Delsea’s shot put crew came up huge once again, leading the Crusaders to their 5th indoor state title and 4th in the last six years.

With 18 points in the shot, Delsea topped Morris Knolls 42 1/3-30 to win the state Group 3 championship at the Bubble Saturday.

Delsea also won state titles in Group 2 in 2011, 2018, 2020 and 2022.

This was a true team championship. Delsea’s weight crew got plenty of help from a sprinter, a distance runner, a vaulter, a jumper and a relay team.

Junior Jonathan Harris won the shot with a 58-11 ¼, senior Greg Masso placed 3rd with a final-throw 55-0 and senior Tyler Habersham-Agbemenu was 5th with a 49-7 ½.

In 2018, Bill Goldsborough placed 2nd in the shot. In 2020, Joe Metzger placed 2nd in the shot. In 2022, Jason Nwosu, Josh Caudill and Masso swept the top three spots. So in those four state title since 2018, the Crusaders have scored 58 points in the shot put.

Sophomore Matthew Littlehales contributed eight big points with a 2nd-place finish in the 1,600 with a personal-best 4:21.71, 2nd-fastest by a New Jersey 10th-grader this year and fastest by a South Jersey sophomore since Ocean City’s Owen Ritti ran 4:20.43 at the 2020 Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze. Littlehales’ previous indoor PR was 4:29.61 last week at sectionals. He ran 4:23.69 last spring as a freshman.

Senior Julian Conigliaro, who didn’t even make sectionals last indoor season, ran a big PR 6.58 for 3rd place in the 55-meter dash. Conigliaro’s previous PR was 6.64, which he ran twice, including in the trials earlier Saturday.

Senior Carlos Reyes cleared 13-0 in the pole vault – an indoor PR and matching his lifetime PR – for 3rd place in the pole vault.

Senior Wayne Adair cleared 6-0 in the high jump, finishing in a 3-way tie for 6th place, which accounts for the one-third of a point in Delsea’s final total.

And Delsea finished things off with a 4th-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay, with seniors Xavier Wyatt, Conigliaro, Dante McGrenehan and Christian Langston running 3:28.66.

Outdoors, Delsea won state titles in Group 3 in 2018 and 2022 and Group 2 in 2019, so overall that’s eight state championships and seven since 2018.

After a long – long – day at the Bubble, South Jersey finished a nearly 12-hour day with 30 state championships.

With the delayed start time of 12:30, the last race of the day – the girls Group 2 1,600-meter relay – didn’t end until just before midnight. |

Easterns are Tuesday and granted Easterns has faded recently and isn’t the meet it used to be, but it’s still on the fast track at the Armory and is still worth a handful of good marks every year. And then it’s off to Ocean Breeze March 3 for the Meet of Champions starting at 10 a.m.

But for now, here’s a look at every state champion from South Jersey this weekend. Congrats to all the winners and everybody else who qualified for the M-of-C or PR’d or did their best. If I omitted anybody, I’m sorry, but it’s 1 a.m. Let me know who’s missing in the comment section and I’ll add them.

Boys
Group 1
Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 1,600-Meter Run [4:17.42]
Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 3,200-Meter Run [9:33.34]
Malachi James [Burlington City], 55-Meter Dash [6.30]

Group 2
*Bennett Wright [Haddonfield], 1,600-Meter Run [4:21.12]
Elijah Forrest [Collingswood], 3,200-Meter Run [9:31.21]
Deptford [Darryl Wayman, Christian Berry, *Sean Nieves, Abu Jabbie], 1,600-Meter Relay [3:30.41]
Ryan Merlino [Oakcrest], Pole Vault [14-6]

Group 3
Winslow Township [*Chukwuemeka Ajaegbulemh, *Dominic Bassey, *Jayden Poteat, Darrell Jackson Jr.], 1,600-Reter Relay [3:26.04]
Daniel Couse [Clearview], Pole Vault [14-0]
*Jonathan Harris [Delsea], Shot Put [58-11 ¼]

Group 4
Yashahya Brown [Washington Township], 55-Meter Hurdles [7.21]
Robert Poplau [Cherokee], 800-Meter Run [1:54.64]
*Trevor Farrell [Kingsway], Pole Vault [13-6]
David Godbolt [Rancocas Valley], High Jump [6-6]

Girls
Group 1
*Leila Ortiz [Clayton], 55-Meter Dash [7.37]
Audubon [Arianna Bittner, Kylie Tocco, Madelin Carter, Alaina Copsetta], 1,600-Meter Relay [4:15.38]
Maylisa Bluford [Clayton], Shot Put [39-2 ¾]
*Emerson Levins [Haddon Twp.], Pole Vault [10-0]
Alanna Woolfolk [Clayton], High Jump [5-8]

Group 2
*Nester Wea [Willingboro], 55-Meter Dash [7.23]
*Rebecca Hoover [Haddonfield], Pole Vault [12-0]

Group 3
**Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 55-Meter Dash [7.04]
**Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 400-Meter Dash [56.38]
*Sofia Day [Mainland Regional], 800-Meter Run [2:16.66]
*Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 3,200-Meter Run [10:33.78]
Winslow Township [**Olivia Okaro, Djassi Dean, ***Skyhe Seamon, ***Cinniya Robinson], 1,600-Meter Relay [3:57.17]
*Hannah Byrd-Leitner [Moorestown], Pole Vault [12-0]

Group 4
**Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 400-Meter dash [57.12]
Eastern [Samantha Osei-Kyei, Lomaria Tengbeh, Eva Sprewell, **Natalie Dumas], 1,600-Meter Relay [4:00.12]

The meet was close. Then they ran the 55-meter dash final. And the meet wasn’t close anymore.

The Willingboro girls put away the state Group 2 meet with a dominating 1-3-4 finish in the 55, turning a 36-34 lead over Haddonfield into a 21-point edge.

Willingboro finished with a 64-48 margin of victory over Rumson-Fair Haven to win its 5th indoor state title but first in 20 years. Haddonfield was a close 3rd with 46 points.

The Willingboro girls also won Group 4 in 1981, Group 2 in 1998 and Group 3 in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

All three Willingboro sprinters PR’d, junior Nester Wea with a 7.23, sophomore Kaila Speight 7.33 and freshman Maya Bolden a 7.34.

And get this: Those times are Willingboro’s fastest in 26 years and No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 in school history. And they all came in one race. Here’s a look at an all-time Willingboro 55-meter dash top 10 list:

6.73 … Michelle Glover, 1981
7.07 … Magenta Taylor, 1998
7.23 … Nester Wea, 2024
7.26 … Pam Young, 1982
7.33 … Kaila Speight, 2024
7.34 … Maya Bolden, 2024
7.35 … Kia Van Wright, 1992
7.35 … Jordan McCray-Ross, 2017
7.36 … Chanel Hamilton, 2004
7.38 … Aailiyah Courtney, 2012

Wea had her usual huge day, with the 55-meter dash win and 2nd-place finishes in the 400 in 58.76 and the hurdles with a PR 8.43. She also ran the 2nd leg on the 2nd-place 4-by-4.

Speight contributed 3rd-place finishes in the 55 and the 400 with PRs of 7.33 and 58.92 and ran the 3rd leg on the relay, and Bolden anchored the 4-by-4 to go with her 4th-place finish in the dash. Jaden Murry led off the 4-by-4, which ran 4:01.95.

And senior Naa’rah Andrews PR’d at 5-2 in the high jump for 2nd place. That’s an indoor PR and matches her outdoor PR.

The Chimeras are getting close to the 4-minute mark, which they last broke indoors with a 3:59.55 at 2010 Easterns.

The Chimeras also got big points in the shot put from junior Chanel Swain, who threw 37-7 ¼ for 3rd place.

Outdoors, Willingboro has won five state titles – Group 4 in 1980 and 1981, Group 3 in 1999 and 2002 and Group 3 in 2023. So this is their 10th overall state championship.

Without an individual 1st- or 2nd-place, the Timber Creek girls piled up enough points to win their 3rd state title since 2017 Saturday evening at the Bubble.

In a meet that didn’t end until after 11:30 p.m., Timber Creek placed 2nd in the 1,600-meter relay to lock up a 34-30 win over Mount Olive.

There were 10 teams within 10 points going into the 4-by-4. Winslow won with a meet-record 3:57.17, with Timber Creek taking 2nd in 3:57.91.

That lifted Timber Creek from 26 points to 34 and clinched the team title.

Winslow finished 3rd with 29 points, with West Windsor-Plainsboro North [23], Rahway [20], Pennsauken [20], Moorestown [19, Middletown South [18], Ocean City [18] and Morris Hills [17] making it 10 schools between 17 and 34 points.

Timber Creek also won Group 3 indoor state titles in 2017 and 2023. There was no meet held in 2021, so they’ve won three of the last seven state championships in Group 3.

Senior Guerlande Pierre turned in a remarkable triple, scoring in the 55-meter hurdles, shot put and high jump. She placed 3rd in the hurdles in 8.36, 5th in the shot put with a 35-6 and 6th in the high jump at 5-0.

Junior Ryan Jennings ran 7.17 for 4th in the 55 and 58.81 for 5th in the 400, senior Naylah Jones ran 7.13 for 3rd in the 55 and junior Billie Frazier and senior Nyla Jones went 4-6 in the hurdles in 8.58 and 8.74. Jennings, Naylah Jones, Chloe Jones and Frazier are listed as the runners on Timber Creek’s 4-by-4 team.

Before 4×4 4×4 Total

Northern Burlington sophomore Liliah Gordon recorded one of the fastest 3,200-meter runs in state history Saturday night on the way to her 5th state title.

Gordon won the 3,200 at the state Group 3 championships at the Bubble in 10:33.78, which is fastest in New Jersey this year and No. 10 in the U.S. this year, according to the MileSplit national database.

It’s 13th-fastest in state indoor history, 4th-fastest in South Jersey indoor history and No. 2 on the all-time Burlington County indoor list.

Her time is also fastest by a South Jersey girl indoors in 13 years, since Cherokee’s Megan Lacy ran 10:23.49 converted from a 10:27.13 full two miles at 2011 Armory Nationals. Only nine girls in South Jersey history have run that fast outdoors.

Gordon had to run fast because she was pushed by Middletown South senior Rosemary Shay, who PR’d with a 10:39.31 for 2nd place.

Gordon’s previous indoor PR was 10:38.20 at last year’s Meet of Champions at (much faster) Ocean Breeze. Her outdoor PR is 10:41.81 from her state championship win last spring at Delsea.

Her previous state titles were Group 3 3,200 indoors in 2022, Group 3 cross country in the fall of 2022 and 2023 and the 3,200 outdoors last June.

Gordon will be the top seed in the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions next Saturday at Ocean Breeze.

Her time is 11th-fastest ever at the Toms River Bubble, which opened in 2006.

Gordon fell just short of the meet record of 10:30.25 set in 2006 by Ocean City’s Brittany Sedberry, the South Jersey record holder.

All-Time New Jersey Indoor 3,200 List
10:12.75 … Ashley Higginson [Colts Neck], 2007
10:15.71 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2006
10:16.20 … Cate DeSousa [Red Bank Catholic], 2023
10:20.53 … Katie McCafferty [Oak Knoll], 2008
10:23.20 … Cate Guiney [Middletown South], 1999
10:23.49 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:26.25 … Leanna Johnston [Immaculate Heart Academy], 2023
10:26.95 … Melanie Thompson [Voorhees], 2008
10:29.57 … Briana Jackucewicz [Colts Neck], 2008
10:29.90 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
10:31.5h … Anne Letko [North Hunterdon], 1985
10:33.41 … Lindsay Hausman [Kent Place], 2023
10:33.78 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2024
10:34.0h … Cathy Feeney [Wayne Valley], 1990
10:33.95 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2016
10:35.81 … Tilly O’Connor [St. Rose], 2023
10:35.9 … Jodie Bilotta [North Hunterdon], 1987
10:36.31 … Monal Chokshi [Bridgewater], 1992
10:35.56 … Patti Melski [Ridgewood], 1983
10:36.9h … Meg Waldron [Bernards], 1983
10:37.8h … Tracy Biber [Springfield], 1986
10:38.11 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2011
10:38.81 … Emma Zawatski [Freehold Twp.], 2024
10:38.87 … Amanda Trotter [Red Bank Reg.], 2003
10:38.90 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
10:39.31 … Rosemary Shay [Middletown South], 2024
10:39.88 … Lillie Widmer [Delsea], 2023

All-Time S.J. Girls Indoor 3,200 Sub-11 List
10:15.71 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2006
10:23.49 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:29.90 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2009
10:33.78 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2024
10:33.95 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2016
10:38.11 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2011
10:38.90 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
10:39.88 … Lillie Widmer [Delsea], 2023
10:40.03 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
10:40.80 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2017
10:42.06 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2012
10:42.22 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2007
10:43.2y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1983
10:45.20 … Devon Grisbaum [Ocean City], 2015
10:45.40 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
10:46.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:48.28 … Abigail Waddington [Clearview], 2023
10:48.78 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2014
10:49.12 … Madison Coppolino [Sterling], 2017 [3]
10:49.46 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2016
10:52.05 … Amanda Goetschius [Delsea], 2007
10:52.53 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
10:53.4h … Christin Bettis [Hammonton], 2012
10:53.89y … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
10:54.31 … Lillie Widmer [Delsea], 2023
10:55.10 … Abigail Waddington [Clearview], 2023
10:55.29y … Ann Klocke [Bishop Eustace], 1996
10:55.58 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
10:56.77 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2022
10:57.53 … Michaela Schlemo [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2023
10:57.95 … Katy Storti [Bishop Eustace], 2019
10:59.02 … Catherine Van Horn [Triton], 2005
10:59.04 … Maria Ruiz [Williamstown], 2009
10:59.13 … Vickie Ajimoko [Williamstown], 2013
10:59.90 … Aubrey Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2022

All-Time Burlington County 3,200 List
10:23.49 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2011
10:33.78 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2024
10:46.63 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:55.58 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
11:00.7y … Deanna Germano [Shawnee], 1986
11:05.15 … Kerry O’Day [Cherokee], 2024
11:06.32y … Colleen Sunderland (Northern Burlington), 1995
11:08.85 … Nina Bendixen, [Shawnee], 2015
11:10.88 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009
11:12.32 … Mara Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2014

Junior Leila Ortiz and seniors Maylisa Bluford and Alana Woolfolk all won their specialties Saturday to lead the Clayton girls to their 2nd state indoor Group 1 title in three years at the Bubble Saturday.

Clayton finished with a 41-34 margin of victory over Audubon, who won the closing 4-by-4 to move up from 3rd to 2nd. Clayton also won Group 1 in 2022 by a 77-42 margin over Burlington City.

Clayton’s big three of Ortiz, Bluford and Woolfolk were responsible for 38 of Clayton’s 42 points. With a 15-point lead over Hasbrouck Heights going into the 4-by-4, Clayton scratched its relay team.

Ortiz won the 55-meter dash in a personal-best 7.37 and also placed 2nd in the 400 in 59.79. Her previous 55 PR was a 7.41 at sectionals last weekend on the same track.

Bluford, sitting in 3rd place through three throws, threw 39-2 ¾ on her 4th and won by about a foot and a half. The state title is her second but first in the shot put. She won the Group 1 discus last spring at 129-3 at Franklin.

And Woolfolk won her 6th state title to go along with two Meet of Champions titles. She matched her lifetime-best 5-8, which she’s now cleared three times outdoors and twice indoors. That’s the Gloucester County indoor record and tied for No. 2 in South Jersey indoor history behind Timber Creek’s Tierra Hooker, who cleared 5-10 at Ocean Breeze in 2018. Woolfolk had a miss at 5-2 Saturday but was clean at 5-4, 5-6 and 5-8 before missing three attempts at 5-9. Her 5-8 tied the meet record set in 2011 by Alexa Williams of Jonathan Dayton High in Springfield, Union County.

Clayton junior Miyanna Johnson also scored in two events, placing 5th in the high jump at 5-0 and 6th in the 55-meter dash in 7.61.

For Audubon, sophomore Riley Fayer placed 3rd in the 800 [2:24.65] and 5th in the 1,600 [5:19.18], junior Elizabeth Butrica 2nd in the pole vault [10-0], sophomore Alaina Copsetta 3rd in the 400 [1:00.75] and senior Madelin Carter as 5th in the 800 [2:28.46], and the relay team of senior Arianna Bittner, sophomore Kylie Tocco, Carter and Copsetta ran 4:15.38 to edge 2nd-place Metuchen by 12-100ths of a second.

Burlington City senior Malachi James moved into a tie for the No. 4 spot in state history in the 55-meter dash Saturday with a blistering win at the state Group 1 meet at the Bubble.

James lowered his PR from 6.31 from sectionals earlier this month at the Bubble to 6.30, which is No. 5 in the U.S., according to the MileSplit national database.

He also became a heavy favorite to win the Meet of Champions when U.S. No. 1 Ajani Dwyer of Washington Township missed the state Group 4 meet with injuries.

This is James’ first indoor state title. He won the 100 and 200 outdoors as a Willingboro freshman in 2021 and the 100 and 200 at the 2022 Meet of Champions as a Willingboro sophomore before injuries derailed most of his 2023 indoor season and his entire outdoor season.

He’s Burlington’s first indoor state champion since Shawill Greene won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.89 at the 2009 state meet and City’s first sprinter to win a state title since freshman Brondon Jenkins won the 200 outdoors in 22.26 in 1993. Jenkins won the Meet of Champions 200 in 21.46 the next year as a Delran sophomore.

James led a 1-2-3-4 South Jersey sweep, with Glassboro junior Brysheen Ferguson PR’ing at 6.44 for 2nd, Woodbury junior Marquis Taylor 3rd in 6.52 and Gateway senior Lloyd Shembry 4th in 6.63.

Ferguson’s previous PR was a 6.48 at the Bubble last month. His 6.44 is No. 5 in Gloucester County history.

All-Time New Jersey sub-6.35 list:
6.18 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.26 … Mario Heslop [Franklin Twp.], 2018
6.26 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2011
6.30 … Joe Dawkins [Hackensack], 195
6.30 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2001
6.30 … Fitzroy Ledgister [St. Peter’s Prep], 2022
6.30 … Malachi James [Burlington City], 2024
6.31 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
6.31 … Reggie Dixon [Plainfield], 2007
6.32 … Maxwell Booker [Essex Catholic], 2001
6.32 … Fabian France [Bergen Catholic], 2022
6.33 … Mike Fields [Roselle], 1995
6.33 … Louis Akpadago [Nottingham], 2020
6.33 … Shamali Whittle [Nottingham], 2022
6.34 … Ron Singletary [Trenton], 1979
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.34 … Miles Shuler-Foster [Long Branch], 2011

All-Time South Jersey List
6.18 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.26 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2011
6.30 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2001
6.31 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.36 … Kenny Reynolds [Willingboro], 1986
6.37 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
6.39 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2009
6.41 … Chris Church [Millville], 2007
6.42 … Thomas Walls [Wilson], 2006
6.42 … Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
6.43 … George McKey [Willingboro], 1982
6.43 … Marquis Taylor [Woodbury], 2024
6.43 … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
6.44 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2019
6.44 … Brysheen Ferguson [Glassboro], 2024
6.44 … Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.45 … Paul Wheeler [Kennedy], 1983
6.45 … Miekel House [Rancocas Valley], 2020
6.45 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2004
6.45 … Rob McGriff [Camden], 2006
6.45 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2018
6.46 … Albert Newkirk [Camden], 1996
6.46 … Darnell Charles [Oakcrest], 2012
6.46 … Kashif Miller [Haddon Heights], 2014
6.47 … Anthony Jones [Edgewood], 1982
6.47 … Darren Ford [Vineland], 2004
6.47 … Reggie Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
6.47 … Curtis Fitzpatrick [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
6.47 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2016
6.47 … Josh Washington [Woodbury], 2019
6.47 … Ahmad Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
6.47 … John Santos [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.48 … Gary Gordon [Willingboro], 1995
6.48 … Fabian Santiago [Oakcrest], 2012
6.48 … Caleb Williams [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2015
6.48 … Clayton Crosse [Washington Twp.]. 2016
6.49 … Louis Smith [Burlington Twp.], 1997
6.49 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2001
6.49 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2016
6.49 … Ryquell Amstead [Millville], 2014
6.49 … Malachi Melton [Cedar Creek], 2019
6.50 … Darian English [Woodrow Wilson], 1993
6.50 … Jamaal Harris [Palmyra], 2002
6.50 … Zachary Clarke [Camden], 2008
6.50 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2007
6.50 … Rasheed Grandy [Absegami], 2010
6.50 … Bobby DeMarco [Holy Spirit], 2008

All-Time Gloucester County sub-6.35 list:
6.18 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
6.43 … Marquis Taylor [Woodbury], 2024
6.43 … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
6.44 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2019
6.44 … Brysheen Ferguson [Glassboro], 2024
6.44 … Yashahya Brown [Washington Twp.], 2024
6.47 … Josh Washington [Woodbury], 2019
6.47 … John Santos [Washington Twp.], 2024

https://milesplit.live/meets/586942/events/14/results/F/M

Cherokee senior Robert Poplau won the state Group 4 800 title Saturday and shattered a 23-year-old Burlington County 800-meter record along the way.

Poplau ran 1:54.64 and led six half-milers under 1:56 in a very fast race on a very slow Bubble track in Toms River. He finished about a meter in front of Howell junior Michael Card, 2nd in 1:54.85.

His time is 8th-fasteast in South Jersey history.

Also in the mix was Egg Harbor Township senior Christopher Manzo, who was 5th in a huge PR of 1:55.74. His previous indoor PR was a 1:58.20 on the same track last month. He ran 1:55.93 outdoores last spring at the Meet of Champions at Franklin High. More on him below!

Poplau broke the Burlington County record of 1:54.80 set at 2001 Easterns at the Armory by Willingboro’s Marvin Lewis. He broke the 25-year-old Cherokee indoor record of 1:56.02 at New York Nationals in 1999 at the Armory.

Poplau is No. 2 in the state this year behind Patrick Kurtz of Pascack Valley, who ran 1:54.51 earlier this month at the Armory.

Poplau’s previous indoor PR was 1:57.55 last month at Ocean Breeze. He ran 1:56.31 last spring in New Brunswick.

His time is fastest by a South Jersey 800 runner at states since 2013, when Derrell Manhertz of Kingsway won the Group 3 race in 1:53.79.

The field went out fast – 27 through the first 200 and 55 through 400 – and the last lap was a matter of who was strongest hanging on for dear life, and it was Poplau who pulled it out in the final 50 meters.

As for Manzo, his time is 7th-fastest in Atlantic County indoor history. He broke the indoor school record of 1:56.43 set by Eric Barnes at the 2017 Meet of Champions at the Bubble.

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 800 Top 10
1:51.52 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.72 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.80 … Derrell Manhertz [Kingsway], 2013
1:52.46 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:53.51 … Alan Laws [Pleasantville], 2007
1:53.68 … Ishmael Muhammad [Oakcrest], 2013
1:54.53 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
1:54.64 … Robert Poplau [Cherokee], 2024
1:54.80 … Marvin Lewis [Willingboro], 2001
1:54.81 … Bill Dolan [Clearview], 2013
1:54.82 … Xavier Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2009

All-Time Burlington County Indoor 800 Top 10List
1:54.80 … Marvin Lewis [Willingboro], 2001
1:55.14 … Zach McBride [Lenape], 2002
1:55.19 … Isaiah Curbelo [Rancocas Valley], 2016
1:55.84 … Matt Poskus [Cinnaminson], 2007
1:56.02 … Dave Sitzer [Cherokee], 1999
1:56.2h … Roger Lawyer [Willingboro], 1988
1:56.37 … Ian Waterhouse [Rancocas Valley], 2004
1:56.46 … Jalen Jones [Burlington Twp.], 2017
1:56.52 … Rob Novak [Bordentown], 2005
1:56.69 … Sean Watson [Willingboro], 1995

All-Time Atlantic County Indoor 800 Top 10List
1:51.52 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.72 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:52.46 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:53.51 … Alan Laws [Pleasantville], 2007
1:53.68 … Ishmael Muhammad [Oakcrest], 2013
1:55.16 … Joe Lewis [Pleasantville], 1998
1:55.74 … Christopher Manzo [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2024
1:56.43 … Eric Barnes [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
1:56.73 … Dan Galeano [Absegami], 2010
1:56.77 … Larry Ramirez [Pleasantville], 2010

In a battle of two of the NAIA’s top-ranked hurdlers, Deptford graduate Javon Sanders edged Indiana Tech teammate and top-seeded Ahumad Williams by 1-100th of a second to win the 60-meter hurdles Saturday at the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Champioships.

Sanders ran 7.96 to Williams’ 7.97 at the Alksnis Athletic & Rec Building on the campus of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Both ran under the previous facility and conference meet records.

The conference title is the 2nd for Sander,s who won the 110-meter highs at the outdoor WHAC championships last May in Adrian, Wisc.

Coming into the meet, Williams was ranked 3rd in the country in the NAIA at 7.89 and Sanders was 4th at 7.92. Williams led all qualifiers in the trials with a 7.96 and Sanders ran 8.08 in a different semifinal race.

Sanders and Williams both earned All-America honors last winter at NAIA Indoor Nationals in Brookings, S.D., Sanders in 5th in the highs at 7.97 and Williams in 6th with a 7.99. Sanders missed the final at the NAIA Outdoor Championships in Marion, Ind., last spring by 6-100ths of a second after running 14.25. His outdoor PR is 14.22 from his win in last year’s WHAC Championships.

Indiana Tech has a history page on its web site that puts a lot of NCAA Division 1 schools to shame. Great historical stuff, including all-time top-10 lists that show Sanders 3rd in school history indoors and 6th outdoors.

Indiana Tech of Fort Wayne has won nine NAIA national track titles – five indoors and four outdoors, most recently indoors in 2021. This year’s Warrior team is ranked 2nd in the NAIA behind University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky.

The NAIA Championships are scheduled for Feb. 29-March 2 at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.

Sanders’ 7.92 from earlier this month is tied for 10th-fastest ever by a South Jersey hurdler in the 60-meter highs.

7.50 … Anwar Moore [Camden], Feb. 24, 2008, Boston
7.52 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], Feb. 25, 1995, Fairfax, Va.
7.72 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], Jan. 9, 2015, Houston
7.76 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], Feb. 28, 2020, Geneva, Ohio
7.86 … Tyler Garland [Deptford], Feb. 29, 2020, South Bend, Ind.
7.87 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], Feb. 28, 2014, Clemson, S.C.
7.89 … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], Feb. 23, 2003, Boston
7.90 … Jalen Walker [Burlington Twp.], March 8, 2015, Boston
7.91 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], Feb. 12, 2005, Ames, Iowa
7.92 … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville Prep / Lumberton], Feb. 10, 2023, New York
7.92 … Javon Sanders [Deptford], Feb. 3, 2024, Ashland, Ohio
7.94 … Jusson Boyd [Willingboro], Feb. 26, 2012, Winston-Salem, N.C.
7.94 … Edwin Alston [Winslow Twp.], Feb. 18, 2017, New York
7.94 … Jusson Boyd [Willingboro], Feb. 26, 2012, Winston-Salem, N.C.
7.96 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], Feb. 2, 2024, Cambridge, Mass.
7.97 … Chais Hill [Highland], Feb. 26, 2016, Geneva, Ohio

Eastern sophomore Natalie Dumas ran a big indoor PR Saturday and won the 400-meter dash at the state Group 4 meet at the Bubble.

Dumas lowered her PR from 57.66 from last year’s Meet of Champions to 57.12, edging Franklin’s Qiora Rollins, who finished 2nd three meters back in 57.50.

Her time is No. 10 in Camden County history.

Dumas has an outdoor 56.53 to her credit from last year’s Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken. That made her the No. 2 freshman in the state, behind Pennsauken’s Sianna Wynn, who ran 53.97 to win the state Group 4 title.

So far this year, Dumas is No. 10 in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Wynn’s 55.51 at Ocean Breeze last month.

Her 57.12 Saturday is 10th-fastest ever by a South Jersey girl on the slow, flat 200-meter track at the Bubble.

Here’s the all-time Camden County indoor 400 list:

55.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
55.51 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024
55.4h … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
55.6h … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
56.19 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.44 … Avionne Sloan [Camden], 2006
56.62 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
56.85 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.98 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2020
57.12 … Natalie Dumas [Eastern], 2024