Liberty senior Rayshawn Johnson, a graduate of Burlington County Institute of Technology, posted a huge hurdles PR Saturday in a meet in Lynchburg, Va.

Johnson won the 110-meter hurdles at the Dennis Craddock Coaches Classic in 14.67, edging teammate Luke Anderson, who ran 14.71.

His time is No. 4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference, behind teammates Prosper Ekporere [13.83] and Felix Lawrence [14.08] and Makai Williams of Kennesaw (Ga.) State [14.60].

Johnson’s previous best in his first year at Liberty was a 15.41 at a meet in Lynchburg last month. His lifetime best was a 15.08 in April of 2021 while competing for St. Peter’s in a meet in Jersey City.

Johnson competed in high school for Willingboro since BCIT doesn’t have a track team. He was the state Group 1 champ in the 55-meter hurdles in February of 2018 at the Bubble.

Millville senior Leah Howard uncorked one of the top javelin throws in New Jersey history Saturday, breaking the 150-foot plateau for the first time at the Lenape Invitational.

Howard threw 151-10, No. 9 in state history since U.S. high schools went to a new javelin implement in 2002 and No. 5 in South Jersey history.

That’s a qualifier for the USATF Under-20 Championships (formerly U.S. Junior Championships) scheduled for July at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The standard is 149-3 (45.5 meters).

According to the MileSplit national database, Howard’s throw is No. 11 in the U.S. so far this outdoor season.

Looks like it will rank about No. 26 among U.S. women so far this spring according to the World Athletics U.S. list.

Howard’s previous PR was a 148-2 from her win at the state Group 4 meet last year at Franklin High. She approached that with a 146-2 in her opener last weekend in Deptford before popping her PR on Saturday.

After a foul on her 1st attempt, Howard PR’d with a 149-0 on her 2nd throw before hitting the big throw on her third attempt. She fouled again on her 4th and final throw.

She’s New Jersey’s first 150-footer since Oakcrest’s Brielle Smith set the state record of 163-8 at the 2019 Woodbury Relays.

All-Time South Jersey 140-Foot Javelin List
168- 6 … Brielle Smith [Oakcrest], 2019
160- 8 … Maria Jimenez [Vineland], 2012
152- 9 … Kate Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
152- 4 … Jill Shaner [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
151-10 … Leah Howard [Millville], 2023
148- 8 … Caitlin Cielo [Eastern], 2002
146- 7 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2008
143-11 … Ayana Culhane [Absegami], 2016
142- 6 … Kaela Schrier [Cherokee], 2016
142- 1 … Alexa Gardner [Hammonton], 2018
141- 6 … Lindsay Minch [Pennsville], 2009
141- 5 … Kelly Yanucil [Bordentown], 2013
141- 1 … Tumelo Nwanma [Vineland], 2016
141- 0 … Jocelyn McRae [Millville], 2006
140- 8 … Julianne Foering [Rancocas Valley], 2017
140- 0 … Melissa Lake [Cherokee], 2011

All-Time New Jersey 150-Foot Javelin List
163- 8 … Brielle Smith (Oakcrest), 2018
160- 8 … Maria Jimenez (Vineland), 2012
155- 8 … Daina Pucurs (Demarest), 2004
155- 0 … Jamie Klein (Paramus Catholic), 2011
154-11 … Nia Barnes (West Orange), 2011
152- 9 … Katherine Johnston (Haddonfield), 2012
152- 4 … Jill Shaner (Egg Harbor Twp.), 2009
152- 3 … Shauntierah Douglas (Garfield), 2012
151-10 … Leah Ellis [Millville], 2023
151- 6 … Nicole Woods [Northern Valley-Demarest], 2022
150- 5 … Alianna Eucker [Bergen Tech], 2019

Before the javelin implement changed, there were only eight 150-foot throwers in New Jersey, including the national record holder and two South Jersey girls.

198-8 … Barbara Friedrich [Manasquan], 1967
159-8 … Amy Krilla [Red Bank Catholic], 2000
156-6 … Audra Corson [Monmouth Reg.], 1985
154-8 … Lynlee Phillips [Shawnee], 1999
152-7 … Emma Painter [Clayton], 1980
152-3 … Rena Antanellis [Randolph], 1980
150-9 … Jen Austin [Garfield], 2000
150-2 … Jill Watts [Morristown], 1978

Speedy senior Samuel Thomas of Northern Burlington hasn’t run an open 100 or 200 yet this spring, but he brought the Greyhounds home with a big school-record in the 400-meter relay Saturday.

Thomas, junior Jordan Wilkerson and senior Bryan Carroll all ran on three winning relay teams at Saturday’s Moorestown Relays.

Thomas joined junior Wilkerson, Carroll and senior Darryl Pitt on Northern’s winning 4-by-1. The Greyhounds ran 1:30.62 and won the large-school race by more than three seconds.

Northern shattered the school record of 1:33.37 set by the 2016 team at the Willingboro Relays. Their time is No. 10 in the state so far this year and No. 2 in South Jersey behind Pennsauken’s state-leading 1:26.74 Saturday at Cherokee.

The Greyhounds also won the sprint medley in 3:45.57 with Wilkerson and Thomas on the 200s, Carroll the 400 and senior Jose Grullon anchoring, and the 400-meter relay in 44.14 with Wilkerson, Carroll, Reynolds and sophomore Andrew Reynolds.

Thomas was runner-up at 55 meters in the state Group 3 indoor meet at the Bubble and his 6.42 ranked No. 2 in New Jersey. He’s the No. 8 returner in the state in the 100 with his 10.78 PR from last year’s BCSL meet at Northern Pennsauken.

With three legs from South Jersey, Rowan ran this year’s fastest 400-meter relay in NCAA Division 3 Saturday at Princeton.

Sophomore Shamar Love from Bridgeton, freshman Evan Corcoran from Kingsway and sophomore Jah’mere Beasley from Sterling were joined by junior anchor Nana Agyemang of Parsippany on the Rowan quartet that ran 40.84 at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton’s Weaver Stadium.

Princeton won the 4-by-1 in 40.31 with Lumberton’s Greg Foster leading off. The meet was cancelled because of bad weather soon after the race.

Rowan came up just 2-100ths of a second shy of the school record of 40.82 run by Ed Fortune from Queens, N.Y., Millville’s Matt Davis, Highland’s Jorge Santiago and Camden’s Tyree Jackson at the 2003 NCAA Division 3 Championships in Canton, N.Y.

Two other Division 3 schools have run under 41 seconds this spring. Redlands (Calif.) ran 40.91 in a meet last weekend in Claremont, Calif., and Shenandoah of Winchster, Va., ran 40.98 Saturday in a meet in Lynchburg, Va.

Rowan is scheduled to compete in two meets next weekend – one at the University of South Carolian and one at Widener.

Stockton sophomore Michaela Pomatto from Egg Harbor Township High School smashed her discus PR Saturday at the Larry Ellis Invitational in Princeton.

In one of the final events before the meet was cancelled because of rain, Pomatto threw 138-5 and placed 5th in a field of mainly NCAA Division 1 throwers.

That’s the top throw in the NJAC by more than 20 feet.

Pomatto’s previous PR was 130-4 in the same meet last year while she was competing for Ursinus College. That remains the Ursinus school record.

This was only Pomatto’s second meet in the past year. She threw 126-10 last weekend in a home meet in Galloway Township in her first meet for the Ospreys.

On Saturday, Pomatto had four throws over 130 feet and two others over 120 feet. In addition to her 138-5 on her second throw, she hit 130-2, 131-3 and 131-7. She averaged 129-7 on her six throws – only nine inches below her previous PR.

Going into this weekend, only 16 throwers in NCAA Division 3 had surpassed 140 feet, so Pomatto will have a pretty high national ranking once all the results from Saturday are compiled and added to the TFRRS database.

Woodbury graduate Brady Shute destroyed his 800 PR Saturday, dipping under 1:50 for the first time in a meet in Ithaca, N.Y.

It was also his first time under 1:52 or 1:51.

Shute, a Cornell sophomore, won the race in 1:49.87, shaving more than two seconds off his 800 PR Saturday in the Transatlantic Series, a meet featuring Penn and Cornell from the Ivy League vs. Oxford and Cambridge at Cornell’s Robert L. Kane Sports Complex.

His previous PR was 1:52.06 from the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University in February. His outdoor PR was 1:53.70 from the CNY College Challenge in Cortland, N.Y., last April.

Shute’s time is 9th-fastest in Cornell history and fastest in 10 years, since Will Weinlandt set the school record of 1:48.43 at the 2013 George Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Va.

At Woodbury, Shute’s best 800 was a 1:54.58 to win the 2021 state Group 1 meet at Pennsauken.

Shute’s 1:49.87 is No. 3 so far this year in the Ivy League, behind Dartmouth freshman J’Voughnn [1:48.42] and Columbia’s Justin O’Toole [1:48.58].

Shute PR’d indoors with a 4:16.76 mile and ran 3:54.56 for 1,500 meters in Storrs, Conn., two weeks ago, the equivalent of a 4:13.32 mile, an equivalent PR.

 

Juniors Elijah Jennings and Bronze Whitmore and seniors Bryce Tucker and Premier Wynn of Pennsauken smoked the Cherokee track Saturday for the fastest 800-meter relay by a South Jersey school in 19 years.

Pennsauken ran 1:26.74 at Fast Times at Cherokee, No. 16 in state history and No. 5 in South Jersey history.

Since 2006, the only faster times by New Jersey 4-by-200 teams came in 2018, when East Orange and Setonh Hall Prep both ran 1:26.59 (in different meets).

Pennsauken’s time is fastest by a South Jersey 4-by-2 since Camden ran 1:24.90 at the 2004 adidas Outdoor Championships in Raleigh, N.C.

The Indians’ previous best time was a 1:27.68 at the 2016 Willingboro Relay Championships with Marquan Jones, Nahzir Russell, Barheem Whitfield and Martin Booker.

Six other schools ran sub-1:33, led by Kingsway’s 1:30.63 with Benny Liles III, Alex Sims, Mathias Alexander and Damon Dukes Jr.

Delsea [1:31.59], Atlantic County Tech [1:31.84] and Clayton [1:31.91] all ran sub-1:32 and Glassboro [1:32.21] and Timber Creek [1:32.24] broke 1:33.

Delsea, Atlantic Tech, Glassboro and Timber Creek all raced in the 4^th of five sections. Pennsauken, Kingsway and Clayton ran in the 5^th race.

All-Time State 800-Meter Relay List
1:24.49 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:24.90 … Camden, 2004
1:26.05 … Camden, 2000
1:26.0h … Somerville, 1973
1:26.05 … Camden, 2000
1:26.3h … Weequahic, 1992
1:26.59 … East Orange, 2018
1:26.59 … Seton Hall Prep, 2018
1:26.66 … Irvington, 2005
1:26.68 … Camden, 1997
1:26.5h … Snyder, 1971
1:26.5h … Rahway, 1971
1:26.5h … Montclair, 1984
1:26.5h … Plainfield, 1998
1:26.70 … Teaneck, 2007
1:26.74 … Pennsauken, 2023
1:26.7h … Plainfield, 1980
1:26.93 … St. Peter’s, 2017

All-Time South Jersey 800-Meter Relay List
1:24.49 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:24.90 … Camden, 2004
1:26.05 … Camden, 2000
1:26.68 … Camden, 1997
1:26.74 … Pennsauken, 2023
1:27.38 … Paul VI, 2016
1:27.52 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
1:27.66 … Oakcrest, 2011
1:27.68 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:27.69 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:27.74 … Pleasantville, 1994
1:27.75 … Willingboro, 2007
1:27.80 … Pleasantville, 1999
1:27.84 … Winslow Twp., 2002
1:27.90 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:27.96 … Williamstown, 2015
1:27.98 … Camden, 2002

OK, you’re not supposed to run this fast this early.

The Timber Creek girls, who won the 400-meter relay with a hot 47.53 earlier at the Fast Times at Cherokee  Saturday, followed that with a blazing win in the 800-meter relay with one of the fastest times in state history.

Ryan Jennings, Billie Frazier, Chloe Jones and Naylah Jones ran 1:39.67, matching the 11th-fastest time in state history and 4th-fastest ever by a South Jersey school.

It’s also the 2nd-fastest time in state history this early in the season – and the fastest ever run in New Jersey this early. Union Cathoilc ran 1:38.98 last year in Arcadia, Calif.

For the post earlier today about Timber Creek’s 400-meter relay win click here!

All-Time New Jersey 800-Meter Relay List
1:37.53 … Union Catholic, 2017
1:37.77 … Franklin Twp., 2003
1:38.11 … Union Catholic, 2019
1:38.42 … Franklin Twp., 2001
1:38.43 … Winslow Twp., 2018
1:38.98 … Union Catholic, 2022
1:39.04h … Montclair, 1980
1:39.21 … Eastern, 2003
1:39.54h … Montclair, 1981
1:39.59 … Winslow Twp., 2012
1:39.67 … Winslow Twp., 2019
1:39.67 … Timber Creek, 2023
1:39.76 … Neptune, 2015
1:39.79 … Columbia, 2010
1:39.86 … Summit, 2017
1:39.94 … Piscataway, 2011

All-Time South Jersey 800-Meter Relay Top-10 List
1:38.43 … Winslow Twp., 2018 [New Balance Nationals, Greensboro, N.C.]
1:39.21 … Eastern, 2003 [adidas Outdoor Championships, Raleigh, N.C.]
1:39.59 … Winslow Twp., 2012 [Woodbury Relays]
1:39.67 … Winslow Twp., 2019 [New Balance Nationals, Greensboro, N.C.]
1:39.67 … Timber Creek, 2023 [Fast Times at Cherokee, Marlton]
1:40.25 … Rancocas Valley, 2019 [New Balance Nationals, Greensboro, N.C.]
1:40.30 … Winslow Twp., 2017 [Woodbury Relays]
1:40.46 … Eastern, 2019 [Don Danser Relays, Medford]
1:40.62 … Winslow Twp., 2003 [Willingboro Relay Invitational
1:40.72 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018 [New Balance Nationals, Greensboro, N.C.]
1:40.88 … Woodrow Wilson, 2006 [Nike Outdoor Nationals, Greensboro, N.C.]
1:40.91 … Winslow Twp., 2004 [unknown]

Washington Township junior Yashahya Brown, the Meet of Champions winner indoors, dipped under 14 seconds for the first time in the 110-meter hurdles Saturday morning at Fast Times at Cherokee.

Brown ran 13.99 and outraced Pennsauken senior Bryce Tucker, who ran a PR of his own at 14.18 after running the fastest 400-meter intermediate hurdles time in the country.

Brown’s previous PR was a 14.08 at last year’s Olympic Conference Championships on his home track. He was the fastest sophomore in the state last year and 5th-fastest nationally.

He’s the 23rd South Jersey runner to go sub-14 and the second from Washington Township, joining Devon Carter, who ran 13.96 at the 2010 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor.

Brown’s 13.99 ranks No. 4 in Gloucester County history, behind Delsea’s Sultan Tucker (13.66 in 1997), Deptford’s Naseem Smith (13.95 in 2019) and Carter.

Tucker broke his PR of 14.22, which he ran in the prelims at last year’s state Group 3 meet at Franklin. It’s the fastest FAT time in Pennsauken history, although Dave Still ran a hand-timed state record 13.5 over 120 yards in the trials of the South Jersey Invitational at Haddon Township in 1976. He ran 13.8 in the final.

All-Time South Jersey Sub-14 110 Hurdles List
13.43 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
13.51 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
13.59 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
13.66 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1997
13.73 … Kevin Hagamin [Timber Creek], 2014
13.74 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
13.75 … Rashad Baker [Wilson], 2000
13.76 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
13.76 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
13.77 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 2001
13.81 … Scot McCray [Camden], 1997
13.81 … Jeff Young [Wilson], 1999
13.90 … Edwin Alston [Winslow Twp.], 2015
13.92 … Enrique Llanos [Wilson], 1999
13.93 … Malachi Wesley [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2022
13.94 … Hal Lathan [Egg Harbor Twp,], 2009
13.95 … Kevin White [Haddon Heights], 1992
13.95 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], 2019
13.96 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 2010
13.97 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 2006
13.97 … Syteek Farrington [Camden], 2010
13.99 … Herb Reid [Lenape], 2000

Pennsauken senior Bryce Tucker ran the fastest 400-meter hurdles time in the country Saturday morning at the Fast Times at Cherokee.

Tucker ran 52.18 – just 4-100th-of-a-second off his PR, which is No. 6 in South Jersey history. Tucker ran 52.14 in the prelims at the U.S. Under-20 Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., in June. The Rutgers-bound Tucker won the Meet of Champions in both 2021 and 2022.

According to the MileSplit national rankings, Alexander Sadikov of Ocean Township previously had the fastest time in the country at 54.12 last weekend at a meet in Hazlet. Tucker and Sadikov ran 2-3 in the 400 at the indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze last month.

Camden’s Dwight Ruff set the South Jersey record of 50.37 at the 2001 USATF Junior Nationals in Richmond and Winslow’s Rueben McCoy ran 51.39 at the 2004 Meet of Champions at South Jersey. Tucker’s 52.14 is fastest by a South Jersey intermediate hurdler in the last 19 years.