Lenape senior Shelby Whetstone moved into the all-time South Jersey top-10 in the 800 with an incredible breakthrough race in the state Group 4 meet at Franklin.

Whetstone, the No. 6 seed after a 2:15.90 at sectionals, ran 2:10.55 to win the race over a loaded field.

She broke the Burlington County record of 2:11.07 set in 2007 by Lenape’s Miya Johnson, who was a teammate of Caitlin Orr, who is now Whetstone’s distance coach.

Whetstone’s previous PR was a 2:14.09 at the Rowan Invitational. She’s undefeated this year at 800 meters.

It looks like Whetstone will be the No. 2 seed in the 800 at the Meet of Champions next weekend at Northern Burlington behind defending champion Victoria Vanriele of Governor Livingston, who was third at nationals last spring in 2:05.99.

Whetstone edged Edison junior Cynthia Boryeskne to the finish line. Boryeskne, the top seed, was second in 2:11.24.

2:07.33 … Marielle Hall (Haddonfield), 2009
2:08.87 … Erin Donohue (Haddonfield), 2001
2:09.2h … Katrina Sye (Buena), 1999
2:09.50 … Renee Tomlin (Ocean City), 2005
2:09.84 … Rachel Stremme (Ocean City), 2014
2:10.1h … Michelle Rowen (Washington Twp.), 1982
2:10.55 … Shelby Whetstone (Lenape), 2019
2:10.57 … Nijgia Snapp (Oakcrest), 2009
2:10.79 … Krista Ferrara (Vineland), 1991
2:10.9h … Ruth Lockbaum (Glassboro), 1985
2:11.07 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2007
2:11.45 … Sydney Coppolino (Sterling), 2017
2:11.56 … Mary Bohi (Seneca), 2009
2:11.80 … Briana Gess (Haddonfield), 2016
2:11.88 … Kayla Martin (Seneca), 2015
2:11.94 … Bridget Flynn (Ocean City), 2014
2:12.04 … Kami Jo Hickson (Washington Twp.), 2017
2:12.0h … Monica Olkowski (Cherokee), 1990
2:12.28 … Rachel Vick (Kingsway), 2017
2:12.61 … Felicia O’Donnell (Delsea), 2009
2:12.63 … Liz Locke (Kingsway), 2010
2:12.77 … Lauren McHale (Ocean City), 1998
2:12.78 … Megan Quimby (Lenape), 2015
2:12.83 … Brooke Kott (Millville), 2008
2:12.85 … Greta Feldman (Haddonfield), 2008
2:12.93 … Carly Pettipaw (Lenape), 2015

South Jersey hurdlers put on quite a show at the two state meets Saturday, with Palmyra’s Sam Aviles running a huge PR and near meet-record 14.12 to win Group 1 at Franklin, Naseem Smith of Deptford running a personal-best 13.98 to win Group 3 at Central Regional and St. Augustine’s Sincere Rhea – the indoor national champ – winning Parochial A in 13.93.

Let’s take a look at South Jersey’s three high hurdles state champions:

SAM AVILES: Aviles came into the weekend with a PR of 14.45 but ran 14.36 to lead all qualifiers and then blasted a huge PR of 14.12, which left him just 7-100ths of a second off the meet record of 14.05 set in 2016 by Ihmir Marsette of Weequahic and within range of the school record of 13.97 set in 2006 by national scholastic champion Will Brown. Aviles needed every fraction of that PR to hold off second-place Christian Martin of Whippany Park, who was second in 14.13. Aviles also won the state group 1 title indoors and was second in the Meet of Champions in the 55 highs. His time is No. 5 in Burlington County history.

ALL-TIME BURLINGTON COUNTY 110HH LIST
13.59 … Gerard Reynolds (Willingboro), 1990
13.76 … Isaac Williams (Willingboro), 2012
13.97 … Will Brown (Palmyra), 2006
13.99 … Herb Reid (Lenape), 2000
14.12 … Sam Aviles (Palmyra), 2019
14.18 … Jalen Walker (Burlington Twp.), 2010
14.18 … Darren McCluskey (Cherokee), 2011
14.20 … Jusson Boyd (Willingboro), 2007
14.24 … Cezaire Rohn (Willingboro), 2000
14.26 … Aaron Biddle (Bordentown), 1998
14.26 … Napolean Suarez (Pemberton), 2000
14.26 … Kevin Gantt (Seneca), 2006

NASEEM SMITH: Smith lowered his PR from 14.05 , which he ran in the trials of the South Jersey Invitational last month, in winning his second straight outdoor Group 3 state title. Smith’s time is now No. 20 in South Jersey history and No. 3 in Gloucester County history, behind only Sultan Tucker of Delsea, who ran 13.66 in 1997, and Devon Carter of Washington Township, who ran 13.96 in 2010. Smith is the No. 3 seed in the Meet of Champions, behind only Rhea and Rosell’s Jaheem Hayles, who won Group 2 in 13.95.

ALL-TIME S.J. 110 HURDLES LIST
13.43 … Danye Brown [Camden], 1999
13.52 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
13.59 … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1990
13.66 … Sultan Tucker [Delsea], 1997
13.73 … Kevin Hagamin [Timber Creek], 2014
13.74 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], 2001
13.75 … Rashad Baker [Wilson], 2000
13.76 … Nate Harley [Pleasantville], 1996
13.76 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], 2012
13.77 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], 2001
13.81 … Scot McCray [Camden], 1997
13.81 … Jeff Young [Wilson], 1999
13.90 … Edwin Alston [Winslow Twp.], 2015
13.92 … Enrique Llanos [Wilson], 1999
13.94 … Hal Lathan [Egg Harbor Twp,], 2009
13.95 … Kevin White [Haddon Heights], 1992
13.96 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], 2010
13.97 … Will Brown [Palmyra], 2006
13.97 … Syteek Farrington [Camden], 2010
13.98 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], 2019
13.99 … Herb Reid [Lenape], 2000

SINCERE RHEA: Rhea continues to perform at a dazzling level in whatever event he enters. On Friday, he won the Parochial A 400 in 48.06, lowering his PR from 48.80. If he chooses to race the 400 at Meet of Champions, he’ll be the No. 2 seed, behind only Mario Heslop of Franklin Township, who easily won Group 4 in 47.12. Rhea is now No. 3 in Atlantic County history in the 400. Here’s the all-time South Jersey list, which I took down to 48.10:

ALL-TIME S.J. 400 LIST
46.02 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
46.25 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2017
46.62 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
46.67 … Jamaad Muse [Timber Creek], 2014
46.77 … Reuben McCoy [Winslow Twp.], 2004
46.82 … Brandon Outlaw [Moorestown], 2017
46.90 … Antonio Abney [Willingboro], 2007
46.95 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2012
47.03 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1994
47.1h … Darron Outler [Lenape], 1984
47.2h … Levin Handy [Vineland], 1969
47.2h … Brian Bennett [Edgewood], 1985
47.44 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
47.48 … Ron Hillian [Eastern], 2002
47.3h … Curtis Mcintyre [Bridgeton], 1992
47.59 … Jade Smith [Camden], 2002
47.4h … Ken Moore [Overbrook], 1984
47.4h … Chuck Carter [Eastern], 1985
47.4h … Barry Douglas [Willingboro], 1993
47.64 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
47.30 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
47.76 … Carl Smith [Camden], 2005
47.88 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2009
47.88 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2011
47.95 … John Morris [Camden], 2001
47.96 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2012
47.99 … Elliot DeShields [Clayton], 2011
48.01 … Greg Arnett [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
48.02 … Nigel Sanchez [Woodrow Wilson], 2014
48.03 … Tyler Davidson [Willingboro], 2014
48.05 … Mike Patterson [Pleasantville], 1997
48.05 … Mohamed Kanu [Lenape], 1999
48.06 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], 2019
48.07 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013

It was business as usual for Rhea in the high hurdles, where he won his seventh career state title in 13.93 and goes into the Meet of Champions as the top seed.

Timber Creek junior Tierra Hooker continued her masterful junior season Saturday when she completed an incredible jumps double at the state Group 3 meet at Central Regional.

Hooker won the state Group 3 high jump at 5-10, matching her PR, a day after she won the long jump at 19-0, just shy of her PR of 19-2.

Hooker is the first girl in state meet history to long jump 19 feet and high jump 5-10.

The only other New Jersey who’s reached both those marks at any point in her career is current Paramus Catholic senior Tiffany Bautista, who jumped 5-10 at Parochial A states last year and also in winning the Meet of Champions. She jumped 19-2 1/2 last year when she was third in the Meet of Champions. Her best marks this year are 5-4 and 18-5.

Hooker will go into the Meet of Champions next weekend as the top seed in both jumps. She won the high jump at this year’s indoor M-of-C but hasn’t yet won an outdoor Meet of Champions title.

 

When Sarah Naticchia PRs, she really PRs. Wowowow!!!

Naticchia, the remarkable Haddonfield sophomore who ran the first race of her life five months ago, placed second in the Group 2 3,200 at states Saturday in 10:48.87.

That’s the No. 24 time in South Jersey history and a personal-best by 23 seconds over her 11:11.53 back in April in the Cherokee Night of 3200’s. It was only the fourth competitive 3,200 of her life.

Samantha Ragenklint of Monmouth won the race in a 12-second PR of 10:44.97.

One day earlier, Naticchia placed third in the 1,600 in 4:55.90, a seven-second PR and the No. 15 time in South Jersey history.

She’s now one of only 11 girls in South Jersey history to run sub 4:56 and sub-10:50:

Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000, 2001
4:41.16 … 10:28.6h

Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982, 1983
4:41.5y … 10:12.8y

Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:45.97 … 10:45.12

Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:49.26 … 10:29.28

Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
4:51.43 … 10:27.44

Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
4:55.41 … 10:44.23

Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
4:55.45 … 10:45.40

Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
4:55.66 … 10:22.02

Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
4:55.70 … 10:30.57

Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2019
4:55.90 … 10:48.87

Bishop Eustace senior Connor Melko completed a remarkable distance triple crown Saturday when he won the Parochial A 3,200 in 9:07.23.

Melko finished 10 meters ahead of Luke Reid of CBA, who was second in 9:08.48.

Melko was the state Parochial B XC champ with a 16:50.0 at Holmdel and he won the 1,600 and 3,200 at indoor states at the Bennett in February.

This is his first outdoor state title.

Melko finished less than two seconds off the meet record of 9:05.57 set by legendary Jason DiJoseph of Paul VI in 1988. DiJoseph was a Foot Locker national XC runner-up in the fall of 1988.

Melko’s time is the fifth-fastest in state Parochial A history, fastest in eight years and fastest by a South Jersey runner since DiJoseph 31 years ago.

9:05.57 … Jason DiJoseph [Paul VI], 1988 [1st]
9:05.67 … Morgan Pearson [CBA], 2011 [1st]
9:05.78 … Mike Mazzaccaro [CBA], 2010 [1st]
9:06.79 … Morgan Pearson [Delbarton], 2010  [2nd]
9:07.23 … Conor Melko [Bishop Eustace], 2019 [1st]

His time was second-fastest of all the two-milers in the six various sections Saturday, so he’ll be the No. 2 seed in the Meet of Champions, behind only defending champion Devin Hart, who ran 9:04.57 to win the Group 2 title. Hart was the XC Meet of Champions winner and a Foot Locker finalist this past fall

Going into the Meet of Champions, there are eight two-milers under 9:10, including Melko and Mainland Regional’s Kevin Antczak, who ran a huge PR of 9:09.38 in the Group 3 meet at Central Regional.

Here’s what that group looks like:

Devin Hart 9:04.57 [1st, Group 2]
Connor Melko 9:07.23 [1st, Parochial A]
Luke Reid CBA 9”08.48 [2nd, Parochial A]
Jack Stanley 9:08.18 [1st, Group 3]
Conor Murphy 9:08.55 [2nd, Group 3]
Jack Jennings 908.62 [3rd, Group 3]
Kevin Antczak 9:09.38 [4th, Group 3]
John McGovern 9:09.82 [5th, Group 3]

Melko has a PR of 9:06.52 from Holmdel earlier this month. That’s No. 18 in South Jersey history.

For fourth time in 13 years, a Riverside triple jumper is a state champion.

Senior Alex Stockton continued Riverside’s remarkable triple jump tradition Friday when he won the Group 1 state title with a personal-best 44-5 1/2 jump at Franklin High.

Stockton’s previous PR was a 42-10 1/4 from states last year, so that’s an improvement of a foot and a half.

Four different Riverside triple jumpers have won the state Group 1 title as seniors since 2007. All four PR’d in that victory.

And they are the only Riverside state champions during that span. Riverside’s last state champ who wasn’t a triple jumper was Ron Brock, who won the Group 1 1,600 in 1990.

Let’s take a look at Riverside’s triple jumpers over the years:

2007: Phil Lindmueller jumped 45-3 1/2 to win on a second-best-jump tiebreaker over Dan DePalma of Verona, who also jumped 45-3 1/2.

2008: Sean Jimoh jumped 45-5 1/4, then a meet record, to win by three inches over Chris Pisano of Metuchen.

2018: Emmanuel Harris popped big PR of 45-8 1/2 to win by six inches over Javon Spann of Schalick.

2019: Stockton — the No. 14 seed in a field of 24 — popped a 44-5 1/2, edging Spann by three inches.

Stockton’s previous-best jump this year was a 42-8 1/2 at the Burlington County Open, where he was third. He placed 16th at the South Jersey Invitational, second at the BCSL Freedom Division meet and fourth at sectionals and had never previously won a conference, county, sectional or state title, so this is his first major triple jump title ever.

Stockton will race in the 110-meter high hurdles and run on the Rams’ 1,600-meter relay team on Saturday. He also qualified for states in the javelin.

Haddonfield sophomore Sarah Naticchia, who had a 1,600 PR of 5:42 as recently as February, became the 15th-fastest miler in South Jersey history Friday.

Naticchia placed third in the state Group 2 meet in 4:55.90, continuing her streak of lowering her 1,600 PR in every major race she’s ever run.

Her time is fourth-fastest in Camden County history and also fourth-fastest in Haddonfield history.

For the record, the fastest time in Camden County history by a non-Haddonfield runner is a 4:55.9 by Paul VI’s Dawn Cody in 1982.

Naticchia ran her first 1,600 in December at a meet at the Armory in 6:02.67. She lowered her time to 5:42.67 in a novice race at Ocean Breeze in January, then made her first big breakthrough when she won sectionals at the Bennett Center in 5:16.49. She then placed fourth at states in 5:13.84.

She then ran 5:06, 5:04 and 5:03 this spring before lowering her PR from 5:03.26 to 4:55.90 on Friday — a nearly 7 1/2-second PR.

Naticchia finished just behind two Voorhees miler – senior Lauren Wagner won the race in 4:54.80 and sophomore teammate Emma McGill was second in 4:55.66.

The top three seeds in next weekend’s Meet of Champs will come from Group 4 — Abby Loveys of Randolph [4:47.96], Chloe Gonzalez of North Hunterdon [4:48.33] and Katie Hamilton of Westfield [4:53.16]. The next three are Wagner, McGill and Naticchia.

ALL-TIME S.J. SUB-4:57 CLUB
4:41.16 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
4:41.5y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
4:45.97 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:48.73 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:49.11 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
4:49.26 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:51.43 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
4:52.95 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009
4:54.71 … Megan Hartman [Ocean City], 194
4:54.88 … Bridget Flynn [Holy Spirit], 2012
4:55.41 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
4:55.45 … Julianna Catania [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
4:55.66 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
4:55.70 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
4:55.90 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2019
4:55.9h … Dawn Cody [Paul VI], 1982
4:56.01 … Natalia Ocasio [Lenape], 2012
4:56.08 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2016
4:56.34 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2006
4:56.43 … Liz Locke [Kingsway], 2010
4:56.55 … Maria Ruiz [Williamstown], 2009
4:56.68 … Claudine Evangelista [Triton], 2000
4:56.81 … Julia DeSpirito [Shawnee], 2014
4:56.84 … Holly Bischof ]Bishop Eustace], 2011

With Jayaire King leading the way with two individual state titles, the Willingboro boys are off to a tremendous start in the state Group 1 meet at Franklin Township High.

Willingboro, seeking its first outdoor state title in 15 years, piled up 51 points on Day 1 of the state meet and goes into Saturday with a 31-point lead over second-place Mountain Lakes.

King, who wasn’t among the top three seeds in either race, got the weekend off to a great start for the Chimeras by winning the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 54.84 and then ran a big PR of 49.76 out of an unseeded heat to win the 400 in a race where the top seven finishers were all from South Jersey.

King is already the first Willingboro boy to double at states since legendary Mike Morrison won the high jump (7-1) and long jump (24-2 3/4) in 2003.

He’s also the first Chimera in the program’s storied history to win the 400 and 400 intermediates at states the same year.

King rarely runs the open 400. His previous PR was a 50.89 to place fifth at the 2017 Burlington County Open. He was only fourth at sectionals in 51.48 and went into states as the No. 9 seed.

King ran in the second of three heats, then held on while the winner of the seeded heat – Woodbury’s Joshua Washington – fell just short of his time with a 49.91.

King was the No. 4 seed in the intermediates. His 400IH PR is a 54.72 from the South Jersey Invitational last month.

Boro senior Emmanuel Lewis III bombed a 160-6 to win the discus by more than 10 feet over another Burlington County Scholastic League thrower, Maple Shade junior Hunter Conover, who threw a personal-best 149-4.

Willingboro added a whopping 16 points in the high jump, with junior Kameron Smith winning at 6-6 and junior Nate Robertson third in 6-4. The duo was broken up by Audubon sophomore Aden Tomeo, who cleared 6-4. Palmyra senior Steven McCoy made it a 1-2-3-4 South Jersey sweep in fourth place with a PR 6-4.

Also for Boro, junior Zaire Clements placed fourth in the 100 in 11.31 for four more points, and senior Elijah Valme took sixth in the 400 in 50.61.

Egg Harbor sophomore Lauren Princz ran her fastest 100 of the year Friday and the second-fastest time in New Jersey this year in winning the state Group 4 title at Franklin.

Princz won the race in 11.96. The only New Jersey girl who has run faster this year is Wilson’s Dennisha Page, who ran 11.68 in the trials last weekend at sectionals.

On Friday, Princz ran 12.00 in the trials, and North Brunswick’s Nakaja Weaver – who ran 11.96 last weekend — ran 12.02, setting up a pretty good showdown. But it was all Princz in the finals, with Weaver second in 12.08.

Princz was the state Group 4 champion at 200 meters last spring and indoors in the 55, but this is her first state title in the 100.

Princz has a PR of 11.81 from her win in the New Balance Nationals freshman race last year. Her 11.96 is a season best.

Princz will go into the Meet of Champions as the No. 1 seed in the 100. Page won the Group 3 race in 12.07 after a 12.06 in the trials.

Only four girls state-wide have run sub-12 all year – Page, Weaver, Eastern sophomore Jailya Ash and Princz. Ash placed fourth in the state Group 4 race Friday, just behind Cherry Hill East’s Maya Drayton (12.15).

Kingsway junior Stone Caraccio, who ran only 4:22.44 and placed third at sectionals, bounced back with a tremendous performance in the state Group 4 meet Friday at Franklin.

Caraccio ran 4:13.46, No. 13 in South Jersey. It’s also sixth-fastest time in Gloucester County history and the fastest by any South Jersey runner in four years.

His time is fastest by a South Jersey junior in nine years, since Miles Schoedler of Ocean City ran 4:11.46 at the Meet 2011 of Champions and fastest by a Gloucester County junior since Xavier Fraction of Washington Township ran 4:11.07 at the 2010 Meet of Champions.

Caraccio placed third in a very fast race that saw six runners break 4:16 and nine go under 4:19. His previous PR was 4:14.71 two weeks ago in the Holmdel Twilight Series Royal Rumble. Before that, it was 4:16.11 at last year’s Holmdel Royal Rumble.

Cherokee junior Ethan Wechsler took sixth and also posted a big PR of 4:15.52, which moves into the No. 10 spot in Burlington County history.

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

• 4:09.03 … Brett Johnson (Ocean City), 2008
• 4:09.20 … John Richardson (Ocean City), 2003
• 4:09.30 … Colin Baker (Haddonfield), 2009
• 4:10.2y ….. Mike Elder (Haddon Twp.), 1973
• 4:11.07 … Xavier Fraction (Washington Twp.), 2009
• 4:11.15 … Ryan Garvin (Lenape), 2009
• 4:11.46 … Miles Schoedler (Ocean City), 2011
• 4:11.7y ….. Mike Mantini (Gateway), 1979
• 4:11.49 … Jim Wyner (Mainland Reg.), 2004
• 4:11.69 … Shawn Wilson (Cherokee), 2013
• 4:11.78 … Luke Petela (Haddon Twp.), 2015
• 4:11.84 … Tom Cooke (Kingsway), 2012
• 4:12.08 … Bill Dolan (Clearview), 2014
• 4:12.74 … Marc Pelerin (Cherokee), 2002
• 4:13.23 … Justin Branco (Delsea), 2015
• 4:13.46 … Stone Caraccio (Kingsway), 2019
• 4:13.5y ….. Al Harden (Millville), 1978
• 4:13.5y ….. Jason DiJoseph (Paul VI), 1988
• 4:13.52 … Murad Campbell (Overbrook), 1999
• 4:13.7y ….. Ed Blakeley (Haddon Twp.), 1975
• 4:13.71 … Dominick Munson (Timber Creek), 2015
• 4:13.85 … Jacob Clark (Pleasantville), 2013
• 4:13.9 ….. Dick Caton (Woodbury), 1978