Thirteen South Jersey athletes – 12 of them from Rowan – are headed to the NCAA Division 3 Championships this week in South Carolina.

Rowan senior Marquis Young from Sterling, already a four-time All-America, leads the way as a qualifier in three events.

The NCAA Division 3 Championships are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium in Myrtle Beach.

Men
➡️ Young is the No. 3 seed in the 110-meter hurdles with his 14.01 to win the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships in Galloway earlier this month, and he’s the No. 17 seed in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles with his 52.92 in March in a meet at Widener University in Chester, Pa. He’s also part of Rowan’s top-seeeded 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:09.31 last week at Widener.

➡️ Rowan sophomore Anaias Hughes, a Willingboro graduate, is another one of four Rowan qualifiers in the 110-meter hurdles. He qualified with a PR 14.31 at the All-Atlantic Regional Track and Field Championships at Cortland, N.Y., last week.

➡️ Rowan junior Nick Razze shares the No. 17 seed in the 400IH with Young. Razze ran 52.92 in a meet in Ewing in April. His PR is 52.84 from last May at Widener as a sophomore at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md. Razze is also scheduled to run with Young on Rowan’s 4-by-4.

➡️ Rowan’s Eli Hendricks, a true freshman from Penns Grove, didn’t quite qualify in the 200 despite a 21.45 but he will lead off Rowan’s 400-meter relay team, which is seeded 10th at 40.64.

➡️ Shamar Love of Bridgeton, a Rowan junior from Bridgeton, will also run the 400-meter relay. Love ran 10.48 and 21.64 this year. He earned All-America honors last year on Rowan’s 2nd-place 400-meter relay team, which ran 40.14.

➡️ Robert McKinney, a Rowan junior from Highland, makes his 1st career trip to NCAAs as part of the Profs’ 4-by-1. McKinney ran 10.76 and 21.58 this year.

➡️ Jamile Gantt, a Rowan freshman from Paulsboro, cleared 6-9 at the AARTFC Championships, which makes him the No. 16 seed at D-3 Nationals. His PR is 6-10 from last year’s South Jersey Elite at Delsea. Gantt also ran 1:59.30 at Paulsboro but hasn’t run the 800 since 2022.

Women
➡️ Molly Lodge PR’d with a Rowan-record 1:01.33 in the 400-meter intermediates at the AARTFC Championships in Cortland, earning her the No. 7 seed in Myrtle Beach. She’ll also run on Rowan’s No. 11-seed 1,600-meter relay team. Lodge is already a two-time All-America, with legs on Rowan’s 8th-place 4-by-4 indoors in 2022 in Birmingham and 5th-place indoor 4-by-4 in Virginia Beach this past indoor season. She qualified for NCAAs last year in the intermediates and placed 17th in 1:03.43 in her first year in the event.

➡️ Pennsauken’s Jasmine Pope, a transfer from St. Peter’s in Jersey City, is part of Rowan’s 1,600-meter relay team. Pope spent 2022 at St. Peter’s and sat out last year before resurfacing at Rowan.

➡️ Nevaeh Lorjuste, a Rowan junior from Triton, will anchor the Profs’ 1,600-meter relay team. She’s already a two-time All-America from Rowan’s 8th- and 5th-place 4-by-4 teams the last two indoor seasons.

➡️ Washington Township graduate Isabelle Deal, a Rowan junior and transfer from Ursinus, qualified in both the shot put with her Rowan school-record 45-8 and the javelin at 135-8. She’s the No. 14 seed in the shot and No. 16 in the javelin. Deal is a three-time javelin All-America, having placed 8th, 6th and 6th in her three year at Ursinus. She threw her javelin PR of 155-0 at last year’s AARTFC meet in Selinsgrove.

➡️ Deal’s teammate at Ursinus, Stockton junior Michaela Pomatto from Egg Harbor Township, is the No. 11 seed in the discus with her 154-8 at the AARTFC meet. This will be here first trip to NCAAs.

Delsea and Deptford ran the 3rd- and 6th-fastest 400-meter relay times in New Jersey this year Monday evening at the Spartan Sprint Night at Deptford.

Delsea senior Julian Conigliaro, senior Xavier Wyatt, senior Christian Langston and junior Eric Grant ran 42.19, the 2nd-fastest time in school history, and Deptford senior Darryl Wayman, junior Tyaire Randells, senior Ryan Gore and sophomore Kareem Brown ran 42.35, the Spartans’ fastest time since 2019.

The two times are No. 9 and No. 12 in Gloucester County history. Delsea’s 42.19 is No. 3 in New Jersey this year, behind Rancocas Valley’s 42.00 last month at the Penn Relays and a Scotch Plains-based parochial school, which ran 42.02 in a meet at Westfield earlier this month. After Elizabeth [42.28] and Toms River North [42.29], Deptford is No. 6 state-wide.

Pennsauken also ran under 43 seconds, with Jabari Sonnebeyattal, KaRon Ali, Christopher Baisden and Elijah Jennings taking 3rd in a season-best 42.73, fastest this year by a Camden County school. That’s also No. 5 in South Jersey this year.

41.47 … Deptford, 2018
41.55 … Deptford, 2017
41.72 … Deptford, 2018
42.01 … Deptford, 2019
42.11 … Washington Twp., 2023
42.12 … Deptford, 2016
42.15 … Delsea, 2019
42.17 … Deptford, 2013
42.19 … Delsea, 2024
42.20 … Washington Twp., 2022
42.25 … Clayton, 2019
42.35 … Deptford, 2024

Atlantic County Tech and Oakcrest hooked up in a fast 400-meter relay Friday at the Atlantic County Championships at Buena, with both running under 43 seconds.

Atlantic County Tech ran 42.76 to edge Oakcrest, which was a very close 2nd in 42.89. Pleasantville and Mainland weren’t far behind in 43.15 and 43.21.

That’s four teams within less than half a second, all four finishing within four meters of each other.

Sophomore J’Mar Boyer, junior Mahkel Hall, senior Gavin Caracciolo and junior Yamdry Hernandez ran for Atlantic County Tech, seniors Jamaad Richardson Davis, Asad Hunt, Clayton Husta and Samuel Mensah for Oakcrest, senior Yusuf Golden, freshman Semaj Dozier, senior A’shod Hill and senior Brandon St. Martin for Pleasantville and junior Chis Keena, junior Jonathon Perez, freshman Dallas Rowell and freshman Zaki Marcus for Mainland Regional.

Atlantic County Tech and Oakcrest, located just two miles apart in Hamilton Township, are now No. 3 and 5 in South Jersey this year, and Pleasantville and Mainland are No. 7 and 8. So half of the eight-fastest schools in South Jersey are from Atlantic County.

ACT’s 42.76 is a school record, and Oakcrest’s 42.89 is their fastest since Stephen Adkisson, Reginald Morton, Darnell Charles and Fabian Santiago set the Alantic County record of 41.80 at the 2012 Woodbury Relays. The times are No. 12 and 15 in Atlantic County history.

All-Time Atlantic County 400-Meter Relay List
41.80 … Oakcrest, 2012
41.83 … Oakcrest, 2011
41.9h … Pleasantville, 1994
42.10 … Egg Harbor Township, 2023
42.12 … Pleasantville, 1999
42.38 … Pleasantville, 2008
42.43 … Atlantic City, 2018
42.57 … Egg Harbor Township, 2015
42.59 … St. Joe’s-Hammonton, 2015
42.64 … St. Joe’s-Hammonton, 2013
42.72 … Egg Harbor Township, 2019
42.76 … Atlantic County Tech, 2024
42.82 … Egg Harbor Township, 2017
42.83 … Egg Harbor Township, 2013
42.89 … Oakcrest, 2024
42.91 … Pleasantville, 2023
42.94 … Pleasantville, 2019
42.96 … St. Augustine, 2019
42.97 … Holy Spirit, 2013

Egg Harbor won the boys team title 96-85 over Hammonton, with Mainland [69], Oakcrest [62], Atlantic County Tech [62] and Cedar Creek [61] all within eight points.

Mainland won the girls meet 171-100 over Absegami, with Egg Harbort Township [71], Hammonton [60 ½] and Atlantic County Tech [52] also over 50 points.

Audubon’s Riley Fayer is having quite an outdoor season and two weeks before sectionals is No. 1 in New Jersey Group 1 in the 1,600 and No. 2 in the 3,200.

Fayer ran 2:19.44, 5:13.29 and 10:58.45 as a freshman last spring, placing 8th in the Meet of Champions 3,200 with the No. 3 time among New Jersey 9th-graders. She was 3rd at indoor states in the 800 but has focused on the longer races this spring and improved dramatically in the 1,600, with a 5:04.02 at the South Jersey Elite at Delsea and a 5:04.57 at the Nick Baker Invitational at Haddonfield this past weekend.

That 5:04.02 is No. 4 overall in South Jersey, No. 3 among New Jersey sophomores and No. 1 in the state in Group 1. It’s also fastest by any South Jersey Group 1 runner since 1999, when Olympian Erin Donohue of Haddonfield ran 4:55.04 as a sophomore at the 1999 Meet of Champions. Haddonfield moved up to Group 2 in 2000, so when Donohue ran 4:41.16 as a junior she was no longer in Group 1.

Fayer has also run 11:06.06 this spring, which is 2nd-fastest in Group 1 this spring behind Walkill Valley junior Delana Einreinhofer, who ran 11:03.41 earlier this month at a home meet in Hardyston Township, Sussex County. Fayer is the No. 4 sophomore in the state and No. 1 in South Jersey. With her 10:58.45, she’s the fastest South Jersey Group 1 runner 3,200 again since Donohue, who ran 10:43.2 at 1999 sectionals.

Audubon’s last sectional winner in the 1,600 was Molly Furlong, who ran 5:10.20 to win the 2014 race. Audubon hasn’t had a sectional 3,200 winner.

Fayer’s competition at sectionals could likely come from Schalick junior Jordan Hadfield, who won indoor sectional titles at 1,600 and 3,200 meters and has run 5:09.28 and 11:16.06. She’s 3rd in the state Group 1 at 1,600 meters.

English Gardner recorded one of her biggest wins in years Saturday at the USATF Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.

Gardner, a 2010 Eastern graduate and Olympic gold medalist on the U.S. 4-by-1 team in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, ran a wind-legal 11.22 to win the “B” race over 2022 U.S. 200 champ Abby Steiner, 2021 Olympic 200 bronze medalist Gabrielle Thomas and Jamaican relay Olympic gold medalist Briana Williams.

There was an “A” race won by two-time 4-by-1 World Champion Melissa Jefferson but her time was 11.27, slower than Gardner’s winning time.

Last time Gardner won a major meet with this sort of loaded field was on Sept. 2, 2018, when she ran 11.11 to win the Padova Meetin at Citta di Padova in Podoav.

It was her fastest wind-legal time since an 11.13 in May 2023 at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix at Flora Duffy Stadium at the Bermuda National Sports Center in Devonshire.

Gardner, 32, is No. 10 in world history with her 10.74 to win the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., her home track when she ran for Oregon.

Oakcrest senior Ryan Merlino recorded the best outdoor pole vault by a South Jersey vaulter in 32 years Friday at the Atlantic County Championships at Buena.

Merlino cleared 15-8 on his 2nd attempt, an outdoor PR and the best jump in South Jersey since Haddon Heights’ Bob Green got over the bar at 16-0 at the inaugural South Jersey Invitational at Eastern in 1992.

That’s No. 14 in state history outdoors.

Merlino’s previous outdoor best was a 15-6 earlier this month at the South Jersey Elite – the new name for the South Jersey Invitational – at Delsea. He’s been over 15 feet in every major meet he’s contested this spring.

In March, Merlino placed 5th at Armory Nationals with a 16-foot clearance, a South Jersey indoor record and No. 7 in state history.

At Buena Friday, Merlino passed through 13-6, at which point every other competitor had already been eliminated. Cedar Creek junior Ryan Hassa PR’d with a 13-0 to lead the event until Merlino entered at 14-0.

He cleared 14-0 on his 1st attempt and then had the bar raised to 15-0, which he also cleared on his 1st try. He needed three attempts at 15-4 before clearing and then got over 15-8 on his 2nd try.

Merlino had the bar raised to a South Jersey-record 16-1 but missed three attempts.

Merlino is one of six South Jersey natives who’s cleared 16 feet, including current Rutgers vaulters Noah Kriesman and Nico Maroles, Rutgers pole vault coach Mike Maira from Seneca, former Rutgers vaulter Marco Morales, Green and Merlino.

All-Time South Jersey Outdoor Pole Vault List
16-0 … Bob Green [Haddon Heights], 1992
15-8 … Ryan Merlino [Oakcrest], 2024
15-7 … Brandon Kurtz [Absegami], 1991
15-7 … Nico Morales [Delsea Reg.], 2019
15-6 … Dylan Altland [Kingsway], 2014
15-6 … Marco Morales [Delsea Reg.], 2019
15-5 … Mike Davis [Haddonfield], 2004
15-5 … Devon Purves [Haddonfield], 2006
15-4 … Jason King [Lenape], 1993
15-3 ¼ … Dan Lamp [Willingboro], 1977
15-2 … Dan Batdorf [West Deptford], 2008
15-0 ¼ … Mike Hulme [Eastern], 2003
15-0 … Mark Murphy [Haddonfield], 1985
15-0 … Ricky Clemons [Willingboro], 1989
15-0 … Dave Murname [West Deptford], 2000
15-0 … Josh Moline [Gateway], 2000
15-0 … Mike Maira [Seneca], 2010
15-0 … Mike Rivard [Haddonfield], 2010
15-0 … James Lynch [Deptford], 2019
15-0 … Matt Mancini [Cinnaminson], 2006
15-0 … Noah Kriesman [Cherry Hill East], 2022
15-0 … Daniel Couse [Clearview], 2023

All-Time New Jersey Outdoor Pole Vault List
17-4 ½ … Adam Sarafian [Ocean Township], 2004
16-6 ½ … Brian O’Sullivan [Hillsborough], 2023
16-6 … Craig Hunter [Robbinsville], 2013
16-4 ¾ … Brian McSweeney [East Brunswick], 2021
16-4 … Will Nesbitt [Millburn], 1980
16-3 … Bradley Jelmert [Watchung Hills], 2020
16-1 ¼ … Bill Hartley [Southern Regional], 1976
16-1 … Eric Richard [Bridgewater East], 1981
16-1 … Jordan Pacheco [Morris Hills], 2013
16-0 ¼ … Peter Fagan [Westfield], 2013
16-0 … Andrew Ghizzone [Union Catholic], 2014
16-0 … Kevin O’Sullivan [Hillsborough], 2022
16-0 … Max Zuckerman [Pascack Hills], 2022
15-8 … Cade Zeolla [West Morris Central], 2024
15-8 … Ryan Merlino [Oakcrest], 2024

In his first competition since August, Delsea’s Josh Awotunde threw the shot 70-2 ¼ Saturday at the USATF L.A. Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium in Los Angeles.

That’s No. 17 in the world this year and No. 6 among American men in his first meet since Aug. 19, when he placed 11th in qualifying at the World Championships at Nemzeti Atlétikai Központ in Budapest, Hungary.

It was his best throw since July 16, 2023, when he hit 70-10 ¾ at the Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Diamond Discipline meet at Stadion Śląski, in Chorzów, Poland.

Awotunde threw his PR 73-1 ½ when he placed 3rd as part of a U.S. sweep at the 2022 World Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. That’s No. 21 in world history and No. 12 all-time U.S.

He hit the 70-2 ¼ Saturday on his first throw and then added a 70-1 ¾ on his 2nd. He also had a 69-5 ¼ in his series.

Here’s a look at all of Awotunde’s 70-foot throws – all since May of 2021 (Note that some meets do not make field series information available so there could be some non-winning throws over 70 feet I don’t know about. But if there are, it would only be one or two):

73-1 ½ … World Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 17, 2022 [5th throw] [3rd]
72-11 ½ … World Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 17, 2022 [1st throw] [—]
72-10 ¾ … World Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 17, 2022 [6th throw] [—]
72-6 ¼ … U.S. Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 9, 2023 [4th throw] [2nd]
71-3 ½ … Memorial Borisa Hanžekovića, Fountains, Zagreb [N/A/] [3rd]
71-2 ¼ … World Championships, Eugene, Ore., July 17, 2022 [2nd throw] [—]
72-2 … Meeting Città di Padova, Stadio Colbachini, Padovad, Poland, Sept. 5, 2021 [N/A] [place]
71-8 … U.S. Olympic Trials, Eugene, Ore., June 18, 2021 [6th throw] (5th place]
71-2 ¼i … World Athletics Indoors, Belgrade, Serbia, March 19, 2022 [3rd throw] (5th)
71-2 ¼ … Gyulai István Memorial, Székesfehérvár, Hungary, July 6, 2021 [4th throw] (3rd)
71-1 ½ … Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., May 9, 2021 [6th throw] [2nd place]
70-11 ¾ … World Athletics Indoors, Belgrade, Serbia, March 19, 2022 [5th throw] [2nd]
70-11 ½ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022 [5th throw) [2nd]
70-10 ¾ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022 [4th throw) [—]
70-10 3/4 … Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland, July 16, 2023 [5th]
70-7 … U.S. Championships, Eugene, Ore., June 27, 2022 [3rd throw] [3rd]
70-6 ½ … Gyulai István Memorial, Székesfehérvár, Hungary, July 6, 2021 [6th throw] [—]
70-6 ¼i … American Track League, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 12, 2022 [3rd throw] [1st]
70-3 ½ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022 [3rd throw] [—]
70-2 ½i … American Track League, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 12, 2022 [1st throw] [—]
70-2 1/4 … USATF L.A. Grand Prix, Los Angeles, May 18, 2024 [1st throw] [4th]
70-1 3/4 … USATF L.A. Grand Prix, Los Angeles, May 18, 2024 [2nd throw] [-]
70-0 ½ … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, Stadion Śląski, Chorzów [N/A] [3rd]
70-0 ¼ … USATF Golden Games, Walnut, Calif., April 16, 2022 [2nd throw] [—]
70-0 ¼ … World Athletics Indoors, Belgrade, Serbia, March 19, 2022 [2nd throw] [—]

Sophomore Sianni Wynn recorded two PRs and destroyed three meet records Saturday on her home track at the rainy Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division meet.

Despite the usual weekly Saturday rainy conditions, Wynn won the 100-meter dash in 11.76, the 200 in 23.85 and her newest event and the 400-meter hurdles, in 1:01.55.

Wynn’s 11.76 broke the meet record of 12.16 that Wynn ran last year. Sherron Lawson of Willingboro ran a hand-timed 12.1 in 1996 that was also listed as co-meet record because it’s lower than the 12.16, even though the 12.16 is intrinsically faster. Wynn has run 11.65 this spring, which is No. 8 in South Jersey history and No. 2 in New Jersey this year.

Wynn’s 23.85 was her first time under 24 seconds. Her previous PR was 24.11 at the Camden County Championships earlier this month at Haddon Township. Her time is No. 1 in New Jersey this year and equals No. 8 in New Jersey and No. 3 in South Jersey history. It’s 9th-fastest ever by a South Jersey alum, although like her 100 time and most times at early season meets with no wind guage it’s not eligible for record purposes. Her 23.85 broke Wynn’s own meet record of 24.20 from last year.

Wynn’s only previous intermediates race was a 1:03.13 at the Camden County Championships. Her 1:01.55 is No. 5 in the state this year and No. 3 in South Jersey, behind Eastern soph Natalie Dumas [59.80 at the South Jersey Elite at Delsea earlier this month] and Ocean City’s Sophia Curtis [1:00.11 at South Jersey Elite]. Dumas and Wynn are the top two sophomores in New Jertsey and No. 1 and No. 4 among U.S. sophomores according to the MileSplit national database. Wynn ran below the FAT Liberty Division meet record of 1:01.77 set by Willingboro’s Danielle Myrics in 2001. Shawnee’s Mandie Dulin will continue to be listed as co-meet record holder with Wynn with her hand-timed 1:01.4 from 1996.

Wynn is now the No. 1 sophomore in New Jersey in the 100, 200 and 400 [54.24] and No. 2 in the intermediates.

It’s pretty hard to have a better day than Jamir Brown had at Pennsauken on Saturday.

Brown, a senior at Riverside, not only won four events in the BCSL Freedom Division meet, he broke four Freedom Division meet records along the way.

➡️ Brown won the 200-meter dash in a personal-best 21.96 in what was his first open 200 since his freshman year. That broke the Freedom Diision fat meet record of 22.66 set in 1999 by Burlington Township’s Tim Carlock. Carlock’s teammate, Louis Smith, had a hand-timed 21.9 in 1997 that is intrinsically faster than Carlock’s 22.66. His 21.96 is No. 3 in New Jersey Group 1 this year.

➡️ Brown won the long jump with a PR 23-3. That broke the meet record of 23-0 set by Burlington Township’s Smith, also in 1997. Brown’s previous PR was a 23-0 ½ to win the County Open at Northern Burlington last weekend. That 23-3 is No. 1 in New Jersey Group 1 this year and No. 4 state-wide.

➡️ Brown won the 400-meter hurdles in a big PR of 53.69, which snapped the meet record of 53.70 set in 1999 by eventual Meet of Champions winner Harran Williams of Delran. Brown’s previous PR was a 54.42 as a Delran sophomore at 2022 West Philly Nationals at Franklin Field. His 53.69 is No. 1 in New Jersey Group 1 this year, No. 1 in South Jersey and No. 3 in the state.

➡️ And he won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.05, which breaks the hand-timed meet record of 14.1 shared by Aaron Biddle of Bordentown in 1998 and Palmyra’s Will Brown in 2006. The fat meet record was 14.45 by Palmyra’s 14.45 in the 2019 prelims. Jamir Brown is already N.J. No. 2 in the highs at 13.67 from Delsea earlier this month.

In South Jersey Group 1 history, Brown now ranks No. 1 in the 100-meter hurdles, No. 3 in the 400-meter hurdles, No. 8 in the long jump and No. 13 in the 200.

Maple Shade outscored Riverside 214-136 to win the Freedom Division team title. Palmyra scored 275 points to top Burlington City [67] in the Independence Division team race. The Willingboro boys won 161-122 over Burlington Township to win the Liberty Division, and Cinnaminson defeated Delran 197-124 to win the Patriot Division title

Sixteen South Jersey men and women have earned spots in the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track Championships preliminary rounds.

The prelims are scheduled for May 22-25, with the East Region at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and the West Region at the Universiity of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The NCAA Championships June 5-8 at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Some 48 individuals and 24 relay teams per event in each region qualify for regionals. Incredibly, the official NCAA instructions do not say how many athletes per event qualify for nationals, saying only: “The qualifiers out of these two regions will compete in the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.” But I THINK the top 12 in each region per individual event advance to nationals. You’d think the NCAA might want to put that in their instructions? Maybe? Track is the best sport but honestly the people running it are idiots.

Anyway, here’s a look at the qualifiers for D-1 prelims. For links to the complete qualifier lists, click here.

East Regional
Women
Dennisha Page: Wilson grad now at Tennessee has blossomed into one of the top sprinters in the world in her first year at Tennessee after spending her first three years at Rutgers. Page is No. 28 in the world in the 100 at 11.10, No. 15 among Americans and No. 8 among collegians, and in the 200 she’s No. 11 in the world, No. 7 among U.S. women and No. 6 among collegians. Page will also run on Tennessee’s top-seeded 400-meter relay team, which is ranked 6th in the world at 42.42.

Halima Scott: Delaware senior Scott, who ran for Wilson while attending Camden Big Picture Learning Academy, ran 53.38 in the 400 to place 3rd in the Coastal Athletic Association Championships at Elon, N.C. Her lifetime best is 53.01 from last year’s CAA meet (when the CAA was the Colonial Athletic Association) is the Delaware school record. Scott and Page ran together at Wilson and are sisters.

Shelby Whetstone: Lenape’s Whetstone, a Rutgers senior, qualified for her first NCAA meet with a big PR of 2:05.81 at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. That’s No. 2 in Rutgers history and 9th-fastest ever by a South Jersey woman.

Jailya Ash: Back in March, Ash, a UConn senior from Eastern, ran a lifetime-best 13.29, setting the Huskies school record. This will be Ash’s 2nd trip to NCAA prelims. She raced in the NCAA East prelims in 2022 in Bloomington, Ind., as well.

Aliya Garozzo: Paul VI graduate from Sicklerville set a UPenn school record when she ran 56.34 to win the Ivy League title earlier this month at Princeton. She’s the No. 10 in the East Regional and ranked 21st among U.S. women. The only South Jersey athletes to ever run faster are Rancocas Valley’s Tonya Lee [55.78 in 1996] and Winslow’s Krystal Cantey [56.21 in 2007]. Garozzo will also run on Penn’s 1,600-meter relay team, which is the No. 5 seed with its Ivy League-record 3:29.29 on the Quakers’ home track at the Penn Relays.

Claudine Smith: Atlantic City graduate, now a Rutgers senior, returns to NCAAs in the triple jump after competing in the 2021 East Regionals in Jacksonville. Smith jumped a season-best 41-6 in an early-season meet in Tampa, has a collegiate PR of 41-10 from an indoor meet at the Armory in February 2023 and a lifetime best of 42-2 from her win at the 2019 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington (with no wind guage).

Fatimah Owens: A Towson senior from Millville, Owens qualified with a lifetime-best 171-5 in the discus when she placed 2nd at the Coastal Athletic Association meet at Elon, N.C., last weekend. That’s the best throw by a South Jersey woman since Sylvia Galarza – also from Millville – threw 174-2 in the 2016 USATF National Club Championships at Franklin Field, which was the final time she ever threw the disc, according to World Athletics.

Men
Austin Gabay: Gabay, a Duke junior from Cinnaminson, earned a top-20 seed in the 1,500 with a PR 3:40.73 at a home meet in Durham, N.C., last month. That’s 4th-fastest in South Jersey history. This is Gabay’s 4th trip to NCAAs, including two in cross country. He ran the 1,500 last May in East prelims in Jacksonville, Fla.

Bryce Tucker and Premier Wynn: We’ll list Tucker and Wynn together because they’re two of the fastest freshmen in NCAA Division 1 in the 400-meter hurdles, they were teammates at Pennsauken, they’re among the top Americans in the Under-20 division and they both PR’d this spring with times separated by 11-100ths of a second. Tucker, a freshman at Rutgers, won the Big Ten Conference title last week in 50.61 and Wynn, a freshman at Norfolk State, was 2nd in the MEAC Championships in 50.72.

Micah Wood: Another Rutgers intermediate hurdler, Rancocas Valley’s Wood ran a PR 51.12 in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships last weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Noah Kriesman: When the indoor season began, the Cherry Hill East grad and Rutgers sophomore had a PR of 15-7 from the MAAC indoor Championships in February of 2023. He sat out the 2023 outdoor season and resurfaced at Rutgers, where he improved steadily culminating in a 17-3 ½ clearance in a meet in Columbia, S.C., in April, the best jump ever by a South Jersey alumni. That’s an improvement of 20 ½ inches since January.

Lucciano Pizarro: Cherokee grad at Penn State hit a shot put season-best 62-4 in a meet in Coral Gables, Fla., in April, which makes him the No. 14 seed at East prelims. Pizarro has a lifetime best 65-0 ¾ from last year’s Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind.

Kevin Burr: In only his 2nd year throwing the javelin, Rancocas Valley’s Burr threw 225-0 twice this spring at Tennessee, making him the No. 2 freshman in the East Regional (behind Mississippi’s Jake Railey, who threw 228-1) and the No. 3 freshman in all of the NCAA.

West
Women
Tionna Tobias: Versatile Winslow graduate, now a senior at Iowa, qualified for NCAA prelims in both the long jump and hurdles. She ran 13.18 in March in Gainesville and long jumped 21-4 ¼ at the same meet. Tobias placed 9th in the long jump at indoor NCAAs in March in Boston. She competed in the heptathlon last year at NCAAs after winning the Big 10 Championships but did not contest any multi-events this spring. Tobias is also an alternate on Iowa’s 400-meter relay team, which has run 44.07 this year.

Leah Howard: Like Burr, Texas Tech’s Howard is one of the top freshman javelin throwers in the country. Howard, another Millville graduate, PR’d at 164-4 earlier this month at the Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas, and she’s 5th among freshmen in the West Regional and 9th in NCAA Division 1.