Rowan freshman Ahmir Johnson won the NCAA Division 3 triple jump title Saturday, becoming the Prof’ 27th national champion in the program’s long, storied history.

Johnson, a graduate of Wissahickon High School in Ambler, leaped 49-7 on his second attempt and that stood up as winning mark at Irwin Belk Stadium on the North Carolina A&T campus in Greensboro, N.C.

Johnson is the first triple jump national champion in Rowan history and the first to place at nationals in the triple since Shawn Savage took eighth in 1995.

Johnson, a transfer from Gwynnyed-mercy, entered the competition with a lifetime best of 48-8 1/4 from the AARTFC Indoor Championships in Rochester in March of 2020 and an outdoor PR of 48-3 1/2 from the Philadelphia Metropolitan Collegiate Invitational at Franklin Field last month.

He opened up Saturday with a 47-7 3/4 before popping the 49-7 on his second jump. Tom Kohn of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Kyle Rollins of St. John Fisher in Rochester both jumped 49-3 1/2 – Rollins on his second jump and Fisher on his fourth – but when Kohn, jumping second-to-last in the final, went 49-3 on his final attempt, Johnson became Rowan’s first national champion since Anthony Salemo won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 2017.

Johnson extended his own school record, which was previously held by Harrison Escoffery, who jumped 48-1 1/4 in 2017.

At Wissahickon, Johnson jumped 48-5 3/4 indoors in a meet at Glen Mills and had an outdoor PR of 47-0 3/4 at the PIAA District 1 AAA Championships at Coatesville. 

In her first race on the track in four years, Cherokee graduate Megan Lacy ran a huge 10,000 PR of 33:07.10 Friday night at the Portland Track Festival at Griswold Stadium on the Lewis & Clark campus in Oregon.

Lacy fell a bit short of her goal of 32:25 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials next month in Eugene, but she turned in a remarkable performance for her first track race since May of 2017.

Lacy lowered her PR more than 1 1/2 minutes from 34:53.07, which she ran at the 2014 Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto while she was attending Stanford.

You can find Lacy’s complete splits by clicking here.

This was her first race on the track since her graduate year at Boise State, when she competed at the Mountain West Championships at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.

Lacy has recorded a provisional qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon with her 2:39.12 at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., in June 2019. 

Lacy’s time makes her the No. 40 American woman in the 10,000 this year.

Cinnaminson senior Shelby Sills moved into the all-time South Jersey top-20 in the triple jump at the Cherokee Last Chance meet Friday night in Marlton.

Sills entered the competition with a PR of 35-0 1/4 from the BCSL meet. She jumped within an inch of that on her first jump, a 34-11 3/4, before blowing away her PR with a 37-1 on her second attempt. That PR lasted just a few minutes because she sailed 37-9 on her third and final attempt.

Three other jumpers surpassed 35 feet, with Millville junior Leah Ellis second at 36-0 3/4, Delsea senior Katie Sellu third with a 35-11 and Rancocas Valley senior Rachel Satchell fourth at 35-10 1/2.

Sills moved up to No. 5 in New Jersey this year and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Ellis’s 38-8 at the Cumberland County Championships two weeks ago at Bridgeton.

She broke the Cinnaminson school record of 36-1 3/4 set by Jenna Niedermayer at the 2009 South Jersey Group 2 sectionals at Egg Harbor and moved into the No. 6 spot on the all-time Burlington County list (see below).

Her jump is best by a Group 2 jumper in New Jersey this year by more than a foot. It’s also No. 2 in South Jersey history by a Group 2 athlete, behind only Jannell Rowe of Sterling, who hit 38-0 1/4 at the 2017 state Group 2 meet at Northern Burlington.

Here’s a look at the all-time Burlington County 37-foot list:

40-10 ¼ … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
39-7 ¼ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2012
39-5 ½ … Elizabeth Montague [Cherokee], 2014
38-11 … Rachel Montague [Cherokee], 2008
37-9 ¼ … Ameenah Saalih [Rancocas Valley], 2017
37-9 ….. Shelby Sills [Cinnaminson], 2021
37-8 …… Akayla Leak [Burlington Twp.], 2019
37-7 ¼ … Erin Clark [Rancocas Valley], 2010
37-6 ½ … Nia Hinds [Burlington Twp.], 2016
37-6 …… Ariel Woodard-Stephens [Northern Burlington], 2008
37-5 ½ … Milagros Robinson [Riverside], 2014
37-4 …… Kiah Walton [Burlington Twp.], 2013
37-1 ¾ … Tabatha Haskins [Shawnee], 2005
37-1 …… Taliya Rogers [Rancocas Valley], 2015
37-0 …… Patrice Farquharson [Maple Shade], 2011

For the full all-time South Jersey top-50 click here.

Sellu added two inches to her lifetime best of 35-9 1/2 from a meet at Delsea last weekend, and Satchell also PR’d. Her previous best was a 35-3 3/4 when she won last weekend’s Burlington County Open in Mount Holly.

The multi-talented Sills, who won the 100 and high jump and placed second in the triple jump and 200 at the County Open, has PRs of 12.55 in the 100, 26.08 in the 200, 5-2 in the high jump, 15-6 1/2 in the long jump, 37-9 in the triple jump. 

Rowan University placed three javelin throwers in the top 10 nationally at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in Greensboro Friday.

Dan McAleavey, a junior from Howell, placed second with a lifetime-best throw of 206-6 1/2, Julio Lebron, a sophomore from Memorial of West New York, took eighth with a throw of 192-6, and senior Edgar Rosa from Paulsboro placed 10th overall with a 185-2 1/2.

McAleavey moved up from 5th to 2nd with his 206-5 1/2 on his fifth throw. His previous PR of 204-7, which he threw in March.

LeBron hit 192-6 on his sixth and final throw, moving up from eighth to sixth. That 192-6 is within 2 1/2 feet of his lifetime best of 194-1 from a meet in Orlando, Fla., in March of 2019.

And Rosa hit 185-2 1/2 on his third throw, missing the finals by less than three feet. 

McAleavey is now a two-time All-America. He placed eighth in 2019 with a 197-7. This is LeBron’s first All-America honor.

His second place matches the best by a Rowan javelin thrower since Burlington City graduate Sean Biehn took second in 2014 with a throw of 204-5.

The last four times two Rowan athletes have earned All-America honors in the same event they’ve been javelin throwers:

1995
Richard Bodine [Vineland] 4th [206-0], Bruce Davies [Kinnelon] 6th [198-3]
1996
Richard Bodine [Vineland] 2nd [206-5], Ed Colleton [Matawan] 5th [195-3]
2010
Sean Biehn [Burlington City] 2nd [204-5], Sean Corey [Cherry Hill East] 3rd [204-1]
2021
Dan McAleavey [Howell] 2nd [206-6], Julio LeBron [Memorial-WNY] 6th [192-6]

The last time two Rowan Profs placed in the same event at nationals and it isn’t the javelin was 1984, when Bob Rimkis (Washington Township) took second in the steeplechase in 9:00.43 and Lenny Hernandez (Power Memorial) was sixth in 9:09.74.

Pennsauken sophomore Bryce Tucker is usually so busy with the intermediate hurdles, 800 or 110 highs in addition to a relay or two that he rarely has a chance to run the open 400.

On Friday at the Cherokee Last-Chance Meet, he ran what appears to be his first-ever outdoor 400 and broke 50 seconds as part of a double win.

Tucker led three quarter-milers – all underclassmen – under 50 seconds, winning the race in 49.54. East Brunswick junior Jayden Phillip was second in 49.77 and Holy Spirit junior Elijah Steward took third with a big lifetime-best 49.97.

Tucker’s previous 400 PR was a 51.21 in a quad meet this past March at the Bubble.

Tucker also won the 400 intermediates in 54.47. He’s already No. 1 in New Jersey at 54.28 (and No. 10 in the 800 at 1:55.00 and No. 7 in South Jersey in the 110 highs in 15.15).

His 400 time from Friday is No. 4 in South Jersey this year and gives Pennsauken three sophomores under 50 seconds. Ejani Shakir has run 48.89 and Premier Wynn 49.45. Shakir, Wynn and Tucker are ranked No. 1, 3 and 4 in New Jersey among sophomores.

Steward’s previous PR was 51.73 from freshman year Parochial B states, where he placed third. He lost his sophomore season, hasn’t competed indoors and hadn’t run an open 400 this year. He won the long jump on Thursday at the Atlantic County Championships with a personal-best 21-10 3/4, No. 6 in South Jersey this year (and No. 2 among juniors).

In the 400IH, Tucker edged Deptford senior Juilian Rodriguez, who was second in a PR 55.15, more than half a second faster than his previous PR of 55.72 from last weekend’s Tri-County Conference Championships at Kingsway.

Rodriguez’s time is No. 3 in South Jersey this year and No. 6 in New Jersey. His time is fastest by a Deptford intermediate hurdler since Shaquile Dixon ran 54.03 at the 2015 state Group 3 meet at South Plainfield.

It wasn’t his best day, but Hunter Daly still left Greensboro as an All-America.

Daly, a Stockton University junior and a graduate of Florence High School, earned All-America honors in the high jump Friday at the NCAA Division 3 Track Championships at Irwin Belk Stadium on the North Carolina A&T campus in Greensboro, N.C.

Daly was one of four jumpers that cleared 6-3 1/2 and 6-5 1/2 on his first attempt, and all four finished in a tie for eighth place. The top eight finishers (plus ties) are considered All-Americas.

When Daly missed three tries at 6-7 1/2, his only shot at All-America honors was seven or fewer other jumpers clearing 6-7 1/2 or higher, and that’s exactly what happened.

Daly was the No. 5 seed after clearing 6-9 1/2 earlier this month.

Daly has improved steadily during his years at Stockton. He cleared 6-2 as a freshman indoors in 2008 at a meet in the Armory and then improved to 6-5 3/4 as a sophomore in a meet at SUNY Cortland in New York

He recorded his first 2-meter clearance (6-6 3/4) before the shutdown when he won the indoor NJAC meet at Ocean Breeze in February of 2020 and then had a huge breakthrough this spring with a 6-9 1/2 first-attempt clearance at a home meet in Galloway Township in late April.

Daly then won the outdoor NJAC meet at Ramapo earlier this month with a 6-8 and in his final tuneup before NCAAs sailed over the bar at 6-9 at a meet in Rochester, N.Y., last week.

Daly is Stockton’s second high jump All-America. The first was Mainland graduate Paul Klemic, who placed 3rd in 2005 and 2nd in 2006. He was also a two-time NCAA Division 3 champion in the long jump and a two-time All-America in the 110-meter hurdles.

Daly’s high school best was 6-6 at the 2017 Woodbury Relays.

Egg Harbor Township senior Ahmad Brock moved into the No. 1 spot in South Jersey in the 100-meter dash with his win at the Atlantic County Championships Thursday.

Brock came into this spring season with a PR of 11.27 from sophomore year South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Washington Township. He missed the entire 2020 outdoor season, like everybody else, then went sub-11 for the first time just two weeks ago in a dual meet at Seneca.

He lowered that to 10.82 in the trials on Thursday before his breakthrough 10.74 in the finals, where he won a fast race with Absegami senior Sahmir Brown, who was second in 10.88. Mainland junior Cody Pierce wasn’t far back in third in 11.07.

Brown ran 10.97 in the trials for her first sub-11 race, and Pierce also PR’d twice, with 11.21 in the trials and his 11.07 in the final.

Brock now ranks tied for second in New Jersey this year behind Fitzroy Ledgister of St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City, who ran 10.60 at the South Hudson Championships at Kearny two weeks ago. Shamali Whittle of Hamilton North also ran 10.74 in a meet at Hopewell Valley a couple weeks ago.

Brown is up to No. 8 in the state. On the South Jersey list, Brown is No. 1, Brown is No. 4 and Pierce is No. 10 and No. 5 among underclassmen.

The Atlantic County all-time list is impressive, with 13 sprinters (from eight different schools!) at 10.74 or better. But Brock is fastest from Atlantic County since Rocco Ordille of St. Joe’s-Hammonton ran 10.65 at the 2014 Cape-Atlantic League Championships at EHT.

10.54 … Fabian Santiago [Oakrest], 2010
10.57 … Geoff Navaro [Absegami], 2008
10.63 … John Stone [Mainland Reg.], 1997
10.64 … Jeremy Cooper [Mainland Reg.], 1997
10.65 … Rocco Ordille [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2014
10.67 … T.J. Johnson [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2009
10.68 … Tim Athill [Pleasantville], 1998
10.69 … Charles Fields [Wildwood Catholic], 2018
10.69 … Darnell Charles [Oakcrest], 2012
10.72 … Reginald Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
10.74 … Don Brooks [Pleasantville], 1988
10.74 … Steve Cirino [Buena], 2001
10.74 … Ahmad Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2021

Click here for the all-time South Jersey top-50.

Brock also won the 200 and the triple jump.

He won the 200 with a PR of 22.16, a big drop from his previous PR of 22.16. Pierce was second at 22.45, another PR for him.

And he was first in the triple jump with a 44-1 1/2, which is a bit off his season best and PR of 46-11 from last week, which is No. 4 in New Jersey this year, No. 21 in South Jersey history and No. 2 ever by an Atlantic County jumper.

In the 4-by-4, Brock ran a 49.4 anchor on EHT’s 3rd-place team, with also included sophomore D.J. Germann, junior Aidan Winkler and senior Nicolas Valdivieso.

Also for EHT, junior Malachi Wesley doubled the hurdles (15.09, 1:01.56), Valdivieso won the 1,600 (4:33.06), junior James Mahana threw 49-3 3/4 for first in the shot and freshman Chase Mazur, senior C.J. Lamonica, freshman Amir Halim and sophomore Richard Axelsson won the 4-by-800

The Eagles won the team title 178-71 over Oakcrest.

Egg Harbor senior Michaela Pomatto moved into the No. 1 spot in New Jersey in the discus Thursday with her winning throw at the Atlantic County Championships at Buena.

Her throw was the best by an Atlantic County girl in 15 years.

Pomatto hit 130-4 on her third of five throws, winning by 10 feet over Hammonton sophomore Emma Peretti, who had a pretty day throw herself with a personal-best 120-5 on her first attempt. Holy Spirit senior Julia Banian had a consistent series with a 114-11, a 115-10 and a 115-11 for third.

Pomatto, Bannan and Peretti are No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4 in South Jersey this year, Pomatto with her 130-4, Bannan with a 124-6 in a dual meet at Egg Harbor earlier this month and Peretti with her 120-10. 

Pomatto is the only 130-foot thrower in the state this year. Bannan ranks No. 5 in the state and Peretti is No. 8 and the top sophomore.

The only other 130-foot throwers in Atlantic County history are Atlantic City teammates Kim Warren (146-5) and Mercedes Hicks (143-3) from 2006. Pomatto and Bannan are both also in the all-time Atlantic County top-10

 

Absegami senior Diamond McLaughlin recorded a fantastic double Thursday at the Atlantic County Championships, running big PRs in winning both the 400 and 400 intermediates.

McLaughlin won the 400 in 57.12, lowering her PR from 57.63 from 2018 Group 3 sectionals at Delsea, and she won the intermediates in 1:01.68, a huge drop from her previous PR of 1:04.00 from the same sectional meet.

Her 400 time is No. 7 in New Jersey this year and No. 2 among South Jersey girls, behind only Clayton’s Amirah Sharpe, who ran 55.16 in April at the Metuchen Relays.

It’s No. 10 in Atlantic County history and about half a second off the school record of 56.61 set at the 2016 Group 3 sectionals at Central Regional by Joshonda Johnson.

Here’s the all-time Atlantic County top-10:

53.64 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 2008
54.51 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1998
55.6h … Jeanette Palmer [Oakcrest], 1982
55.78 … Andrea Olsen [Buena Reg.], 2013
56.05 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
56.36 … Ajae Alvare-Tyler [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2008
56.61 … Joshonda Johnson [Absegami], 2016
56.94 … Ariyana Wilkes [Holy Spirit], 2017
57.11 … Maya Harper [Pleasantville], 2019
57.12 … Diamond McLaughlin [Absegami], 2021

McLaughlin’s 400IH time is No. 3 in the state this year, behind only Adelaide Asante of North Brunswick (1:01.13) and Sharpe (1:01.63), who both recorded those times in a meet at Thomas Edison Park in Edison last weekend.

McLaughlin’s intermediate hurdles time is No. 5 in Atlantic County history and fastest in eight years, since Andre Olsen of Buena ran 1:00.58 at the state Group 3 meet at South Plainfield in 2013. She broke the school record of 1:01.73 – set by Johnson at that same 2016 sectionals by 5-100ths of a second.

Here’s a look at all the Atlantic County girls who’ve run sub 62 seconds for the intermediates:

1:00.26 … Helena Leyrer [Buena], 2012
1:00.55 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
1:00.58 … Andrea Olsen [Buena], 2013
1:01.42 … Natalie Edwards [Pleasantville], 1995
1:01.68 … Diamond McLaughlin [Absegami], 2021
1:01.73 … Joshonda Johnson [Absegami], 2016

Click here for the entire all-time South Jersey top-50.

Absolute monster 100 for Lauren Princz Thursday at the Atlantic County Championships at Buena! 

Princz ran 11.76, lowering her PR from the 11.81 that she ran in June of 2018 when she won the New Balance Nationals freshman race at Belk Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.  

Princz’s time is No. 1 in New Jersey this year by more than a tenth of a second,  No. 9 in South Jersey history and breaks her own Atlantic County record.

Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey top-10. 

11.42 … Michele Glover [Willingboro], 1981
11.49 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
11.57 … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
11.58 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
11.61 … Amandi Rhett [Moorestown], 2000
11.63 … Dennisha Page [Woodrow Wilson], 2019
11.71 … Shakira Dancy [Winslow Twp.], 2017
11.73 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
11.76 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.],. 2021
11.77 … Aisha Morgan [Schalick], 1998

Click here for the all-time South Jersey top-50.

Princz also won the 200 in 24.62, her fastest this year. She’s run as fast as 23.90 when she won the 2018 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington in Mansfield Township.

Princz won both races unpressed, taking first in the 100 by nearly a second and in the 200 by 1 1/2 seconds.

Princz also contributed a 60.2 leg on Egg Harbor Township’s winning 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 4:06.71 and also included junior Alexa Ali, senior Julia Albeirco and senior Anne Rutledge, who ran a PR 57.63 for second in the 400. 

EHT also won the 400-meter relay, with sophomore Jayda Green, Rutledge and senior Mariah Stephens joining Princz. That team ran 49.58.

Despite Princz’s quad win, Mainland Regional won the girls team title, 162-125, over EHT.