St. Joe’s of Hammonton grad Devin Martin wins FOUR conference titles for Georgian Court!!!

St. Joe’s of Hammonton graduate Devin Martin won not one, not two, not three but FOUR titles Saturday in the CACC Championships.

He broke two school records along the way.

Martin, a Williamstown native and a senior at Georgian Court, won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.84 into a 0.2 wind, the long jump at 22-6 1/4 and the triple jump with a big 48-10 1/4 jump at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championships on his home track in Lakewood. He and teammate DaShawn Lamar-Baldwin shared the pole vault title. As the only entrants, they both cleared opening height of 8-0 1/2 and then shut down, sharing the 18 team points.

For Martin, the marks in the triple jump, long jump and high hurdles are all personal bests and the triple jump and hurdles marks are school records.

His triple jump mark ranks No. 27 in NCAA Division 2 and surpassed the NCAA provisional qualifying standard of 47-10 1/4.

The only record Martin missed is the long jump, which is 23-1 set by current Georgian Court sophomore Dylan Breen from Lacey Township at a home meet last month. Breen finished second Saturday, two inches behind Martin.

Georgian Court, coached by former Holy Cross athlete Mike Murawski, won its fifth team title, more than doubling second-place Bloomfield, 262-112.

Martin’s previous triple jump PR was 46-7 at the Bill Fritz Invitational in Glassboro last month. Martin came into the spring season with a triple jump lifetime best of 46-5 from a meet at Ocean Breeze in the winter of 2020.

His previous long jump PR was a 21-4 1/2, also from the Bill Fritz Invite. Incredibly, Martin leaped 22-6 1/4 in what was only his second long jump competition since May of 2018.

In the 110 highs, Martin brought a PR of 15.04 into the conference meet. He ran that at the 2019 CACC meet on the same track, when he placed second to teammate Henry Jean-Michel.

Martin broke the Georgian Court hurdles record of 15.02 that Jean-Michel ran when he won the 2019 conference title and destroyed the triple jump mark of 46-6 3/4 set in March by Jeshurun Devero at the Stockton Invite in Galloway Township. Devero also surpassed his previous school record, hitting 48-1 1/4 for third place.

All of Martin’s marks were wind-legal: 0.5 in the triple jump, 0.0 in the long jump and -0.2 in the high hurdles.

In both horizontal jumps, Martin nailed his winning mark on his final attempt. He was sitting at 21-8 1/4 and in second place before his winning long jump mark and 47-10 and in third place before he popped his monster 48-10 1/4 triple.

Martin spent 2013, 2014 and 2016 at St. Joe’s of Hammonton, where he ran 14.90 and jumped 19-11 and 42-10 1/2.

As a junior at Holy Spirit, Martin hit 40-10 1/2 in the triple jump and 15.58 over the 39-inch hurdles. He was the 2015 state Parochial B champ in the 110 highs.  

Sterling soph Jenovia Logan records huge high jump PR and equals #1 mark in New Jersey this year!

Sophomore Jenovia Logan hit a big high jump PR of 5-6 Saturday at the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township.

Logan joins Delsea freshman Alanna Woolfolk and Howell sophomore Samantha Strydesky as only the third New Jersey girl to clear 5-6 this year.

According to the MileSplit database, Logan’s previous high jump PR was a 5-2 in a dual meet against Haddonfield last month. As a sophomore who lost her freshman outdoor season and sophomore indoor season to the shutdown, she’s competing in her first season of track and field.

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey girls high jump top-50, so you can see where Logan fits in at 5-6:

 

Moorestown grad Brandon Outlaw shatters 400 PR, earns #2 seed going into ACC 400 final!

Moorestown grad Brandon Outlaw dropped his 400 PR Friday in the trials of the ACC Championships.

Outlaw, a junior at Virginia, was the second-fastest qualifier, winning the fourth of four heats in 46.20 and qualifying automatically for Saturday’s final.

That’s No. 5 in Virginia history.

The Atlantic Coast Conference track championships are being held at Paul Derr Track and Field Facility on the North Carolina State campus in Raleigh, N.C. – the one-time home of the National Scholastic Championships.

Virginia Tech’s Jacory Patterson, who won the first heat in 45.74, was the only faster qualifier. Patterson won the last two ACC 400s, the 2020 and 2021 meets.

Outlaw’s previous PR was 46.35 earlier this year in a meet in Raleigh, N.C. 

At Moorestown, Outlaw ran 46.82 at the 2017 Central Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Bernards – No. 6 in South Jersey – and went on to win the Meet of Champions.

Winslow graduate Shakira Dancy runs big 200 PR, advances to finals at Big Ten Championships!

Shakira Dancy didn’t wait for the finals of the Big Ten 200 to PR. She took care of that in the trials.

Dancy, a Winslow graduate and now a junior at Michigan State, ran a personal-best 23.69 in the 200 trials at the Big Ten Championships at Demirjian Park in Champaign, Ill.

With the fifth-fastest time in the trials, Dancy advanced to the final, scheduled for 3:42 p.m. Sunday.

Dancy’s previous 200 PR was a 23.73 in her last race – the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Ind., two weeks ago.

At Winslow, Dancy’s 200 PR was 23.85.

Deptford graduate MarQuel Davis wins fast sprint double at CACC Champiopnships!!!

What a double for Marquel Davis this afternoon! 

Davis, a Bloomfield junior from Deptford, won the 100- and 200-meter dashes Friday at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Championships at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.

5/14 & 5/16– CACC Championships

Davis won the 100 in a personal-best 10.51, finishing a whopping 29-100ths of second place, and won the 200 in 21.65, this time finishing 34-100ths of second.

Both marks were made with legal wind, the 100 at 1.2 and the 200 at 1.9.

Davis’s previous 100 PR was 10.68 just two weeks ago at a meet in Newark. His 200 PR remains 21.58 from a meet at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., in April of 2019.

Bloomfield does not list school records (or much of anything else) on its web site so can’t tell you if Davis broke or approached either school record or the last Bloomfield sprinter to win both dashes at the conference meet.

According to stats on DirectAthletics, it appears that Davis holds school records in both sprints, but those lists aren’t always complete. 

Davis also ran the third leg on Bloomfield’s 400-meter relay team, which placed second in 42.06.

Georgian Court, coached by former Holy Cross high jumper and multi-event athlete Mike Murawski, won the team title 262-112 over Bloomfield.

There were a ton more notable performances from South Jersey athletes at the CACC meet and we’ll get to them as soon as we can! 

 

Pleasantville graduate Gabriel Moronta runs sub-1:50 at SEC Championships for Mississippi State!!!

Mississippi State freshman Gabriel Moronta, a Pleasantville graduate, ran sub-1:50 Thursday for the first time in his life.

Moronta ran 1:49.33 in the trials of the Southeastern Conference Championships at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. 

The winners of each of four heats and the next five-fastest half-milers advanced to the final. Moronta was third in the fourth and final heat and snagged the fourth of the five time qualifiers into the final.

Moronta was out in 52.95, which had him in fifth place with a lap to go. He closed in 56.39, passing two runners and getting into position to qualify for the final.

Moronta’s previous PR was a 1:50.36 two weeks ago at the Maroon and White Invitational on his home track in .

At Pleasantville, Moronta won the 2020 indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze – the last M-of-C that was held – with a scholastic PR of 1:52.46. 

His outdoor PR entering college was a 1:54.74 – that’s without a senior year of racing – and he lowered that to 1:52.00 in his first collegiate race last month in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and then to that 1:50.36 two weeks ago.

The nine-man final is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Saturday.

 

Delsea’s Joe Metzger pops huge shot put PR, up to No. 6 in Gloucester County history!

Delsea senior Joe Metzger didn’t throw 59 feet once, he did it twice, and the Delsea senior moved into the No. 3 spot in New Jersey this spring in the shot put.

Metzger, who threw his previous PR of 57-5 indoors in March at the Bubble, threw 59-11 1/2 and 59-11 1/4 on back-to-back throws Thursday at the Delsea Crusader Field #1 event in Franklinville.

So he missed the 60-foot plateau by 1 1/4 inches on two throws. Metzer opened with a 55-6 3/4, so he averaged 58-5 3/4 on his three legal throws, higher than his previous personal best.

With his 59-11 1/2, Metzger takes over the No. 21 spot in South Jersey history. Here’s the all-time top-50: 

Metzger’s throw makes him No. 6 in Gloucester County history and is the best throw by a Gloucester County athlete in seven years, since Nick Pulli of West Deptford threw 62-10 1/4 at the 2014 state Group 2 meet at Egg Harbor.

Metzger’s throw moves into up to No. 3 in Delsea history, behind Josh Awotunde [61-6 in 2013] and Ryan Knight [60-11 1/2 in 1996]. https://sjtrackblog.com/2021/05/09/delseas-josh-awotunde-joins-the-70-foot-shot-put-club-with-6-mark-in-the-world-this-year/.

Metzger’s previous outdoor PR was a 52-8 1/2 in his only other big-meet appearance this spring, at the Deptford Spartan Relays earlier this month.

In the most recent completed season – indoors 2020 – Metzger threw 52-10 1/4 to place second at the Group 2 states after winning the S.J.-3 sectional title.

The only New Jersey throwers who’ve thrown farther than Metzger this spring are Colts Neck senior Cole Tucker (63-6) and Tyler Konopka of Toms River South (61-8).

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

64-10 ½ … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], 1997
62-10 ¼ … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
61-10 ½ … Harry Dilks [Pitman], 1971
61-6 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
60-11 ½ … Ryan Knight [Delsea], 1996
59-11 1/2 … Joe Metzger [Delsea], 2021
59-7 ¾ … Chris Pressley [Woodbury], 2003
59-3 … Kwabena Keene [Washington Twp.], 2008
58-8 ½ … Bob Baylor [Paulsboro], 1965
58-0 ½ … Bill Goldsborough [Delsea Reg.], 2018

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

In all, five shot putters surpassed 50 feet Thursday at Delsea, three from South Jersey and all three from Delsea.

Junior Jason Nwosu hit 50-4 1/2 and junior Josh Caudill threw 50-2 1/2. Nwosu has thrown 53-2 1/4 this spring and Caudill has thrown 50-11. They are the top three shot putters this spring in South Jersey. The only other 50-footer so far is Willingboro junior C.J. Johnson, who hit 50-3 1/2 at last month’s Metuchen Relays.

Cinnaminson’s Austin Gabay runs big 1,500 PR at ACC Championships!

Austin Gabay lowered his 1,500 PR again but just missed advancing to the finals at his first ACC Championships.

Gabay, a Duke freshman from Cinnaminson, ran 3:46.10 Thursday evening in Raleigh, N.C., and placed 13th overall. The three fastest runners in each of three sections plus the next three-fastest times advanced to Friday’s final. Gabay placed seventh in the fastest of the three sections, missing the final by less than half a second.

Gabay got out in 44.31 for his first 300 meters and then split 61.35, 61.23 and 59.23 for his three full laps.

His time is equivalent of a 4:04.19 full mile or a 4:02.76 for the high school distance of 1,600.

Gabay’s previous 1,500 PR was 3:48.73 from earlier this month at a meet on his home track in Durham, N.C. He began the spring with a PR 3:50.13 last month.

At Cinnaminson, Gabay ran 4:16.02 for 1,600 meters and 9:00.27 indoors for 3,200 meters.

Millville’s Leah Ellis hits all-time S.J. #10 triple jump in county meet quad win!!!

Millville junior Leah Ellis capped a quad win at the Cumberland County Championships by moving into the all-time South Jersey top-10 in the triple jump.

Ellis won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.45, the high jump at 5-0 and the long jump at 18-3.

But her triple jump was the highlight on an afternoon of highlights at Bridgeton.

Ellis PR’d by nearly two feet, jumping 38-8 on her third and final attempt, the No. 10 mark in South Jersey history. That’s No. 1 in the state this year.

Ellis tied the Cumberland County (and school) record of 38-8 that Javona Ford when she placed second to Adefunke Sonaike of Montgomery (39-4) at the 2010 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.

Ellis opened Thursday with a 34-8 3/4 jump and then fouled on her second attempt before recording her 38-8. Her previous PR was 36-8 1/2 indoors at the 2019 Hispanic Games at the Armory. Her outdoor PR was 36-1 1/2 at the Arcadia (Calif.) Invitational in April of 2019.

Here’s a look at all the 38-foot jumpers in South Jersey history. For the full all-time top-50, click here:

42-2 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2018
40-10 ¼ … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
39-7 ½ … Zenee Gadson [Glassboro], 2012
39-7 ¼ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2012
39-6 … Jessica Mills [Deptford], 2005
39-5 ½ … Elizabeth Montague [Cherokee], 2014
39-3 … Genevieve Okoro [Eastern Reg.], 2010
39-2 ¼ … Mariah Hubbard [Absegami Reg.], 2016
38-11 … Rachel Montague [Cherokee], 2008
38-8 … Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], 2001
38-8 … Javona Ford [Millville], 2010
38-8 … Leah Ellis [Millville], 2021
38-6 … Monet Gist [Atlantic City], 2013
38-1 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow Twp.], 2014
38-0 ¼ … Janell Rowe [Sterling], 2017
38-0 ¼ … Nalah Abul-Qasim [Williamstown], 2019
38-0 ¼ … Caleah Allen [Williamstown], 2012

Ellis also PR’d in the 100-meter highs with her 15.45. Her previous PR was 16.40 the only other time she ran it in a high school meet – two years ago at the 2019 Cumberland County meet at Vineland. The 15.45 is No. 5 in Ne wJersey this year and tied for No. 2 in South Jersey.

Ellis’s 18-3 long jump matched her outdoor PR set at the Deptford Spartan Games earlier this month. She jumped 19-3 to win indoor Eastern’s at the Armory in February of 2019. The 18-3 is No. 3 in the state this year and No. 1 in South Jersey.

Her high jump PR is 5-2, also set indoors in the winter of 2019 at the Bennett Center. Her outdoor PR is 5-0 from the 2019 Cumberland County Championships at Vineland.

Millville won the team title 172-51 over 2nd-place Cumberland Regional.

Eastern’s Jewel Ash goes sub-60 in 400IH and wins Big South title!!!

Jewel Ash broke the one-minute barrier in the intermediate hurdles for the first time this weekend.

And became a conference champion along the way.

Ash, a South Charleston freshman from Eastern Regional High school, ran 59.50 at the Big South Championships at Vert Stadium on Saturday on the campus of High Point (N.C.) University.

She won the conference title by nearly a second over High Point sophomore Nyile Facey, who was second in 1:01.37.

That time gives Ash a No. 59 ranking on the IAAF’s 2021 U.S. women’s performance list.

Ash’s previous PR was 1:00.01 on April 16 Georgia Tech Invitational and before that 1:01.46, which she ran at the 2019 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington and then matched in March in a meet in Columbia, S.C.

Ash’s time is No. 2 in school history, behind only Dotrine’ Jacobs, who ran 59.52 at the 2014 Florida Relays.

Ash also ran 14.56 in the high hurdles trials but missed advancing to the finals by 6-100ths of a second, despite the 5th-fastest time in the trials.

She also ran legs on the winning 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams, which ran 45.93 and 3:47.34.