks No. 17 among U.S. women on the IAAF performance list and No. 15 among collegians (including foreign collegians).

Looks like Tobias is the first 20-foot jumper from South Jersey since 2017, when Cidae’a Woods, another former Winslow athlete, hit 20-3 1/2 indoors in a Tennessee-Indiana dual meet in Bloomington, Ind., and 21-0 at the SEC Championships in Columbia, S.C., outdoors while competing for Tennessee.

Tobias only had three legal jumps in her series. She opened with a foul, then jumped 19-1 1/2 before another foul and then finished with 19-2 1/4 and 20-1 1/2 before finishing with a third foul.

But Tobias isn’t just a long jumper. She also PR’d in the 60-meter hurdles in the same meet, her 8.44 breaking her previous PR of 8.45 by 1-100th of a second. That 8.44 is tied for No. 7 in school history and No. 7 so far this winter in the Big Ten.

Tobias also has PRs of 13.59 in the 100-meter hurdles, 5-6 3/4 in the high jump and 5,083 points in the heptathlon, No. 5 in school history, and she’s scored as high as 3,625 points indoors in the pentathlon, No. 7 in Iowa history.

Kristen Niedrach, a 2012 Shawnee graduate, ran an indoor 800-meter PR recently in Belgium.

Niedrach ran 2:12.20 in a meet held at the Topsporthal Vlaanderen in Gent, Belgium. There are no results from the meet available anywhere on-line and honestly I can’t even find out what meet she competed in. But her performance does appear on the IAAF performance list, so it did happen.

Her previous indoor 800 PR was 2:12.40 2:12.40 from a meet at Penn State in January of 2016, the last time she raced indoors at any distance.

Niedrach, 28, ran lifetime bests of 2:07.18 for 800 meters in Kortrijk, Belgium, and 4:22.06 for 1,500 meters in Portland, Ore., last spring.

Niedrach ran for Cornell and ranks 8th in Cornell history outdoors at1,500 meters with her 4:22.45 in a meet at Bucknell in April of 2016.

At Shawnee, Niedrach an 800 PR of 2:21.55 at the 2010 Group 4 sectionals at Egg Harbor and 5:01.86 for the 1,600 when she won the state Group 3 indoor title at the Bubble in Toms River.

Ocean City senior Owen Ritti won the 800 at the Metropolitan Invitational Wednesday at the Armory with the fastest time in the state this year and the No. 2 indoor time Cape May County history.

Ritti ran 1:58.18 and won by 14 meters over Noah Brightman of Pawling (N.Y.) High, who placed second in 2:00.31. Ritti took the lead for good on the third lap.

He ran all his laps between 29.43 and 29.73, coming through the 400 in 58.98 and coming back in 59.20.

Ritti ran just over half a second off the Cape May County record of 1:57.59, set at the 2011 state Group 3 meet at the Bubble by Ocean City’s Miles Schoedler.

Before Wednesday, the top New Jersey time this year belonged to Jessier Soriano of Pascack Valley High in Little Falls, who ran 1:58.24 at the Passaic County Championships at Ocean Breeze on Saturday.

Ritti is the third South Jersey runner under two minutes so far this indoor season. Kingsway senior Kyle Rakitis ran 1:58.68 at the Bubble last week, and senior Cole Sharpnack of Pitman ran 1:59.51 in the same race. Kingsway senior Jeffrey Heineman came up just short of two minutes with a 2:00.16 in that race as well.

Ritti’s previous indoor PR was 2:00.25 at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the Armory last month. His outdoor PR is a 1:57.01 last spring at the state Group 3 meet at Pennsauken.

Huge breakthrough race for Eastern graduate Jewel Ash in her first 400 of the year.

Ash, a second-year freshman at Charleston Southern, ran 55.61 at the Clemson Invitational, a big indoor-outdoor PR. Her previous fastest 400 was an outdoor 57.32 at the 2018 state Group 4 meet at Franklin Township. 

Since she specializes in the 400 hurdles, she never runs the flat 400 outdoors. Indoors, her previous PR was 57.33 in a meet this past February at South Carolina.

Ash has also run 9.45 for the 60-meter hurdles and 25.24 for 200 meters this winter.

Ash’s 55.61 is No. 2 in school history and fastest in 13 years, since Dionne Gibson set the school record of 54.60 at the 2009 New Balance Invitational at the Armory in Manhattan.

Only four Charleston Southern women have run faster than 55.61 outdoors, including Gibson’s school-record 54.39 at the 2008 Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta.

Ash ran a PR 59.50 for the 400IH last spring in the semis of the Big South Championships in High Point, N.C., and went on to win the conference championship with a slightly slower time.

Triton senior Dennis Fortuna continued his terrific indoor season over the weekend with a fast two-mile at the Armory.

Fortuna ran a New Jersey No. 1 9:24.66 for the full two-miles and placed 5th in a loaded field at the New Balance Games.

Gavin Sherry of Conard High in West Hartford, Conn., ran a U.S. No. 1 8:50.05 to win the race. 

Fortuna was officially timed at 8:47.65 through 3,000 meters, which ranks No. 3 in South Jersey history. He was also clocked at 9:21.36 through 3,200 meters.

Fortuna just missed the Triton indoor 3,200 record of 9:20.33 set in 2011 by Robert Rawls when he won the state Group 3 race at the Bubble, just ahead of West Windsor-Plainsboro’s Joe Rosa.

This was Fortuna’s first open race this indoor season. He’s coming off a XC season that saw him win S.J. and state Group 3 races and place 8th at the Meet of Champions with a 15:46 at Holmdel

Fortuna’s previous indoor PR was a 10:03 from the Bubble two years ago in the only other indoor track 3,200 he’s run since his freshman year.

His outdoor PR is 9:20.98 last March in a meet at Cherokee.

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey indoor 3,000 list:

8:21.8h … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1989
8:47.31 … Martin Riddell [Haddonfield], 2020
8:47.65 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2022
8:48.1h … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1980
8:51.42 … Dan Gough [Haddonfield], 1987
8:52.4h … Doug Atkinson [Rancocas Valley], 1980
8:57.7h … Bruce Miller [Cherry Hill East], 1981
8:59.32 … Jacob Cobb [West Deptford], 2022
8:59.8h … Mike Robertson [Holy Cross], 1993
9:02.70 … Kieran Burns [Kingsway], 2018

And here’s a look at the updated all-time South Jersey indoor 3,200 list:

8:58.81 ….. Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2010
9:00.27 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2020
9:08.42 … Oliver Adler [Cherry Hill East], 2020
9:10.4y ….. Ken Medlin, Haddon Township, 1970
9:11.1y ..… Mike Butynes [Sterling], 1970
9:11.2y ..… Mike Elder [Haddon Twp.], 1974
9:11.86y … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2002
9:11.9y ….. Johnny Englehardt [Willingboro], 1976
9:12.20 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2020
9:13.33 ….. Michael Rankin [Paul VI], 2010
9:13.93 ….. Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2011
9:14.31 ….. Jimmy Daniels [Sterling], 2013
9:14.70 … Martin Riddell [Haddonfield], 2020
9:15.8y ….. Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1978
9:15.76 … Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 1986
9:16.09 ….. Aaron Groff [Cherry Hill East], 2016
9:16.7y … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 1980
9:17.52 ….. Lou Corgliano [Hammonton], 2013
9:17.55 ….. Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 2004
9:17.71 ….. Dave Forward [Shawnee], 2009
9:18.59 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 2019
9:20.33 … Robert Rawls [Triton], 2011
9:21.36 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2022
9:21.51 … Salman Khalid [Absegami], 2013
9:22.0y … Willie Marino [Williamstown], 1976
9:22.1y … Marty Ludwikowski [Cherry Hill East], 1975
9:22.4y … Paul Friedman [Moorestown], 1976
9:22.60 … Brian Goldberg [Haddonfield], 2004
9:23.0y … Joe Siedlecki [Williamstown], 1973
9:23.34 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:23.34 … Steve Maine [Highland Reg.], 2013
9:23.4y … Albert Donawa [Camden], 1990
9:24.19 … Mike Myers [Eastern], 2001
9:24.21 … Owen Long [Haddon Twp.], 2016
9:24.71 … Nick Costello [Delsea], 2012
9:24.83 … Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 2003
9:25.83 … Connor Herr [Shawnee], 2012
9:25.86 … Dan Deichert [Eastern], 2002
9:26.02 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
9:26.06 … Joe Halin [Cherokee], 1999
9:26.43 … Dan Gough [Haddonfield], 1987
9:26.95 … Peter Murray [Shawnee], 2011
9:27.16 … Sebastien Reed [Pitman], 2020
9:27.59 … Joshua Chazin [Eastern], 2016
9:28.51 … Matt Mitchell [Haddon Heights], 2006
9:28.81 … Chase Miller [Cherokee], 2020
9:28.87 … Steve Burkholder [Cherokee], 2010
9:28.99 … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 2002
9:29.04 … Matt Coffey [Camden Catholic], 2019
9:29.17 … Phil Magee [Atlantic City], 1994
9:29.1y … Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 1989

Delsea senior Jason Nwosu bombed the shot put 61 feet, 11 inches Tuesday evening at the Cherokee Throw Down #2 in Marlton, the No. 5 throw in South Jersey history.

Nwosu surpassed his indoor PR of 57-10 from a meet at the Bubble last month. His outdoor PR is 54-2 from Group 2 states last spring at Franklin.

The only superior throws in South Jersey history indoors belong to Braheme Days Jr. of Bridgeton, who threw 70-8 at 2012 Eastern’s at the Armory, Bridgeton’s Ray Wilks, who threw 63-11 in 1995, and West Deptford’s Nick Pulli, who set the Gloucester County record of 63-1 3/4 in 2014, also at Cherokee.

Along the way, Nwosu broke the Delsea indoor school record of 58-8 3/4, set in 2018 by Bill Goldsborough at a SJTCA meet in Toms River.

He also shattered Delsea’s overall school record of 61-1 set in 2013 by Olympic Trials finalist Josh Awotunde at the Tri-County Conference meet at Delsea.

Nwosu’s mark is No. 1 in New Jersey this winter and 7 nationally according to the MileSplit U.S. performance list. He’s the second New Jersey 60-footer this year. Fabian Gonzalez of Southern Regional threw 60-4 1/2 in a meet at the Bubble earlier this month.

Willingboro senior C.J. Johnson threw 55-11 1/4 for a PR of his own. That’s No. 2 in South Jersey this year and the best throw by a Willingboro athlete since Ell Ash set the former county recor of 60-0 1/2 at 2004 Eastern’s. It’s also No. 7 in Burlington County history indoors. Full list below.

Delsea senior Josh Caudill also had a big 52-3 throw, snapping his indoor PR of 51-7 from the Bubble in December. He’s thrown 52-11 1/4 outdoors, last spring at states.

Here’s a look at every 60-foot thrower in New Jersey indoor track history:
71-9 1/2 … Nick Vena [Morristown], 2011
70-8 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2012
67-3 … Kevin DiGiorgio [Bayonne], 1998
67-1 3/4 … James Gilligan [Toms River East], 2008
66-6 … Glen DiGiorgio [Bayonne], 2002
65-10 … Steve Adams [St. Joe’s Montvale], 1970
65-6 … Jordan West [Rahway], 2017
65-4 … Cole Tucker [Colts Neck], 2021
65-2 1/2 … Greg Cortina [Hun], 1971
64-5 3/4 … Luke Grodeska [St. Rose], 2016
64-5 1/4 … Bruce Heide [Springfield], 1975
64-5 1/2 … C.J. Licata [Gill St. Bernard’s], 2018
63-11 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
63-8 1/2 … Mike Alleman [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], 2008
63-8 1/4 … Rudy Guevara [Essex Catholic], 1971
63-6 … Ron Klotzer [Union], 1974
63-5 1/2 … Aaron Echternacht [Hopewell Valley], 1991
63-2 1/2 … Uzoma Orji [Matawan], 2002
63-1 3/4 … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
62-11 1/2 … Stephen Mozia [Hackensack], 2011
62-11 … Keith Rzewuski [St. Joe’s Metuchen], 1998
62-9 1/2 … Christopher Staton [Franklin Twp.], 2012
62-7 3/4 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
62-4 … Tyrone Garland [Matawan], 1993
62-2 1/4 … Brian Cortina [Hun], 2005
62-1 1/2 … Bob Vorhies [Our Lady of the Valley], 1977
61-11 1/2 … Vaughn Skidmore [Ocean Twp.], 1976
61-11 … Jason Nwosu [Delea], 2022
61-9 … Randy Sokolik [New Milford], 1969
61-9 … Lou Gordon [Bridgeton], 1995
61-8 … Ed Markowski [Roselle Catholic], 1968
61-8 … Andrew Trumbetti [Northern Valley-Demarest], 2013
61-7 3/4 … Patrick Passalacqua [Northern Valley-Old Tappan], 2020
61-7 … Ray Bradley [Trenton], 1976
61-6 1/2 … Bob Ringwall [Carteret], 1973
61-6 1/4 … Adam Kuehl [Matawan], 2002
61-6 … Tyler Konopka [Toms River South], 2021
61-5 … Manny Silverio [North Bergen], 1976
61-4 1/2 … Mark Saner [St. Joe’s-Montvale], 1970
61-4 … Bob Mattia [Union], 1975
61-2 1/2 … Bob Brady [St. Joe’s-Montvale], 1970
61-2 … Ray Sahadi [Tenafly], 1974
61-0 3/4 … Reynaldo Hubbard [Long Branch], 1995
60-11 … Bruce Hedenal [Paramus], 1965
60-11 …Sal Delhierro [Toms River East], 2005
60-10 3/4 … John Purvis [Winslow Twp.], 2020
60- 10 1/2 … Corey Abernathy [West Windsor-Plainsboro North], 2010
60-10 … Keith Jarvis [Essex Catholic], 1969
60-9 3/4 … John Wojciechowski [Madison Central], 1990
60-9 … Steve DiGiorgio [Bayonne], 2005
60-8 … Felix Lee [Highland Park], 1977
60-7 1/4 … Dorian Scott [Seton Hall], 2000
60-6 3/4 … Jason Bryan [Rumson-Fair Haven], 2014
60-6 1/2 … Bob Lutkewitte [CBA], 1982
60-6 … Vincent Elardo [Lacey Twp.], 2007
60-5 3/4 … Christopher Tavarone [Morris Knolls], 2020
60-5 … Spencer Ross [Mahwah], 2014
60-4 1/2 … Fabian Gonzalez [Southern Regional], 2022
60-4 1/4 … Shaun McGregor [Bergen Catholic], 1996
60-4 … Dom Mazza [Long Branch], 1967
60-3 … Harry Dilts [Pitman], 1971
60-3 … Giovanni Gutierrez [Saddle Brook], 2017
60-2 1/4 … Jeff Schwerdtmann [Jackson], 2001
60-2 … Mark Wilkinson [Union], 1973
60-1 1/2 … Al Wujciak [Essex Catholic], 1972
60-1 … Todd Stubbier [Toms River South], 2017
60-0 1/2 … Ell Ash [WIllingboro], 2004
60-0 … Russ Frame [Union], 1969
60-0 … Joshua Lezin [Lakewood], 2018

Here’s the all-time South Jersey top-10:
70-8 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2012
63-11 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
63-1 ¾ … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
62-7 ¾ … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
61-9 … Lou Gordon [Bridgeton], 1995
60-3 … Harry Dilks [Pitman], 1971
60-10 ¾ … John Purvis [Winslow Twp.], 2020
60-0 ½ … Ell Ash [Willingboro], 2004
59-9 … Kofi Yamoah [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
59-8 … Chris Robinson [Penns Grove], 1990

And here’s the all-time Burlington County indoor top-10:
62-7 ¾ … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
60-0 ½ … Ell Ash [Willingboro], 2004
58-5 … Kareem McKenzie [Willingboro], 1997
57-10 ½ … Gerald Williams [Rancocas Valley], 2000
57-2 ¾ … Tati White [Willingboro], 1994
57-2 ½ … Gil Winters [Willingboro], 1990
55-11 ¼ … C.J. Johnson [Willingboro], 2022
55-1 … Nigel Walker [Willingboro], 1996
54-11 ½ … Dzigbodi Ababio [Willingboro], 2001
54-7 ½ … Joel Bewley [Moorestown], 1987

In her first track 3,000 since 2019, Edinboro junior and Kingsway graduate Kylie Anicic ran 9:56.81 to win the event at the Youngstown State University Indoor Invitational Friday in Ohio.

Anicic, in her first season of eligibility for NCAA Division 2 powerhouse Edinboro, recorded a provisional NCAA qualifier at 3,000 meters. Her time is No. 22 in the country in Division 2. The NCAA provisional qualifying standard is 9:58.36.

Anicic’s time is No. 9 on the all-time Edinboro performance list.

It was Anicic’s first 3,000 since Dec. 6, 2019, when she was attending Towson (Md.) University and ran 10:18.72 in a meet at Bucknell’s Gerhard Fieldhouse in Lewisburg, Pa. That was her previous PR.

Anicic ran 2:17.59, 5:07.11 and 11:09.09 at Kingsway but after graduation the Mickleton native enrolled at Temple to play soccer.

But after playing in only two games, she transferred to Towson, where she ran 4:36.42 for 1,500 meters and qualified for the USATF Under-20 Championships in Miramar, Fla.

Anicic enrolled at Edinboro in the fall but was ineligible for cross country season as a double transfer. But she’s eligible now and picking up where she left off two years ago.