What the results show is impressive enough. Rowan placed fifth in the 1,600-meter relay at NCAA Division 3 nationals in La Crosse, Wisc., with a time of 3:11.47 — their fastest time this year.

The all-South Jersey quartet of freshmen Hunter Barbieri of Egg Harbor Township and Justin Bishop of Mainland Regional, junior Chris Mesiano of Schalick and senior Jamil Jackson of Highland helped the Profs finish third at nationals with 27 points, nine points behind national champion Mount Union of Alliance, Ohio.

What the results don’t show is exactly what went into that performance.

Rowan placed third at indoor nationals in 3:15.00 with a lineup that didn’t include Barbieri (or Jackson).

Being left off Rowan’s 4-by-4 lineup indoors was tough for Barbieri, but the road from being bypassed indoors to earning All-America honors outdoors is one that once again shows why track and field athletes are truly a different breed.

In a powerful Instagram post that illustrates exactly why this sport is so unique and so inspirational, Barbieri wrote about the disappointment of being left off Rowan’s 4-by-4 indoors and how it drove him to make sure it didn’t happen again.

In case that is too small, Barbieri wrote: “Finally an All-American…. Not being included in the finals for our teams 4×4 relay during the indoor season after being in it for prelims destroyed me mentally. So many emotions but not many words as I watched my relay go on to take 3rd in the finals without me. After that happened to me for a second time in consecutive seasons i had no want or desire to be on the track anymore. I wanted to be done with it because this is the only sport that has ever caused me that much pain mentally and physically. But deep down after getting past the pain something clicked. I needed to work harder and harder than I ever have before to get what i wanted. Every single day i was working harder on the track and in the weight room and my teammates were right by my side pushing me along. I dropped my pr (personal record) by a full second in the last 3 weeks of the season. My 4×4 splits were dropping into consistent 48 lows. I saw all the hard work paying off and finally seeing results felt amazing. I had one personal goal going into this outdoor season and that was to make sure i gave my coaches absolutely no reason to take me out of my relay and this week i dropped two 47.8 and 47.6 splits off the leadoff leg of our 4×4 at nationals. We killed it and i couldn’t have asked for a better group of guys to do it with. You have to want to be successful as much as you want to breathe and boy was this a breath of fresh air.”

Just another example why track is the best sport ever!

Erika Kemp, a North Carolina State senior from Rancocas Valley, advanced to the NCAA Championships by easily winning the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA East Preliminary meet in Tampa on Saturday.

Kemp ran 16:06.17, finishing 30 meters ahead of Georgia sophomore Jessica Drop, who was second in 16:12.58. She led for about the final five laps, or the final 2,000 meters.

The top five finishers from each of two heats along with the next two-fastest times from each of two regions advanced to the NCAA Championships next month in Eugene, Ore.

Kemp has a lifetime-best of 15:43.28 last month at the Mt. SAC Relays, but certainly an unpressed 16:06 in a race that isn’t designed for fast times is very encouraging.

This will be Kemp’s third trip to outdoor NCAAs. Her best previous finish was 13th in the 5,000 in 15:59.26 last spring at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

She also ran the 5,000 in the 2016 indoor nationals in Birmingham and the 2017 nationals in College Station, Texas, earning All-America honors in 2016 with a fifth-place finish in 15:58.00. She placed 11th in 15:59.19 this past winter. She also earned All-America in cross country when she placed 17th at nationals in the fall of 2016 in Terre Haute, Ind.

Haddon Heights sophomore Cydney Thomas bombed a personal-best and South Jersey-best in the discus at the South Jersey Group 1 meet at Washington Township.

Thomas added four feet to her PR and school record of 123-3, set at the Rowland Relays last month. Her mark is No. 3 in the state and No. 1 in the state Group 1.

The official meet program lists the meet record as 124-0 set in 2009 by Pitman’s Chelsea Cioffi, but Palmyra’s Tomara Carmichael actually threw 130-9 at the 2016 S.J. Group 1 sectionals. But Thomas will get two more shots at that.

The top four Group 1 throwers going into states next weekend are from South Jersey — Thomas, Pitman senior Hannah Cioffi (who presumably is related to Chelsea Cioffi) at 123-11, senior Zyra Thomas of Schalick at 115-9 and Paulsboro junior Amaya Reed-Clark at 110-11.

Last year, the top four finishers at Group 1 states were from South Jersey, but the top three were seniors. Thomas finished fourth and is the top returner.

Thomas is the first Haddon Heights girl to win a sectional discus title since 2004, when Rebecca Taylor won the South Jersey Group 2 title with a 102-1 throw.

Thomas also placed second in the shot put with a throw of 39-10 1/4. That’s an outdoor PR, breaking a 38-8 1/4 from the Camden County Championships. Thomas has a 40-7 1/2 from the indoor Meet of Champions

Moravian freshman Zion Howard, a Moorestown graduate, earned All-America honors this week with a breakthrough fourth-place finish in the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Division 3 Championships in La Crosse, Wisc.

Howard arrived at nationals with a PR of 21.52 from a meet at Muhlenberg College in Allentown in April but after a 21.79 in the trials into a 5 meters-per-second wind he ran 21.42 in the final, finishing only 8-100ths of a second out of second place.

Howard was the 20th and final qualifier for the 200 with his 21.79.

Howard finished the year as the No. 2 freshman in the country, behind only national champ Rodrick Miller of Wisconsin-Platteville, who had a 21.06 and won the national title in 21.17.

“All year long Zion has stepped up to his competition, it didn’t matter the meet or stage he was on, he was never intimidated by the moment and clearly that was the case this weekend,” Moravian coach Jesse Baumann said on the Moravian web site.

“Assistant Coaches Steve Rahn and Sarah Werner did a great job preparing him for this moment and knowing when he needed rest like this past week or needed a push.

“He was ready to perform when the moment was there, so I give credit to all three. You can’t ask for a better way to end an amazing freshman campaign and this is only the beginning for him.”

Howard, a wide receiver on Moravian’s football team, ran in the shadow of Brandon Outlaw at Moorestown. Outlaw ran 46.82 for 400 meters at Moorestown and recently finished his freshman year at Virginia, where he had a 47.18 to medal in the ACC meet.

Ever since Riverside fell three points shy of winning its first sectional title last year, the Rams have been plotting out this year’s meet.

Riverside finished second in the Central Jersey Group 1 meet last year with 69 points, three behind Shore Regional.

It’s been quite a resurgence for coach Matt Postell’s Riverside program, which as recently as 2016 scored only six points at the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

The Rams this year not only won the first sectional title in the program’s very long history, they did it it commanding fashion.

Led by Senior Jeanquai Morton, who recorded two firsts and two fourths, the Rams outscored Metuchen 100-72 to win the Central Jersey Group 1 title at Howell.

Riverside has had a proud track history going back almost a century.

The Rams won the second and third Burlington County Open titles — in 1931 and 1932 — and had some tremendous individuals, such as former Burlington County shot put record holder Dean Van Ness in 1970, County Open intermediate hurdles winner Dan Dmochowski in 1982, state Group 1,600 champ Ron Brock in 1991 and triple jump state champ Sean Jimoh in 2008.

But this year’s group was a true team, as evidenced by its performance at sectionals. There were more PRs by the Rams than non-PRs, which is a sign of a well-coached team. One that is peaking at the right time.

Morton, a 1,000-point scorer for Riverside’s basketball team, won the high hurdles in 15.15 and the 400 hurdles in 57.89, shattering his PRs of 15.27 and 58.25. He also jumped 6-0 for fourth in the high jump and 19-9 3/4 for fourth in the long jump.

Senior Emmanuel Harris won the 200 in 22.62 and was second in the triple jump at 42-9, setting PRs in both.

Junior Alex Stockton was second in the intermediates [58.43], fourth in the high hurdles [15.67] and third in the triple jump [PR 41-9 3/4].

Senior Jody Johnson was third in the long jump [19-10 1/4] and fourth in the triple jump [PR 41-9].

Michael Combs and Michael Monteiro went 2-3 in the pole vault, Combs tying his PR of 11-0 and Monteiro clearing 10-6. Monteiro was also sixth in the javelin with a 14-foot PR of 125-8. Freshman Caleb Esposito also scored in the pole vault with a 9-6 clearance.

The team of Harris, Johnson, senior Jordan Lewis and freshman Khy’Jaron Moore ran 45.19 for second in the 400-meter relay.

And the Rams were fifth in the 3,200-meter relay in 8:57.58, with juniors Felipe Viana, Jacob Fink and Judson Souza, along with Combs.

Riverside scored 79 of its 100 points — enough to win the meet — just in the hurdles and jumps. The Rams also scored 10 in the sprints, 10 in the relay and one in the throws.

She’s been doing it for so long and at such a high level it’s easy to forget just how talented Shakira Dancy is. And just how routinely she rises to the occasion at big meets.

But the Winslow Township senior, already a two-time Meet of Champions 200 winner, put on yet another crazy display this weekend at Delsea, helping a loaded Winslow team win its sixth straight South Jersey Group 3 championship.

Dancy won the 100 in 12.04, leading a 1-3-5 Winslow finish for 18 points.

She won the 200 in 24.35, leading a 1-4-6 Winslow finish for 15 points

She won the 400 in 56.93, leading a 1-2 Winslow finish for 18 points.

She anchored Winslow’s 400-meter relay team, which ran 47.87.

Dancy has now won three straight sectional titles in the 100 and 200 and two in a row in the 400 after finishing second as a sophomore to Joshonda Johnson of Absegami by less than half a second.

She’s also won four indoor sectional titles, so that’s 12 South Jersey individual titles in addition to numerous relay titles.

Dancy’s times from sectionals rank No. 4 in the state in the 100 at 12.04, No. 2 in the 200 at 24.35 and No. 16 in the 400, although she was running just to win. There’s no telling how much faster she’ll go when she’s really pushed at states. The 47.87 is No. 4 in the state this year.

At Group 3 states at Central Regional, Dancy will be seeded No. 1 in the 100 and 200 and No. 2 in the 400, behind Reanda Richards of West Essex, who ran 55.45 at the North 1 sectionals. Richards was runner-up to Olymian Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic in the 400 at last year’s Meet of Champions. Winslow’s 4-by-1 will also be top-seeded at states.

Full seedings can be found here:

Winslow’s sixth straight title is only one shy of the South Jersey record of seven set by Woodbury from 1976 through 1982. It’s also tied for seventh-longest in state history, and the Eagles are only two shy of the state record:

8 … Columbia [1991-98]
8 … Metuchen [1994-01]
7 … Hanover Park [2002-08]
7 … Hopewell Valley [2005-11]
7 … Randolph [2009-15]
7 … Woodbury [1976-82]
6 … Winslow Twp. [2013-18]
6 … Monmouth Reg. [1984-89]
6 … New Providence [1982-87]
6 … North Hunterdon [1982-87]

As brilliant as Dancy was, this isn’t a one-person show.

Junior Tionna Tobias won the high hurdles in 14.57 in a titanic battle with Timber Creek soph Tierra Hooker after a PR 14.52 in the trials. Hooker ran 14.58 after a PR 14.54 in the trials. Tobias also won the long jump at 19-0 3/4 (just ahead of Hooker) and placed second (to Hooker) in the high jump at 5-2. More on the epic Tobias-Hooker competition later this week.

Senior Ciarra Johnson won the discus with a 124-5 and placed second in the shot with a 38-7 1/2

Sophomore Janeya Hammond won the intermediates in 1:04.79 and also placed third in the 100 in 12.33.

Senior Flora Ahiarakwe placed second in the 400 in 57.23 and also ran fifth in the 100 in 12.40 and sixth in the 200 in 25.92.

Sophomore Nylah Perry took third in the intermediates in 1:08.22 and fourth in the 200 in 25.21

Freshman Shevell Higgs, who had a PR of 16.38 coming into the meet, lowered that to 15.33 and took fourth in the highs.

Junior Adonista Bob-Grey ran 1:08.68 for fifth in the intermediates.

Hammond, Ahiarakwe, Tobias and Dancy ran 47.87 to win the 400-meter relay, and Hammond, junior Rayven Rouse, Perry and junior Nicole Hood went 3:56.13 to win the 1,600-meter relay.

Rouse, Alexandria Morrison and Hood along with soph Grace Morton placed fifth in the 3,200-meter relay with a season-best 10:13.72.

The NJSIAA added girls state track sectionals to the existing boys meet in 1971, so this was the 48th year there have been both boys and girls sectionals.

And during that nearly half a century, there have been only six instances where the same school swept the boys and girls team titles at the South Jersey Group 4 meet.

South Jersey Group 4 has historically been the most competitive sectional in the state, so if the same school can win both the boys and girls team titles the same year that is the sign of a special program.

Willingboro did it with Olympians Carl and Carol Lewis in 1980. Edgewood did it with Olympian Dennis Mitchell and his sister Denise in 1983 and 1985. Then it was 19 years until Winslow did it in 2004 with its vast array of sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, and five more years until Southern Regional’s powerful program accomplished it in 2009 built around middle-distance strength.

And that was it. Four schools – three really, since Edgewood became Winslow — in 48 years.

Until now.

This weekend, Rancocas Valley elevated itself into that all-time historical group of elite programs when the Red Devils recorded a South Jersey Group 4 sweep of their own.

The R.V. boys, coached by Jeff Dzuranin, outscored Egg Harbor 89-75 to win their second South Jersey Group 4 title in four years (R.V. also won SJ-3 in 1977), and the R.V. girls, led by first-year coach Eric Warren, outscored second-place EHT 76-71 to win the first title in the program’s history.

That’s six S.J. Group 4 sweeps since 1971:

2018 … Rancocas Valley
2009 … Southern Regional
2004 … Winslow Twp.
1985 … Edgewood
1983 … Edgewood
1980 … Willingboro

Both the R.V. boys and girls won their titles by covering a lot of different events in each area.

 

R.V. BOYS: Nick Mirabelli won the javelin with a 209-2 and also took fourth in the discus with a 156-10, and R.V. added 12 points in the 800, where junior Ian Moore [1:56.73] and senior Jacob Tyndale [1:58.24] placed second and fourth. Another Red Devil, junior Micah Wood, ran sub-1:59, placing seventh in 1:58.85.

The Red Devils also won the 3,200-meter relay with an 8:00.43,with juniors Kamau Sudlow and Troy Tomasch joining Tyndale and Micah.

Senior Daequan Jackson-Swoope had a very good weekend, taking second in the 400 intermediates [56.62], fourth in the high hurdles [15.18] and sixth in the 400 [50.12]. He also ran a leg on the fifth-place 4-by-4 team.

Senior Darnell St. Clair also medaled in three events, clearing 6-2 for second in the high jump, jumping 20-10 1/4 for third in the long jump and going 43-2 1/2 for fourth in the triple jump.

Also, Wood was fifth in the intermediates [57.67], sophomore Oluwadamilola Mosaku took fifth in the triple jump [43-2], junior Jesse Eadric placed third in the shot at 48-8 1/2

Additionally, R.V. placed fourth in the 400-meter relay in 43.70 and fifth in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:26.40.

Wood, Moore and senior Donoven Griffin joined Jackson-Swoope on the 4-by-4 team, which ran 3:26.40.

Matlock, senior Rashead Miller and junior Caden Kennedy and Charles Lowe ran on the 400-meter relay team.

R.V. GIRLS: Senior Aliyah Taylor won the 400, placed second in the 100 and 200 and ran a leg on the third-place 1,600-meter relay team. Taylor tied her outdoor PR with a 55.79 in the 400 and ran 12.53 and 25.20 in the 200.

R.V.’s other win came in the 3,200-meter relay, where junior Bethany Biggi, seniors Alana Thompson and Morgan Gallagher and junior Paige Hammond ran a season-best 9:40.10.

Biggi also placed second in the high jump at 5-2 and freshman Abigail Boggs cleared 10-0 for second in the pole vault. Junior Darynn Minus-Vincent medaled in both sprints, taking fourth in the 200 with a 25.20 and sixth in the 100 in 12.89.

Junior Brianna Snowden ran 1:05.56 for third in the intermediates, and senior Morgan Gallagher ran 2:21.17 for sixth in the 800.

Additionally, R.V. placed fourth in the 400-meter relay in 43.70 and fifth in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:26.40.

Sophomores Breacain McClanahan, Kristina Tossas and Maya Primas joined Taylor on the 4-by-100, which ran 48.96. Primas, Taylor, senior Gallagher and Snowden teamed up to run 4:00.65 in the 4-by-4.

Seniors Camryn Castellini, Rayannia Robinson and Zyra Thomas all recorded wins and the Schalick girls won their sixth sectional title — and third in the last four years — with a six-point win over Collingswood in the South Jersey Group 1 meet at Washington Township.

Castellini won the high jump at 5-0 and was also fifth in the pole vault at 9-0. Robinson won the triple jump with a two-foot PR of 36-5 3/4 and ran a leg on the fifth-place 400-meter relay team, and Thomas, the national indoor champ, won the shot put at 43-7 and was third in the discus with a 115-9.

Schalick also won the 3,200-meter relay in 10:06.05 with senior Amanda Chomo, sophomore Marleigh Puglia and freshmen Chloe Gerstenbacher and Julia Smith.

Puglia also placed second in the 1,600 in 5:27.56 and third in the 3,200 in 11:59.83, and Smith also placed in both races – 5:29.85 for fourth in the 1,600 and 12:28.01 for fifth in the 3,200.

Sophomore Leigha Jackson was second in the intermediates in 1:07.45, Amanda Chomo took fourth in the 800 in 2:26.36, freshman Tia Furbush jumped 34-3 1/2 for fourth in the triple jump and junior Brianna Del Rosse was sixth in the javelin with an 89-6.

Amy and Amanda Chomo were joined by junior Ralazha Bell and Jackson on the 4-by-4 team, which took fourth with a 4:13.71.

Bell, sophomore Jada Brown, Robinson and Jackson ran 51.70 for fifth in the 400-meter relay.

 

Senior Rayshawn Johnson and junior Jayaire King combined for four PRs and 30 points in the two hurdles races to lead Willingboro to its South Jersey-record 16th outdoor sectional title.

Willingboro finished with a 68-65 margin of victory over Pleasantville in the South Jersey Group 2 meet at Delsea.

Johnson won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.68 and was fourth in the 400-meter intermediates in 57.51. King won the intermediates in 55.54 and was third in the 110 highs in 14.96.

Both also ran on the winning 1,600-meter relay team, and Johnson also ran on the third-place 400-meter relay team.

For Johnson, the day was a huge breakthrough in the highs, an event he never ran until the BCSL meet. He ran 15.18 that day, and that was his PR until he ran 14.86 in the trials. His previous PR in the intermediates was 58.17.

King lowered his high hurdles PR from 15.52 to 14.96 and his intermediates PR from 57.59 to 55.54. He was seeded eighth in the highs coming in and seventh going into the finals after a 15.52 in the trials.

Johnson and King now rank 5th and 10th in the highs in South Jersey this spring. King’s intermediates time is No. 2 in South Jersey.

Juniors Cristian Coto and Elijah Valme joined King and Johnson on the winning 1,600-meter relay team, which clinched the team title by edging Pleasantville 3:22.06 to 3:22.67, and seniors Albert Nah and Jeremy Thomas along with Valme ran on the 400-meter relay team, which clocked 43.16. ijah 11

The sectional title is Willingboro’s first since 2012, when the Chimeras shared the South Jersey Group 2 title with Pleasantville, and their first outright sectional championship since 2005, when they won Central Jersey Group 3 at Monmouth Regional.

Willingboro’s previous sectional titles came in South Jersey Group 4 [1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1990, 1991, 1993], South Jersey Group 3 [1986, 1988, 2000, 2003], South Jersey Group 2 [2012 shared] and Central Jersey Group 3 [2004, 2005].

The only schools in New Jersey with more sectional titles than Willingboro are Metuchen [26], Trenton [19], New Providence [18] and Bernards [17].

Willingboro this weekend broke a tie with Penns Grove for the most sectional titles ever by a South Jersey boys program. Winslow [14] and Woodbury [13] have the next-most.

 

Bridgeton and Deptford locked up in an epic 400-meter relay battle Saturday, a race that produced the two-fastest times in South Jersey this year.

In the South Jersey Group 3 race at Delsea, Bridgeton finished 8-100ths of a second ahead of Deptford, with Bridgeton running a S.J. #1 42.20 and Deptford just behind in 42.28.

Bridgeton’s previous season-best was a 43.18 at the Cape-Atlantic meet, and Deptford’s previous season-best was a 42.31 at the Eastern Regional Relay Championships.

Both schools ran under the Group 4 meet record of 42.86, set in 2014 by Delsea.

They also ran under the South Jersey sectional all-group record of 42.40, set last year by Jonathan Taylor and Salem in Group 1. Taylor this past fall rushed for 1,977 yards for Wisconsin as a true freshman, the third-most rushing yards in NCAA Division 1 history by a freshman.

The 42.20 appears to be a Cumberland County record, breaking the mark of 42.80 set by Millville at the 2008 Woodbury Relay. Deptford set the Gloucester County mark of 41.55 at nationals last year.