Rowan sophomore Nyla Jones, in her first meet since earning All-America honors in May, ran a 60-meter hurdles PR and nearly broke the school record in the 300 Friday at Ocean Breeze.

Jones, from Timber Creek, ran 8.93 in the finals of the Fastrack Invitational, lowering her PR from 8.95, which she ran when she won the NJAC indoor title at the Ott Center in February.

Her time is fastest by a Rowan woman in seven years, since Aspen McMillan from South Brunswick set the school record of 8.68 in the trials of the 2019 NCAA Division 3 Championships in Roxbury, Mass. McMillan went on to place 4^th in the final.

Jones also won the 300 in 40.69, only 10-100tbs of a second off the Rowan school record of 40.59 set by Woodstown’s Molly Lodge at last year’s TCNJ Opener at the Armory. It was only Jones’ second lifetime 300. She ran 42.96 in the same race that Lodge ran 40.69 last December.

Rowan sophomore Paige Franklin from Williamstown placed 3rd in 41.53 in her first lifetime 300. The versatile Franklin was a javelin medalist at last year’s NJAC meet at Ewing.

Jones earned All-America honors last spring when she placed 5^th in the 400-meter hurdles at Division 3 Nationals in Geneva, Ohio.

Daizhae’ Brown from Cedar Creek began her college track career Friday by running the 3^rd-fastest 60-meter dash time in Georgian Court history.

Brown, a freshman at the Lakewood school, placed 5th at the Fastrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze in 7.82.

That trails only a 7.74 by Aretha Edwards from Lincoln High in Jersey City in 2018 and a 7.75 by Charisma Bosley of Ewing in 2019 on the all-time Georgian Court list. Susan Lora from Stratford, Conn., in 2013 also ran 7.83.

Brown never ran a 60 in high school. Her 55 PR was 7.36 at the Bubble in 2024, which converts to 8.02 for 60 meters. So 7.83 is not only a PR but significantly faster than her converted 55 PR.

In the trials, Denirah Jones of Woodbury, a freshman at Rowan, ran 7.92 in her collegiate debut. That equals her lifetime best set at the Ott Center in January. She did not run in the final.

In her first competition in 18 months, Ocean City’s Sophia Curtis, a Clemson freshman, placed 3^rd in the triple jump and 4th in the 400 at the Clemson Opener Friday.

Curtis had not competed in any meet since the 2024 New Balance Outdoor Nationals at Franklin Field, where she placed 9^th in the 400-meter hurdles and 6^th in the triple jump.

Curtis, a two-time Meet of Champions triple jump winner and a state medalist in the intermediates, 400, long jump and high hurdles, spent last year at Virginia Tech but did not compete.

On Friday, competing for Clemson for the first time and as a collegian for the first time, Curtis jumped 40-2 ¾ on her first attempt. She had two other legal jumps over 39 feet. She ran 57.75 in the 400, lowering her indoor PR from 57.80 from the 2024 state Group 3 championships at the Bubble.

Rowan seniors Kwaku Nkrumah from Teaneck and Jason Agyemang from North Plainfield, who have both won NCAA Division 3 hurdles titles, got the indoor season off to a hot start when they both ran 7.95 in the 60-meter highs Friday at the Fastrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze.

Nkrumah was given the wind at 7.945, with Agyemang 2^nd in 7.947.

Nkrumah was the national champ over the 110-meter highs in Myrtle Beach in 2024. Agyemang won the 60-meter highs last winter in Rochester in 7.76.

Only seven hurdlers in Division 3 – four from Rowan – broke 8.00 last winter. Nkrumah has an indoor PR of 7.87 from a meet in Ithaca in March. Agyemang’s is that 7.76. Agyemang is No. 3 in Division 3 history and Nkrumah is No. 11.

Also for Rowan, senior Valentin Augustin from Hamilton West, a multi-eventer, placed 4^th in a personal-best 8.18. His previous PR was 8.27 from a meet in 2023 at Ocean Breeze. And senior Anaias Hughes from Willingboro was 6^th in 8.26, just off his PR of 8.17 from last year at the Armory.

The Haddonfield boys have a chance to prove they’re one of the top teams in the country Saturday at the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.

Haddonfield, ranked 16^th nationally by DyeStat, placed 2^nd in the Nike Northeast Regionals two weeks ago, earning an auto berth at Nike Nationals.

The Bulldogs will race at 10:05 a.m. Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore. The field includes 22 full schools and 45 individuals.

Haddonfield is the 5^th New Jersey boys team and first from South Jersey to qualify for Nike Nationals.

The Kingsway girls made it in 2017 and placed 22^nd at Nationals and the Cherokee girls qualified in 2021, although the national meet was cancelled.

Here’s a look at Haddonfield’s team:

✓ Ben Andrus: Has run 4:13.60 and 9:08.27 on the track and was the state Group 2 XC champ last fall. Has an all-course 5,000 best of 15:34 and a Holmdel best of 15:43.

✓ Luke Andresen: Was the state Group 2 indoor 1,600 champ at 4:17.56 at the Bubble and then ran 4:10.82 for 3^rd at the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze. This fall took 3^rd at states and 5^that the Meet of Champions with a Holmdel PR of 15:42.

✓ Peter Simpson: State Group 2 champ last spring at 3,200 meters with a PR 9:14.76 and ran sub-4:15 twice, including 4:14.44. Won Group 2 sectionals this fall with a 15:39 at DREAM Park.

✓ Ryan Gibson: Won South Jersey Group 2 last fall and Camden County and Colonial Conference titles this fall.

✓ Michael Sinnes: Placed 12^th at states as Haddonfield’s 5^th man and ran a 5,000 PR of 15:46.58 at Pennypacker Park.

✓ Brandon Stoner: Camden County champ placed 3^rd at sectionals at DREAM Park with an all-course PR of 16:15. On the track, a three-time sectional medalist at 800 meters.

✓ Andrew Blum: The only junior in Haddonfield’s lineup, Blum won the Colonial Championship race and placed 3^rd at sectionals with an all-course PR 16:29.

Darien Cade, a Fairleigh Dickinson junior from Timber Creek, opened his indoor track season with a win at FDU’s Knights Midweek Clash at the Bogota Savings Bank Center in Hackensack.

https://milesplit.live/meets/719218/events/3/results/F/M

Cade threw 49-7 ¼ on his first throw of the new season, missing his PR by just over an inch. Cade threw 49-8 ½ when he placed 6^th in the Northeast Conference Championships in Easton, Mass., in May.

Cade missed his indoor PR of 49-8 ¼ from a meet at the Armory in January by one inch. He also had second throw over 49 feet, hitting 49-3 ¾ on his 3^rd attempt.

He led a 1-2-3 FDU / South Jersey sweep and a 1-2 Timber Creek sweep. Jayson Ross, a freshman from Timber Creek, opened his career with the 16-pound shot with a throw of 47-7 ¾ on his 1^stattempt. It was his only legal throw but good enough for 2^nd place.

Another FDU freshman, Justin Banks from Willingboro, placed 3^rd with a 44-10 ½ in his collegiate debut. He had a 44-10 on his 2^nd attempt and a 44-9 on his 4^th. Banks was indoor state Group 2 champ last winter and threw 52-7 with the 12-pound shot to win the Burlington County Open at Lenape.

Northern Burlington’s Liliah Gordon, who just finished her freshman XC season at Penn State, is entered in the USATF Senior Nationals Championships this weekend in Oregon.

Gordon is the only South Jersey high school graduate entered in either the men’s or women’s race.

The women’s race over 10,000 meters is scheduled to start at 4:50 p.m. EST Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland.

Gordon only ran four races as a true freshman at Penn State, all over 6,000 meters, with a best time of 21:28.9 in the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh in Bethlehem and Lower Saucon Township.

She did not race after Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich., on Oct. 31.

Gordon placed 2^nd last fall in the Under-20 XC Championships in Lubbock, Texas and then took  5^th last spring at 5,000 meters on the track at the USATF Under-20 Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., with a PR 16:38.54, a South Jersey record and 4^th-fastest in New Jersey history.

USATF XC Nationals are run at Glendoveer Golf Course in conjunction with Nike Cross Nationals.

The Haddonfield boys qualified for Nike Nationals by placing 2^nd in the Northeast Regionals two weeks ago in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. They are scheduled to run on the same course over 5,000 meters at 10:05 a.m. Saturday.

Despite missing a week of training with a lingering illness, Cherokee sophomore Jack Tindall placed 14^th in the Brooks Northeast Regional in Boston Saturday morning, missing a qualifying spot for the National Championships by just 12 seconds.

Tindall ran 15:43.8 over 5,000 meters at Franklin Park. The top 10 runners qualify for the national meet in San Diego next month, and 10^th place was 15:31.8.

Brooks is the continuation of the Foot Locker and Kinney meets, which began in 1979.

Tindall won the state Group 4 XC title at Holmdel earlier this month but fell ill soon after the race and was still sick when he ran Meet of Champions to help the team. He wasn’t certain he was going to run Brooks until late in the week and is still well below peak form. So running 15:43 on a challenging course and placing 14^thamong some of the best runners in the entire northeast is remarkable.

Tindall was the first sophomore finisher and the only soph in the top-30.

Tindall goes into the indoor season with PRs of 4:14.92 in the 1,600 and 9:11.73 in the 3,200.

He was the only runner from a New Jersey high school in the boys race and the only South Jersey runner in either the boys or girls race.

Here’s a look at all the South Jersey top-20 finishers at Kinney / Foot Locker / Eastbay / Brooks:

2025
Jack Tindall [Cherokee], 14^th [15:43.8]

2024
None

2023
Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 5^th [15:08]
Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 12^th [15:40]
Aiden Williams [Audubon], 21^st [15:59]

2022
None

2021
Not Held
2020
Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 12^th [15:42.3]

2019
Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 4^th [15:24.0]
Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 22^nd [16:07.4]

2018
Kevin Antczak [Mainland Reg.], 16^th [16:02.8]
Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 23^rd [16:16.3]

2017
None

2016
Josh Clark [Highland], 4^th [15:28.4]

2015
None

2014
Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2^nd [15:33.4
Shawn Hutchison [Bishop Eustace], 10^th [15:45.7]
Dominick Munson [Timber Creek], 23^rd [16:03.3]

2013
Lou Corgliano [Hammonton], 9^th [15:40.7]

2012
Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 3^rd[15:42.5]
Stephen Maine [Highland], 21^st [16:12.5]

2011
Nick Costello [Delsea], 19^th [16:26.5]
Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 21^st [16:31.1]

2010
Miles Schoedler [Ocean City], 15^th [16:03.5]
Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 20^th [16:19.1]

2009
Paul Szulewski [Williamstown], 13^th [16:23.2]
Michael Rankin [Paul VI], 24^th [16:37.4]

2008
Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 8^th [15:50.1]
Dave Forward [Shawnee], 16^th [16:09.7]

2007
Brett Johnson [Ocean City], 25^th [16:07.8]

2006
None

2005
None

2004
None

2003
Jon Anderson [Cinnaminson], 7^th [15:30.4]
Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 17^th [16:04.1]

2002
Keith Krieger [Cherokee], 12^th [15:55.7]
Greg Hughes [Mainland Reg.], 23^rd [16:12.9]

2001
Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 6^th [15:40.1]
Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 19^th [16:08.8]

2000
Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 9^th[15:50.1]
Mike Myers [Eastern], 14^th [15:58.3]
Chad Lyons [Overbrook], 25^th [16:04.5]

1999
None

1998
Nate Miller [Highland], 5^th [15:49]

1997
Murad Campbell [Overbrook], 2^nd [15:27]

1996
Matt Ruhl [Triton], 18^th [16:37.0]

1995
None

1994
Kurt Wayton [Mainland Reg.], 16^th [16:07.1]

1993
*Kurt Wayton [Mainland Reg.], 223^rd [16:23]

1992
None

1991
Tom Keefer [Paul VI], 11^th  [16:20.0]
Keith O’Brien [Shawnee], 21^st [16:33.2]
Pete Fixler [Vineland] 23^rd [16:34.6]

1990
Pete Dougherty [Paul VI], 9^th [16:16.5]

1989
Mark Sivieri [St. Augustine], 11^th  [16:23.0]
Joe Cranston [Paul VI], 19^th [16:29.6]
Vince Cieslik [Paul VI], 25^th  [16:38.3]

1988
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1^st [15:17.6]
Jason Fiscus [Haddon Twp.], 12^th [15:58.3]
Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 13^th [16:00.0]
Dave Donohue [Haddon Twp.], 20^th [16:10.7]

1987
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 4^th [15:46.7]
Eric Lorenz [Holy Cross], 8^th  [15:49.4]
Urie Ridgeway [Bridgeton], 11^th [16:03.0]
Joe Shanahan [Haddonfield], 13^th [16:08.9]
Joe Magre [Paul VI], 25^th [16:22.1]

1986
Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 6^th  [15:55]

1985
Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 2^nd [15:25.6]
Ron Faith [Paul VI], 6^th [15:46]

1984
Jeff Davis [Cumberland Reg.], 13^th [15:50]
Chris Hageman [Paul VI], 18^th [15:56]
Kevin Pumphrey [Highland], 20^th [15:59]
George Steinhoff [Paul VI], 23^rd [16:03]
Ron Faith [Paul VI], 25^th [16:07]

1983
Bill Stewart [Cherry Hill East], 11^th [15:53]

1982
None

1981
None

1980
Dan Owens [Absegami], 12^th [16:06.3]

1979 [qualifying held at St. John’s Invitational]
Jerry Andrews [Highland], 1^st [15:34.0]
Jim Smith [Haddonfield], 3^rd [15:48]

Former Cherokee runner Ethan Wechsler placed 15^th in  his marathon debut Sunday morning.

Wehsler, 23, ran 2:37.18 at the Philadelphia Marathon and was 8^th in the 20-24 age group .

Wechsler finished his eligibility at Syracuse last spring. He ran 14:14.02 and 29:22.69 while he was at Syracuse. He was 4^th in the 2019 XC Meet of Champions and ran 15:41 at Holmdel. He ran 9:10.90 on the track for Cherokee.

Brett Milden of Mullica Hill, who attended Clearview but played soccer and never ran track or XC after middle school, ran 2:36.26 and was 41^st overall and 13^th in his last year in the 25-29 age group. His marathon PR is 2:34.52 in Boston in 2023.

Also in the top 100 were Leonard Bustos of Mays Landing [2:38.18, 49^th overall, 10^th in 20-24], Matthias Ngo of Galloway Township [2:39.16, 60^th overall, 11^th in 20-24], Nicholas Simila of Wenonah [2:41.34, 82^nd overall, 23^rd in 25-29] and Griffin Weiner of Haddonfield [2:43.09, 97^th overall, 24^th in 20-24].

Bustos ran and played soccer at Oakcrest and ran at Jefferson. Ngo ran at Absegami and ran at Stockton. Simila ran at St. Augustine and Rowan. And Weiner ran at Haddonfield and Rochester.

Here’s a crazy guess: Considering that Mays Landing and Galloway Township are just a mile apart and Bustos and Ngo live near each other and are in the same age group and ran nearly identical times, maybe they’re training partners?

The results site is down now so I can’t get anything from the weomen’s race but I will eventually!