Schalick graduate Samuel Gerstenbacher on Thursday advanced to the steeplechase finals at the NCAA Division 3 track championships outside Cleveland.

Gerstenbacher, a junior at Elizabethtown, ran 9:16.38 in the 3,000-meter race, advancing to the final at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

The top five finishes from each of two semifinal races advanced automatically and the next four fastest runners also advanced. Gerstenbacher was seventh in the second race, which made him the second-fastest non-auto qualifier.

Gerstenbacher closed in 70.9 seconds after running his six previous full laps in 73.5, 74.1, 74.3, 74.9, 75.2 and 74.9.

This is Gerstenbacher’s second NCAA Championships. He didn’t qualify for the final last year. Gerstenbacher ranks fourth in NCAA Division 3 with his school-record 9:00.21 in a last-chance meet at Swarthmore earlier this month.

The top 12 seeds all moved on along with the No. 15 and 17 seeds.

Cherokee graduate Matt Gross, who never won a sectional, county or conference title during his high school track career, earned All-America status in the javelin Thursday.

Gross, a sophomore at Rutgers-Camden, placed sixth in the javelin at the NCAA Division 3 Championships at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Gross, seeded 12th, threw a personal-best 199-4, surpassing his previous PR of 197-0 set last week when he won the ECAC Division 3 title in New Haven. He’s now thrown between 195 and 199 feet in five meets this year.

At Cherokee, Gross only exceeded 165 feet in the javelin once, with a 177-9 when he placed second to RV’s Robert Marks at sectionals as a senior in the spring of 2016. He improved to 191-6 1/2 last year and is now an All-America in an event in which he had a PR fo 142-9 going into his senior year of high school.

For more on his background, click here.

On Thursday, Gross went into his fifth throw sitting in ninth place with a best throw of 193-1. But he passed three throwers with his 199-4, moving into sixth. He fouled on his final attempt.

Junior Jordan Entwistle of U. Mass-Dartmouth won the event at 210-10. Rowan sophomore Dan McAleavey, a sophomore from Howell and the NJAC champion, placed eighth at 197-7, less than two feet off his own PR of 199-6 set at a meet at The College of New Jersey last month.

Another Rowan athlete, freshman Julio LeBron from Memorial of West New York, placed 19th with a 172-3 on his third throw of the trials. He was one of only three freshmen in the competition.

 

The Rowan women ran a season-best 47.22 and advanced to the finals of the 400-meter relay Thursday at the NCAA Division 3 Championships outside Cleveland.

The team of sophomore Sidney McLeod-Whitener of Friends Central, junior Aaniyah Robinson of Passaic County Tech, sophomore Myiah Sturdivant of Timber Creek and junior Darielle Cross of Matawan takes the seventh-fastest time in the finals, scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Saturday at the SPIRE Institute track in Geneva, Ohio.

Rowan’s best previous time this year was a 47.40 at a meet at Widener last month with a slightly different lineup — freshman Kierston Johnson, McLeod-Whitener, Robinson and Cross.

Emory led all qualifiers at 46.55. The top two placers in each of two heats advanced automatically, along with the next five-fastest times. Rowan placed fifth in the second heat, which produced all the non-auto qualifiers.

Emory (46.55), Rhode Island College of Providence (46.77) and Loras College of Dubuque, Iowa (46.90) broke 47 seconds and then there were five schools between 47.15 and 47.31.

Senior Angela Bannan medaled in four races, and Julia Bannan led the throws team to 50 points as the Holy Spirit girls placed a close second in the South Jersey Parochial B Championships at Donovan Catholic in Toms River this week.

This is the fifth straight year the Spartans have placed in the top four at sectionals. Holy Spirit was 4th in 2015 and 2016, 3rd in 2017 and won it last year.

Trinity Hall of Tinton Falls won this year’s meet with 91 points, 12 more than Holy Spirit.

Bannan, a multiple state medalist in the 800 and 1,600, ran 2:26.86, 5:32.13 and 12:10.53, placing 6th in the 800, 5th in the 1,600 and 3rd in the 3,200. She also ran a leg on the second-place 3,200-meter relay team.

Julia Bannan, a sophomore, led a 1-2-3 sweep in the shot put with a winning throw and personal-best 33-5. Senior Ariana Mack (30-7 1/2) and soph Kat Patittuci (29-11 1/4) placed second and third. Mack won the discus at 116-3 and Julia Brannan was second with another PR of 113-5. Both of Mack’s throws were PRs as well. Bannan also placed third in the javelin, with soph Morgan Keil taking fifth.

Junior Melody Pugliese placed second in the 200 and led off the fourth-place 1,600-meter relay team. Pugliese, junior Jenna Bradberry, freshman Vanessa DeJean and junior Megan McCully ran 4:32.34.

Holy Spirit also took second in the 3,200-meter relay in 10:42.66 with Bradberry, DeJean, Bannan and freshman Paige Snyder.

Paul VI capped an outstanding two days in Toms River with a 3:53.43 win in the 1,600-meter relay at the South Jersey Parochial A sectionals.

Senior Carly Schmidt, junior Blair Daniel, sophomore Abigail Lutz and junior Aliya Rae Garozzo beat New Jersey #1 Union Catholic by more than half a second. Union Catholic ran 3:54.17.

Paul VI ran within a second of the school record of 3:52.49 they set at New Balance Nationals last June.

PVI’s time is No. 3 in South Jersey this year, behind only Winslow and Rancocas Valley, who ran 3:51.70 and 3:51.76 in different races at the Penn Relays.

Daniel also ran on Paul VI’s 400-meter relay team, which ran 48.72 and placed a close second to Union Catholic. Senior Keyann’a Watkins, junior Skyler Harris and senior Aaliyah Vandergrift also ran on that team.

Paul VI already ranks No. 9 in the state and No. 5 in South Jersey with a 48.62 at the Olympic Conference meet earlier this month at Washington Township.

Garozzo also won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.45 after a career-best 14.29 in the trials. That’s No. 5 in the state this year and No. 4 among South Jersey hurdlers. Her previous PR was 14.38.

Garozzo won the intermediates in 1:02.15 on Monday.

Junior Kambi Walker (5-4, second in HJ) and Vandergrift (35-1 1/2, 3rd in TJ) also had top-three finishes for Paul VI. Vandergrift had placed third in the 100 on Monday. Junior Maura McGowan won the javelin Monday with a personal-best 108-6, and the 4-by-8 team of seniors Julia Bruno, Amelia Smith and Miranda Zevallos along with Lutz took second in the 4-by-8 in 10:03.55.

Paul VI scored 102 points in the two-day meet, finishing second only to Union Catholic, the top-ranked team in New Jersey.

Derek Gess ran the fastest 800 in South Jersey this year Monday night on his home track at Haddonfield Distance Night.

The Haddonfield senior out-raced Cinnaminson junior Austin Gabay to the finish line in a personal-best 1:53.88, fourth-fastest in the state this year. Gabay ran a PR 1:54.73. They’re the two-fastest times in New Jersey Group 2 this year and the two-fastest S.J. times as well.

According to the MileSplit database, Sean Dolan of Hopewell Valley (1:52.81), Alfred Chawonza of St. Benedict’s (1:52.94) and Nicholas Medeiros of Old Bridge (1:53.57) are the only half-milers in the state who’ve run faster than Gess this spring.

Gess’s previous PR was a 1:54.37 at states last year. The only faster times in Haddonfield history that I could find were turned in by Greg Pelose in (1:53.25) in 2016 and Ben Potts in 2011, both also at Haddonfield Distance Night. Has anybody else from Haddonfield run sub-1:54?

Gess led four Haddonfield runners under two minutes Monday night. And all four PR’d!

Senior Ethan Spellmeyer ran 1:55.69, Greg Eisenhower 1:57.29 and Martin Riddell 1:59.05. Do the math and that adds up to a 7:45.91 for a 3,200-meter relay. Hopefully, they get a chance to run one at nationals.

Spellmeyer’s previous PR was 1:55.74 at the Bensalem Invitational in April. Eisenhower’s PR was 2:00.38 last year at the Haddonfield Invitational. Riddell’s PR was 2:00.50 at the same meet.

Including Andrew Gostovich, who ran 1:56.87, and Josh Potter, who ran 1:59.31, the Bulldogs now have six half-milers under two minutes this year. They’re ranked 1, 5, 8, 11, 21 and 23 in South Jersey.

The Rancocas Valley girls made the long trip from Mount Holly to Randolph to run a hot 800-meter relay at the 48th annual East Coast Relays and wound up winning the race by two seconds with the fastest outdoor time by a Burlington County school in 25 years.

Freshman Anabella Chin, seniors Darynn Minus-Vincent and Brianna Snowden and sophomore Sheriyah Nutt ran 1:41.34, beating second-place Ramapo by 15 meters.

It’s the fastest time anybody has run at the East Coast Relays since Mount Vernon (N.Y.) won the 2010 race in 1:39.77.

R.V.’s time is No. 4 in the state this year and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind only Eastern’s 1:40.46 back in early April at the Don Danser Relays.

It’s second-fastest in Burlington County history outdoors, behind only Willingboro’s 1:41.20 in 1994, although the overall county record is Moorestown’s winning 1:40.77 at Easterns in 2000 at the Armory. It’s also No. 13 in South Jersey history.

Rancocas Valley became the first South Jersey school to win the East Coast Relays 800-meter relay since Willingboro in 2000.

Here’s a list of all the S.J. 4-by-200 winners at the ECR:

1992: Highland, 1:43.0
1993: Camden, 1:43.79
1994: Willingboro, 1:41.51
1995: Camden, 1:41.20
1998: Highland, 1:41.56
1999: Washington Twp., 1:41.10
2000: Willingboro, 1:41.86
2019: Rancocas Valley, 1:41.34

The win was R.V.’s fourth at the East Coast Relays. The Red Devils won the javelin and long jump relays in 2014, and last year’s team won the sprint medley in 4:09.47.

ALL-TIME SOUTH JERSEY 800-METER RELAY
1:38.43 … Winslow Twp., 2018
1:39.21 … Eastern, 2003
1:39.59 … Winslow Twp., 2012
1:40.30 … Winslow Twp., 2017
1:40.46 … Eastern, 2019
1:40.62 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:40.72 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
1:40.5h … Woodrow Wilson, 2006
1:40.91 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:41.10 … Washington Twp., 1999
1:41.20 … Willingboro, 1994
1:41.33 … Camden, 2009
1:41.34 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
1:41.1h …. Camden, 1995
1:41.40 … Winslow Twp., 2005
1:41.44h ….. Camden, 2006
1:41.54 … Willingboro, 1999
1:41.56 … Highland, 1998
1:41.59 … Eastern, 2002
1:41.70 … Wilson, 2008
1:41.74h ….. Pleasantville, 1995
1:41.81 … Willingboro, 1995
1:41.85 … Deptford, 2015
1:41.86 … Willingboro, 2000
1:41.87 … Camden, 2001
1:41.88 … Winslow, 2013
1:41.91 … Winslow, 2018

Turns out he can run the 400, too!

St. Augustine senior Sincere Rhea, in his first serious 400 in three years, led five runners under 50 seconds with a massive PR of 48.80 Monday at the South Jersey Parochial A sectionals at Donovan Catholic in Toms River.

Rhea, the indoor high hurdles national champion, last ran a non dual-meet 400 in January of 2018, according to the MileSplit database, at a SJTCA indoor developmental meet at the Bennett Center, and he placed 32nd in 56.73. His last legit outdoor 400 was on May 27, 2016, when he placed 13th at the Parochial A sectionals at Egg Harbor in 53.18 as a freshman.

Rhea’s previous 400 PR was 52.78 a week earlier at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Frosh-Soph Championships at St. John Vianney in Holmdel.

Rhea’s time is No. 1 in South Jersey this year and No. 9 in the state. It’s fastest state-wide in Parochial A, just ahead of Elijah Brown of Union Catholic, who ran 48.86 at the Union County Championships last week at Hub Stein Field in Plainfield. Brown was second to Rhea Monday in 49.15. Paul VI freshman Michael Mazero took fourth in that race in 49.91.

Rhea is now No. 1 in South Jersey in the 400, No. 2 in the 200 at 21.56 and No. 3 in the U.S. in the 110-meter high hurdles.

Austin Gabay may no longer be a miler and two-miler who occasionally runs a fast 800.

He may be a half-miler.

Gabay, who ran a big PR of 1:56.64 at the BCSL Meet on Saturday at Willingboro, lowered his 800 PR nearly another two seconds Monday when he ran 1:54.73 at the Haddonfield Distance Night.

That’s No. 2 in Cinnaminson history, behind only Matt Poskus, who ran 1:52.37 at the 2007 Meet of Champions.

Gabay’s 800 PR before Saturday was 1:58.32 from last year’s BCSL meet, so it’s now come down nearly four seconds in three days.

Seniors Chad Howard and Gabe St. Elien also PR’d for Cinnaminson, Howard in 2:00.76 and St. Elien in 2:00.78. Howard’s previous PR was 2:04.87 and St. Elien’s was 2:02.76.

Here’s a look at the fastest 800 guys in Burlington County history:

• 1:49.84 … Rob Novak [Bordentown], 2005
• 1:50.8h … Vance Watson [Willingboro], 1983
• 1:52.1h … Greg Honsby [Rancocas Valley], 1974
• 1:52.37 … Matt Poskus [Cinnaminson], 2007
• 1:52.60 … Kevin Fox [Moorestown], 2016
• 1:52.65 … Ian Waterhouse [Rancocas Valley], 2004
• 1:52.94 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2009
• 1:53.14 … Dave Sitzer [Cherokee], 2000
• 1:53.3h … Tavo Rivera [Pemberton], 1977
• 1:53.35 … Ahmad Rutherford [Willingboro], 2003
• 1:53.40 … Daveigh Brooks [Burlington City], 2016
• 1:53.4h … Clayton Baloche [Lenape], 1992
• 1:53.4h … Bryant Walker [Pemberton], 1983
• 1:53.57 … Isaiah Curbelo [Rancocas Valley], 2016
• 1:53.66 … Xavier Wright [Willingboro], 2011
• 1:53.78 … Marvin Lewis [Willingboro], 2001
• 1:53.84 … Ryan Garvin [Lenape], 2009
• 1:54.1h … Chris Tarello [Shawnee], 1992
• 1:54.2h … Bob Mann [Willingboro], 1979
• 1:54.33 … Jacob Tyndale [Rancocas Valley], 2018
• 1:54.53 … Drew Viscidy [Cherokee], 2012
• 1:54.73 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], 2019
• 1:54.78 … Tyler Davidson [Willingboro], 2016
• 1:54.94 … Colin Merrigan [Cherokee], 2012

 

The team of junior Mikell Dolo, sophomore Balkis Lyiola, junior Tamia Welch Smith and sophomore Gloria Hughes ran 1:03.23 to win the shuttle hurdles at the Willingboro Relays Monday at Carl Lewis Stadium, Willingboro’s fastest time in the event in 22 years.

The only faster Willingboro shuttle hurdles team was the 1997 group, which ran a hand-timed 1:02.1.

Willingboro’s time is No. 7 in the state this year and No. 3 by a South Jersey school. And it’s No. 5 in Burlington County history and fastest since Lenape ran 1:02.53 in 2008.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey list:

ALL-TIME S.J. GIRLS SHUTTLE HURDLES 
59.00 … Edgewood, 1999
59.52 … Eastern, 2019
59.79 … Pennsauken, 1999
1:00.14 … Buena, 2012
1:00.18 … Winslow Twp., 2014
1:01.17 … Woodrow Wilson, 2012
1:01.58 … Millville, 2019
1:01.68 … Winslow Twp., 2002
1:01.6h … Woodrow Wilson, 2005
1:01.94 … Edgewood, 1998
1:02.0h … Moorestown, 1994
1:02.1h … Willingboro, 1997
1:02.16 … Wilson, 2003
1:02.51 … Mainland Regional, 2018
1:02.53 … Lenape, 2008
1:02.59 … Paul VI, 2018
1:02.68 … Mainland Reg., 2018
1:02.86 … Edgewood, 2001
1:03.23 … Willingboro, 2019
1:03.49 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
1:03.53 … Winslow Twp., 2019
1:03.62 … Absegami, 2017
1:03.73 … Highland, 1998
1:03.79 … Camden, 2015

ALL-TIME BURLINGTON COUNTY GIRLS SHUTTLE HURDLES 
1:02.0h … Moorestown, 1994
1:02.1h … Willingboro, 1997
1:02.53 … Lenape, 2008
1:03.23 … Willingboro, 2019
1:03.49 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
1:04.07 … Lenape, 2007
1:04.27 … Burlington Twp., 2007
1:04.6h … Willingboro, 1996
1:05.3 … Willingboro, 2002
1:05.53 … Holy Cross, 2007