We just wrote last week about Eastern graduate Jailya Ash, who’s off to a hot start as a freshman at U. Conn.

We have no choice but to post about her again after her big hurdles race at the Armory.

Ash ran 8.54 over the 60-meter highs at the Rutgers Invitational Saturday and placed 5^th overall but only 1-10 of a second behind winner Icisys Sadler of Rutgers, who won the race in 8.44.

Another South Jersey hurdler, Rutgers freshman Meredith Updike, also made the final, placing 8^th in 8.87 after a PR 8.84 in the prelims.

As for Ash, she lowered her PR from 8.59 from a meet a week earlier also at the Armory.

Ash now ranks 3^rd in the Big East behind Villanova sophomore Jane Livingston [8.25] and Butler senior Niki Ezeh [8.43]

She’s also tied for No. 6 on the unofficial all-time U. Conn performance list which I cobbled together last week in lieu of an actual list on the Huskies’ web site.

All-Time UConn 60-meter dash list

7.26 … Trisha-Ann Hawthorne, 2011
7.40 … Taylor Anderson, 2014
7.41 … Jessie Foreman, 2007
7.43 … Monique Hodges, 2009
7.49 … Deysha Smith-Jenkins, 2014
7.54 … Phylicia George, 2009
7.54 … Jailya Ash, 2022
7.56 … Celina Emerson, 2014
7.58 … Danielle Lynn, 2012
7.59 … Antonia Cadore, 2003

Ash didn’t run the flat 60 this weekend, but she’s already No. 5 all-time at U. Conn in the dash with her 7.60 last weekend. Ash and Phylicia George are the only women ranked in the top 6 in school history in both the hurdles and the dash.

All-Time UConn 60-meter hurdles list
8.24 … Phylicia George, 2010
8.33 … April Garner, 2005
8.45 … Madalayne Smith, 2012
8.55 … Chantal Scott, 2014
8.59 … Jailya Ash, 2022
8.61 … Shavon Briscoe, 2012
8.61 … Tia Strackman, 2018
8.62 … Ashley Wiggins, 2017
8.63 … Toni-Ann Moore, 2015
8.67 … Gillian Flemmings, 2002

 

Eastern senior A.J. Brooks ran another big hurdles PR Friday at sectionals and moved into the all-time South Jersey top-50 list.

Brooks won the South Jersey Group 4 race over the 55-meter highs Friday at the Bubble in 7.54, lowering his PR from 7.69 that he ran at the Bubble late last month.

That’s fastest this year by a South Jersey hurdler and No. 4 in the state. Brooks will race the nation’s top-ranked hurdler, Christopher Serrao of East Brunswick, in the state Group 4 meet Feb. 26 back at the Bubble.

Serrao won the Meet of Champions outdoors last spring and was 6th at Nationals in Eugene, Ore. Serrao ran 7.29 at the Central Jersey Group 4 meet on Saturday. He and Brooks are ranked No. 1 and 2 in Group 4. Brooks is No. 17 nationally on the MileSplit U.S. performance list.

Brooks ran within 5-100ths of a second of the school record of 7.49 set in 1991 by Vince Rawlins when he placed 3rd at Easterns at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym behind Frank Guialdo of DeWitt Clinton in the Bronx [7.45] and John Charley of Morristown [7.49] in a wild three-way finish.

Brooks, who also placed second in the high jump at sectionals, is the nephew of long-time NFL offensive tackle Barrett Brooks, who now works with yours truly at NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey 55-meter hurdles list:

7.10 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
7.18 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1996
7.22 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
7.22 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
7.29 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
7.29 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
7.29 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 2001
7.29 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 2006
7.31 … Anthony Vasquez [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
7.32 … Jon Dickey [Penns Grove], 1985
7.34 … Chais Hill [Highland], 2015
7.35 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
7.39 … Rashad Baker [Wilson], 2000
7.39 … Isaiah Lewis [Winslow Twp.], 2020
7.42 … Kevon Brown [West Deptford], 2009
7.42 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], 2019
7.43 … Danyne Brown [Camden], 1999
7.43 … Edwin Alston [Winslow Twp.], 2015
7.44 … Lance Reed [Willingboro], 1983
7.45 … Kevin Hagamin [Timber Creek], 2014
7.46 … Herb Reid [Lenape], 1999
7.46 … Syteek Farrington [Camden], 2010
7.47 … Diandre Chandler [Camden], 1986
7.47 … Darius Holmes [Willingboro], 2012
7.48 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
7.48 … Tyrell Ross [Clearview], 2005
7.49 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 2010
7.49 … Vince Rawlins [Eastern], 1991
7.49 … Chris Nichols [Willingboro], 1991
7.49 … Sam Aviles [Palmyra], 2019
7.49 … Donovan Wright [Burlington Twp.], 2020
7.50 … Darren McCluskey [Cherokee], 2011
7.52 … Don Hickson [Highland], 1990
7.52 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
7.52 … Matt Dahms [Haddonfield], 2002
7.53 … Matthew Marshall [Camden], 2008
7.54 … Ed Loges [Shawnee], 1992
7.54 … Chase Toliver [Oakcrest], 2013
7.54 … A.J. Brooks [Eastern], 2022
7.55 … Mike Anderson [Edgewood], 1990
7.55 … Mikal Wright [Burlington Twp.], 2016
7.55 … Jamil Adams [Winslow Twp.], 2017
7.56 … Terry James [Willingboro], 1984
7.56 … Dwayne Robinson [Moorestown], 1989
7.56 … Sean David [Highland], 2016
7.56 … Antwan Dickerson [Pennsauken], 2016
7.57 … George Berry [Camden], 1984
7.57 … Eric Frieson [Willingboro], 1985
7.57 … Scot McCray [Camden], 1997
7.57 … Chantz Powell [Cherry Hill East], 2008
7.60 … Jason Stefanski [Penns Grove], 2016
7.60 … Daniel Dayrell [Rancocas Valley], 2020

 

What a bomb Saturday by Elisia Lancaster! 

The Delsea graduate and Southern Illinois senior heaved the 20-pound weight 73-10 1/4 in the Music City Challenge at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility in Nashville, a PR and the No. 7 throw in NCAA Division 1 this year.

Lancaster’s previous PR was a 72-7 last month in another meet at the same facility. She’s thrown 72-7, 70-6 1/2, 71-8 3/4, 69-6 1/4 and 73-10 1/4 in her five meets so far this year.

She moved up to No. 5 in Salukis history, and this is a program that turns out elite throwers every year. In fact, the school record – Brittany Riley’s 183-10 1/2 in 2007 – is the former world record.

Lancaster fouled on her first two attempts before hitting 70-4 1/2 on her third throw and then recording the 73-10 1/4 on her fourth. She closed with a 70-0 and another foul.

The meet produced five of the top eight marks in Division 1 this year.

Alyssa Wilson of Texas State, a graduate of Donovan Catholic in Toms River and transfer from UCLA, is ranked No. 9 in Division 1. Wilson set the national high school indoor shot put record of 57-5 1/2 at 2017 Eastern’s at the Armory and the national outdoor record of 58-1 at Pan American Junior Nationals in Trujillo, Peru in 2017.

Cinnaminson’s Austin Gabay lowered his mile PR to 4:06.70 Saturday in Lynchburg, Va.

Gabay, a freshman at Duke, placed 15^th in the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

Gabay has run three miles this year and PR’d in each one, first with a 4:10.83 at Virginia Tech in late January, then 4:07.49 last weekend, also in Blacksburg.

After going out in 60.80, Gabay ran his next two 400s in 62.72 and 63.16, coming through the half in 2:03.52 and the three-quarters in 3:06.68. He closed in 60.00 and 28.86 for his final 200.

In the same race, Virginia freshman Jackson Braddock, a Southern Regional graduate, ran a PR 4:03.76. Gabay and Braddock finished 3^rd and 4^th in the Meet of Champions 3,200 at Ocean Breeze two years ago.

Before this indoor season, Gabay’s mile PR was 4:16.02 for the slightly shorter 1,600 meters, when he won the 2019 outdoor state Group 2 title at Central Regional in Bayville. That’s equivalent to 4:17.50 for a full mile. He has run 1,500 meters in 3:46.10 outdoors, which is equivalent to a 4:04.19 full mile.

Huge breakthrough 200 today for Rutgers junior Ajae Alvarez-Tyler from Egg Harbor Township, who destroyed her 200 PR at the Armory.

Alvarez-Tyler placed third in the 200 at the Rutgers Invitational in 24.57, just 13-100ths of a second behind winner Lean Anderson of St. John’s. Teammate Sydney Hawkins from Phillipsburg was second in 24.44.

This was Alvarez-Tyler’s first time ever under 25 seconds indoors, and she ran way under.

Her previous indoor PR was a 25.09 last weekend at the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame. Her lifetime best is a wind-aided 24.83 at 2018 states at Franklin High. And she ran a legal 24.99 a week later at the Meet of Champions.

Alvarez-Tyler was more of a 400 runner at EHT, and she won the 2018 Easterns at the Armory with a 56.78 and then ran 56.36 at New Balance Nationals in Greensboro. She’s run 56.30 at EHT at the 2010 indoor Big Ten Championships at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Also in the race were New Jersey Tech senior Sydne Nance of Rancocas Valley[25.67], Rutgers freshman Sheriyah Nutt of Rancocas Valley [25.81] and Rider senior Genesis Walker of Bordentown [25.89].

Rowan junior Kevin Lauer, a Lenape graduate, ran a two-second mile PR Saturday, clocking 4:15.22 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University’s Track and Tennis Center.

Lauer placed 132^nd in an event that saw 87 runners run sub-4:10, 44 run sub-4:05 and 12 dip under 4 minutes.He split 64.20, 62.76, 63.72 and 64.58

Lauer’s time is fastest by a Rowan miler indoors since Kevin Veltre ran 4:12.30 at the 2018 NJAC Championships at Ocean Breeze.

As of a month ago, Lauer’s PR was 4:19.72 from the 2019 NJAC indoor meet at Ocean Breeze. But he’s broken that three times in the last three weeks – 4:19.66 at Ocean Breeze in late January, 4:17.79 also in Staten Island last weekend and now 4:15-low in Boston.

At Lenape, Lauer had a 1,600 PR of 4:18.96 outdoors from the 2017 Olympic Conference Championships at Washington Township, and his fastest time indoors was a 4:22.24 at 2018 sectionals at the Bubble.

His time is No. 22 nationally in NCAA Division 3 and tied for No. 2 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference behind Ramapo’s Chris Aqnderson, who ran 4:12.16 at Ocean Breeze last month. Stockton’s Erik Ackerman from West Morris Central High also ran exactly 4:15.22 at Ocean Breeze.

Rowan’s indoor school record is 4:11.3, set in 1997 by Delsea graduate Sean Mick at the Haverford Last Chance Meet.

Cherokee graduate Jack Shea, a Northern Arizona junior, shattered the 14-minute barrier in the 5,000 Friday night in Seattle.

Shea ran 13:55.92 at the Husky Classic at the University of Washington’s Dempsey Fieldhouse, dropping his PR from 14:08.74, which he ran outdoors in the spring of 2018 in a meet at Asuza (Calif.) Pacific, and lowering his indoor PR from 14:14.33, which he ran in February of 2018 in a meet at the University of Iowa in Ames.

Shea’s time is No. 8 in the Big Sky Conference this season, and he’s the sixth NAU runner to break 14 minutes this winter.

Shea is also No. 8 in the Big Sky in the 3,000 [8:06.83] and No. 18 in the conference in the mile [PR 4:10.87].

We wrote just two weeks ago about Kamron Kobolak blowing away his shot put PR in a meet in Boston.

Kobolak did it again.

Kobolak, a Cinnaminson graduate and Rutgers junior, bombed a 56-5 ¼ Saturday adding nearly two feet to his PR of 54-7 ½, which he just set earlier this month. Before that, his indoor PR was 52-6 from Ocean Breeze in January, and his lifetime best with the 16-pound shot was 52-11 from last spring at the University of Maryland.

So he’s added nearly four feet to his PR in two weeks.

Kobolak placed 3rd at the Rutgers Invitational at the Armory in New York, behind only Benjamin Clay of FDU [58-0] and Jeff Kline of Maryland [57-9]. Kobolak also had a 55-8 1/4 throw that was beyond his previous PR.

Collingswood graduate Adam Hunt, a Rutgers senior, threw 55-3 ½ in the same meet and placed fifth. He also had a 55-2 3/4 in his series.

On the all-time Rutgers list, Kobolak is now up to No. 4, behind only Sam Segond, who threw 59-11 ¾ at the 2005 Big East Championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse; James Plummer, who hit 57-11 ¼ at the Great Dane Classic at the Armory in 2013; and Hunt, who threw 56-1 ¼ last weekend at Notre Dame.

Williamstown junior Ciara Demarest became the newest member of the 40-foot club when she won her first sectional title Friday at Toms River Imtermediate East School next to the Bubble.

Demarest threw 40-5, which is No. 8 in Gloucester County history and the top throw by a South Jersey thrower this year. Demarest ranks No. 4 in New Jersey and No. 1 among underclassmen.

It’s the best throw by a Gloucester County underclassman in six years, since Kingsway’s Emily Hilt threw 40-7 ¼ in a meet at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., in 2016.

Demarest has just missed the 40-foot barrier numerous times. She threw 39-2 last spring in a meet at Delsea and had throws of 39-1 ¼ at Cherokee and 39-11 ¼ at the Bubble earlier this season.

Demarest placed second in the South Jersey Group 4 discus last spring as a sophomore with a PR 117-5, and she was third in the shot. She was the No. 2 ranked soph in New Jersey a year ago in the disc and No. 3 in the shot.

Here’s the all-time Gloucester County indoor shot put top-10 performance list:

44-3 ½ … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
43-4 ½ … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
43-3 … Janiece Rose [Delsea], 2011
42-7 ¾ … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
42-5 ½ … Genevieve Tybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007
41-3 … Tara Daniels [Kingsway], 2013
40-8 ¾ … Emily Hilt [Kingsway], 2017

40-5 … Cierra Demarest [Williamstown], 2022
39-8 ¼ … Karen Johnson [Williamstown], 2006
39-8 … Elisia Lancaster [Delsea], 2016

And here’s a look at every 40-foot indoor thrower in South Jersey history:

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
42-1 … 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
40-5 … Cierra Demarest [Williamstown], 2022
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

Pleasantville’s Gabriel Moronta, now a freshman at Mississippi State, ran an indoor 800 PR Saturday at the Tiger Paw Invitational at Clemson.

Moronta ran 1:50.80 off a 54.21 first 400 and clipped his indoor PR of 1:52.46, which he ran when he won the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze two years ago. His time is No. 13 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 4 among freshmen.

Moronta dipped under 1:50 a couple times outdoors last spring and has a PR of 1:49.33 from last year’s SEC Championships in College Station, Texas.