In only her second college race, Kingsway graduate Allie Pierontoni, a freshman at Monmouth, placed 6th out of over 100 runners Friday at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference XC Championships.

Pierontoni ran 22:15 over 6,000 meters at Seaview Golf Course in Galloway Township, Atlantic County. She was Monmouth’s No. 1 runner and finished only 32 seconds behind conference champion Gemma Nuttall of Iona.

In her only previous race as a collegian, Pierontoni ran 18:22 over 5,000 meters to win the Jasper Invitational in Montgomery, N.Y. two weeks ago.

In her race Friday, she ran 18:32 5,000 pace over 6,000 meters.

Pierontoni ran 2:17, 5:02 and 10:52 at Kingsway and was 5th at the 2020 indoor Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze with that 10:52.53.  

Iona scored 36 points to win the team title. Monmouth was 4th of 10 teams with 83 points, behind Iona, Siena (58) and Quinnipiac (70).

Lenape senior Ian Camerato moved into the No. 8 spot in New Jersey in the shot put Wednesday when he threw 51-7 in a dual meet against Cherokee at the Bubble.

His previous indoor PR was a 46-6 from a meet in Virginia Beach in January.

Camerato surpassed his previous PR of 50-11 3/4, which he hit competing unattatched at an outdoor all-shot put meet in September at Kutztown (Pa.) High School.

Camerato is one of 10 50-foot throwers in New Jersey so far during this curtailed indoor season, and his 51-7 ranks No. 2 in South Jersey, behind Joe Metezger of Delea, who threw 54-8 3/4 at the Bubble last month.

His throw is the best indoors by a Lenape athlete since Ray Stinsman hit 53-1 1/2 at the 2009 Meet of Champions, also at the Bubble.

Lenape’s school record is 53-5 1/2, set 42 years ago by Dave DeMattia when he won the state Group 4 title at Jadwin Gym in 1979 in a 1-2 Burlington County finish over Cinnaminson’s Mike Stonebeck, who threw 53-1.

Kingsway sophomore Aubrey Pierontoni added an 800 PR to her 1,600 PR from a few days earlier, both races at the Bubble.

Last week, Pierontoni ran 5:10.01 in the 1,600, winning by about 60 meters over Delsea sophomore Lillie Widmer. Pierontoni’s previous 1,600 PR was a 5:13.74 at Group 4 sectionals last winter. Widmer ran a near-PR of 5:22.74 – less than half a second off her PR from a week earlier.

And then on Tuesday, Pierontoni ran 2:23.21, again unpressed. Her previous 800 PR was also indoors, a 2:24.58 last year at a SJTCA meet at the Bennett Center.

The 2:23.21 makes Pierontoni the top underclassman in New Jersey so far during this abridged indoor season and No. 5 overall and also No. 3 in South Jersey. She’s also No. 5 in the state in the 1,600 and No. 2 in South Jersey.

Pierontoni is coming off a short but terrific XC season that saw her run 19:37 at Holmdel, when she won the “Navy Race” at the East Coast XC Championships by half a minute. 

There was quite a competitive 55-meter dash in a quad meet between Rancocas Valley, Pennsauken and Northern Burlington Monday at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

R.V. junior Herbert Quarterman, a transfer from St. Joe’s Prep, won in 6.72 in his first 55 as a Red Devil, and Pennsauken freshman Elijah Jennings was second in 6.83 in his first high school 55. James McGhee of R.V. was third in 6.86, just off his PR of 6.83 from last year’s Easterns.

Quarterman’s time is No. 2 so far this year in South Jersey, behind Deptford senior John Adams, who ran 6.63 last month at the Bennett Center. Jennings’ time is No. 1 among New Jersey freshmen, and McGhee’s time is No. 6 so far in South Jersey.

R.V. junior David Murry ran a 53.68 PR for 400 meters, edging Pennsauken sophomore Premier Wynn, who ran 53.79 in his first lifetime 400.

In his first meet in almost two years, Kamron Kobolak posted a shot put PR at the Big Ten Championships.

Kobolak, a Cinnaminson graduate and a sophomore at Rutgers, last competed at the 2019 outdoor Big Ten meet in Iowa City in May of 2019.

Kobolak threw 52-4 3/4 with the 16-pound ball at the Big Ten meet at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Kobolak’s previous best was a 52-2 3/4 outdoors at the 2019 Metropolitan Championships at A.P. Randolph in New York. His previous indoor PR was a 51-11 3/4 at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University in February of 2019.

Kobolak’s throw is best by a Rutgers athlete indoors since James Plummer of Toms River South threw 57-11 1/4 at the 2013 Great Dane Classic in Albany. (There was also a James Plummer who threw the shot for Egg Harbor around the same time, but the Egg Harbor James Plummer went to Clemson).

Rutgers junior Adam Hunt of Collingswood [season-best 51-4 1/4] and Penn State freshman Lucciano Pizarro from Cherokee [50-1 3/4] also surpassed 50 feet in the competition.

Delsea senior Carly Nicholson became the first New Jersey half-miler to break 2:20 this year Sunday at the adidas Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach

Nicholson ran 2:19.04 and placed 17th overall in the championship 800.

Nicholson lowered her indoor PR by more than two seconds from 2:21.32, which she ran at the state Group 3 meet in 2019 at the Bubble in Toms River. She’s run 2:18.48 outdoors, at the 2018 state meet at Central Regional in Bayville.

Her time Sunday is 3rd-fastest in Delsea history indoors and fastest since Celine Mazzi ran 2:16.84 seven years ago. 

This was Nicholson’s third 800 this indoor season. She ran 2:24.59 at the Armory back in October and 2:21.85 on the same track at the Virginia Beach Sports Center earlier this month. 

Here’s a look at where Nicholson ranks on the all-time Gloucester County indoor list:

2:09.56 … Megan Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2010
2:14.5h … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
2:14.99 … Kami Joi Hickson [Washington Twp.], 2017
2:15.90 … Felicia O’Donnell [Delsea], 2009
2:16.60 … Gabbi Kirsch [Williamstown], 2015
2:16.71 … Lindsey Kane [Washington Twp.], 2015
2:16.84 … Celine Mazzi [Delsea], 2014
2:17.15 … Nicole Tiernan [Washington Twp.], 2011
2:17.21 … Allie Pierontoni [Kingsway], 2020
2:17.43 … Cassie Hagstoz [Kingsway], 2013
2:17.76 … Destiny Stanford [Kingsway], 2017
2:18.57 … Liz Locke [Kingsway], 2009
2:18.72 … Hailey Tabar [Clearview], 2020
2:18.77 … Samantha Budd [West Deptford], 2012
2:18.91 … Vickie Ajimoko [Williamstown], 2013
2:18.9h … Ursula Eder [Gateway], 1974
2:18.9h … Patti Addis [Williamstown], 1984
2:09.04 … Carly Nicholson [Delsea], 2021

Camden Catholic junior Billy Clewell became the second South Jersey half-miler to break two minute on Sunday.

Clewell ran 1:59.98 – more than a five-second PR – to place 10th in the open division of the 800 at the adidas Indoor Nationals in Virginia Beach.

Cumberland Regional junior Jalen Ridgeway ran 1:59.11 on the same track earlier this month.

Clewell’s previous PR was a 2:05.45 at the Bennett Center in February of 2020. 

Is 1:59.98 an indoor school record? Richie Castañeda ran 2:00.18 two years ago at the Bubble and that’s the fastest time I can find. 

Willingboro freshman Malachi James ran 7.20 to easily win the freshman 60-meter dash at the adidas Indoor Nationals Saturday in Virginia Beach.

James had run an all-time Burlington County #4 7.16 in the trials earlier Saturday in his first lifetime high school race. 

In the final, James wasn’t pushed.

Jason Truitt of Salesianum High Shool in Wilmington, Del., took second in 7.33. James’ time in the trials is No. 2 in the U.S. among freshmen this season, behind only Jelani Watkins of Klein Forest High School in Houston, who ran 6.95 at the Galleria Games in December in Birmingham, Ala.

James was also entered in the freshman 200 but scratched.

I’ve never heard of a race where the first five runners all finished in the span of 2-100ths of a second.

That’s insane. That’s almost impossible. But that’s exactly what happened today in the 60-meter hurdles race at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Here are the official results: https://tf.deltatiming.com/big-ten/2021-big-ten-indoor-championships/event/210225F018

And here’s a post on the race: https://sjtrackblog.com/2021/02/27/st-augustines-sincere-rhea-wins-first-big-ten-hurdles-title/

Check out a better video of Sincere Rhea’s finish here:

Quick double to open the season for Cherokee senior Brett Shea, who ran PRs of 2:00.77 and 4:32.37 in a tri-meet Saturday with Timber Creek and Highland at the Bennett Center.

Shea hadn’t raced since Group 4 XC sectionals, when he placed 6th and helped Cherokee win the team title. His last track race was at indoor sectionals more than a year ago.

And he hadn’t run a competitive 800 since the 2019 indoor season and had never broken 2:10 before. His 1,600 PR was 4:33.05 from last winter at a SJTCA meet at the Bennett Center.

Shea’s 800 time is 3rd-fastest by a South Jersey half-miler in the early going this winter, behind Jalen Ridgeway of Cumberland Regional [1:59.11] and Brian Eaton of Timber Creek [2:00.20]. Eaton ran the 400 and 1,600 on Saturday, winning the 400 in 53.67. 

His 1,600 is No. 2 so far among South Jersey runners, behind a 4:31.23 by Kingsway junior Kyle Rakitis last week, also at the Bubble.