Winslow’s Shakira Dancy, now a Michigan State senior, ran a personal-best 23.53 in the 200 trials Friday at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind.

Dancy’s race was wind-legal at 0.1 meters per second. She advanced to the 200 final at 2:42 p.m. Sunday. The cutoff for the nine-lane final was 23.59.

Dancy’s previous 200 PR was a 23.69 in the prelims of the 2021 Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill.

Dancy spent two indoor seasons at Florida but because of the 2020 season getting wiped out by COVID she didn’t race outdoors in 2019 or 2020.

Dennisha Page, a Rutgers junior from Wilson, annihilated her 200 PR Friday in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind., and leads all qualifiers into Sunday’s final.

Page ran 23.08 with legal wind and missed the school record by 1-100th of a second. The school record of 23.07 was set at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Lincoln, Neb., by Williamstown’s Gabrielle Farquharson.

So South Jersey sprinters now hold the top-two spots on the all-time Rutgers 200 list. Bordentown’s Andrea Conaway (23.95 in 1988), Egg Harbor’s Ajae Alvarez-Tyler (24.19 last year) are No. 6 and 8.

Page’s previous PR was a 23.19 just two weeks ago in a meet in Jacksonville. She also ran 23.48 and 23.46 last month. Coming into April, her 200 PR was 23.61 indoors at Clemson in January, so that’s now dropped more than half a second.

The only South Jersey women to run faster than Page are Olympic gold medalist English Gardner, who ran 22.62 in 2013, and Farquharson with her 23.07. Unless I’m missing someone, I have Page tied for No. 8 in state history at 23.08:

22.37… Me’Lisa Barber [Montclair], June 26, 2005, Carson, Calif.
22.39 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], March 29, 2018, Gainesville, Fla.
22.62 … English Gardner [Eastern], May 12, 2013, Los Angeles
22.63 … Wenda Vereen [Trenton], April 17, 1993, Walnut, Calif.
22.73 … Mikele Barber [Montclair], June 23, 2007, Indianapolis, Ind.
23.07 … Shavon Greaves [Lakewood], April 2, 2010, Gainesville, Fla.
23.07 … Gabrielle Farquharson [Williamstown], May 15, 2016, Lincoln, Neb.
23.08 … Aleah Williams [Montclair], May 19, 2003, Austin, Texas
23.08 … Dennisha Page [Wilson], May 12, 2023, Bloomington, Ind.
23.24 … Amandi Rhett [Moorestown], June 10, 2004, Austin, Texas

Sincere Rhea destroyed his high hurdles PR Friday in the prelims of the ACC Championships in Raleigh, N.C., and recorded the 2nd-fastest time in Miami Hurricanes history and one of the fastest times by an American this year.

Rhea, a junior at Miami and a former national scholastic champion at St. Augustine in Richland, Atlantic County, ran a wind-legal 13.48, the 4th-fastest qualifying time into the final at 5:50 p.m. Saturday.

The only faster time in Miami history was recorded by Trenton High graduate Devon Hill, who set the school record of 13.35 when he won the 110 highs at the 2012 ACC Championships in Charlottesville, Va.

Rhea, from Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, was one of four hurdlers that ran between 13.43 and 13.48 and advanced automatically to the final by winning their heat.

Rhea’s time makes him the 4th-fastest hurdler ever from South Jersey and fastest since Willingboro’s Isaac Williams ran 13.43 at the 2016 Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif.

Only nine U.S. hurdlers had run faster than 13.48 going into Friday’s meets. The A standard to qualify for U.S. Nationals in Eugene July 6-9 is 13.50, so Rhea can run in his first nationals if he chooses.

Rhea’s previous PR was a 13.72 from two weeks ago in Jacksonville. He had run between 13.72 and 13.74 in each of his last four meets after coming into the season with a PR of 13.89 from last spring in Baton Rouge, La. That was also his PR at Penn State from the 2021 Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill.

Deptford’s Naseem Smith, a sophomore at Syracuse, also qualified for the final with a PR 14.02 in the same heat as Rhea. His previous PR was a 14.38 in a meet last month in Cortland, N.Y.

This is my best attempt at an all-time New Jersey 110-meter hurdles top-10:

12.93 … Renaldo Nehemiah [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], Aug. 19, 1981, Zürich
12.94 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], June 22, 1996, Atlanta
13.08 … Jeff Porter [Franklin Twp.], June 30, 2012, Eugene, Ore.
13.12 … Anwar Moore [Camden], May 5, 2007, Modesto, Calif.
13.35 … Devin Hill [Trenton], April 21, 2012, Charlottesville, Va.
13.36 … Todd Matthews [Notre Dame], July 12, 2012, Budapest, Hungary
13.43 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], April 16, 2016, Walnut, Calif.
13.48 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], May 12, 2023,
13.51 … Martin Booker [Camden], June 7, 1986, Indianapolis
13.53 … Dudley Dorival [Ewing], July 29, 1995, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Nice PR Friday for Rancocas Valley graduate Micah Wood, who ran 52.35 in the 400-meter intermediates in the prelims at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind.

Wood advanced to the final at 2:18 p.m. Sunday.

Wood’s previous PR was a 52.61 last month in a meet in Columbia, S.C. At Monmouth he ran 52.91 to win the 2021 Metro Atlantic Conference meet in Lawrenceville.

Wood’s time is No. 10 in Rutgers history. Four of the top 10 are South Jersey alumni: Aaron Younger of Delsea is No. 2 [50.65 at 2010 NCAA Regionals in Greensboro, N.C.], Steve Swern of Lenape is No. 6 [51.68 at 2010 IC4As in Princeton], Delran’s Harran Williams No. 8 [52.19 at 2002 IC4As in Princeton] and Wood is No. 10.

In the women’s race, Winslow’s Nylah Perry advanced to Sunday’s final with a 59.37 in the prelims. She just PR’d with a 58.61 at a meet last month in Gainesville, Fla.

Winslow’s Tionna Tobias opened up the Big Ten Conference heptathlon in Bloomington, Ind., with a monster hurdles PR and the 2nd-fastest time in Iowa history.

Tobias ran 13.20, only 3-100ths of a second off the school record of 13.17 set by Paige Magee in the prelims of the 2021 Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill.. Tiffany Johnson also ran 13.20 at the 2007 Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa.

That 13.20 got Tobias a whopping 1,094 points in the opening event of the seven-event two-day competition.

She ran with a legal 1.0 wind.

Tobias’s previous PR in the highs was 13.51 at a meet in Waco, Texas, last month. Her previous heptathlon hurdles PR was a 13.59 in the 2021 Big Ten meet in Champaign.

The performance made Tobias the 2nd-fastest South Jersey hurdler in history. Olympic silver medalist Nia Ali of Pleasantville has a PR of 12.34 from her win at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Looks like her time is 7th-fastest ever by a New Jersey hurdler:

12.34 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville], Oct. 6, 2019, Doha, Qatar
12.65 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], May 9, 2021, Walnut, Calif.
12.74 … Dawn Bowles [Neptune], June 15, 1997, Indianapolis
13.13 … Charmaine Walker [Plainfield], June 2, 2000, Durham, N.C.
13.15 … Amaya Chadwick [Union Catholic], May 27, 2021, Jacksonville, Fla.
13.18 … Amber Williams [Roxbury], June 6, 2007, Sacramento, Calif.
13.20 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.], May 11, 2023, Bloomington, Ind.

Tobias’s heptathlon PR is 5,124 points from last year’s Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis, 6th-highest in school history. Her long jump PR of 20-2 ½ is No. 5 in school history.

Also, Purdue freshman Bryanna Craig of Millville ran 14.22 for 947 points in a different section of the same event. That’s only 3-100ths of a second off her PR of 14.19 from a meet last month in Louisville and it also breaks her heptathlon hurdles PR of 14.29 from the Drake Relays last month in Des Moines.

Craig has a heptathlon PR of 5,411 points, which makes her the No. 5 junior (Under 20) in the world and No. 6 in school history.

Washington Township junior Aaron Kolosowsky won the 800 Thursday night at the Gloucester County Championships in what appears to be the first major 800 he’s ever run.

Kolosowsky ran 1:59.00, edging Clearview senior Cavan Agatone, who was 2nd in 1:59.66. According to MileSplit, the only 800 Kolosowsky had ever raced previousloyz was indoors as a sophomore in a meet at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., where he ran 2:17.07.

It’s possible he ran some fast 800s in dual meets – he probably did since he was seeded in the faster section – but the only result on his MileSplit page from before Thursday night is a 4:29.25 to win the 1,600 this past Saturday at the South Jersey Open.

Kolosowsky ran 4:37.02 and 10:11.01 last spring and 4:35.99 indoors. So he’s made a huge leap in both the 800 and 1,600.

The Minutemen went 1-3 in the race, with senior Colin Keane PR’ing at 2:01.46 for 3rd. And Williamstown freshman Dominic Burgio took 4th in 2:03.59, No. 4 among New Jersey freshmen this year and No. 2 in South Jersey behind Delsea’s Matthew Littlehales, who ran 2:01.01 Saturday at the South Jersey Elite at Delsea.

Littlehales didn’t run the 800 Thursday but ran a PR 9:49.70 for 3rd in the 3,200 behind Peyton Shute’s stat-leading 9:11.11 and Williamstown’s Nick Krol [9:37.71]. Littlehales is the No. 1 freshman in the state in the 1,600 [4:23.69] and No. 4 in the 800 and 3,200.

Washington Township outscored Williamstown 106-78 1/2 to win the team title.

Shawnee graduate John Ruona, a sophomore at Mount St. Mary’s, ran a huge steeplechase PR over the weekend at the Metro Atlantic Conference Championships on his home track in Emmitsburg, Md.

Ruona lowered his PR in the 3,000-meter steeple 16 seconds to 9:25.30 and placed 5th in the conference meet. His previous PR was 9:41.44 from the Northeast Conference Championships last year, also in Emmitsburg.

Ruona’s time is No. 8 in St. Peter’s history.

Mount St. Mary’s competes this weekend at the 114th annual IC4A Championships in Fairfax, Va.

Williamstown senior Ciara Demarest turned in the best shot-disc double ever at the Gloucester County Championships Thursday, wining the shot with an outdoor PR 42-2 and the disc with a 125-5.

She’s the first to sweep the shot and discus at the Gloucester County Championships in 11 years, since Tara Daniels of Kingsway won both in 2012 with a 36-4 in the shot and 111-6 in the disc.

And she’s also the first in meet history – which goes back to 1978 on the girls side – to throw 42 feet and 125 feet at the same Gloucester County meet.

Demarest has PRs of 42-11 ¼ from a meet at Ocean Breeze in January and 138-3 from the Crusader Field Invite last May. Her outdoor shot PR was 41-10 from Thursday night’s South Jersey Elite before the county meet.

Demarest now ranks 9th in Gloucester County history in the shot and 8th in the disc. The only other Gloucester County throwers to hit 42 and 138 at any point are Delsea’s Jamine Moton in 1997 [44-5, 161-1] and Jocelyn White in 2004 [44-3, 172-2] and Williamstown’s Typhanie Bates in 1995 [44-2 ½, 140-6].

Although the county meet wasn’t held her freshman and sophomore years, Demarest is now a 3-time county champ. She won the shot last year at 38-8 ¾ and was 2nd to Gianni Johnson-Slater of Delsea in the disc, 128-5 to 124-0.

On Thursday, Demarest threw 36-5, 38-0, 40-5 and 42-2, increasing her distance on each of her throws. Washington Township sophomore Ella Karp was 2nd with a 34-7 1/2.

In the discus, Demarest opened with a 114-2, foul and a 111-2 before popping the 125-5 on her 4th and final attempt, which moved her from 3rd to 1st. Clayton junior Maylisa Bluford placed 2nd with a 121-8 and Washington Township senior Sophia Dunning PR’d at 116-1 for 3rd place.

Demarest is ranked No. 3 in New Jersey in the shot and No. 4 in the disc and No. 1 in South Jersey in both throws.

172-2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
161- 1 … Jamine Moton [Delsea], 1997
149- 3 … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
140- 6 … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
139-7 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
139- 5 … Taylor Johnson [Kingsway], 2011
138¬-11 … Jen Frank (Delsea], 2006
138-3 … Ciara Demarest [Williamstown], 2023
136-7 … Gianni Johnson-Slater [Delsea], 2022
131-5 … Chelsea Cioffi [Pitman], 2010

46-4 ……… Janiece Rose [Delsea], 2011
44-5 ……… Jamine Moton [Delsea], 1997
44-3 …. Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
44-2 ½ …. Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
43-8 ¾…. Janet Morris [Kingsway], 1991
43-7 …..… Shamire Rothmiller [Glassboro], 2008
42-7 ¼ … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
42-3 …… Tessie Allen [Kingsway], 2007
42-2 … Ciarra Demarest [Williamstown], 2023
41-7 ¾ … Genevieve Rybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007

Five days after running an eye-popping 10.73 in his first high school 100, Washington Township junior Ajani Dwyer blew that PR out of the water as part of an explosive sprint double Thursday at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford.

Dwyer, a 1st-year runner, won the 100 in 10.60 – No. 14 in South Jersey history – breaking the meet record of 10.62 set in 2009 by Shawney Kersey at Delsea.

Dwyer also won the 200 in a meet-record 21.59. He ran slightly faster – 21.55 – at South Jersey Elite. But he raced unpressed, winning by over half a second. The previous meet record was 21.97, also set by Kersey in 2009.

Dwyer bumped Ewing’s Mekhi Stafford out of the top spot on the 2023 MileSplit New Jersey performance list. Stafford ran 10.62 at a meet in Landover, Md., Dwyer’s 21.55 from Delsea Saturday is No. 3 in New Jersey this year.

The last South Jersey sprinter to run as fast as Dwyer for both the 100 and 200 was Salem’s Jonathan Taylor, now an all-pro running back with the Colts. Dwyer is only the 5th to run 10.60 and 21.55.

10.47, 21.06 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
10.49, 21.53 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2017
10.53, 21.40 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
10.54, 21.52 … Fabian Santiago [Oakrest], 2010, 2012
10.60, 21.55 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2023

Dywer now ranks tied for 4th in the 100 in Gloucester County history and 5th in the 200. He’s the fastest South Jersey junior at 100 meters since Taylor ran 10.55 at South Jersey Group 1 sectionals at Egg Harbor in 2016 and fastest in the 200 since Antonio Tarantino of Paul VI ran 21.21 at 2017 Parochial A, also at EHT.

He’s the fastest underclassman in New Jersey in both sprints this year.

In the 100, Washington Township sophomore John Santos made it a 1-2 Minuteman sweep. Santos PR’d at 10.94, making him the fastest sophomore in South Jersey and the 3rd-fastest in the state this year. He’s Gloucester County’s fastest 10th-grader since Deptford’s Jean-Paul Roane ran 10.92 at the 2015 Tri-County Conference meet at Delsea. This appears to be Santos’ first open race this year. His previous PR was 11.11 from Group 4 sectionals last year at Buena.

All-Time Gloucester County 100-Meter Dash List
10.47 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
10.53 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
10.55 … Evan Corcoran [Kingsway], 2022
10.60 … Robert Page [Kingsway], 2008
10.60 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2009
10.60 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2019
10.60 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2022
10.65 … Dorian Bryant [Kingsway], 2003
10.65 … Mar-quel Davis [Deptford], 2017
10.66 … Bruce Owens [Deptford], 2004
10.70 … R.J. Page [Kingsway], 2008
10.70 … Jared Nicholson [Williamstown], 2016
10.73 … Sean McPherson [Delsea], 2010
10.73 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2023

All-Time Gloucester County 200-Meter Dash List
21.40 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
21.41 … Dorian Bryant [Kingsway], 2002
21.53 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
21.54 … Derek Ward [Kingsway], 1992
21.55 … Ajani Dwyer [Washington Twp.], 2023
21.56 … Bruce Owens [Deptford], 2005
21.56 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2011
21.57 … Mar-Quel Davis [Deptford], 2017
21.60 … Juwan Johnson [Glassboro], 2013
21.62 … Evan Corcoran [Kingsway], 2022
21.69 … Robert Page [Kingsway], 2007

 

Woodbury junior Peyton Shute, running unpressed, posted the 4th-fastest 3,200 in Gloucester County history Thursday night at the Gloucester County Championships at Deptford.

Shute ran 9:11.11, fastest ever by a Gloucester County junior and 4th-fastest in New Jersey this year. He won by 150 meters over Williamstown’s Nicholas Krol, who was 2nd in 9:38.71.

Shute destroyed the meet record of 9:28.83 set in 2011 at Delsea by Washington Township’s Anthony Dentino.

This winter, Shute ran a PR 9:14.51 at indoor Group 1 states at the Bubble. His outdoor PR was 9:15.76 from last spring at Cherokee’s Night of Racing.

His time is fastest by any South Jersey Group 1 runner since Luke Petela of Haddon Township ran 8:58.32 at the 2015 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.

The only Gloucester County 3,200 runners to go faster than Shute are former Gateway stars of the 1970s Mike Mantini [9:01.9h] and Greg Stremmel [9:06.2] with converted two-mile times and Delsea’s Andrew Littlehales, who ran 9:10.39 last year at Group 3 sectionals at Delsea.

The previous county junior class record was 9:14.93 set by Kingsway’s Kyle Rakitis at Cherokee’s Night of 3200s in April of 2021.

Here’s a look at the fastest 3200s and converted two miles in Gloucester County history:

9:01.9y … Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1979
9:06.2y … Greg Stremmel [Gateway], 1974
9:10.39 … Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], 2022
9:11.11 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
9:11.88 … Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2011
9:14.31 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:14.93 … Kyle Rakitis [Kingsway], 2021
9:16.39 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2019