Congrats to Gabrielle Farquharson of Williamstown and Jaymes Dennison of Penns Grove for picking up relay wins at the 115th annual Millrose Games.

Farquharson ran for Rutgers and has PRs of 11.32 and 23.07 (22.91 wind-aided) and 21-5 1/2 in the long jump. Dennison was a two-time All-America at Iowa State and has an 800 PR of 1:47.63.

We’re a little late on this one, but it’s not easy figuring out accurate relay lineups sometimes and Millrose is notorious for posting incorrect team members in its official results.

But we’re going to trust the Garden State Track Club Facebook page for posting the correct lineups for the men’s distance medley and women’s 800-meter relay.

In the women’s 4-by-200, Garden State Track Club is listed as finishing both 1st in 1:36.30 and 2nd in 1:44.03, and Farquharson is listed as the 3rd leg on the winning team and the leadoff on the 2nd-place team. And while I guess that is technically possible it seems very unlikely.

According to GSTC’s Facebook page, Farquharson actually did run the 3rd leg on the winning team. Taylor Anderson of Uconn and Brooklyn Park, Minn., led off, Felicia Brown-Edwards from Tennessee and Lithonia, Ga., ran second and Haisha Bisiolu, a three-time New Jersey Meet of Champions winner from Union who ran at Cincinnati, anchored.

That team broke the meet record of 1:37.86 set in 2020 by a Garden State Track Club team that also included Farquharson and Bisiolu, along with Asha Ruth of Rutgers (couldn’t find her high school) and Rebecca Ochan of Highland Park and Georgetown.

GSTC’s 1:36.30 is No. 3 in the world this year behind two Germany performances. It’s not eligible for the U.S. list because at least one of the four runners competes for another country (apparently, Bisiolu competes for Nigeria).

Dennison apparently ran the 400 leg on GSTC’s DMR, which won the race in 9:57.58, finishing just ahead of a Shore Athletic Club team that included Jacob Dinerman and Luke Petela of Haddon Township.

For GSTC, Ryan McGorty from William and Mary via Chantilly High in Fairfax, Va., led off in 3:00.89, Dennison split 49.92, Robbie Guidicipietro of Wagner and Staten Island’s St. Joseph by the Sea High School ran 1:55.03 and Billy Hill from Franklin High and Rutgers anchored in 4:11.76.

A week after running the fastest 4-by-400 in NCAA Division 3 history, the mighty Rowan sprint collective continued its attack on the record book with the fastest 4-by-200 in Division 3 history.

Sterling’s Jah’mere Beasley and Marquise Young ran legs on Rowan’s 1,600-meter relay that ran 3:10.09 in Boston last week.

On Monday, Beasley was joined by sophomore Nana Agyemang of Parsippany, freshman Evan Corcoran from Kingsway and Amara Conte of Ferris High in Jersey City for the 4-by-200 at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships at Ocean Breeze, and that quartet ran 1:26.43, shattering the Division 3 record of 1:27.45 set last March by Highland’s Robert McKinney, Agyemang, Conte and Beasley at the AARTFC Championships at the Golisano Training Center at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y.

Rowan won the race by 25 meters over 2nd-place The College of New Jersey, which ran 1:29.29.

According to the USTFCCCA (United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches of America), which tracks these things, Rowan now has the four-fastest indoor 4-by-200 time in NCAA Division 3 history as well as No. 6:

1:26.43 … Rowan, 2023, NJAC, Ocean Breeze
1:27.45 … Rowan, 2022, AARTFC, Boston University
1:27.69 … Rowan, 2019, NJAC, Ocean Breeze
1:27.88 … Rowan, 2022, NJAC, Ocean Breeze
1:28.10 … Mount Union, 2023, All-Ohio, Wittenberg
1:28.27 … 2018, NJAC, Ocean Breeze

All splits aren’t available, but Conte – who earlier won the 400 in 48.15 – anchored in 21.32.

Rowan’s time is No. 3 in the world, according to the World Athletics web site and No. 1 among U.S. relay teams, bumping a 1:27.12 by Garden State Track Club at Millrose last week at the Armory with Rikkoi Braithwaite, Jabari Michael James Bias and Je’von Hutchinson.

Rowan won the team title 223 ½-169 ½ over The College of New Jersey. There’s nothing on the Rowan web site that might help me figure out how many conference titles the Profs have won. In fact, there’s nothing even mentioning the meet.

Rowan is ranked 10th in NCAA Division 3.

 

Burlington Township grad Sean Burtnett of The College of New Jersey, who never ran indoor track in high school, edged Washington Township grad Jake Kolodziej of Rowan to win his first NJAC title Monday at Ocean Breeze.

http://milesplit.live/meets/518935/events/11/results/F/M

Burtnett, a TCNJ junior, ran 1:56.11, leading four finishers within 30-100ths of a second across the line. Kolodziej was 2nd in 1:56.17, TCNJ freshman Thomas Blach was 3rd in 1:56.29 and TCNJ senior Roman Rychkov from Old Bridge placed 4th in 1:56.41.

Burnett, a 1:58 half-miler outdoors for the Falcons, is enjoying a breakthrough season for the Lions. He PR’d at 1:53.37 last week in Boston, No. 4 in school history and only two seconds off the school record of 1:51.32, set in 2006 by Notre Dame High graduate Jeff Zodda in Boston.

Click to access TCNJ_Top_10_All_Time_Performances_Men.pdf

In only his 3rd collegiate 5,000, Bishop Eustace grad Shane Vostenak of Rowan outraced teammate Matthew Conway by 15 meters to win his first conference title.

Vostenak ran 15:12.24 at Ocean Breeze and finished just ahead of sophomore Matthew Conway from Haddon Township, who was 2nd in 15:15.89 in the first final at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships.

Junior Chase Miller of The College of New Jersey and Cherokee was 3rd in 15:16.54 making it a 1-2-3 South Jersey sweep.

Vostenak, a Delran resident, took the lead on the 10th lap. Vostenak, Conway and Miller ran most of the final 1,000 together, but Vostenak put the race away by closing in 64.43 for his final 400 and 30.36 for his final 200.

Vostenak ran 15:35.89 last month at Ocean Breeze in his only previous lifetime indoor 5,000. He ran 15:07.91 outdoors last April in a meet at Widener.

TCNJ senior Matthew Richardson of Lenape placed 5th in 15:24.65, and Rowan sophomore Caleb Clevenger of Haddonfield was 8th in 15:32.18, making it five South Jersey finishers on the medal stand.

Dazzling performance Saturday from Ny’era Hand-Brooks, who scored 26 of Burlington City’s 30 points in the state Group 1 meet.

Brooks, a Burlington senior, would have placed 4th in the final team standings, behind only Clayton [41], Metuchen [38] and of course Burlington [30].

First, she placed 2nd in the 400 in a personal-best 1:00.68. What makes that especially impressive is that it was only her 4th lifetime 400. Because she’s so busy with other events outdoor, she’s never run a 400 in spring track. But she scored eight points Saturday, finishing 2nd to Ridgefield junior Kyle Castillo, who won the race in 58.99.

Hand-Brooks also placed 2nd in the 55-meter dash in 7.44, just 1-100th of a second off her PR of 7.43 that she set in winning at sectionals. She finished only 1-100th of a second behind winner Nelagh Matthews of Metuchen, who ran 7.43.

In the hurdles, Hand-Brooks set a PR of 8.59 in the trials, then won the final in 8.66, 12-100ths of a second ahead of Pompton Lakes senior Emma Keating. It was her second straight state title in the hurdles indoors. She won last year in 8.76. She also won the 100-meter highs at outdoor states last spring at Pennsauken.

Still, Hand-Brooks’ best event could be the 400-meter intermediates. She ran 1:04.60 as a junior last year to win Central Jersey Group 1 sectionals at Howell, and that makes her the No. 1 returning Group 1 intermediate hurdler in the state and the No. 6 overall returner.

Unbelievable performance at her conference meet this weekend for Egg Harbor Township graduate Mariah Stephens, now a sophomore at Rider.

Stephens won the 60-meter hurdles and triple jump and placed 2nd in the 60-meter dash at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Indoor Championships at the Armory and set two PRs along the way.

Her 28 points helped Rider win the team title 193-179 over Quinnipiac. The title is Rider’s third after winning the indoor conference meet in 2017 and 2020.

Because of the way the meet schedule lined up, Stephens had the hurdles and 60 finals and triple jump all on Saturday afternoon.

In the hurdles, Stephens ran 8.59, destroying the field – 2nd place was nearly 3-10ths of a second back. Stephens shattered her previous PR of 8.81 from her 4th-place finish at last year’s MAAC Championships at the Armory and moved into the No. 2 spot in Rider history, behind Sarah Gardner, who ran 8.41 at the 2019 MAAC meet, also at the Armory.

In the 60-meter dash, Stephens lowered her PR from 7.82 from earlier this month at the Armory to 7.65, which also puts her in the No. 2 spot in school history – actually tied for No. 2 with La’tazah Coleman, who ran 7.65 in 2013. She trails only Tierra Taylor, who ran 7.57 in 2017. Zionna Perez-Tucker of Mount St. Mary won the 60 in 7.59.

Then it was off to the triple jump, where Stephens – in her third final of the day – came up huge again. After an opening foul, she hit 37-10 ¾, 37-10 and 37-6 ½ on her next three jumps, then popped the winning 38-4 ¼ on her fifth attempt. She fouled on her final jump.

Stephens’ indoor PR is a 38-8 ¾ from the IC4A/ECAC championships at Boston University last March. Her lifetime best is a 39-7 ½ also in March of 2022, this time outdoors in Lawrenceville.

Stephens won the long jump and triple jump at last year’s indoor MAAC Championships. Last spring, she medaled in four individual events and won the gold medal in the 4-by-100.

Interesting note that Stephens is the fifth South Jersey high school graduate to run sub-8.60 in the hurdles this indoor season:

7.97 … Nia Ali [Pleasantville]
8.30 … Jasmine Staten [Rancocas Valley]
8.31 … Jailya Ash [Eastern]
8.39 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow Twp.]
8.59 … Mariah Stephens [Egg Harbor tTownship]

If you walked into the Bubble during the final lap of the Group 1 state championship 3,200 race Saturday, you would have seen what looked like Peyton Shute 50 meters behind the 2nd-place runner.

In reality, he was 150 meters ahead.

Shute, a junior at Woodbury, won the state title by 150 meters over Jonathan Dayton senior Colin Riley with a time of 9:14.51, 3rd-fastest time in Gloucester County history and No. 16 in South Jersey history. Riley placed 2nd in 9:40.69 – nearly half a minute behind Shute.

His previous indoor PR was a 9:27.25 at Ocean Breeze earlier this month. He trimmed a little over a second from his overall PR of 9:15.76, which he ran at Cherokee last April.

Shute remains undefeated at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters this winter. Although he won the 1,600 at South Jersey Group 1 sectionals, he focused on the 3,200 at states and posted the 2nd-fastest time of all six state meets behind

Although Shute hadn’t previously won a state title, he had finished 2nd twice, 3rd once, 5th once and 6th once across cross country, indoors and outdoors.

The only faster time from the six state meets was recorded by Union Catholic junior Jimmy Wischusen, who ran 9:12.45 in the Parochial A meet. Wischusen ran 8:56.41 last spring for a full two miles and placed 4th at Nationals at Franklin Field.

Wischusen and Shute will be the top two seeds in the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze on March 5.

With the Meet of Champions scheduled for a faster, banked track, keep an eye on the Gloucester County indoor record of 9:12.05, set just last year by Delsea’s Andrew Littlehales at last year’s Meet of Champions, which was unfortunately at the Bubble.

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 3,200 List
8:58.81 ….. Jonathan Vitez [Haddonfield], 2010
9:00.27 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2020
9:08.09 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022
9:08.42 … Oliver Adler [Cherry Hill East], 2020
9:08.89 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 2022
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
9:12.05 … Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], 2022
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
9:14.51 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
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
9:18.19 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2022
9:18.59 … Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 2019
9:20.33 … Robert Rawls [Triton], 2011
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
9:23.34 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:23.0y … Joe Siedlecki [Williamstown], 1973
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

All-Time Gloucester County Indoor 3,200 List
9:12.05 … Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], 2022
9:13.93 ….. Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 2011
9:14.51 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023
9:15.8y ….. Mike Mantini [Gateway], 1978
9:22.0y … Willie Marino [Williamstown], 1976
9:23.34 … Anthony Dentino [Washington Twp.], 2011
9:23.0y … Joe Siedlecki [Williamstown], 1973
9:24.71 … Nick Costello [Delsea], 2012
9:26.02 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
9:27.16 … Sebastien Reed [Pitman], 2020

Pennsauken’s Sianni Wynn on Saturday became the first South Jersey freshman in 16 years to record at double win at indoor states.

Wynn not only won the 55 and the 400 at the Group 3 meet, she earned the No. 1 seed at Meet of Champions in both events with the fastest times from among the six state meets over the weekend at the Bubble in Toms River.

Wynn won the 55-meter dash in 7.09 – just a fraction off her PR of 7.06, which she’s run twice – and won the 400 in 57.26 – not far off her PR of 56.98 from Ocean Breeze earlier this month.

She’s the first South Jersey girl to record a double win at states as a freshman since Eastern’s English Gardner won the same two events in the state Group 4 meet in 2007 at the Bubble. Gardner won the 55 in 7.10 (after a 7.05 in the trials) and the 400 in 56.44. She went on to win both at the Meet of Champions in 7.08 and 56.29 and won an Olympic gold medal as part of the U.S. 4-by-100 team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

In the 55, Wynn led all qualifiers with a 7.25 in the trials before running away with the final, finishing 1-10th of a second ahead of Timber Creek junior Naylah Jones, who ran 7.19.

In the 400, Wynn won by five meters over versatile Ocean City junior Sophia Curtis, who PR’d at 57.99 for second and lowered her own Cape May County record. She also broke her own county 55 hurdles record Saturday when she placed second in 8.42. Curtis, in her first year at Ocean City, now holds Cape May County records in the 55 hurdles, 400 and triple jump and she could probably break the long jump record if she tried.

The Meet of Champions is scheduled for March 5 at Ocean Breeze, and Wynn is the No. 1 seed in the 55 by 1-100th of a second over Union Catholic’s Taylor Aska, who ran 7.10 to win the Parochial A race, and No. 1 seed in the 400 over Brook’lyn Drakeford of Piscataway, who ran 57.28 to win the Group 4 race.

Wynn ranks No. 12 in South Jersey history in the 55 and No. 20 in the 400. On the all-time Camden County list, she’s No. 5 in the 55 and No. 7 in the 400. She’s the fastest freshman in the 55 in New Jersey since Gardner in 2007 and fastest freshman in the 400 since another Olympic gold medalist, world 400 hurdles record holder Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic, ran 56.15 in 2014.

All-Time South Jersey 55-Meter Dash List
6.75y … Michelle Glover [Willingboro], 1981
6.90y … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
6.91 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2010
6.95 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
6.95 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
6.95 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
6.98 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
7.00 … Amandi Rhett [Moorestown], 2000
7.00 … Iyanli Kollock [Our Lady of Mercy], 2017
7.01 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
7.05 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1996
7.06 … Jailya Ash [Eastern], 2019
7.06 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2023
7.07 … Aliya Harrison [Sterling], 2018
7.07 … Dennisha Page [Woodrow Wilson], 2019
7.07 … Annie Johnson [Shawnee], 2012
7.07 … Audrey Wilson [Deptford], 2009
7.07 … Magenta Taylor [Willingboro], 1999
7.07 … Angela Clyburn [Egg Harbor Twp.], 1991
7.09 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
7.09 … Emily Carson [Haddonfield], 2013

All-Time South Jersey 400-Meter Dash List
54.24 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 2003
54.91 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 2008
55.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
55.19 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], 2008
55.21 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
55.4h … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
55.6h … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
55.83 … Kiara Lester [Deptford], 2016
56.19 … Nylah Perry [Winslow], 2020
56.21 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1997
56.34 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
56.44 … Avionne Sloan [Camden], 2006
56.62 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
56.65 … Britney Kott [Millville], 2009
56.76 … Simone Thomas [Willingboro], 2003
56.78 … Ajae Alvarez-Tyler [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2018
56.85 … Emily Duffey [Lenape], 2012
56.88 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
56.90 … Nadia Davy [Bridgeton], 1999
56.98 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2020
56.98 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2023

What a day for Audubon sophomore Leo Davis. He not only PR’d at 13 feet, he won his first state pole vault title.

Davis cleared 13-0 to win the state Group 1 pole vault title at the Bubble. That’s the best mark by a South Jersey sophomore in six years, since Delsea’s Nico Morales cleared 14-0 at the Bubble in 2017 and the top mark by a Camden County sophomore indoors since Cherry Hill East’s Remy Kahn cleared 13-6 at the Bubble in 2010.

Davis cleared 11-0 last spring as a first-time vaulter – his 5th-place tie at states gave Audubon the winning points over Saddle Brook – and then PR’d at 12-0 in the first indoor meet of his life back in December at the Bubble. He improved to 12-6 at the state relays before his breakthrough at states on Saturday.

The only South Jersey vaulter to go higher than Davis this winter is Oakcrest junior Ryan Merlino, who cleared 14-3 in January and was 2nd in the state Group 4 meet Saturday at 14-0. He lost on misses to Nathan Park of Old Tappan, Merlino’s first loss this year. Willingboro’s Jackson Murry has also cleared 13-0 this winter.

Davis is tied for the No. 10 seed going into next month’s Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze. The only other sophomore to clear 13-0 at states was Matthew Herbert of Newark Academy in Livingston, who won the Parochial B title.

All the Clayton girls had to do to win the state Group 1 title Saturday was finish ahead of the fastest Group 1 relay team in the state.

And they did exactly that.

Sophomore senior Erica Thomas,  junior Alanna Woolfolk, Leila Ortiz and Kelsey Thomas ran 4:13.41 – their best time this year by 5 ½ seconds – and beat Metuchen in the closing 1,600-meter relay to clinch their first indoor state championship.

Going into the relay, Metuchen had 32 points and the No. 1 seed, Clayton had 31 points and the No. 4 relay time and Burlington City had 30 points but didn’t have a relay team entered.

Metuchen had run 4:14.47 at the Greatest Middlesex Conference Championships last month at the Bubble – fastest this year by a Group 1 school – but Clayton won the race, Woodstown was 2nd in 4:15.10 and Metuchen wound up 3rd at 4:15.14.

Clayton had a half-step lead over Metuchen going into the final legs, but Kelsey Thomas put the race away with a huge finish on the anchor leg.

So Clayton wound up with a 41-38 margin of victory, with City 3rd with 30 points.

Kelsey Thomas and Ortiz gave Clayton eight points in the opening 400, with Thomas 3rd in 1:00.72 and Ortiz 5th in 1:01.57.

Those were Clayton’s only points on the track until the relay. But the Clippers piled up big points in the field.

Clayton scored 15 huge points in the high jump, where junior Alanna Woolfolk cleared 5-6 to win the event and sophomore Miayana Johnson tied for 3rd. Woolfolk has won four state high jump titles and next month will shoot for her 3rd Meet of Champions victory (her first state title and first M-of-C title came while she attended Delsea).

Junior Maylisa Bluford, the No. 3 seed in the shot put, came up huge with eight big points thanks to a 2nd in the shot put with a personal-best throw of 36-8.

Outdoors, Clayton won the 2021 state Group 1 title with 89 points and the 2022 championship with 101 ½ points.

Clayton is the first Gloucester County school to win the state Group 1 indoor title since Woodbury won the 1986 championship at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym.