What a race for Aliya Rae Garozzo!

The Paul VI junior broke 61 seconds for the first time in the 400-meter hurdles and won her second straight state Parochial A title in a very close finish with Mariah Fede of Paramus Catholic.

Garozzo ran 1:00.95, edging Fede, who ran 1:01.02.

Garozzo’s previous PR was a 1:01.41 when she was third in the Meet of Champions last spring. Her fastest this year was a 1:02.15.

Her time is 13th-fastest in South Jersey history and fastest in five years, since Courtney Smith of Penns Grove ran 1:00.79 in 2014.

Here’s a look at the all-time S.J. top 20!

56.83 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2005
59.03 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
59.56 … Torie Robinson (Winslow Twp.], 2013
59.66 … Mandie Dulin [Shawnee], 1997
1:00.1h … Danielle Myricks [Willingboro], 2001
1:00.26 … Helena Leyrer [Buena], 2012
1:00.47 … Shaquanda Meylor [Wilson], 2006
1:00.48 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
1:00.55 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
1:00.58 … Andrea Olsen [Buena], 2013
1:00.69 … Kristina Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
1:00.73 … Pam Richardson [Edgewood]., 2001
1:00.79 … Courtney Smith [Penns Grove], 2014
1:00.95 … Aliya Rae Garozzo [Paul VI], 2019
1:00.8h … Brittany Caserta [Highland], 2003
1:00.9h … Medea Ashton [Washington Twp.], 1980
1:01.0h … Eusheka Bartley [Highland], 1992
1:01.04 … Tynisha Revels [Camden], 1999
1:01.1h … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
1:01.14 … Brooke Kott [Millville], 2009
1:01.14 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 1995

Meredith Updike won her second straight state title in the 400-meter intermediates Friday with a big personal-best 1:01.48 at Central Regional.

That time is No. 6 in Burlington County history.

Her previous PR was 1:02.66 from sectionals last weekend, so this is more than a one-second PR for Updike.

She’s the first girl to win the state Group 2 intermediate hurdles in consecutive years in at least 20 years. Still looking that one up.

She’s also the first CInnaminson girl ever to win a state title two straight years. And she’ll have a chance to make it three next year.

Updike, a Cinnaminson junior, won last year in 1:02.71, moves up to No. 26 in South Jersey history.

Updike won the state title on her 18th birthday.

ALL-TIME S.J. 400-METER HURDLES LIST
56.83 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2005
59.03 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
59.56 … Torie Robinson (Winslow Twp.], 2013
59.66 … Mandie Dulin [Shawnee], 1997
1:00.1h … Danielle Myricks [Willingboro], 2001
1:00.26 … Helena Leyrer [Buena], 2012
1:00.47 … Shaquanda Meylor [Wilson], 2006
1:00.48 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
1:00.55 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
1:00.58 … Andrea Olsen [Buena], 2013
1:00.69 … Kristina Keegan [Haddonfield], 2003
1:00.73 … Pam Richardson [Edgewood]., 2001
1:00.79 … Courtney Smith [Penns Grove], 2014
1:00.8h … Brittany Caserta [Highland], 2003
1:00.9h … Medea Ashton [Washington Twp.], 1980
1:01.0h … Eusheka Bartley [Highland], 1992
1:01.04 … Tynisha Revels [Camden], 1999
1:01.1h … Zonya Cross [Edgewood], 1983
1:01.14 … Brooke Kott [Millville], 2009
1:01.14 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 1995
1:01.25 … Carly Pettipaw [Lenape], 2015
1:01.29 … Morgan Gantt [Winslow Twp.], 2002
1:01.3h … Vernick Smith [Wilson], 1998
1:01.32 … Brittany Preston [Winslow Twp.], 2016
1:01.35 … Thaila Cooper [Kingsway], 2015
1:01.41 … Aliya Rae Garozzo [Paul VI], 2018
1:01.42 … Natalie Edwards [Pleasantville], 1995
1:01.48 … Meredith Updike [Cinnaminson], 2019
1:01.49 … Mary Bohi [Seneca], 2009

The New Jersey outdoor state track championships date back more than 100 years, back to 1919, when Newark Central won the first of three straight championships.

Palmyra in 1942 became the first South Jersey school to win a state title, winning the first of four in a row.

The girls meet didn’t start until 1973, and Woodbury was the first South Jersey program to win a championship, that one coming in 1976.

This Friday and Saturday, the 111th annual New Jersey state track championships come to Franklin Township and Bayville, and we have everything you need to prepare for the weekend and enjoy the meet!

Here are your handy links to meet records, all-time team titles, the official meet program and – most importantly – the official performance lists for both sites!

If there’s anything else you’d like to see us add, just let us know!

All-time boys year-by-year team champions

Boys meet records

All-time girls year-by-year team champions

Girls meet records

Order of events

Complete official state meet program

Group 2, 3 and A performance lists [Central Regional]

Group 1, 4 and B performance lists [Franklin Township]

 

It’s always fun to see which athletes enjoy huge breakthroughs sectional weekend. Because there’s always a bunch of them.

Pleasantville sophomore Maya Harper sure did this past weekend.

Harper was 11th in the 400 at the Rowan Open with a PR of 58.43, second in the Atlantic County meet at 58.51 and fourth in the Cape Atlantic Meet at 59.28.

Good stuff. Those are legit times.

Then came sectionals and a huge breakthrough with a 1 1/2-second personal-best 57.11 but more importantly a sectional title. Harper won the South Jersey Group 2 400 over another sophomore, Delsea’s Aalliya Fox, who had a big breakthrough of her own, dropping from 58.42 to 57.37.

Junior Emily Wallace of Collingswood (57.63) also broke 58 for the first time, and Cinnaminson junior Meredith Updike ran a PR 58.40 out of an unseeded heat where nobody else broke 62. Pemberton junior Reyanna Henderson (58.93) also PR’d in fifth place.

As for Harper, her time is fastest by an Atlantic County sophomore since Nijgia Snapp of Oakcrest ran 56.78 as a sophomore in 2007.

Harper, Fox and Wallace will be the No. 3, 5 and 6 seeds at states this weekend.

Harper is the first Pleasantville girl to win a sectional 400 title since Tamara Faukner ran 58.0 to win S.J.-2 back in 1996.

Do you remember the last time a Pitman boy recorded a double win at sectionals?

If you don’t, there’s a good reason for that.

It was 27 years ago.

Pitman junior Sebastien Reed won the 1,600 and 3,200 this weekend at the South Jersey Group 1 meet at Washington Township.

He’s Pitman’s first double sectional winner since Kevin Schilling won the same two events at the 1992 meet. Schilling won the 1,600 that year in 4:23.7 and the 3,200 in 9:52.7.

Reed now goes into Group 1 states as the No. 1 seed in the 1,600 and a close No. 2 in the 3,200.

Reed won the 1,600 in an unpressed 4:23.64, which isn’t far off his PR of 4:22.16 from the South Jersey Invitational. He won by 50 meters, which makes his time even more impressive.

Reed and Jared Cooper, a senior from Mountain Lakes who ran 4:23.76 at the North 1 sectionals in Clifton, are the only runners in the Group 1 state 1,600 who ran under 4:29 at sectionals. Cooper won the state Group 1 title indoors and has run 4:17 several times, so it should be a terrific race.

Reed and Cooper also ran 1-2 at the state Group 1 XC race, where Reed ran 16:18 over the challenging Holmdel 5,000-meter course.

Reed ran 9:35.65 in the 3,200 at sectionals, finishing four seconds ahead of Woodbury soph Brady Shute, who PR’d at 9:39.66.

Cooper (9:34.46), Reed (9:35.65) and Shute (9:39.66) are the top three seeds at states, with Haddon Township junior Jake Aylmer (9:43.63) the only other entrant who ran under 9:49 at the various sectional meets.

Reed’s 3,200 PR is a 9:27.52 from a meet at Middletown North in late April. He won that race by 150 meters.

Reed also qualified for states in the 800 with a sixth-place 2:03.32 at sectionals, but we’re guessing he won’t be running the 800 at states.

Great double by Lenape senior Shelby Whetstone, who won the South Jersey Group 4 400 in 56.60 and 800 in 2:15.90 at Washington Township and goes into states as the No. 1 seed in the 400.

Whetstone, who also won the 800 last year at sectionals, became the first girl to repeat in the 800 in South Jersey Group 4 since legendary Jill Smith of Southern did it in 2008 and 2009. She’s the first from an actual South Jersey school to repeat since Triton’s Claudine Evangelista in 1999 and 2000.

She’s also only the second girl in the last 35 years to double the 400 and 800 in the always-tough SJ-4 sectional. The only other one to do it was Carly Pettipaw, also of Lenape, in 2015,

Whetstone was second at states last year in the 400 behind Burlington County rival Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley and third in the 800.

Whetstone has PRs of 55.67 and 2:14.09 going into states, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Franklin High. She’ll race in the 400 final on Friday and the 800 on Saturday.

She already holds the Lenape school record in the 400 at 55.67 and is chasing the 800 mark of 2:11.95, set in 2007 by Miya Johnson.

Whetstone will also be anchoring Lenape’s 4-by-400 Saturday. Lenape ran 3:59.02 at sectionals and has run as fast as 3:58.24 this spring.

When you can score 24 points in one event, it makes the rest of the meet just a little bit easier. And that’s exactly how the Delsea boys won their third straight sectional title and sixth since 2006.

Juniors Nico and Marco Morales both cleared 15-0 and Ryan Gillard 13-6 as the Crusaders swept the top three spots in the pole vault on their way to the South Jersey Group 2 championship.

More than a quarter of Delsea’s winning total of 92 points came in the pole vault.

Delsea finished 20 points ahead of second-place Haddon Heights this weekend to win the South Jersey Group 2 title on its home track in Franklinville.

That’s three straight SJ-3 titles for Delsea along with 2006 and 2007 in Group 3, 2010 and Group 2.

The Morales twins are the first teammates from the same school in state history to both clear 15-6. Nico has a PR of 15-7 from the Tri-County meet and Marco 15-6 from the South Jersey Invite.

But the pole vault trio had plenty of help this weekend.

Junior Shaikyi Hannah had a huge meet, winning the 400 in a personal-best 49.05, placing fourth in a very fast 100 in a PR 10.91 and running a leg on the fourth-place 3:27.36 1,600-meter relay team.

And senior Colin Kane also had a big meet, winning the 1,600 against a very good field in 4:18.94, taking fifth in the 3,200 in 9:33.09 and running on the fourth-place 3,200-meter relay team, which went 8:06.93.

Junior Jake Nwosu, the state Group 2 discus champ last year, bombed a big PR of 173-3 to win his first sectional title. That’s the best throw in South Jersey this year and No. 6 in the state.

Delsea’s senior Aidan Borguet, junior Damir Lomax, freshman Jaedyn Stewart and junior Ron Singletary ran a season-best 42.82 to win the 400-meter relay,

Sophomores Raja Brooks and Riley Miller and junior Noah Deckert also ran on the 3,200-meter relay team.

Delsea also got big points from seniors Jimmy Vargo in the 100 (3rd in a PR 10.87), Kevin Gilliano in the shot put (4th at 51-6) and Borguet in the javelin (5th at 152-9).

 

Delsea junior Jake Nwosu had a quite a breakthrough this weekend in the discus, becoming the latest member of the South Jersey 170-foot club.

Nwosu came into the season with a sophomore PR of 156-2 and then raised it to 164-11 at the Gloucester County Championships at Delsea on May 9 and then to 173-3 this past weekend, so that’s a 17-foot improvement in the span of just over two weeks.

Nwosu was only sixth at sectionals last year at 142-6 but hit that 156-2 at states to win by about three feet.

Now he’s the top thrower in South Jersey and ranked No. 6 in the state, and he goes into states as the No. 1 seed in Group 2, four feet ahead of Len Huang of Holmdel, who won Central Jersey Group 2 at 169-0.

His throw is No. 5 in Gloucester County history and best in five years.

He’s the top junior from Gloucester County since Nick Pulli of West Deptford threw 179-11 at the 2013 Haddonfield Invitational.

192-5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013

185-  5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976

179-11 … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014

179-11 … Will Cioffi [Pitman], 2013

173-3 … Jake Nwosu [Delsea], 2019

168-1 … Bill Goldsborough [Delsea], 2018

167-1 … Aaron Baile [Deptford], 2013

167-0 … Donte DIggs [Paulsboro], 1996

166-5 … John Hickman [Delsea], 2010

163-3 … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], 1998

Things didn’t go exactly the way Haddon Township planned it this weekend. Knowing every point was crucial in an anticipated extremely tight battle with a very good Clayton team, Haddon Township had some setbacks.

Senior Brian Burns qualified fifth in the high hurdles but didn’t place. Haddon Township athletes piled up a ridiculous FIVE seventh places, missing valuable points by two inches in the long jump and fractions of a second in several events on the track. And the Hawks’ 1,600-meter relay team was DQ’d after placing fifth.

That’s a lot of adversity.

But the Hawks kept bouncing back. And they’re champions because of it.

They only won two of 18 events, but the Hawks kept piling up enough thirds and fourths to hang on for a one-point win over Clayton for their fifth South Jersey Group 1 title in the last eight years and ninth sectional title overall.

Only Willingboro (17), Penns Grove (15), Winslow Township (13), Woodbury (13) and Bridgeton (10) have won more in South Jersey sectional history.

Let’s take a look at how the Hawks got it done!

ED BARRETT: The senior PR’d by more than five feet in the javelin, winning with a 170-0 that made him the fifth thrower in South Jersey this spring to reach 170 feet and one of only three state-wide in Group 1.

BRIAN BURNS: Burns, a senior, ran a two-second season-best of 56.52 to win the intermediates, only 22-100ths of a second off his PR set last year at sectionals. He also contributed a leg on the fifth-place 400-meter relay team, which ran 44.67.

JOSH POTTER: Twelve huge points from Potter, who ran 50.83 for third in the 400 and 2:00.96 for third in the 800.

JAKE AYLMER: Two big PRs for the junior, who ran 9:43.63 for third in the 3,200 and 4:33.07 for fourth in the 1,600.

AIDAN MCERLEAN: The junior took third in the high jump at 6-0 and anchored Township’s fifth-place 4-by-1 team.

JACOB ROSCOE: Took third in the pole vault at 12-6 for six huge points.

NOAH DINERMAN: Senior ran 9:57.57 for fourth in the 3,200 and ran on the second-place 3,200-meter relay team.

TYLER FULLERTON: The junior PR’d at 11-6 for fourth place behind Roscoe’s third place.

ROBERT BECK: Every point counts. Beck went into the meet with a PR of 128-9. If he threw that again? He doesn’t place. But he PR’d by more than four feet with a 132-10 for sixth place and a crucial point.

REILLY DOUGHERTY, NICK D’ANGELO: Both ran on the 4-by-1 team. Dougherty is a freshman, D’Angelo a junior.

IAN MCCAULEY, JOSH POTTER, BRIAN FURLANO: McCauley, a junior, Potter, a senior, and Furlano, a freshman, joined Dinerman on the second-place 3,200-meter relay team, which ran 8:23.04.

It’s been a busy few days here at the From the Backstretch South Jersey track blog, so let’s take a deep breath and catch up before we move on!

If you missed anything, here’s a handy guide to all the blogs we’ve posted since the start of sectionals!

Huge sectional meet for Paul VI’s Aliya Rae Garozzo: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-491
Terrific meet for Holy Spirit girls: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-493
Rowan women’s 4×1 advances at NCAA D-3: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-495
Cherokee grad Matt Gross earns All-America: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-497
Sam Gerstenbacher advances to NCAA D-3 finals: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49d
RV grad Danielle Steff advances at NCAAs: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49f
Deptford’s Ty Garland advances at NCAA D-3’s: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49j
South Jersey dominates NCAA javelin: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49l
Cinnaminson’s Meredith Updike wins SJ-2 400IH again: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49p
What a race for Jailya Ash: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49r
Historic double for Dennisha Page did: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49t
Thomas Hampton is really fast: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49C
Historic jump for Orion Joyner: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49G
Willingboro boys have record-setting Day 1: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49I
Haddonfield girls sweep 1600: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49M
Historic Winslow 400IH hurdles: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49P
Timber Creek’s Myiah Sturdivant earns All-America: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49S
Tyrone Garland earns All-America: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-49Y
Deptford boys win SJ-3: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4a1
Haddonfield girls distance carries Lady Bulldogs: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4a5
Millville girls win an epic battle: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4a7
Willingboro girls huge win: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4a9
Paulsboro girls dominate: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4ad
Egg Harbor boys win SJ-4: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4af
Willingboro boys win in records-setting fashion: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4aj
Winslow girls dominate: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4ap

Senior Tionna Tobias and juniors Janeya Hammond and Nylah Perry combined for an astonishing 80 points just in their individual events, leading the unstoppable Winslow Township girls program to its seventh straight South Jersey Group 3 sectional championship this weekend.

What a performance for the Eagles!

Winslow outscored second-place Timber Creek by 52 points this weekend at Delsea, winning by 127-75 over the second-place Chargers.

Their seventh straight sectional title tied the South Jersey record set from 1976 through 1982 by Woodbury, and is tied for the third-longest streak in state history in any sectional or any group. Both Winslow and Northern Highlands can tie the record next year.

Here’s a look at the longest streaks of consecutive sectional wins in state history:

LONGEST SECTIONAL WINNING STREAKS
8 … Columbia, North Section 2 Group 4 [1991-98]
8 … Metuchen, Central Group 1 [1994-01]
7 … Randolph, North Section 1 Group 4 [2009-15]
7 … Woodbury, South Group 1 [1976-82]
7 … Winslow, South Group 3 [2013-19]
7 … Hanover Park, North Section 2 Group 2 [2002-2008]
7 … Hopewell Valley, Central Group 3 [2005-11]
7 … Northern Highlands, North Section 1 Group 3 [2013-19]
6 … Ramsey, North Section 1 Groups 2 & 3 [1995-2000]
6 … New Providence, North Section 1 Group 1 [1982-87]
6 … Monmouth Reg., Central Groups 2 & 3 [1984-89]
6 … North Hunterdon, Central Groups 3 & 4 [1982-87]
6 … Pope John XXIII, Parochial A [2011-16]

Let’s take a look at how Winslow did it again! For the seventh year in a row!

TIONNA TOBIAS: Sometimes I honestly think you could put the remarkably versatile Tobias in any event and the Winslow senior would do well. She had an incredible sectional meet against some tremendous competition. She won the high hurdles in 14.37, placed second to Dennisha Page in the 100 in 12.40, took second to Tierra Hooker in the high jump with a 5-4 clearance and hit 18-7 for second to Hooker in the long jump.

JANEYA HAMMOND: What a meet for Hammond! Three events, three PRs! She ran 25.23 for second to Page in the 200, 57.46 for second to Page in the 400 and 1:02.27 for second to Perry in the intermediates. Her previous PRs were 25.40 in the 200, 57.59 in the 400 and 1:02.63 in the intermediates.

NYLAH PERRY: Perry edged her teammate in the intermediates with a personal-best of her own at 1:02.00. Her previous PR was 1:03.42, so that’s quite a jump. She was third behind Page and Hammond in both the 200 (25.27) and 400 (57.58). That’s a first and two thirds for 22 points against some tremendous competition!

That trio was terrific, but they had plenty of help:

—> Freshman Jaia James ran 12.67 for third in the 100, not far off her PR of 12.54 from a meet in April in Maryland. James is the No. 6 freshman in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey behind only Joslynn Whaley of Atlantic County Tech in Mays Landing (12.29).

—> Senior Nicole Hood ran a two-second PR for second in the 800 and also ran on both the winning 4-by-4 and the second-place 4-by-8.

—> Sophomore Shevell Higgs took second to Tobias in the high hurdles with a 15.44, PR’d at 17-0 3/4 for fifth in the long jump and added a fourth in the long jump at 34-9, just an inch off another PR.

—> Freshman Jordan James leaped 32-10 for sixth in the triple jump.

—> Freshman Charly Dutton ran on both the 4-by-4 and 4-by-8.

—> Senior Raven Rouse and sophomore Olivia Wright contributed legs to the winning 4-by-4.

—> Freshman Victoria Campbell and senior Alexandria Morrison both ran on the second-place 4-by-8.