Villanova’s Sterling Pierce, a Rancocas Valley graduate, ran his fastest 200 in two years and won his section of a two-race final before settling for second place in the Big East indoor championships at the Ocean Breeze facility in Staten Island.

Pierce won his section of the two-race final in 21.53, only to watch Nate Alleyne of Georgetown run 21.51 in the second section and take the title.

Egg Harbor Township’s Amir Brock, a Villanova freshman, was fourth in 21.80.

Pierce’s 21.53 is his fastest 200 since he ran 21.48 at a meet at the University of Miami in April of 2016. It’s his fastest indoor time since he ran 21.45 to place second in the 2016 indoor meet on the same track.

Pierce also placed third in the 60-meter dash in 6.89, which is just 1-100th of a second off his PR of 6.88 set at the Armory last month.

That’s 14 points in two events for Pierce. After 12 events, the Villanova men trailed Marquette by just seven points, 121-114.

Schalick senior Zyra Thomas continued her record-shattering indoor season Saturday with a second-place finish in the shot put at the Meet of Champions at the Bennett Center.

Shelby Bigsby of Montclair, ranked No. 1 in the country at 50-2 from Easterns on Tuesday night, won with a 47-0 throw, but Thomas was next with a bomb of 45-5. That is over a foot beyond her previous PR and Salem County record of 44-2 3/4, which she set at the Bennett Center in January.

Thomas’s throw is the best ever by a South Jersey girl at the indoor Meet of Champions. It’s also the fifth-best non-winning throw in meet history.

According to the MileSplit data base, Thomas is now ranked sixth in the U.S. Her throw is No. 2 by a New Jersey girl this year.

Thomas moved up from No. 4 to No. 2 on the all-time South Jersey indoor list, behind only Najeaya Singleton, who set the South Jersey record of 46-1 1/2 last year.

ALL-TIME S.J. INDOOR SHOT PUT LIST
46-1 1/2 … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017 [i]
45-6… Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018 [i]
45-3 … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 2000 [i]
44-6 1/2 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004 [i]
44-3 1/2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004 [i]
44-0 1/2 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 1996 [i]
43-11 3/4 … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2007 [i]
43-10 1/4 … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006 [i]
43-10 … Rosetta Hunter [Burlington Twp.], 2015 [i]
43-4 3/4 … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2012 [i]
43-4 1/2 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009 [i]
43-3 … Janice Rose [Delsea], 2011 [i]
42-7 3/4 … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995 [i]
42-5 1/2 … Genevieve Tybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007 [i]
42-4 … Sophia Coleburn [Haddon Heights], 2007 [i]
42-0 1/2 … Lisa Stuto [Winslow Twp.], 2009 [i]
42-0 1/4 … Lola Agabalogun [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013 [i]
41-10 … Lillian Rivera [Pemberton], 1984 [i]

Thomas’s mark also moved her from No. 14 to No. 5 on the all-time South Jersey list, covering both indoor and outdoor marks.

ALL-TIME S.J. COMBINED SHOT PUT LIST
47-1 1/4 … Jessica Woodard (Cherokee), 2013 [o]
46-4 ……… Janiece Rose (Delsea), 2011 [o]
46-1 1/2 … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017 [i]
45-7 1/2 … Ronetta Hunter (Burlington Twp.), 2015 [o]
45-6………. Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018 [i]
46-1 1/2 … Nacole Moore (Bridgeton), 2000 [o]
45-5 ……… Sylvia Galarza (Millville), 2004 [o]
44-9 ……… Kim Warren (Atlantic City), 2006 [o]
44-9 ……… Lola Agabalogun (Egg Harbor), 2013 [o]
44-5 1/4 …. Melinda Boykin (Bridgeton), 1998 [o]
44-5 ……… Jamine Moton (Delsea), 1997 [o]
44-4 1/4 …. Dana White (Camden), 2000 [o]
44-3 1/2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004 [i]
44-2 1/2 …. Typhanie Bates (Williamstown), 1995 [o]
44-0 3/4 …. Mercedes Hicks (Atlantic City), 2006 [o]
43-11 3/4 … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2007 [i]
43-8 3/4 …. Janet Morris (Kingsway), 1991 [o]
43-7 …..… Shamire Rothmiller (Glassboro), 2008 [o]
43-6 3/4 … Angela Solomon (Overbook), 1989 [o]
43-6 3/4 … Talita Silva (Bridgeton), 2003 [o]

Thomas’s throw surpasses Nacole Moore’s 45-3 winner in 2000 as the top throw in Meet of Champions history by a South Jersey girl. It’s No. 15 in M-of-C history and makes her the No. 12 performer in M-of-C history.

ALL-TIME INDOOR M-OF-C SHOT PUT LIST
53-2 …… Nickolette Dunbar, 2016 (1)
50-0 …… Alyssa Wilson, 2016 (2)
49-9 ¾ …. Nicole Sims, Plainfield 1991 (1)
47-11 ¼ … Nickolette Dunbar, 2015 (1)
47-8 …… Therewsa Picciallo, Immaculate Heart, 2012 (1)
47-7 ………. Sims, 1992 (1)
47-6 ………. Sims, 1993 (1)
47-5 ½ …. Kim Hicks, Plainfield, 1992 (2)
47-2 ¼ …. Jessica Molina, Westwood, 2016 (3)
46-4 ½ …….. Picciallo, 2011 (1)
46-3 …… Taryn O’Connor, Hillsborough, 2007 (1)
46-1 ½ …. DeAnne Hahn, Brick Township, 2008 (1)
45-10 ¾ … Jessica Fazekas, Demarest, 2002 (1)
45-9 ½ …. Jessica Molina, Westwood, 2015 (2)
45-5 …… Zyra Thomas, Schalick, 2018 (2)
45-3 …… Nacole Moore, Bridgeton, 2000 (1)

Thomas, a four-time state Group 1 champ in the shot put, has an outdoor PR of 43-7 1/4 from last year’s Meet of Champions, when she was fifth.

Her indoor PR before this year was 42-8 1/2 from last year’s sectionals. She’s thrown at least 40 feet in every indoor meet she’s entered since the start of her junior year.

Oakcrest graduate Ishmael Muhammad led all qualifiers into the finals of the 800-meter run at the Big East championships Friday at the Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island.

Muhammad won the first semifinal in 1:51.24. The first two finishers in three races plus the next two-fastest times advanced to Saturday’s final.

Muhammad ran within half a second of his indoor PR of 1:50.80, which he ran last February at the Villanova Invitational on the same track. Muhammad ran 1:48.31 for third at the 2015 USATF Junior National Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Two other New Jersey half-milers — Georgetown’s Rey Rivera from Old Bridge and Villanova’s Ben Malone from River Vale and Pascack Valley Regional High  — qualified for the final, which is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

In the 200, Villanova teammates Sterling Pierce of Rancocas Valley and freshman Amir Brock of Egg Harbor Township posted the third- and fourth-fastest qualifying times of nine qualifiers for the two-section final, with just 1-10th of a second separating them. Pierce ran 21.87 and Brock 21.88. Sebastian Feyersinger of DePaul led the qualifiers in 21.75. The 200 final is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. Saturday.

Brock ran 21.56 outdoors at EHT but his 21.88 is an indoor and collegiate PR and his first race under 22 as a collegian.

Pierce’s indoor 200 PR is a 21.45, which he ran when he placed second in the 2016 final, just behind Feyersinger. Pierce edged Feyersinger outdoors in the spring of 2016 to win the Big East 200 title.

For full results from Day 1 of the Big  East Championships click here.

Ta’riq Thomas, a Woodstown High graduate now at Delaware Valley University, broke the Middle Atlantic Conference indoor championships long jump record Friday with a winning jump of 23-10 1/2 at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse in Bethlehem, Pa.

Thomas, a senior at the Bucks County college located in Doylestown and New Britain, broke the meet record of 23-9 1/4 set in 1993 by Gregg Barrett of Widener and matched in 2015 by Josh Colley of Widener.

Thomas fouled on his first attempt, then popped the winning jump on his second. He passed his final try of the prelims, then went 21-11 1/4, 23-6 1/4 and 23-3 1/2 on his three jumps in the final.

Dimeon Wright, a freshman at Stevenson College in Owings Mills, Md., placed second with a personal-best jump of 23-4 1/2.

It was the sixth career conference title for Thomas, who won the triple jump at the 2015 indoor meet and 2015, 2016 and 2017 outdoor meets and long jump at the 2016 outdoor meet. He also recorded four second places, all behind Colley.

Thomas had a best of 22-5 1/2 while at Woodstown, a mark he achieved winning the 2014 Woodbury Relays. He won South Jersey Group 1 titles in both the triple jump and long jump. He didn’t jump indoors.

At Delaware Valley College, Thomas has a PR of 24-0, which he set at a meet last month at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. His outdoor PR is 23-3 1/2 from a meet last spring at Swarthmore. His overall PR coming into this indoor season was 23-5 1/2 from the 2015 Middle Atlantic Conference meet in Bethlehem, when he placed second behind Colley.

Delaware Valley’s web site doesn’t list indoor school records. But Thomas has surpassed the listed outdoor record of 23-10, set in 1985 by Brandon Newell.

Thomas will participate in the triple jump on Saturday and the 200 later Friday night.

Earlier Friday, he ran a leg on DVC’s 800-meter relay team, which advanced to the finals with a 1:35.03 clocking in the prelims.

The From the Backstretch Blog loves really fast times, but we love huge PRs more than anything. And when you get a huge PR that’s also a really fast time … well, that’s when we’re happiest.

Which brings us to Darielle Cross.

Cross is a sophomore hurdler at Rowan, and you may have missed her performance at the New Jersey Athletic Conference meet, but it was a doozy.

Cross, who ran scholastically at Matawan, went into the meet on Monday at the Sea Breeze facility in Staten Island with a PR in the 60-meter high hurdles of 9.21 from the prelims of the Lehigh Fast Times meet in Bethlehem back in December.

She then lowered that to 9.16 in the trials, which was the fourth-fastest time in the prelims, and then put everything together in the final, running 8.93 to finish in a virtual tie for second with Jocelyn Anderson of Montclair State (via Eatontown and Monmouth Regional).

Both were clocked in 8.93, but Anderson was credited with second and Cross third in a super close finish between Monmouth County natives.

That’s a PR for Cross of nearly a quarter of a second in the final and a one-day improvement of 28-100ths of a second.

Her fastest previous final was a 9.26, so she ran 33/100ths of a second faster than she had ever run in a final.

That’s a huge drop in a race that’s only 60 meters long!

Teammate Aspen McMillan, the nation’s top-ranked high hurdler, won the race in 8.87 — just 6-100ths ahead of Anderson and Cross. McMillan, from South Brunswick, has an NCAA Division 3-leading 8.74 from a meet at Ithaca earlier this month.

But Cross is now ranked tied for ninth in Division 3, thanks to her breakthrough race at the conference meet.

Cross also won the 200 at the NJAC meet in 25.88 and placed seventh in the 60 in 8.11 after an 8.08 in the trials.

She also led off Rowan’s 800-meter relay team, which won in 1:42.61. McMillan, Aaniyah Robinson of Passaic County Tech and Brianna Angelella of Southern Regional also ran on the 4-by-200 team, which just missed the school record of 1:42.15 that McMillan anchored two years ago.

What a meet!

The 55-meter dash at Easterns as usual had a heavy local flavor, with three of the top seven finishers hailing from South Jersey and all three either matching or surpassing their personal-best.

All in all, this continues a trend that has seen the girls 55 explode in recent years, with South Jersey girls leading the way. Especially on the fast track at Easterns.

There have been 27 South Jersey girls who have run 7.20 or faster in history. More than half of them — 14 of the 27 — have done it since 2010, and 19 of the 27 have been since 2000.

A lot of this has to do with the improved track surfaces, first at the Armory and more recently at the Sea Breeze facility on Staten Island.

But in South Jersey track history, only eight girls ran 7.20 or faster through 1999. And six have done it just in the last two years.

At Easterns, Egg Harbor freshman Lauren Princz lowered her PR from 7.18 to 7.09 and placed third, Woodrow Wilson junior Dennisha Page lowered her PR from 7.20 to 7.16 in the semis and then placed fifth in the final in 7.21, and Eastern freshman Jailya Ash ran a PR 7.24 in the trials and took seventh in the final in 7.26.

Sterling’s Alliyah Harrison, who ran a N.J. No. 2 7.07 at states, focused on the 200 at Easterns. And Our Lady of Mercy’s Iyanla Kollock, who ran 7.00 last year and has gone as fast as 7.18 so far this year, wasn’t at Easterns.

Then there’s Egg Harbor’s Ajae Alvarez, who has run 7.22 but skipped the 55 and won the 400 at Easterns, and Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley, who has a 7.01 to her credit from last year but raced the 200 and 400 at Easterns.

Kollock, Taylor, Harrison, Princz, Page, Ash and Alvarez are all ranked in the top 30 in South Jersey history.

Here’s an all-time South Jersey top-10 list just from marks at Easterns:
6.5h … Michelle Glover (Willingboro), 1980
6.91 … English Gardner (Eastern), 2010
6.92 ……………. Gardner, 2008
6.95 … Denise Mitchell (Edgewood), 1983
7.00 … Amandi Rhett (Moorestown), 2000
7.00 … Torie Robinson (Winslow), 2014
7.04 ……………. Gardner, 2007
7.05 ……………. Rhett, 1999
7.05 ……………. Gardner, 2007
7.05 ……………. Gardner, 2010
7.06 ……………. Gardner, 2008
7.07 … Annie Johnson (Shawnee), 2012
7.08 ……………. Robinson, 2014
7.07 … Magenta Taylor (Willingboro), 1999
7.07 ……………. Harris, 2003
7.08 … Aliyah Taylor (Pemberton), 2016
7.09 … Emily Carson (Haddonfield), 2013
7.09 … Lauren Princz (Egg Harbor Twp.), 2018

And the all-time South Jersey list going into the Meet of Champions:

6.73 … Michelle Glover (Willingboro), 1981
6.88 … Patti Dunlap (Camden), 1979
6.91 … English Gardner (Eastern), 2010
6.95 … Bria Mack (Williamstown), 2017
6.95 … Torie Robinson (Winslow Twp.), 2014
6.95 … Denise Mitchell (Edgewood), 1983
7.00 … Amandi Rhett (Moorestown), 2000
7.00 … Iyanli Kollock (Our Lady of Mercy), 2017
7.01 … Aliyah Taylor (Rancocas Valley), 2017
7.05 … Dana Burnett (Williamstown), 1996
7.07 … Aliya Harrison (Sterling), 2018
7.07 … Annie Johnson (Shawnee), 2012
7.07 … Audrey Wilson (Deptford), 2009
7.07 … Magenta Taylor (Willingboro), 1999
7.07 … Angela Clyburn (Egg Harbor Twp.), 1991
7.09 … Ste’yce McNeil (Winslow Twp.), 2012
7.09 … Emily Carson (Haddonfield), 2013
7.09 … Lauren Princz (Egg Harbor Twp.), 2018
7.11 … Jamie Walker (Haddon Hts.), 2006
7.12 … Assante Johnson (Camden), 2009
7.14 … Shonda Burroughs (Vineland), 1999
7.16 … Dennisha Page (Woodrow Wilson), 2018
7.17 … Nia Lawrence (Pemberton), 2013
7.17 … Kiara Lester (Deptford), 2014
7.17 … Krystal Cantey (Winslow Twp.), 2006
7.18 … Sherese Price (Pleasantville), 1997
7.19 … Latoya Benson (Washington Twp.), 2001
7.19 … Adia Starnes (Timber Creek), 2017
7.20 … Medina Salaam (Camden), 1974
7.20 … Nia Ali (Pleasantville), 2006
7.20 … Fametta Lewis (Wilson), 2007
7.20 … Tacquaya Tobias (Our Lady of Mercy), 2010
7.20 … Cidae’a Woods (Winslow Twp.), 2013
7.20 … Gabrielle Farquharson (Williamstown), 2011

Aaniyah Robinson had quite a breakout meet Monday evening for Rowan, winning the 60-meter dash at the New Jersey Athletic Conference meet at the Sea Breeze facility on Staten Island in a personal-best 7.77 seconds.

Robinson had set her PR of 7.79 in the trials earlier in the day.

Robinson, a native of Totowa who attended Passaic County Tech in Wayne, edged senior Danielle Celestin of The College of New Jersey by 10-100ths of a second in a battle of former Passaic County sprinters. Celestin is a graduate of Clifton High, just down Rte. 46 from Totowa.

Robinson, a sophomore who competed at American International of Springfield, Mass., last year, came into the conference meet with a PR of 7.89 from the previous weekend. She first broke 8.00 at a meet in Ithaca earlier in February.

In all, she lowered her PR from 8.04 to 7.79 in the span of three weeks.

Robinson’s time is No. 12 in NCAA Division 3 this year but only 5-100ths of a second out of second place. Is also fourth-fastest among freshmen.

Robinson also placed sixth in the 200 at the NJAC meet with an indoor-PR 26.75.

The Winslow girls, who broke the South Jersey 800-meter relay at nationals last year, broke it again this year on the same track a month earlier in the season.

Flora Ahiarakwe, Shakira Dancy, Nylah Perry and Janeya Hammond won the 4-by-200 at the 84th annual Easterns at the Armory Tuesday night with a S.J.-best 1:39.75.

Winslow had set the previous South Jersey mark of 1:39.94 in the trials of the 4-by-200 last year at New Balance Nationals on the same track. That was with Ahiarakwe, Dancy, Tionna Tobias and Iyianna Williams.

Tobias was busy Tuesday night winning the long jump with the second-best jump in South Jersey history and running a personal-best and placing third in the high hurdles with the No. 6 time in the state this year.

In the trials Tuesday, Winslow ran 1:41.01, the top qualifying time by more than a second. Union Catholic (1:42.19) was the only other team under 1:43.

In the final, Winslow ran more than a second faster than it had in the trials, with Paul Robeson of Brooklyn second in 1:41.97.

Winslow’s time is No. 4 in the U.S. this year, according to the Milesplit data base. It’s No. 6 in state history.

It’s also sixth-fastest in Easterns history and fastest ever by a New Jersey school in the historic meet. The previous fast by a New Jersey school was Union Catholic’s 1:40.67 last year. The previous South Jersey time at Easterns was Moorestown’s 1:40.77 with Amandi Rhett anchoring back in 2000.

ALL-TIME EASTERNS 800-METER RELAY LIST

1:38.40 … Paul Robeson, N.Y., 2016
1:39.27 … Middle College/Medger Evers, N.Y., 2011
1:39.29 … Union Catholic, 2016
1:39.41 … Uniondale, N.Y., 2007
1:39.59s … Uniondale, N.Y., 2007
1:39.75 … Winslow Twp., 2018
1:39.86 … Paul Robeson, N.Y., 2001
1:39.94 … Hempstead, N.Y., 2007
1:40.22 … Medgar Evers, N.Y., 2015
1:40.37 … Washington Irving, N.Y., 2001
1:40.51 … Hempstead, N.Y., 2005
1:40.67s … Union Catholic, 2017
1:40.76 … Hope, R.I., 2012
1:40.76 … New Rochelle, N.Y., 2013
1:40.77 … Moorestown, 2000
1:40.86 … Franklin, 2003
1:40.91 … Mt. Vernon, N.Y., 2012
1:40.92 … Uniondale, N.Y., 2006
1:40.94 … Simon Gratz, Pa., 1999
1:40.95 … Paul Robeson, 2017

The only previous South Jersey schools to win the 4-by-200 at Easterns are that Moorestown team in 2000 and Camden in 2000 and 2001, with 1:41.19 and 1:41.98.

Here’s the all-time state list in the 4-by-200, with the meet it was achieved where available:

1:38.99 … Columbia, 2014 [Millrose]
1:39.29 … Union Catholic, 2016 [Easterns]
1:39.37 … Columbia, 2011 [Nationals]
1:39.74 … Franklin, 2003 [Easterns]
1:39.75 … Winslow Twp., 2018 [Easterns]
1:39.94 … Winslow Twp., 2017 [Nationals]
1:39.94 … East Orange, 2007 [Easterns]
1:40.51 … Union Catholic, 2014 [Nationals]
1:40.67 … Union Catholic, 2017 [Easterns]
1:40.77 … Moorestown, 2000 [Easterns]
1:41.07 … Union Catholic, 2015 [Armory Invitational]
1:41.13 … Queen of Peace, 2003
1:41.14 … Woodrow Wilson, 2006
1:41.19 … Camden, 2008 [Easterns]
1:41.28 … Woodrow Wilson, 2005
1:41.42 … Moorestown, 1999
1:41.43 … East Orange, 2004
1:41.59 … Lincoln, 1981
1:41.65 … Jackson, 2008
1:41.67 … Columbia, 2013 [Easterns]
1:41.67 … Franklin, 2005
1:41.70 … Willingboro, 2002
1:41.74 … Franklin, 2001
1:41.78 … Winslow Twp., 2014 [Nationals]
1:41.87 … Trenton, 1986
1:41.91 … Trenton, 1983
1:41.96 … Newark Central, 1983
1:41.97 … Columbia, 2012 [Easterns]
1:41.98 … Camden, 2009 [Easterns]
1:42.11 … Union, 2012 [Easterns]
1:42.15 … Columbia, 2010 ]Nationals]
1:42.19 … Union Catholic, 2018 [Easterns]
1:42.40 … Columbia, 2015 [Nationals]
1:42.42 … Neptune, 2014 [Nationals]
1:42.45 … Deptford, 2015 [Easterns]
1:42.45 … Rancocas Valley, 2017 [Easterns]
1:42.49 … Winslow Twp., 2013 [Nationals]
1:42.52 … Piscataway, 2014 [Easterns]
1:42.90 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018 [Easterns]
1:42.99 … Newark Tech, 2012 [Nationals]

Ahiarakwe also placed third in the 400 in a personal-best 57.36, No. 3 in South Jersey this year, and Dancy was second in the 200 in 24.63, the fastest time in the state this winter.

Ahiarakwe has run 56.14 outdoors, but her previous PR in the indoor 400 was her 57.67 to win states last weekend.

She arrived at Easterns as an unheralded quarter-miler who couldn’t even get in the fast heat of the 400 at the prestigious annual meet at the Armory.

She left as one of the fastest quarter-milers in South Jersey history.

Egg Harbor Township senior Ajae Alvarez lowered her indoor PR from 58.66 to 56.78 — nearly two full seconds — and stole the Easterns 400 title out of an unseeded heat Tuesday night.

Alvarez easily won the fourth of five sections with her 56.78, which was the fastest time of the first four races. She went out in 26.8 for her first lap and came back in 30.0.

Then she stood and watched the so-called fast heat.

Keira Brown of Kent Place High in Summit was first across the line right around Alvarez’s time. But when Brown’s official time of 56.82 flashed on the results screen, Alvarez had herself an improbably Easterns title before she had ever won a state or even a sectional title.

Alvarez’s previous PR of 58.78 came from sectionals earlier this month, where she placed second. She then ran 59.18 for fifth at states.

Alvarez’s outdoor PR is 58.07 from last spring’s Cape Atlantic Meet at Bridgeton, where she placed second to Tia DuPont of Our Lady of Mercy Academy.

Alvarez’s time is No. 16 in South Jersey history and third-fastest in Atlantic County history, behind Nijgia Snapp [54.91 in 2008[ and Katrina Sye of Buena [56.34 in 1997].

ALL-TIME S.J. INDOOR 400 PERFORMANCE LIST
54.24 … Okechi Ogbuokiri [Willingboro], 2003
54.91 … Nijgia Snapp [Oakcrest], 2008
55.16 … Krystal Cantey [Winslow Twp.], 2006
55.19 … Michelle Brown [Seneca], 2008
55.21 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
55.4h … English Gardner [Eastern], 2008
55.6h … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
55.83 … Kiara Lester [Deptford], 2016
56.21 … Dana Burnett [Williamstown], 1997
56.24 … Aliyah Taylor [Rancocas Valley], 2017
56.34 … Katrina Sye [Buena], 1997
56.44 … Avionne Sloan [Camden], 2006
56.62 … Ste’yce McNeil [Winslow Twp.], 2012
56.65 … Britney Kott [Millville], 2009
56.76 … Simone Thomas [Willingboro], 2003
56.78 … Ajae Alvarez [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2018
56.85 … Emily Duffey [Lenape], 2912
56.88 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
56.90 … Nadia Davy [Bridgeton], 1999

This is the first time in 10 years the Easterns 400 has been won by a South Jersey girl. In 2003, Willingboro’s Okechi Ogbuokiri ran 55.14, and in 2008 Oakcrest’s Snapp ran 54.91.

Alvarez also led off EHT’s third-place 800-meter relay team, which ran an Atlantic County-record 1:42.90 after a 1:43.17 in the trials. Emily Cheesman, Jadyn Laramore and Lauren Princz also ran for the Eagles.

Egg Harbor has had several boys winners at Easterns, but Alvarez is the first girl.

Rich Winstead won the long jump at 23-1 in 1988, A.J. Vance won the high jump at 6-6 in 2012, Curtis Fitzpatrick won the 55 in 6.47 in 2013 and the 3,200-meter relay team ran 8:00.39 for first in 2016.

 

Winslow junior Tionna Tobias broke the Camden County indoor long jump record, won her first Easterns title and moved into the No. 2 spot behind Olympian Carol Lewis on the all-time South Jersey indoor long jump list Tuesday night.

Tobias jumped 19-8 1/4 to win Easterns at the 168th Street Armory by nearly a foot over Tiffany Bautista of Paramus Catholic, who jumped 18-10 for second.

Check out Tobias’s series: 19-3 1/2 — 19-5 1/4 — 19-8 1/4 — 19-5 — 18-9 3/4 — Foul.

Tobias went into the meet with an indoor PR of 18-9 and averaged 19-4 on her five legal jumps. She had the four-best jumps of the competition.

Willingboro’s Lewis set what was then not only the U.S. scholastic record but also the American women’s record of 21-7 1/2  in Dallas in 1981.

Tobias’s mark is No. 5 in state history indoors and No. 11 on the all-time New Jersey scholastic list, which includes both indoor and outdoor marks.

She broke the Winslow indoor record (and Camden County record) of 19-8 set by former teammate Cidae’a Woods by one-quarter of an inch. Woods still has a superior overall mark with an outdoor 19-9 1/4.

Tobias’s mark is also the No. 4 mark in the prestigious history of the Easterns meet, behind only Keturah Orji of Mount Olive [20-8 in 2014], Lewis [20-6 1/4 in 1980] and Noelle Graham of Taft High in New York [19-11 1/2 in 1998].

Here are some lists I put together! As always, please let me know of any omissions or corrections in the comments section. I appreciate it!

ALL-TIME S.J. INDOOR LONG JUMP LIST
21-7 1/2 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
19-8 1/4 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow], 2016
19-8 ……. Cidae’a Woods [Winslow], 2014
19-7 1/2 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1993
18-9 …….. Shameka Speed [Bridgeton], 2002
18-8 3/4 … Artrelia Turner [Wilson], 1984
18-7 1/4 … Shelly  Bailey [Woodbury], 1982
18-6 1/2 … Tisifinee Taylor [Woodbury], 2002
18-6 1/2 … Asia Young [Holy Spirit], 2016
18-5 3/4 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
18-5 1/4 … Tacquaya Tobias [Our Lady of Mercy], 2011
18-4 3/4 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
18-4 1/2 … Kristin Tricocci [Cinnaminson], 2004
18-2 3/4 … Sable Loper [Woodrow Wilson], 2005
18-1 3/4 … Emily Carson [Haddonfield], 2013

ALL-TIME N.J. INDOOR 19-FOOT LONG JUMP LIST
21-7 1/2 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
20-8 3/4 … Keturah Orji [Mount Olive], 2014
20-7 3/4 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2017
19-11 3/4 … Claire Connor [Rahway], 1984
19-8 1/4 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow], 2016
19-8 ……. Celeste Holder [Parsippany], 2006
19-8 ……. Cidae’a Woods [Winslow], 2014
19-7 1/2 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1993
19-6 …….. Lana Amsterdam [Newark Tech], 2013
19-5 3/4 … Kayla Richardson [Columbia], 2014
19-2 3/4 … Kaitlin Salisbury [Hawthorne], 2016
19-1 1/2 … Carlene Cummings [Englewood], 1998
19-1 1/4 … Kelsey Vieira [Hillsborough], 2016
19-0 1/2 … Natalia Hinton [Newark Tech], 2013
19-0 …….. Tatiana Sanders [Paramus Catholic], 2013

ALL-TIME S.J. INDOOR / OUTDOOR LONG JUMP LIST
21-7 1/2 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981 [i]
20-10 3/4 … Keturah Orji [Mount Olive], 2014 [o]
20-7 3/4 … Sydney McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2017
20-2 1/4 … Kayla Richardson [Columbia], 2014 [o]
20-0 … Kaitlin Salisbury [Hawthorne], 2016 [o]
20-2 …..… Claire Connor [Rahway], 1984 [o]
20-0 1/2 … Teneacia Smith [Cherry Hill East], 1992 [o]
19-11 3/4 … Cassandra Grant [Passaic], 1980 [o]
19-10 1/2 … Nyamekye Opoku-Agyemang [Union], 2017 [o]
19-9 1/4 … Cidae’a Woods [Winslow], 2014
19-8 3/4 … Demeika Tweedy [Plainfield], 1993
19-8 1/4 … Tionna Tobias [Winslow], 2016 [i]
19-8 ……. Celeste Holder [Parsippany], 2006 [i]
19-8 …….. [Wood-Ridge], 2012 [o]
19-7 1/2 … Helen Wilks [Bridgeton], 1993 [i]
19-6 …….. Lana Amsterdam [Newark Tech], 2013 [i]
19-6 …….. Sharon Johnson [Newark Central], 1982 [o]
19-5 3/4 … Tatiana Sanders [Paramus Catholic], 2014 [o]
19-5 1/4 … Mariah Browne [South Brunswick], 2010 [o]
19-5 …….. Essence Mayers [Lakewood], 2010 [o]
19-4 3/4 … Gabrielle Farquharson [Williamstown], 2011 [o]
19-4 3/4 … LaShonda Carter [Rahway], 2006 [o]
19-4 …….. Emily Carson [Haddonfield], 2013 [o]
19-4 …….. Jen McDermott [Ridgewood], 1989 [o]
19-4 …….. Linda Hayes [Monmouth Reg.], 1985 [o]
19-3 3/4 … Hannah Taylor [Montgomery], 2016 [o]
19-2 3/4 … Asia Young [Holy Spirit], 2016  [o]
19-2 1/2 … Gabrielle Bennett [Wislow Twp.], 2015 [o]
19-2 1/4 … Chino Anukwuem [Hanover Park], 2016 [o]
19-2 …….. Robin Taylor [Deptford], 1980 [o]
19-1 3/4 … Tymia Joseph [Morris Knolls], 2016 [o]
19-1 1/2 … Carlene Cummings [Englewood], 1997, 1998 [i, o]
19-1 1/2 … Promise Fadahunsi [Monroe Twp.], 2017 [o]
19-1 1/4 … Aniyah Russell [Jackson Liberty], 2017 [o]
19-1 1/4 … Kelsey Vieira [Hillsborough], 2015, 2016 [i, o]
19-1 …….. Nina Moore [Cherry Hill West], 1995 [o]
19-0 1/2 … Natalia Hinton [Newark Tech], 2013 [i]
19-1 …….. Tiffany Bautista [Paramus Catholic], 2017 [o]
19-1 …….. Yvonne Wolef [Middle Twp.], 2012 [o]
19-1 …….. Alaina Alfano [Hanover Park], 2005 [o]
19-0 3/4 … Jen Schweizer [Morris Knolls], 1989 [o]
19-0 1/4 … Morgan McLaughlin [Union Catholic], 2012 [o]
19-0 1/4 … Kelsie Russell [Phillipsburg], 2002 [o]
19-0 1/4 … Jasmine Staten [Lenape], 2016 [o]
19-0 …….. Danielle Grady [Notre Dame], 1996 [o]
19-0 …….. Leticia Beverly [Newark Central], 1984 [o]
19-0 …….. Adriene Davis [Newark Central], 1988 [o]

And finally here’s a look at all the South Jersey girls who have won an Easterns long jump title:

1980 … Carol Lewis (Willingboro, N.J.) , 20-  6 ¼
1988 … Tonya Lee (Rancocas Valley, N.J.) , 18-  4 ¾
1995 … Selina Burton (Willingboro, N.J.), 17-  3
2008 … Lindsey Walsh (Lenape, N.J.), 18-  5 ¾
2013 … Cidae’a Woods (Winslow Twp., N.J.), 19- 8
2018 … Tionna Tobias (Winslow Twp., N.J.), 19-8 1/4

Oh, by the way, Tobias also ran a personal-best 8.20 in the high hurdles and placed third in the final in 8.21.

Tobias’s 8.20 is No. 6 in the state this year and No. 2 by a South Jersey hurdler. It’s also No. 15 in South Jersey history.

Pretty good day’s work!

We’ll have more on Winslow Township’s remarkable day at Easterns later, including a post on their crazy 1:39.75 win in the 800-meter relay!