Princeton senior Carly Bonnet from Haddonfield won the 400-meter hurdles in a personal-best 1:00.01 Saturday at the Princeton Invitational on her home track.

Bonnet edged Addison Coy of Yale, who ran 1:00.25. Her time is No. 5 in Princeton history and fastest in five years, since Meghan McMullin ran 59.52 in 2014.

Bonnet’s previous PR was 1:00.60 last year at Heps. Her time is second-fastest in the Ivy League this year, behind only Penn’s Skyla Wilson, who ran 59.50 at the Texas Relays last month.

Bonnet ran 1:02.90 at Haddonfield when she won the state Group 2 title, so she’s now lowered her personal best nearly three seconds at Old Nassau.

Eric Barnes, a Rutgers sophomore, won the 800 Saturday at the Princeton Sam Howell Invitational with a personal-best 1:53.44.

Barnes ran away from the field, beating second-place Jeremy Spiezio of Princeton by 10 meters. Spiezio, sixth in the Heptagonal XC Championships this past fall, ran 1:55.08.

Barnes came through 400 meters in 55.86, a half step behind Spiezio, but came back in 57.59, while Spiezio ran the second lap in 59.52.

Barnes’ previous PR was a 1:54.06 his junior year at EHT, when he placed fifth at the 2016 state Group 4 championships on his home track on English Creek Road.

Barnes went on to place third at the indoor Meet of Champions as a senior with a 1:56.43. He set an indoor PR this past winter with a 1:54.82 at the David Hemery Invite at Boston University.

Barnes’ previous collegiate-best was a 1:54.55 from last year’s Mets Championships at Rutgers, where he was fifth.

Earnest Daniel is off to a hot start high jumping for Rowan this spring. Daniel, a sophomore from Kingsway, cleared a personal-best 6-8 3/4 at a meet at Central Florida in Orlando last month.

That’s No. 3 so far this spring in NCAA Division 3, behind only Jacoby Wolfe of George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., who has a 7-0 1/4 clearance, and David Lembke of Carroll in Waukesha, Wisc., who has cleared 6-10 3/4.

Daniel placed third at Central Florida and second among collegiate athletes. After clearing 6-2 3/4 and 6-4 3/4 on his first attempt and 6-6 3/4 on his third, he hit a PR 6-8 3/4 on his first attempt. He took three shots at 6-10 3/4.

Daniel followed that up with a first-place 6-6 3/4 at the Danny Curran Invite last weekend at Widener University in Chester, Pa.

As a Rowan freshman, Daniel had a PR of 6-7 1/2 at the NJAC meet at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. This past winter he hit 6-6 twice, including the winning jump at the NJAC meet at Ocean Breeze.

He’s been over at least 6-6 3/4 in all three meets he’s contested this spring.

At Kingsway, Daniel PR’d at 6-4, which he hit three times as a senior in the spring of 2017, including wins at the Tri-County Championships at Delsea and S.J. Group 4 sectionals at Egg Harbor. His PR as of two years ago this month was 6-2.

Daniel was also a sectional champ in the triple jump with a 47-0 1/4. He hasn’t hit that mark yet at Rowan although he’s a multiple conference medalist in the triple. He does rank No. 32 in NCAA Division 3 this spring in the triple jump with a best so far of 44-3 1/4.

The only other high jumper from the NJAC who’s cleared 6-4 or better is Rowan freshman multi specialist A’irrion Scott from Ewing High. Scott set a PR of 6-6 3/4 at the Black and Gold Challenge in Orlando last month.

Scott is tied with Storm Buescher of Millsaps University in Jackson, Miss., for the No. 1 freshman high jump ranking in Division 3.

At Ewing, Scott ran 49.96 and 1:59.59 in addition to high jumping 6-6, which got him a Central Jersey Group 3 title and fourth place in the Meet of Champions this past spring. Scott has also added more than two feet from his high school long jump PR of 18-2 1/2 with a 20-5 as part of an indoor heptathlon at Lehigh.

Eastern Regional graduate Pete Flacco is the fifth South Jersey javelin thrower over 200 feet this spring, thanks to a season-opening 200-1 throw at the VertKlasse Meeting in High Point, N.C.

Flacco joins Curtis Thompson of Mississippi State, Chris Mirabelli of Rutgers, Nick Mirabelli of Texas A&M and Cade Antonucci of Auburn on the 2019 javelin 200-foot list.

This is Flacco’s second year at Monmouth. His best throw last spring was a 206-0 in a meet in Charlotte, N.C.

Monmouth has three of the top four javelin throwers in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference so far this year.

Flacco was a two-time JUCO national champion at Rowan College Gloucester County, where he threw 209-4 1/2, although that’s not reflected in the school’s list of records, which apparently hasn’t been updated for several years.

Thompson (254-5), Chris Mirabelli (237-2), Nick Mirabelli (236-6), Antonucci (217-7) are South Jersey’s five 200-footers.

South Jersey has three of the top-four javelin throwers in Division 1 (the top three Americans) and three of the top six U.S. throwers.

In addition to the five Division 1 javelin throwers listed above who’ve hit 200 feet, Matt Gross of Rutgers-Camden via Cherokee High threw a PR 196-3 this past weekend at Widener. Rowan’s Dan McAleavey, a Howell graduate, is just inches from the 200-foot barrier with a 199-6 in a meet two weeks ago in Orlando.

Both are among the leaders in the NCAA Division 3 rankings.

Rider junior Tom Long, a former Cinnaminson runner, dipped under 1:54 for 800 meters for the first time this weekend.

Long ran 1:53.73 for second at the Rider 5-Way meet in Lawrenceville, finishing behind only John Waker of St. Joe’s, who ran a personal-best of his own at 1:53.11.

Long’s previous PR was a 1:54.11 from the prelims of the 2017 MAAC Championships on the same track.

Long’s time is fastest by a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference half-miler so far this spring. He also ranks ninth in the 1,500 with a 4:03.24 from a meet at Penn the previous weekend.

At Cinnaminson, Long ran 1:55.49 when he was fifth in a fast state Group 2 race in the spring of 2015. Some 12 runners in Group 2 ran sub-1:57 that day.

 

 

 

 

 

*Eagles*

Jeremiah Trotter

Sonny Jurgensen

Donovan McNabb

Craig Berube

Keith Jones

Moses Malone

Jerry Stackhouse

Jeff Ruland

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Jonathan Papelbon

 

 

Brian Mitchell

James Thrash

Joe Lavender

Irving Fryar

DeSean Jackson

Mark Rypien

Raleigh McKenzie

Donovan McNabb

Shawn Barber

David Akers

Darnerian McCants

Sai Rocca

Bryan Barker

Marco Coleman

Terry Hoage

Norm Snead

Ndukwe Kalu

 

*Flyers*

Craig Berube

Dainius Zubrus

Keith Jones

Donald Brashear

Dave Poulin

 

*76ers*

Moses Malone

Jerry Stackhouse

Jeff Ruland

Manute Bol

Chris Weber

David Wingate

 

*Phillies*

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Marlon Byrd

Ben Revere

Pete Orr

Ryan Madsen

Matt Stairs

Bryce Harper

Jayson Werth

Jonathan Papelbon

Joe Blanton

This is the kind of story we absolutely love. And the kind of story that is unique to track and field.

Keion Oglesby ran track at Timber Creek, but he wasn’t one of the celebrated stars during his days at the Erial high school. In fact, he never won a sectional, county or conference title in high school and only placed at sectionals once — he was second in the high jump at the 2017 outdoor Group 3 meet with a modest 6-0 clearance.

Oglesby had high school PRs of 6-0 in the high jump, 20-2 1/2 in the long jump and 23.03 in the 200.

The 400?

He never even ran it.

He does now, though.

Oglesby is now a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson, and he ran a PR 48.52 in the 400 Saturday at the Rider 5-Way Meet in Lawrenceville, placing a close second to Rider senior Russell Malko. The Hunterdon Central graduate ran 48.36.

What a story!

Oglesby made an immediate breakthrough when he arrived in Teaneck in the winter of 2018 but it was only in the long jump. He increased his PR to 22-1 3/4 — two feet farther than he jumped in high school — and placed fifth in the Northeast Conference Championships.

He didn’t run his first lifetime 400 until last spring, but after a 50.01 in a meet at Rider in his first career one-lapper, he ran 49.60 in a meet at Duke and then 49.07 in the trials of the conference championships and 49.09 for second in the IC4A’s.

This past winter, he ran his first two sub-49’s, including a personal-best 48.66 for third in the NEC Indoor Championships six weeks ago at Ocean Breeze.

So far this spring? He’s long jumped once and hit an outdoor PR of 21-3 1/4 at a meet in Rock Hill, S.C., and has raced the one 400 this past weekend, lowering his PR once again.

Oglesby now ranks No. 2 in the NEC this spring, behind only Braylon Wilkerson of LIU Brooklyn, who clocked 47.18 at the Florida Relays this past weekend. Oglesby is also No. 9 in the conference in the 200 with another big breakthrough of 22.21, also from Winthrop. And his 21-3 1/4 ranks No. 6 in the NEC.

While a lot of the runners and jumpers who routinely beat Oglesby in high school are now out of the sport, Oglesby is enjoying tremendous success. It’s incredible what persistence and hard work can accomplish.

Rider junior Ronetta Hunter, a former state champion at Burlington Township, threw a personal-best 45-5 1/4 Saturday at the Rider 5-Way Meet in Lawrenceville.

Hunter’s previous PR was a 45-2 earlier in March indoors at the ECAC Championships in Boston. Her previous outdoor PR was a 45-0 1/2 last April at a meet at The College of New Jersey in nearby Ewing.

Hunter actually surpassed her previous PR three times Saturday. After opening with a 42-11, she threw a PR 45-3 1/2 on her second throw of the trials and 45-2 1/2 on her third. After a foul to open the finals, she threw 45-5 1/4 and finished with another foul.

Teammate Fidele Jules was second with a 43-1 1/2.

Hunter’s 45-5 1/4 is No. 2 this year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, behind Allison Taub of Monmouth and Council Rock South, who threw 46-11 1/2 this weekend in a meet in West Long Branch.

Hunter moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in Rider history, passing Alexis Wood, who threw 45-3 1/2 in 2003. The only women ahead of her in school history are Jules (49-3 3/4 in 2017), Jazmine Fenlator (48-8 1/4 in 2006) and Steph Lombardo (45-10 1/2 in 2015). Hunter also ranks No. 5 in school history in the shot indoors at 44-11 1/2.

Fenlator, a graduate of Wayne Valley High in Passaic County, is better known as an Olympic and a two-time World Cup medalist bobsledder.

Hunter also placed third in the discus with a throw of 125-5, which is No. 8 in the MAAC. Her PR is 129-6 from a meet at Penn in 2017.

At Burlington Township, Hunter was the state Group 2 champ in the shot as a senior and was a sectional champ and state medalist in the discus.

Welcome back, Stanley Green!

Stanley Green, a Holy Cross graduate and now a Kutztown senior, PR’d in the 100-meter dash Saturday in his first outdoor meet in three years.

Green ran 10.84 to win the 100 at a quad meet at West Chester’s Farrell Stadium.

Green is an interesting story. He competed in track as a freshman, medaled in the 2016 outdoor PSAC Championships in the long jump and recorded an all-time top-10 Kutztown outdoor long jump mark of 22-9 1/4. But he didn’t do much sprinting. His best 100 time that year was an 11.15.

He wasn’t a part of the Kutztown track program the last two years, but he returned to track this winter and ran 6.93 in the 60, 1-100th-of-a-second off the school record of 6.92, set in 2005 by Kareef Wallace.

Green raced Saturday at West Chester, his first outdoor track meet in three years, and won the 100 in a quad meet featuring Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, West Chester and Kutztown, and with a legal wind of 1.6 he edged Patrick Monahan of East Stroudsburg, who was second in 10.93.

His time is third-fastest by a PSAC sprinter this spring, behind Jae’Len Means of California (10.71) and Darrian Berkins of Lock Haven (10.72).

Green had PRs of 22-6 and 11.15 at Holy Cross, where he was a multiple state medalist in the 55 indoors and 100, 110 hurdles and long jump outdoors.

Saturday was Green’s first outdoor meet since May 15, 2016, when he placed fifth in the long jump and didn’t make the 100 final at the PSAC Championships in Mansfield, Pa.

Green is coached by Kutztown sprints coach Steven Morgan, who was an All-America hurdler at East Stroudsburg after graduating from Egg Harbor, where he was runner-up to Sydney Scruggs of Columbia at states in the Group 4 110-meter high hurdles in the spring of 2013.

Cherry Hill East grad Jude Misko, a former national JUCO champion in the hammer throw now a sophomore at Rutgers-Camden, threw what we’re pretty sure is a PR in his specialty this weekend, throwing 174-2 at the Danny Curran Invitational at Widener University in Chester.

Misko, competing in his first meet for Rutgers-Camden, broke the week-old school record by nearly 30 feet.

Misko won the JUCO Division 3 national title in the hammer in the spring of 2017 with a throw of 164-9 at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.

It’s unclear whether that was Misko’s best throw at Rowan Gloucester County, because their track and field web site hasn’t been updated in a few years. But by all accounts this was Misko’s first time over 170 feet.

Misko contested the shot and weight throw indoors in his first season at Rutgers-Camden and placed in both at the NJAC indoor championships.

But his best event is the hammer, and his mark from Saturday ranks No. 1 in the NJAC this year and No. 17 nationally in NCAA Division 3.

Another NJAC hammer thrower we should mention is Stockton’s Darren Wan of Egg Harbor. Wan threw a personal-best 166-2 Saturday in what appears to be only his fourth career

He competed in the hammer twice while at Rutgers in the spring of 2017 with a best throw of 156-7 in a meet in Tampa.

After sitting out last year, Wan has thrown the hammer twice this spring, with a PR 160-9 last weekend in a meet on his home track in Galloway Township and then a PR 166-2 Saturday at the Lafayette Invitational in Easton, Pa.

That’s only seven feet off the school record of 173-4 set 13 years ago by Steve Cassidy and it’s a top-40 mark in NCAA Division 3 the year.

Wan finished third at Lafayette behind two Division 1 athletes.

 

Schalick graduate Chris Mesiano, now a Rowan senior, ran the No. 1 meter intermediate hurdles time in NCAA Division 3 Saturday, winning the 400IHs at the Danny Curran Invitational in Chester, Pa.

Mesiano ran 53.41, winning by more 2 1/2 seconds over Sean Stovall of host Widener.

Mesiano’s time is No. 1 in NCAA Division 3 based on the most recent rankings, although some times from Saturday may not be reflected yet in those rankings.

Mesiano’s previous season-best was a 54.09 last weekend at a meet in Orlando, Fla. The previous No. 1 time in the country was a 53.45 by Cwinn Febus of Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, earlier this month at a meet in Charlotte, N.C.

Mesiano’s career-best is 52.89, which he ran last May at a meet at Swarthmore. He’s qualified for NCAA’s twice and earned All-America status as part of Rowan’s fifth-place 1,600-meter relay team at nationals in La Crosse, Wisc., last May.