Before we get to the girls indoor relay top-50 lists, here are a few leading marks in some rarely run or retired indoor events, ranging from the 300-yard dash to the 5,000!

If you notice a missing mark, lemme know in the comments section!

300 Yards
36.83 … Ivy Foster [Haddon Heights], 1991
37.1h … Vonnie Coker [Woodbury], 1976

300 Meters
39.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
39.42 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
40.13 … Jasmine Still [Woodrow Wilson], 2006
40.27 … Kiara Lester [Deptford], 2014
40.2h … Evelyn Simpson [Camden], 1979
40.2h … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1996
40.22 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
40.36 … Halimah Bashir [Willingboro], 2003

500 Meters
1:17.31 … Maya Harper [Pleasantville], 2020
1:19.16 … Aliya Ray Garozzo [Paul VI], 2019

600 Yards
1:27.0h … Carol Willis [Paul VI], 1979

600 Meters
1:34.50 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 2003
1:36.37 … Taneshia Pittman [Woodrow Wilson], 2002
1:36.58 … Kimarra McDonald [Rancocas Valley], 2005
1:36.75 … Cierra Farquharson [Pleasantville], 2006
1:37.34 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2014
1:37.44 … Emily Duffey [Lenape], 2011
1:38.04 … Ariana Harrell [Pemberton], 2019
1:38.10 … Raelynne Miller [Millville], 2018
1:38.33 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2015
1:38.2h … Aishia Lawson [Camden], 1995

1,000 Yards
2:34.65 … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 1990

1,000 Meters
2:50.63 … Michelle DiMuro [Shawnee], 1985
2:52.52 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
2:53.12 … Monica Olkowski [Cherokee], 1990
2:59.02 … Taneshia Pittman [Woodrow Wilson], 2002

1,500 Meters
4:24.0h … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1983
4:31.86 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:36.11 … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
4:36.26 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:37.31 … Briana Gess [Hadodnfield], 2016
4:42.0h … Brittnee Bynoe [Willingboro], 2003

3,000 Meters
9:53.39 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:00.86 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
10:09.80 … Devon Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2015
10:11.65 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2006
10:16.46 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2009
10:18.9h … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1981

5,000 Meters
17:03.79 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
17:12.38 … Holly Bischoff [Bishop Eustace], 2012

It’s usually not good news when your phone rings and someone on the other end is screaming.

This time it was.

It was Feb. 9, 2004, and it was Dan O’Reilly on the phone from the Armory in New York.

I was working for the Burlington County Times at the time, and I had asked him to give me a buzz if things went well that night at the Varsity Classic.

They went well.

His daughter Danielle, a senior at Shawnee, had just cleared 13-5 in the pole vault at the Varsity Classic, breaking the national indoor record of 13-4 1/2, set by Kira Costa of San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, Calif., one year earlier.

Earlier that winter, she had broken the state record of 12-0 set in 1999 by Lauren Contursi of Hunterdon Central.

O’Reilly still holds the New Jersey indoor record. The closest anybody has gotten is 13-0 3/4, which Sydney Woods of Northern Valley of Demarest cleared last year at the Spiked Shoe Holiday Festival, also at the Armory.

The closest any South Jersey vaulter has gotten is 12-7. That was Delsea’s Ashley Preston at the Bennett Center in 2018. She’s gone on to win three Big East titles for Villanova.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey list, which this time is not a top-50 list. I’ve got 47 girls on the list who’ve cleared 10 feet or higher. Normally, in this case I would find everybody who’s cleared 9-6 or higher because we do top-50 plus ties. But there isn’t any reliable way to find all the 9-6 vaulters, and there are probably about 30 of them. So we’ll wait until three more girls clear 10-0 or better, and then we’ll have a top-50 list. And considering seven girls cleared 10-0 this past indoor season, that shouldn’t take too long!

I could be missing a few 10-footers as well, just because girls pole vault performances were just never accurately maintained until New Jersey MileSplit came along. Please let me know any corrections or omissions in the comment section!

All-Time S.J. Indoor Girls Pole Vault Top-50 [sort of]

13-5 … Danielle O’Reilly [Shawnee], 2004
12-7 … Ashley Preston [Delsea], 2018
12-0 … Jessica Kloss [Moorestown], 2004
11-6 … Melissa Gale [Millville], 2005
11-6 … Brittney Raffo [Seneca], 2017
11-6 … Lindsey Michie [Northern Burlington], 2019
11-2 … Sarah Parr [Audubon], 2020
11-1 … Kaitlyn Derman [Millville], 2014
11-0 ¼ … Jennifer Scott [Haddonfield], 2019
11-0 … Kristin Weigel [Pennsville], 2009
11-0 … Allyson Brooks [Moorestown], 2008
11-0 … Lori Stratton [Sterling], 2017
11-0 … Alexandra Elder [Moorestown], 2012
11-0 … Robin Rosen [Haddonfield], 2020
11-0 … Julia Greeley [Seneca], 2019
10-7 … Casey Sturts [Buena], 2013
10-6 … Anna Heim [Moorestown], 2006
10-6 … Lauren Tauscher [Moorestown], 2008
10-6 … Emily Waldron [Triton], 2013
10-6 … Katie Selfridge [Delsea], 2014
10-6 … Elizabeth Douglas [West Deptford], 2015
10-6 … Cassie Hoxit [Lenape], 2016
10-6 … Alana Cohen [Cherry Hill East], 2017
10-6 … Colleen McDowell [Seneca], 2011
10-6 … Sophia Crozier-Carole [Mainland Reg.], 2019
10-6 … Abby Boggs [Rancocas Valley], 2019
10-6 … Lisa Martin [Mainland Reg.], 2006
10-6 … Madison Mamounis [Delsea], 2018
10-6 … Allison Bobst [Kingsway], 2020
10-4 … Christina Kursewicz [Clearview], 2011
10-0 … Lauren Taylor [Cherokee], 2008
10-0 … Tracey Masterson [Mainland Reg.], 2011
10-0 … Lexi Brown [Delsea], 2012
10-0 … Laura Ortiz [Atlantic City], 2015
10-0 … Rachel Ondricek [Pennsville], 2016
10-0 … Erin Gray [Kingsway], 2017
10-0 … Christina Lees [Sterling], 2010
10-0 … Justine Thomas [Sterling], 2015
10-0 … Shannon Storms [Lenape], 2016
10-0 … Rebecca Bohi [Seneca], 2016
10-0 … Fiona Basewitz [Collingswood], 2020
10-0 … Meghan Dineen [Pennsville], 2010
10-0 … Tifani Beebe [Millville], 2008
10-0 … Kristen Visconti [Cherokee], 2013
10-0 … Miranda Roberts [Washington Twp.], 2012
10-0 … Claudia Theriault [West Deptford], 2013
10-0 … Sarah Polistina [Absegami], 2016

You have to go back 40 years to find South Jersey’s first 40-foot indoor thrower. Sterling senior Linda Dougherty hit 40-0 1/2 when she won the shot at the 1980 South Jersey Championships at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

Although she didn’t get a headline, and the usually excellent track writer Curt Holbreich doesn’t mention it in this story from the Feb. 7, 1982 Courier Post, that broke the South Jersey record of 39-1 set two years earlier by Willingboro’s Denise Thomas at the Philadelphia Department of Recreation Meet most likely at the Convention Center in January of 1980. (That broke the S.J. mark of 36-11 3/4 set in 1979 by Clayton’s Emma Painter.)

Dougherty’s 40-0 1/2 remained Sterling’s school record for 39 years, until Alijah Caul threw 40-2 at the SJTCA meet at the Bennett Center on Jan. 7, 2019. Caul broke her own school record again when she won the state Group 1 title with a 41-8 five weeks later. She now throws for Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.

All-Time South Jersey Girls Indoor Shot Put Top-50

47-5 ¾ … Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018
46-1 ½ … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017
46-1 … Cydney Thomas [Haddon Heights], 2019
45-3 … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 2000
44-6 ½ … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
44-3 ½ … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
44-0 ½ … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 1996
43-11 ¾ … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2007
43-10 ¼ … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006
43-10 … Rosetta Hunter [Burlington Twp.], 2015
43-4 ¾ … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2012
43-4 ½ … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
43-3 … Janice Rose [Delsea], 2011
42-7 ¾ … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
42-5 ½ … Genevieve Tybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007
42-4 … Sophia Coleburn [Haddon Heights], 2007
42-3 … Genevieve Rybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
42-1 … Donovan Bennett [Vineland], 2014
42-0 ½ … Lisa Stuto [Winslow Twp.], 2009
42-0 ¼ … Lola Agabalogun [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
41-10 … Lillian Rivera [Pemberton], 1984
41-9 … Bernadette McGowan [Paul VI], 2016
41-8 … Alijah Caul [Sterling], 2019
41-6 ½ … Dana White [Camden], 2000
41-3 … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
41-2 … Ciarra Johnson [Winslow Twp.], 2018
41-0 … Nicole Scott [Willingboro], 1997
40-11 … Alexis Kennedy [Millville], 2012
40-10 … Danea Wint [Vineland], 2015
40-10 … Nyla Noble [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2014
40-9 … Amanda Thompson [Camden], 2001
40-8 ¾ … Emily Hilt [Kingsway], 2017
40-5 ½ … Cameron Daniels [Vineland], 2015
40-4 … Shanna Campbell [Pemberton], 2007
40-3 ½ … Lacole Fields [Camden], 1996
40-1 ¾ … Kelly Staten [Atlantic City], 2001
40-1 ½ … Sophia Colburn [Haddon Heights], 2007
40-1 … Katherine Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
40- ½ … Linda Dougherty [Sterling], 1982
39-11 … Tereana Parker [Millville], 2019
39-10 ¾ … Sarah Anderson [Seneca], 2007
39-10 … Ronny Martin [Absegami], 1998
39-8 ½ … Sandy Hinson [Lenape], 1988
39-8 ¼ … Karen Johnson [Williamstown], 2006
39-8 … Elisia Lancaster [Delsea], 2016
39-7 ¼ … Kimani Bartley [Vineland], 2015
39-2 … Bridget Sedivi [Cherokee], 1991
39-2 … Rose Perry [Riverside], 2003
39-1 ¾ … Stacy Hinson [Lenape], 1988
39-1 … Denise Thomas [Willingboro], 1980
39-0 ¼ … Tomara Carmichael [Palmyra], 2016
38-9 ½ … Emma Painter [Clayton], 1981

The indoor triple jump didn’t really exist for South Jersey girls until a few years after Easterns moved from Boston to Jadwin in 1996 and ultimately to its permanent home at the Armory in 1997.

The first indoor triple jumper to get a legit mark indoors was Highland’s versatile Desearea Byrd, who set a South Jersey record of 34-2 in 2003. But the triple jump was about her fifth event. Byrd was a 5-4 high jumper, 37-foot shot putter, a capable hurdler, a solid long jumper … she even placed 10th in the indoor pentathlon at nationals in 2003.

Shawnee’s Tabatha Haskins, another super-versatile multi-eventer, hit 35-6 in 2004, and Byrd extended her PR to 34-7 in 2005. South Jersey’s first 36-footer was Rachel Montague of Cherokee, who hit 36-4 at the 2008 Poreda Invite at Lawrenceville’s Lavino Fieldhouse.

That stood as the South Jersey record until Millville’s Javona Ford jumped 36-6 at 2010 Easterns. Ford, like all the others, was multi-talented – a 38-8 triple jumper outdoors, an 18-6 long jumper, a 133-foot javelin thrower and a sectional medalist in the high jump!

Lenape’s Shaya Wilkerson was South Jersey’s first indoor 37- or 38-footer with a 38-0 1/2 at Easterns in 2012. She’quell Higgs of Winslow extended the South Jersey record to 38-4 at the 2013 Poreda Invite and held it for six years until amazing Claudine Smith of Atlantic City blasted a 40-1 1/2 at 2019 Nationals at the Armory, No. 6 in state history.

This list is not like most of the others we’ve put together because almost all the marks are recent:

Before 2004: 0
2005-2009: 9
2010-2019: 31
2020: 11

All-Time South Jersey Girls Indoor Triple Jump Top 50

40-1 ½ … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
38-4 … She’quell Higgs [Winslow Twp.], 2013
38-0 ½ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2012
37-10 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2013
37-7 … Elizabeth Montague [Cherokee], 2014
37-4 … Olivia Wright [Winslow Twp.], 2020
37-2 ½ … Kristina Tossas [Rancocas Valley], 2020
37-1 … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2015
36-9 ¼ … Jasmin Jones [Kingsway], 2016
36-8 ½ … Leah Ellis [Millville], 2019
36-6 ½ … Maryn Hess [Winslow Twp.], 2017
36-6 ½ … Janell Rowe [Sterling], 2016
36-6 … Javona Ford [Millville], 2010
36-5 … Shevell Higgs [Winslow Twp.], 2020
36-4 … Rachel Montague [Cherokee], 2008
36-2 ¾ … Kiah Walton [Burlington Twp.], 2014
36-1 ½ … Chastiney Pearson [Timber Creek], 2020
36-0 ½ … Taliya Rogers [Rancocas Valley], 2016
36-0 ½ … Keyanna Meade [Burlington Twp.]. 2018
35-11 ¾ … Mariah Stephens [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
35-8 ¾ … Erica Enarusai [Burlington Twp.], 2013
35-8 … Madeline Hunt [Woodstown], 2020
35-7 ¾ … Jordan James [Winslow Twp.], 2020
35-6 ½ … Tabatha Haskins [Shawnee], 2004
35-3 ½ … Alexia Lee [Millville], 2016
35-1 ½ … Shalonda Forrest [Camden], 2014
35-0 ½ … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 2014
34-9 ¾ … Brianna McGrath [Winslow Twp.], 2013
34-9 ½ … Nyrae Newman [Millville], 2009
34-9 … Lauren Kilson [Clearview], 2007
34-8 ½ … Anaya Young [Rancocas Valley], 2020
34-7 ¾ … Katie Sellu [Delsea], 2020
34-7 ¼ … Kristen Frombach [Rancocas Valley], 2015
34-7 … Deserea Byrd [Highland], 2005
34-6 ½ … Alex Romanelli [Absegami], 2009
34-5 ¼ … Marissa Decesaris [Cherokee], 2010
34-5 … Abena Asare [Eastern], 2014
34-4 ½ … Akayla Leake [Burlington Twp.], 2017
34-4 ¼ … Stephanie McLean [Willingboro], 2006
33-11 ¾ … Ryan Johnson [Camden], 2008
33-11 ¼ … Natasha Padilla [Millville], 2009
33-10 ¾ … Ihunna Amugo [Timber Creek], 2016
33-10 ½ … Jaeda Butler [Rancocas Valley], 2019
33-10 ½ … Teana Rumph [Millville], 2012
33-7 ½ … Tori Higbee [Cumberland Reg.], 2020
33-7 … Tanyha Smith [Millville], 2020
33-7 … Edirin Akiri [Eastern], 2014
33-6 ¾ … Cierra Bowman [Millville], 2019
33-6 ½ … Courtney James [Burlington Twp.], 2017
33-6 ¼ … Quinteria Allen-Armstead [Millville], 2016
33-6 … Sierra Keller [Cherokee], 2015

With the girls indoor long jump, there’s only one place to start.

With Carol Lewis.

On Jan. 31, 1981, Willingboro High School senior Carol Lewis made the trip down to Dallas to compete against the best long jumpers in the world, and she wound up not only beating all of them, she set an American indoor record and set a U.S. high school record that would stand for 36 years.

Lewis, competing at the inaugural Dallas Times Herald Invitational at Reunion Arena, won the long jump with a leap of 21-7 1/2.

That was the same meet her high school teammate, Michelle Glover, ran the 60-yard dash with a time that remains one of the fastest ever run by a schoolgirl. That story is here.

As for Lewis, she:

♦ Broke the American indoor record of 21-4 3/4 shared by Martha Watson and Kathy McMillan.

♦ Broke the U.S. high school and U.S. junior record of 21-4 3/4 set in 1976 in Greensboro, N.C., by McMillan.

♦ Broke the world junior record of 21-5 1/2, set in 1977 in Bucharest by Gina Ghioroaie of Romania.

Lewis’s 21-7 1/2 remained the U.S. record until 2017, when Tara Davis of Agoura High in Agoura Hills, Calif., jumped 21-11 at the Dunamis Sports Group Prep Classic at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas – about 25 miles north of where Lewis set her record in 1981.

Lewis’s mark remains No. 2 in U.S. history and the New Jersey state record. The closest any New Jersey girl has gotten to Lewis’s mark is just under two feet. Claire Connor of Rahway jumped 19-11 3/4 in 1984.

All-Time South Jersey Girls Indoor Long Jump List

21-7 ½ … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
19-8 ¼ … Tionna Tobias [Winslow], 2016
19-8 ……. Cidae’a Woods [Winslow], 2014
19-7 ½ … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1993
19-3 …….. Leah Ellis [Millville], 2019
18-9 …….. Shameka Speed [Bridgeton], 2002
18-8 ¾ … Artrelia Turner [Wilson], 1984
18-7 ¼ … Shelly Bailey [Woodbury], 1982
18-6 ½ … Tisifinee Taylor [Woodbury], 2002
18-6 ½ … Asia Young [Holy Spirit], 2016`
18-5 ¾ … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
18-5 ¼ … Tacquaya Tobias [Our Lady of Mercy], 2011
18-5 …… Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
18-4 ¾ … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
18-4 ½ … Kristin Tricocci [Cinnaminson], 2004
18-4 ¼ … Gabrielle Germann [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
18-3 ½ … Tanisha Jarrett [Cumberland Reg.], 1991
18-2 ¾ … Sable Loper [Woodrow Wilson], 2005
18-2 ¼ … Karissa Watson [Williamstown], 2020
18-1 ¾ … Robin Taylor [Deptford], 1980
18-1 ½ … Shonda Burroughs [Vineland], 1999
18-1 … Tawana McLean [Deptford], 1980
18-1¾ … Emily Carson [Haddonfield], 2013
18-1 ……. Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2015
17-11 ¾ … Kim Pierce [Camden], 1980
17-11 ¾ … Angela Clyburn [Egg Harbor Twp.], 1991
17-11 ¾ … Rachell Armstead [Millville], 2015
17-11 ½ … Sarah Jone [Bishop Eustace], 2016
17-11 ¼ … Ariel Mitchell [Lenape], 2014
17-11 ½ … Frances Bundy [Pleasantville], 1998
17-10 ½ … Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], 2001
17-10 ¼ … Jenna Niedermayer [Cinnaminson], 2009
17-10 … Kristina Tossas [Rancocas Valley], 2020
17-9 ¾ … Annie Taft [Bishop Eustace], 2005
17-9 ¾ … Shaya Willkerson [Lenape], 2012
17-9 ½ … Nicol Corsey [Deptford], 1997
17-9 ¼ … Hashan Johnson [Bridgeton], 2000?
17-9 ¼ … Jasmin Jones [Deptford], 2018
17-8 ½ … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
17-8 ¼ … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
17-7 ¾ … Jen Heisinger [Woodbury], 1991
17-7 … Tina Walls [Williamstown], 1982
17-6 ¾ … Brianna McGrath [Winslow Twp.], 2013
17-6 ½ … Janiyah Davis-Hines [Timber Creek], 2017
17-6 ¼ … Kelly Settles [Sterling], 1985
17-6 ¼ … Anaya Young [Rancocas Valley], 2020
17-5 ½ … Kiera Clemons [Edgewoo], 2000
17-5 … Shaquanda Meylor [Woodrow Wilson], 2006
17-4 ¾ … Skylar Harris [Paul VI], 2020
17-4 ½ … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
17-4 … Terry Archie [Woodbury], 1986

Malachi James, a 14-year-old from Willingboro, posted the fastest qualifying times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in his age group at the AAU Junior Olympic Games this week in Florida.

James ran 22.72 to lead all qualifiers in the 200-meter dash in the 14-year-old age group on Wednesday afternoon and then ran 11.25 into a 1.6-meters-per-second wind to lead all qualifiers in the 100-meter dash on Thursday morning. The next-fastest times among the eight qualifiers for the finals were 11.45 and 23.05.

James, a rising 9th-grader, is scheduled to run in the 200 final on Friday and the 100 final on Saturday. The meet is being held at Satellite High School in Satellite Beach, Fla.

The first indoor high jump star in South Jersey history was Connie Pollack of Rancocas Valley, who won the 1979 Meet of Champions – the first one for girls – at 5-2.

Pollack went on to clear 5-4 later that winter, which broke the South Jersey record of 5-2 she shared with Overbrook’s Maria Gudjohnson, who had cleared 5-2 in 1978.

Pollack’s 5-4 was No. 4 in state history as of the end of the 1979 winter season but only held up as the South Jersey record for two years until Olympian Carol Lewis hit 5-8 as part of her remarkable record-setting senior year at Willingboro.

Lewis then held the mark for 37 years … 37 YEARS … until Timber Creek’s amazing Tierra Hooker matched her outdoor 5-10 clearance, which got her second at the 2017 Meet of Champions, with an indoor 5-10 at the Ocean Breeze Invitational in January of 2018.

That equals the No. 3 mark in state history.

Hooker went on to sweep the 2019 Meet of Champions titles with a 5-8 indoors and a 5-10 outdoors. She also long jumped 19 feet, took second at states in the hurdles and even broke 60 seconds for the 400!

When I stared making the all-time top-50 list I was hoping I wouldn’t have to track down every 5-4 mark in South Jersey history, but alas, that’s the way it worked out. I could be missing a few 5-4’s, so hit me up in the comment section if you notice any marks missing.

All-Time South Jersey Girls Indoor High Jump Top-50

5-10 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 2018
5-8 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
5-8 … Shatich Rivers [Moorestown], 1992
5-8 … Abby Campbell [Shawnee], 2002
5-8 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
5-8 … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 2015
5-7 1/4 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
5-7 … Megan Kirschling [West Deptford], 2012
5-7 … Alicia Terrell [Timber Creek], 2013
5-7 … Kambi Walker [Paul VI], 2019
5-6 … Erin Halpin [Cherry Hill West], 1987
5-6 … Sandy Tokoto [Moorestown], 1991
5-6 … Mandy Wolicki [Ocean City], 1996
5-6 … Kate Beatty [Shawnee], 1997
5-6 … Patty Dudek [Bordentown], 2000
5-6 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
5-6 … Brianna Gray [Haddon Heights], 2007
5-6 … Anna Cook [Florence], 2007
5-6 … Kelsey Evancho [Lenape], 2010
5-6 … Mary Durek [Shawnee], 2012
5-6 … Amaris Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2013
5-6 … Natalie Cowan [Hammonton], 2015
5-6 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2018
5-6 … Kenady Wilson [Willingboro], 2018
5-6 … Bethany Biggi [Rancocas Valley], 2019
5-6 … Bryanna Craig [Millville], 2020
5-5 … Kristen Tricocci [Cinnaminson], 2003
5-4 ½ … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2018
5-4 ½ … Natalie Cowan [Hammonton], 2015
5-4 ¼ … Tamika Voltaire [Eastern], 2017
5-4 … Connie Pollack [Rancocas Valley], 1979
5-4 … Carrie Gibb [Lenape], 1990
5-4 … Misty Farrell [Washington Twp.], 1995
5-4 … Stephanie Maugham [Shawnee], 1995
5-4 … Brooke Murray [Pitman], 1995
5-4 … Kim Hargrove [Willingboro], 1995
5-4 … Kristina Matthews [Bordentown], 1998
5-4 … Jamie Mathews [Haddonfield], 1999
5-4 … Dierra Poland [Deptford], 1999
5-4 … Kena Butts [Eastern], 2000
5-4 … Diona Byrd [Millville], 2001
5-4 … Alison Sheperd [Oakcrest], 2001
5-4 … Tiffany Alford [Pemberton], 2002
5-4 … Lauren Graf [Oakcrest], 2002
5-4 … Dominique Ward [Lenape], 2002
5-4 … Jessica Marcasciano [Egg Harbpr Twp.], 2003
5-4 … Laura Passalacqua [Rancocas Valley], 2004
5-4 … Latasha Leake [Northern Burlington], 2004
5-4 … Christina Smith [Washington Twp.], 2004
5-4 … Megan Kustera [West Deptford], 2008
5-4 … Lauren Taylor [Cherokee], 2008
5-4 … Danielle Ward [Lenape], 2009
5-4 … Kristen Bradley [Shawnee], 2009
5-4 … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2011
5-4 … Erica Herrman [Haddonfield], 2012
5-4 … Talyah Cox [Delsea], 2014
5-4 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2014
5-4 … Mariah Hubbard [Absegami], 2016
5-4 … Quinn Bithell [Lower Cape May Reg.], 2016
5-4 … Nia Hinds [Burlington Twp.], 2016
5-4 … Kai Starnes [Timber Creek], 2016
5-4 … Gabriella Babore [Paul VI], 2020

The outdoor Meet of Champions, which has moved around to a variety of locations since a 16-year stay at South Plainfield, will return to Rutgers University in the spring of 2021.

The NJSIAA’s track and field and XC committee met Thursday, and among other actions – like reinstating the indoor state relays for this winter – the committee agreed to move the Meet of Champions back to Rutgers, where it was last held in 1983, according to New Jersey MileSplit.

This will be the first time in nearly four decades the Meet of Champions will be held in a true track and field stadium as opposed to a high school field.

The Meet of Champions was held at Rutgers Stadium in Piscataway (now called Shi Stadium) until 1983.

Starting next year, the Meet of Champions will be held a couple miles up the road at the beautiful Rutgers’ Bauer Track and Field Complex, which has hosted the Big East Championships several times. Bauer is located next to the RAC, Rutgers’ basketball arena.

Here are the locations since the M-of-C first moved out of Rutgers:

2017-2019: Northern Burlington High School, Mansfield Township
2016: Central Regional High School, Berkeley Township
2013-2015: John F. Kennedy Elementary School, South Plainfield
2011-2012: Old Bridge High School
2003-2010: John F. Kennedy Elementary School, South Plainfield
2000-2002: South Brunswick High School
1984-1999: John F. Kennedy Elementary School, South Plainfield

In addition to an eight-lane track, Bauer has two shot put circles, four horizontal jump runways, two discus cages, two pole vault runways and two javelin runways and is equipped for sprints and hurdles on either side of the track.

According to the NJSIAA Track and Field Committee, the 2021 Meet of Champions is tentatively scheduled for June 16, 2021.

The committee also moved future indoor state group meets to Ocean Breeze on Staten Island, which last year hosted the Meet of Champions for the first time.

For full details of the Track and Field and XC Committee meeting, check out Robert Kellert’s story here on NJ Milesplit!

Carol Lewis wasn’t getting challenged in hurdles (or the long jump) in the handful of indoor meets available to high school girls in New Jersey back in the early 1980s.

She needed some competition to run a fast high hurdles race.

And on Jan. 23, 1981 — two days before the Eagles faced the Raiders in the Super Bowl in New Orleans – she found it.

Lewis, then a senior at Willingboro High, went to the Philadelphia Track Classic at the Spectrum to race world record holder Candy Young of Fairleigh Dickinson in an open 60-yard hurdles race.

Young won in 7.83, but Lewis wasn’t far back in 7.92. Lorri Dinello of Florida, the 1982 NCAA outdoor champion, was third in 7.99. Lewis’s time was No. 4 in U.S. history at the time.

Lewis broke the state FAT record and her performance may have actually been the first fully automatically timed 60-yard hurdles race ever by a South Jersey girl. If there was one any earlier it was slower than 8.40.

That remained the state record until Dawn Bowles of Neptune ran 7.81 probably at the Colgate Games finals at Madison Square Garden in 1988 and her time remained the South Jersey record until future Olympic silver medalist and two-time World Champion Nia Ali of Pleasantville ran 7.89 to win the 2006 Easterns at the Armory.

All-Time South Jersey Girls 55-Meter Hurdles Top-50

7.89 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
7.89 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
7.92 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
7.94 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
7.98 … Nichole Belcher [Woodrow Wilson], 1992
7.98 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2019
8.01 … Samantha Sharper [Woodrow Wilson], 2008
8.03 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 2000
8.03 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 2020
8.03 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2018
8.04 … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
8.05 … Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 1998
8.06 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
8.10 … Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 1997
8.11 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2014
8.15 … Jewel Ash [Eastern], 2020
8.17 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
8.17 … Aliya Rae Garozzo [Paul VI], 2020
8.18 … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 2015
8.18 … Te’seanna Harris [Camden], 2019
8.19 … Brittany Preston [Winslow Twp,], 2016
8.22 … Jamillah Nock [Wilson], 2004
8.23 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 2019
8.24 … Malea Broome [Millville], 2019
8.26 … Jane Sharper [Woodrow Wilson], 2006
8.28 … Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2016
8.29 … Keisha Williams [Camden], 2015
8.29 … Meredith Updike [Cinnaminson], 2020
8.30 … Joshonda Johnson [Absegami],2017
8.31 … Bryanna Craig [Millville], 2020
8.28… Kristina Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
8.33 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1994
8.33 … Christine Lavallias [Timber Creek], 2016
8.35 … Janiayah Davis-Hines [Timber Creek], 2017
8.35 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
8.35 … Kayla Henry [Winslow Twp.], 2008
8.36 … Sonja Bennett [Edgewood], 1985
8.37 … Annie Taft [Bishop Eustace], 2005
8.37 … Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 1997
8.37 … Delicia Sample [Kingsway], 2004
8.37 … Lexie Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2014
8.38 … Kimberly Allen [Willingboro], 2004
8.34 … Amani Gilliam [Pennsauken],2004
8.39 … Rachell Armstead [Millville], 2016
8.40 … Yvette Murray [Edgewood], 1999
8.40 … Francesca D’Angelo [Holy Spirit], 2008
8.40 … Shevell Higgs [Winslow Twp.], 2020
8.40 … Nylah Perry [Winslow Twp.], 2020
8.41 … Leah Ellis [Millville], 2020
8.42 … Stephanie Maugham [Shawnee], 1995
8.42 … Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], 2001

All-Time South Jersey Girls 60-Meter Hurdles Top-10

8.36 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], 2006
8.50 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
8.52 … Alethia Jenkins [Pennsauken], 2000
8.62 … Lenaami Morton [Camden], 2017
8.64 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
8.74 … Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 1998
8.80 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1980
8.80 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], 2019
8.82 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 2019
8.83 … Brittany Preston [Winslow Twp.], 2016

This year’s Shore Coaches Invitational, the largest XC invite in the state, has been cancelled, N.J. MileSplit reported Friday.

The meet was scheduled for Oct. 3 at Holmdel County Park.

Shore Coaches, which began in 1970 with three boy races, has grown to 26 boys and girls freshman, JV and varsity races.

There were some 4,853 finishers in the various races last year, an average of nearly 200 per race.

With states and the Meet of Champions already cancelled, it appears there won’t be any major high school meets this fall at the legendary Holmdel 5,000-meter course.

In a joint statement, meet director Brian Decker and Shore Coaches president Todd Briggs explained the decision:

Briggs tweeted out that the Shore Coaches does support holding an abbreviated XC season this fall:

Back in 1970, when the meet was held at Ocean County Park in Lakewood, Westfield, Sterling and Bernards won the initial team titles, and Dan Adams of Gateway and Mike Butynes of Sterling won two of the individual titles that first year.

The meet wasn’t held in 1971 or 1976 but has been held every year since 1977.

The meet moved to Brookdale Community College in Lincroft in 1974 and has been held at Holmdel since 1979. The girls meet was added in 1977.

Next year’s meet – hopefully – will be held on Oct. 2, 2021.