Crazy 800 PR Friday night for Timber Creek graduate Josh Thaler at the Widener Invitational in Chester, Pa.

Thaler, a sophomore at St. Joe’s, won the 800 in 1:51.80, his first time under 1:55, 1:54, 1;53 or 1:52. Thaler’s previous PR was a 1:55.85 at the Fasttrack Invitational at Ocean Breeze in February, and his outdoor PR was 1:55.91 from last year’s Widener Invitational.

He ran 1:56.08 in his final high shool meet, the 2021 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield in June 2021. Two years ago, he had never broken two minutes. Now he’s No. 10 in the Atlantic 10.

Thaler is the second South Jersey high school grad to have a breakthrough spring for St. Joe’s. Washington Township’s Jayden Greene, a junior, ran 1:50.79 last weekend at Princeton.

St. Joe’s goes into Penn with Greene at 1:50.79, Thaler at 1:51.80, Maris Tranquille from Perth, Australia, 1:52.30 and Gavin Campbell of Central Bucks South 1:52.93 as well as Sean Murphy of Bishop Shanahan at 1:53.51 and Michael Szwed from Delea at 1:53.98. The Hawks are scheduled to run the 4-by-8 at 5:10 p.m. on Saturday.

The Hawks could run an all-South Jersey 4-by-8 with Greene, Thaler and Szwed along with one of any number of former South Jersey runners on the St. Joe’s roster. Noah Deckert of Delsea ran 3:50.29 for 1,500 meters last weekend, Matthew Coffey from Camden Catholic ran 3:53.23,

In the same race Friday night at Widener, The College of New Jersey junior Sean Burtnett ran 1:53.70 and placed 6th a week after PR’ing at 1:53.21. And Rowan freshman Brett Shea, a Hofstra transfer, ran 1:57.13, a collegiate PR.

For the first time in 13 years, the Willingboro girls are Woodbury Relays champs.

Willingboro, which won 10 Woodbury team titles from 1980 through 2010, returned to the winner’s circle Saturday at the 49th annual Wodobury Relays, outscoring 2nd-place Paul VI and Sterling 40-36 in the Group 2 competition.

Freshmen Aaliyah Robinson and Jaden Murry and sophomore Nester Wea were triple winners for the Chimeras on the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

In the 4-by-1, Willingboro won in 48.91, with junior LeRaven Isaac followed by Robinson, Murry and Wea. Freshman Kaila Speight led off the 4-by-2, followed by Robinson, Murray and Wea, and a winning 1:43.65. Murry, Robinson, Wea and Isaac ran 4:04.05 to win the 4-by-4, with Isaac anchoring in 59.72.

Wea, Murry, Robinson and Isaac placed 2nd in the sprint medley in 4:29.88, and the team of sophomore Chyanne Edwin, freshman Kimora Haskins, sophomore Janelle Sanabria and junior Dallas Walker ran 11:11.57 for 5th in the 4-by-8.

The Chimeras won Group 4 in 1980, 1981, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997, Group 3 in 1998 and 1999 and Group 1 in 2010.

Seniors Mawali Osunniyi of Mainland Regional and Jamile Gantt of Paulsboro both cleared 6-8 Saturday in the most competitive high jump competition at the Woodbury Relays in 15 years.

Osunniyi’s PR coming into the spring season was 6-4 from last year’s Group 3 sectionals at Delsea. He raised that to 6-6 at the Bridgeton Relays.

Gantt had a couple 6-8 clearances last year, including a 6-8 ¼ to win the state Group 1 title at Pennsauken.

They both found themselves at Woodbury Saturday, and they were separated by the slightest margin.

Both cleared 6-0, 6-2 and 6-4 on their first attempt, 6-6 on their second attempt and 6-8 on their first attempt and both missed all three tries at 6-10. They were separated only by Gantt’s miss on his first attempt of the competition at 5-10.

It’s the first time two South Jersey high jumpers have cleared 6-8 in the same meet in eight years, since the 2015 Meet of Champions, when three did. Williamstown’s Devin Bradham cleared cleared 6-10 to win the event, Bridgeton’s Marquese Bell was second on misses at 6-10 and Camden’s Dustin Singleton cleared 6-8 for 3rd place. Delsea’s Ameer Banks made it a 1-2-3-4 South Jersey sweep with a 6-6 for 4th place.

The last time two jumpers cleared 6-8 at Woodbury was 2008, when Montez Blair of Timber Creek cleared 7-0 and Matt Kates of Schalick was second at 6-8.

Osunniyi’s 6-8 puts him in a tie for No. 4 in Atlantic County history and matches the best jump by an Atlantic County high jumper in 18 years, since Egg Harbor’s Marshall Akins cleared 6-10 at the 2005 Meet of Champions in South Plainfield. Gantt is already No. 6 in Gloucester County history.

Even though they’re among the top high jumpers in the state, neither Osunniyi or Gantt is a school record holder. Mainland’s Paul Klemic set the state record that still stands at 7-4 ½ at 2000 Foot Locker Nationals in Raleigh, N.C. And Spencer Irvin set a Paulsboro school record of 6-10 some 30 years ago at the rain-postponed Haddonfield Invitational.

Timber Creek’s Karon Brookins cleared a PR 6-6 on his first attempt for 3rd place in what appears to be the second track meet of his life. According to his MileSplit page, he cleared 5-10 at Fast Times at Cherokee last weekend in his first meet.

Brookins appears to have matched the No. 2 jump in school history behind Blair. Will Allison (2004), Brandon Grayson (2011) and Diomari Gordon (2019) also cleared 6-6.

All-Time Atlantic County 6-8 List
7-4 ½ ..… Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 2000
6-10 …….. Marshall Akins [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2005
6-9 ………. Bob Reid [Oakcrest], 1977
6-8 ………. Dave Covington [Atlantic City], 1993
6-8 ………. Ryan O’Connell [Mainland Reg.], 1994
6-8 ………. Christiana Johnson [St. Augustine], 2001
6-8 ………. Nana Hensah-Bonsu [St. Augustine], 2000
6-8 ………. Matt Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 2002
6-8 ….…… A.J. Vance [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2012
6-8 ….…… Ben Mitchell [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2015
6-8 ….…… Mawali Osunniyi [Mainland Reg.], 2023

All-Time Gloucester County 6-8 List
6-10 …….. Spencer Irvin [Paulsboro], 1993
6-10 …….. Josh Butler [Delsea], 2006
6-10 …….. Devin Bradham [Williamstown], 2005
6-10 …….. Ameer Banks [Delsea], 2015
6-8 ½ … Rocky Harrison [Woodbury], 1975
6-8 ¼ … Jamile Gantt [Paulsboro], 2023
6-8 ……… Greg Collins [Deptford], 1980
6-8 ….…… Craig Howard [Washington Twp.], 1998
6-8 ………. Tim Cook [Glassboro], 2005

The Rancocas Valley girls became the first South Jersey school under four minutes in the 4-by-4 Saturday afternoon at the Blue Devil Relays in Westfield.

Sophomore Aniya Wilkins, junior Leah Howe, sophomore Cecilia King and senior Kasey White ran 3:59.67, holding off 2nd-place Elizabeth, which ran 4:01.47.

This is the 6th straight year R.V. has run sub-4 in the 1,600-meter relay (not counting the cancelled 2020 season). The Red Devils ran 3:57.03 in 2017, 3:50.36 in 2018, 3:48.87 in 2019, 3:57.32 in 2021 and 3:54.20 last spring.

Wilkins led off with a 61.2 split, with Howe splitting 59.2, King 59.9 and White anchoring in 58.8.

For the second straight year, Haddon Heights and Cinnaminson locked up in a terrific Woodbury Relays distance medley, and for the second straight year Heights came out on top in a very close finish.

Last year, Colin Patterson, Chris Hunter, Matthew Iuvara and Jack Bolling ran 10:27.31 for Heights, and Tyler Schill, Ryan Malinowski, Derek Coceano and Alex Boyko ran 10.28.95 for Cinnaminson.

On Saturday at the 49th annual Woodbury Relays, Heights ran 10:28.03 and Cinnaminson 10:29.54.

For Heights, Patterson, Iuvara and Bolling – all seniors – were joined by sophomore Mateo Bovell. We’re not sure who ran what, but presumably Patterson the 1,200, Bovell the 400, Iuvara the 800 and Bolling anchored.

For Cinnaminson, Boyko and Malinowski were joined by Josiah Saint Elien and Matt McCarron, presumably with Boyko on the 1,200 (but possibly McCarron), Saint Elien the 400, Malinowski the 800 and McCarron (but possible Boyko) anchoring. Boyko and McCarron are seniors, Saint Elien a junior and Malinowski a soph.

Heights’ leadoff ran 3:13.52 to 3:13.74 for Cinnaminson’s 1,200 leg. The 400s were also similar – 52.96 for Heights, 53.10 for Cinnaminson. Heights’ half-miler split 1:59.42 and Cinnaminson’s 2:02.23. Both anchors were fast – 4:21.85 for Heights and 4:20.50 for Cinnaminson.

There have been only two DMRs at Woodbury since 2016 where two teams broke 10:30 – Group 2 last year with Heights and Cinnaminson and Group 2 this year with Heights and Cinnaminson. Those are the four-fastest Group 2 times at Woodbury since 2014.

They’re also the four-fastest times at Woodbury in any group since 2018, when Kingsway ran 10:26.74 to win Group 4.

And they’re the two-fastest outdoor times in Heights history and Cinnaminson history.

Heights and Cinnaminson will both be racing in invitational relays next weekend at the 127th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field.

Cinnaminson got into the DMR by virtue of its 10:21.80 for 7th place at Armory Nationals indoors with McCarron on the 12, Saint Eileen the 4, Coceano the 8 and Boyko the 16. That’s slated for 5:05 p.m. next Friday.

Heights will race in the 3,200-meter relay with Bolling, senior Jonathan Hastings, Iuvara and Patterson. Heights qualified with an 8:07.47 at a SJTCA meet at Ocean Breeze in February.

Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey 10:30 list:

10:00.9h … Willingboro, 1983
10:10.62 … Haddonfield, 2016
10:10.74 … Washington Twp., 2000
10:10.8y … Haddon Township, 1973
10:12.65 … Mainland Reg., 2004
10:15.4y … Paul VI, 1976
10:15.5y … Highland, 1980
10:15.9y … Williamstown, 1973
10:16.11 … Cherokee, 2001
10:16.14 … Haddonfield, 2010
10:16.29 … Highland, 1991
10:17.2y … Williamstown, 1974
10:17.3y … Haddonfield, 1979
10:18.74 … Shawnee, 1991
10:19.11 … Washington Twp., 2009
10:19.47 … Cherokee, 2012
10:19.4y … Haddon Twp., 1972
10:19.4y … Paul VI., 1974
10:19.5y … Holy Cross, 1971
10:19.67 … Haddon Twp., 2015
10:19.90 … Cherry Hill East, 2016
10:20.11 … Haddonfield, 2002
10:20.92 … Rancocas Valley, 2015
10:20.98 … Northern Burlington, 2014
10:21.78 … Cherokee, 2000
10:22.3y … Highland, 1979
10:22.81 … Ocean City, 2003
10:22.9h … Paul VI, 1988
10:23.1y … Holy Cross, 1972
10:23.98 … Cherry Hill East, 2015
10:24.40 … Pleasantville, 2013
10:24.4h … Eastern, 1985
10:25.44 … Kingsway, 2019
10:25.6y … Gateway, 1979
10:25.6y … Woodbury, 1979
10:26.3y … Highland, 1979
10:26.3h … Cherokee, 1998
10.26.74 … Kingsway, 2018
10:26.90 … Camden Catholic, 2019
10:27.23 … Haddonfield, 2015
10:27.31 … Haddon Heights, 2022
10:27.81 … Washington Twp., 2002
10:27.9y … Haddon Twp., 1969
10:28.03 … Haddon Heights, 2023
10:28.46 … Haddonfield, 2011
10:28.65 … Delsea, 2012
10:28.95 … Cinnaminson, 2022
10:29.0h … Paul VI, 1990
10:29.1y … Gateway, 1978
10:29.41 … Cherokee, 2002
10:29.54 … Cinnaminson, 2023
10:29.56 … Eastern, 2015
10:30.1h … Paul VI, 1989
10:30.4h … Shawnee, 1989
10:30.64 … Northern Burlington, 2013

Big PR 1,500 for Cinnaminson’s Austin Gabay Friday night at Wake Forest. Gabay, a sophomore at Duke, ran 3:42.94 at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C.

That’s the equivalent of a 4:00.78 full mile.

Gabay was out in 43.40 for the first 300 and then hit his three 400s in 1:01.67, 1:00.20 and 57.68, so his final 800 was 1:57.88.

Gabay’s previous 1,500 PR was a 3:45.96 earlier this month on his home track in Durham. His mile PR 4:06.70 from an indoor meet in Lynchburg in February.

Unfortunately, Duke only lists an all-time top-5 on its web site, unlike most Division 1 schools, who list an all-time top 10. Duke’s 1,500 top-5 goes down to 3:42.07, so presumably Gabay lands somewhere in the top 10 – if they had one.

Gabay will be back home next weekend at the 127th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field. He’s listed as Duke’s anchor on a four-mile relay. Nick Dahl, Beck Wittstadt and James Lee are also scheduled to race. That’s scheduled for 1:20 p.m. next Saturday.

For those of you who keep track of this stuff, Gabay is now No. 8 on the all-time South Jersey 1,500 list:

3:36.98 … Ford Palmer [Absegami], July 18, 2015, Heusden-Zolder, Belgium
3:40.09 … Mark Sivieri [St.Augustine], May 31, 1996, Eugene, Ore.
3:40.90 … Rob Novak [Bordentown], May 22, 2010, Los Angeles
3:41.35 … Karl Savage [Eastern], June 26, 2004, Bloomington, Ind.
3:41.70 … John Richardson [Ocean City], June 15, 2007, Bloomington, Ind.
3:41.99 … Jimmy Wyner [Mainland Regional], May 30, 2009, Greensboro
3:42.82 … Brian Gallagher [Sterling], May 10, 1998, Chapel Hill, N.C.
3:42.94 … Austin Gabay [Cinnaminson], April 21, 2023, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ocean City junior Sophia Curtis didn’t waste any time etching her name into the record books in her first outdoor season at Ocean City.

Curtis, who shattered the South Jersey indoor triple jump record at Boston Nationals last month, posted the No. 3 mark in S.J. outdoor history Saturday in her first meet of the spring.

Indoors, Curtis placed 3rd at Boston Nationals, posting the three-best marks in South Jersey history (40-2, 40-9, 41-3 ¼). That was No. 2 in the state.

At the Lenape Invitational Saturday, Curtis was back in action for the first time and doubled the long jump with a 17-8 and the triple jump at 40-1.

That 40-1 is No. 3 in South Jersey history outdoors, behind Atlantic City’s Claudine Smith [42-2 in 2018] and Northern Burlington’s Ashley Edwards [40-10 ¼ in 2014]. It’s No. 17 in state history and broke the Cape May County record of 36-10 set at the 2010 state Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor by Yvonne Wolef of Middle Township.

Curtis’s previous outdoor triple jump PR was 38-8 ¾ from the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions last May at Salesianum.

She hit the 40-1 on her first jump. After a foul, she followed with jumps of 39-9 ½ and 39-0, giving her the three-best outdoor jumps of her life.

Also on Saturday, Curtis easily smashed her long jump PR in an event she rarely contests. In her first official long jump competition since her freshman year at Padua Academy in Wilmington, Del., she posted the No. 4 jump in Ocean County history. Her previous PR was 15-9 ¾ at a tri-meet at Salesianum in Wilmington in April of 2021. Wolef is the county record holder at 19-1 from the 2012 Cape Atlantic Conference Championships at Egg Harbor.

Curtis only had two legal jumps, going 17-4 ½ on her first and 17-8 on her fourth and final attempt. Senior teammate Elaina Styer took 2nd with a 17-3 ½. Styer is the Ocean City school record holder with her 17-9 ½ win last spring at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea. Interestingly, Styer also threw 33-5 ½ in the shot put, which is quite an unusual and impressive double. Could be a multi in her future.

Curtis is No. 1 in New Jersey in the triple jump and No. 5 in the long jump. According to the MileSplit national database, she’s the No. 5 junior in the U.S. so far in the triple.

She’s Ocean County record holder in the triple jump indoors and out and the high hurdles and 400 indoors. All she’d have to do to break the county mark in the long jump indoors or intermediates outdoors is enter a race.

She’s never run an official 400-meter hurdles race in a major meet because Delaware still runs 300 hurdles, but she was a state champ at 300 meters last year with a 44.51. She ran 1:02-point in a dual meet last week.

Curtis will compete in the triple jump at the 127th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field. That’s scheduled for 9:30 a.m. a week from Friday.

With her 41-3 ¼ indoors, Curtis has already qualified for the USATF Under-20 Championships July 6-9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The triple jump qualifying standard is 40-10 ¼ and the qualifying window opened Dec. 1, well before she jumped 41-3 ¼ at Ocean Breeze.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Moorestown sophomore I’mara Ford, who placed 2nd with a 38-1 1/4 jump. That’s No. 5 in Burlington County history and best in nine years. More later on I’mara, but Tthe all-time Burlco top-10 is listed below.

All-Time New Jersey Outdoor Triple Jump 40-Foot Club
44-11 … Keturah Orji [Mount Olive], 2013
42-2 3/4 … Charlene Cummings [Englewood], 1998
42-0 ….… Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2019
41-7 1/2 … Mahogany Jenkins [Watchung Hills], 2019
40-10 1/4 … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
40-9 1/2 … Iana Amsterdam [Essex Tech], 2013
40-7 3/4 … Kayla Richardson [Columbia], 2013
40-7 … Shenaie Herber [JFK Paterson], 2008
40-7 … Faith Bethea [Snyder], 2022
40-6 3/4 … Tiffany Bautista [Paramus Catholic], 2018
40-6 1/4 … Essence Mayers [Lakewood], 2011
40-6 … Jordan Fields [Columbia], 2016
40-5 ….. Nnenna Ibe [North Brunswick], 2015
40-4 1/2 … Adefunke Sonaike [Montgomery], 2011
40-3 1/4 … Ebony Young [Hillsborough], 2009
40-1 1/4 … Kaitlin Salisbury [Hawthorne], 2016
40-1 …… Domonique Pantin [Freehold Twp.], 2015
40-1 … Sophia Curtis [Ocean City], 2003
40-0 1/4 … Stephanie McIntyre [South Brunswick], 2007
40-0 ……….Bonvie Fosam [Robbinsville], 2017
40-0 ………. Ada Unachukwu [Marlboro], 2009

All-Time South Jersey Outdoor Triple Jump Top 10
42-2 … Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], 2018
40-10 ¼ … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
40-1 … Sophia Curtis [Ocean City], 2003
39-7 ½ … Zenee Gadson [Glassboro], 2012
39-7 ¼ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2012
39-6 … Jessica Mills [Deptford], 2005
39-5 ½ … Elizabeth Montague [Cherokee], 2014
39-3 … Genevieve Okoro [Eastern Reg.], 2010
39-2 ¼ … Mariah Hubbard [Absegami Reg.], 2016
38-11 … Rachel Montague [Cherokee], 2008

All-Time Burlington County Top-10
40-10 ¼ … Ashley Edwards [Northern Burlington], 2014
39-7 ¼ … Shaya Wilkerson [Lenape], 2012
39-5 ½ … Elizabeth Montague [Cherokee], 2014
38-11 … Rachel Montague [Cherokee], 2008
38-1 1.4 … I’mara Ford [Moorestown], 2023
37-9 ¼ … Ameenah Saalih [Rancocas Valley], 2017
37-9 … Shelby Sills [Cinnaminson], 2021
37-8 …… Akayla Leak [Burlington Twp.], 2019
37-7 ¼ … Erin Clark [Rancocas Valley], 2010
37-6 ½ … Nia Hinds [Burlington Twp.], 2016

Another huge meet for Princeton freshman Greg Foster, who was part of two all-time Tiger performances Saturday even though the Larry Ellis Invitational wasn’t completed.

First Foster, a Lumberton native who attended Lawrenceville School, led off Princeton’s 400-meter relay team, which ran 40.31 – 5th-fastest in Princeton history. Joey Gant, John Catherman and Ibrahim Ayorinde ran the last three legs.

Princeton’s time is No. 3 this year in the Ivy League but only 12-100ths behind top-ranked Harvard, which ran 40.19 last month at a meet in Houston.

Then he PR’d with a 14.23 with a legal wind – into a 0.1 – in the 110-meter high hurdles trials. He was the 2nd-fastest qualifier, behind only Richard Gilchrist of Mount St. Mary’s, who ran 14.14.

The meet was cancelled because of bad weather soon after the hurdles trials, and the hurdles final wasn’t held, and Foster didn’t get the chance to long jump or triple jump either.

Still, his 14.23 is tied for 4th-fastest in Princeton history. Foster’s previous hurdles PR was 14.30 last weekend at the Oscar Moore Invitational in Glassboro. Those are the only two races he’s ever run over the 42-inch hurdles at 110 meters.

Foster is No. 6 in the Ivy in the hurdles and the No. 2 freshman, 1-100th of a second behind Penn’s Jake Rose, but he’s the top wind-legal freshman in the conference.

Foster is No. 4 in the Ivy in the long jump at 24-5 ½ from the Texas Relays. He hasn’t triple jumped outdoors yet, but he was second at Heps indoors with a 50-7 ½ in Hanover, N.H.

His PRs are 51-0 ½ in the triple jump and 25-6 ¼, both from last June at Franklin Field.

 

Syracuse sophomore and Deptford graduate Naseem Smith won the 110-meter hurdles at a recent meet at Cortland, N.Y., this weekend with a PR.

Smith ran 14.38 to win the Red Dragon Open at SUNY Cortland. That lowered his PR from 14.46, which he ran last March at a meet at Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. He won this past weekend as well at a meet in Providence, R.I.

Smith has an indoor PR of 8.00 over the 60-meter highs, a time he achieved twice.

Smith’s time makes him No. 9 this year in the ACC, and he’s one of four South Jersey natives in the top-15: Miami junior Sincere Rhea from St. Augustine is No. 3 at 13.72, Syracuse junior Anthony Vazquez from Egg Harbor is No. 6 at 14.08, Smith is No. 9 and Syracuse sophomore Isaiah Lewis from Winslow is No. 15 at 14.96.

Syracuse will compete next weekend at the 127th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field. The college men’s hurdles is scheduled for 3:20 p.m. Friday, although the fields are not listed on the Penn Relays’ site yet.

The ACC Championships are scheduled for May 11-13 in Raleigh, N.C.

On Tuesday, we wrote about Iowa’s Tionna Tobias, and here’s the latest on another Iowa athlete from Winslow Township – Nylah Perry.

Perry, an Iowa sophomore, PR’d in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles over the weekend with a 58.61 at the Tom Jones Memorial at Percy Bread Track in Gainesville, Fla.

Perry’s previous PR was 58.72 from last year’s NCAA Division 1 West Preliminary round in Fayetteville, Ark.

Perry’s time is No. 7 in Iowa history and No. 6 in the Big Ten Conference so far this year.