With track season finally over, we’ll catch our breath and spend the next couple weeks taking a look at some top South Jersey athletes who fell through the cracks this year that we didn’t have a chance to write about.

TODAY: Absegami freshman Samia Ghazaz.

Samia Ghazaz had never broken 2:26 until sectionals, but in the span of two weeks she became one of the fastest half-milers in South Jersey this year, one of the fastest freshmen in the state and the fastest 800 runner from Atlantic County in six years.

Ghazaz, a freshman at Absegami, didn’t run indoors, so her first high school race was an 800 at the Lenape Girls Invitational on April 15, and it was a promising debut with a 2:28.38 for 4th place behind a senior and two juniors.

She dropped to 2:26.11 to win the 800 at the Atlantic County Championships in mid-May at Stockton University in Galloway Township and also ran her first 1,600, taking 3rd in 5:19.20 behind two really good milers – Mainland’s Gillian Lovett and Egg Harbor’s Michaela Schlemo.

But that was just the start.

At South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea, Ghazaz took 2nd to Highland’s Grace Wassell in the 800 in 2:20.71 – a 5 ½-second PR – and was 4th behind Delsea’s Lillie Widmer, Ocean City’s Maeve Smith and Lovett in 5:13.29, a 6-second PR.

Then it was off to states, where she lowered her 800 PR to 2:18.05 to place 8th in a very fast race. She was the top freshman runner in the race as well as the top South Jersey runner (Wassell focused on the 1,600 and placed 6th).

She qualified for the Meet of Champions and ran another 2:18-low, placing 19th overall – among every girl in the state – with a 2:18.13. She was the No. 3 freshman in the race, behind Shore Regional’s Kiera Greene [2:16.53] and Wall Township’s Cali Buxbaum [2:17.28] and the 3rd South Jersey finisher, behind winner Kadence Dumas of Eastern [2:10.44] and Cherokee senior Kelsey Niglio [2:13.42].

Ghazaz finished as the No. 8 half-miler in South Jersey this year and No. 19 in the 1,600. Among freshmen, she was No. 7 in the state in the 800 and also No. 7 in the state in the 1,600 – actually tied with Audubon’s Riley Fayer at 5:13.29.

The only faster South Jersey freshman in the 800 was West Deptford’s Kayla Romanoski, who ran 2:18.00 at the South Jersey Elite last month. Fayer and Ghazaz shared the top ranking among South Jersey freshmen in the 1,600.

Ghazaz is the fastest freshman from Atlantic County in the 800 since Bridget Flynn of Holy Spirit ran 2:15.98 at the state Parochial A meet in 2011 (Flynn later ran at Ocean City and ran as fast as 4:23.41 for Dartmouth at 2018 Heps). She’s fastest in Atlantic County in the 1,600 since Mainland’s Alyssa Aldridge ran 5:06.13 in 2015.

Overall, she’s the fastest 800 runner in Atlantic County since Aldridge ran 2:16.00 at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea in 2017.

Ghazaz swims for Absegami during the winter, but I couldn’t find any swimming results anywhere. Apparently, there is no equivalent of New Jersey MileSplit for swimming!

With Sunday’s midnight qualifying deadline passed, six South Jersey athletes have been accepted into the USATF Championships next month in Eugene.

Pleasantville’s Nia Ali, Kingsway’s Samuel Allen, Delsea’s Josh Awotunde, Eastern’s English Gardner, Florence’s Curtis Thompson and Cherokee’s Jess Woodard are all scheduled to compete in the U.S. Championships, scheduled for July 6-9 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Earlier this week, we took a look at the six South Jersey athletes headed for Eugene for the Under-20 Championships, held concurrently at the same venue. Click here for that post.

Click here for the schedule of events for nationals: Complete time schedule.

√  Nia Ali: Now 34, Ali is still going strong and remains one of the fastest hurdlers in the world. Ali, Olympic silver medalist in 2016, world champion in 2019 and indoor world champion in 2014 and 2016, is No. 9 in the world this year and No. 6 American with her 12.53 in the 100-meter hurdles in a meet in Gainesville back in April. Her 12.34 from Worlds in 2019 in Doha, Qatar, is No. 12 in world history and No. 4 all-time U.S. Ali is the No. 6 seed this year and actually has a 12.49 in the qualifying period from the semifinals of last year’s U.S. Championshisp in Eugene on June 25, 2022, two days after the 2023 qualifying period opened.

√ Samuel Allen: Kingsway graduate Sam Allen, 21, qualified in the 20,000-meter walk thanks to his 1:30.43.43 from his 3rd-place finish last June at the 2022 World Race Walking Team USA Trials at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, Calif. [The race walk qualifying window opened Jan. 31, 2022.] Allen ranked No. 2 among American men in the 20,000-meter race walk last year. Allen most recently placed 3rd at Mt. SAC with a 1:31.05.29. In February, he won the mile walk at Millrose [6:13.58] and was 4th at U.S. Senior Nationals in the 3,000 in Albuquerque [12:51.32].

√ Josh Awotunde: The 28-year-old Awotunde has only competed three times this this year after placing 3rd in the shot put at last year’s World Championships in Eugene with a mammoth 73-1 ½, the no. 5 throw in meet history. Awotunde is No. 18 in world history with that throw and No. 11 in U.S. history. So far this year, Awotunde has thrown only at the USATF Grand Prix in L.A. in May and the Diamond League meet in Florence, Italy, and 5th annual Irena Szewińska Memorial at Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland, last month. His best throw so far this year is 68-7 ¼ in Poland, which makes him No. 29 in the world this year and No. 11 among Americans. Because it came after the 2023 qualifying window opened, Awotunde’s 73-1 ½ is his seeded throw, which makes him the No. 3 seed.

√  English Gardner: Gardner, a two-time U.S. champion, 2016 Olympic 4-by-100 gold medalist and 2021 4-by-100 silver medalist, returns for her 11^th U.S. national championships. Gardner, now 31, won the 100 at nationals in 2013 in 10.85 and in 2016 – the Olympic Trials – in 10.74. Gardner hasn’t broken 11.00 since 2016 but she ran 11.09 in 2021, 11.08 in 2022 and 11.13 already this year, that coming last month in Bermuda. Her qualifying time is 11.08 from a meet last September in Pápa, Hungary. Gardner’s 10.74 PR is No. 10 in world history and No. 5 in U.S. history (although she’d be higher on a list of clean athletes).

√ Curtis Thompson: Florence High graduate goes after his 3rd U.S. title in the javelin. Thompson, 27, won the 2018 national title in Des Moines at 249-3 ¾ and the 2021 national title in Eugene at 271-7. That was also the Olympic Trials, and Thompson went on to compete in his first Olympics in August 2021 in Tokyo. Thompson is the top seed by virtue of his 276-4 at the NACAC Championships in Freeport, the Bahamas, last Aug. 20, but his 287-8 ¾ in East Stroudsburg – No. 3 in U.S. history – also came within the qualifying window [July 9, 2022], so not sure why he’s not listed with that mark. Doesn’t really matter. So far this spring, Thompson’s best throw is a 261-3 ¾ at Kuortaneen Keskusurheilukenttä in Kuortane, Finland, which ranks him No. 5 among U.S. men. But the top five have all thrown between 261-3 ¾ and 265-1 ¾ so there’s no clear favorite, although Thompson does have the best PR among all qualifiers. Thompson’s 287-8 ¾ in East Stroudsburg is the best throw by an American since Breaux Greer threw 299-6 in Indianapolis in 2007.

√ Jessica Woodard: Similarly, Woodard is the No. 3 seed in the shot put with her 63-7 ¾ to place 3rd at the U.S. Championships in Eugene this past June. The 28-year-old Marlton native is the No. 14 American woman all-time with that throw. Woodard’s best this year is 61-5 ¼ in Tucson, Ariz., last month, which makes her No. 6 U.S. thrower this year and No. 20 in the world.

√ And maybe …: One other athlete to keep an eye on: Winslow graduate Tionna Tobias, who won the Big Ten heptathlon for Iowa with a lifetime-best score of 5,640 in May, is listed as “not qualified” on the “status of entries” list because the A standard is 6,000 points. But only women are listed with qualifying marks of at least 6,000, and the qualifying standard page on the USATF web site shows a field size of 16, and Tobias’s 5,640 is the 16th-highest score listed, so it’s possible she will be added to the field. Of course with USATF in charge, we probably won’t know until the meet is underway.

 

As the entry deadline passed at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, six South Jersey athletes were accepted into the USATF Under-20 Championships next month in Eugene.

Kingsway’s Ryan Allen, Haddonfield’s Seth Clevenger, Millville’s Bryanna Craig, Ocean City’s Sophia Curtis, Lumberton’s Greg Foster and Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker are all scheduled to compete at Hayward Field from July 7-9.

The meet is open to athletes who don’t turn 20 before midnight on Dec. 31, 2023, so mostly college freshmen but a healthy slate of high school athletes as well.

Here’s a closer look at the South Jersey contingent heading to Oregon:

✔️  Ryan Allen: Allen, a Kingsway graduate, just finished his freshman year at Cornell, is entered in the 10,000-meter walk. He’s listed with a PR of 49:53.14, and although that mark for some reason isn’t listed among the World Athletics leaders, he’s the No. 1 junior in the U.S. in the 5,000 walk with his 22:38.48 at the Penn Relays. The 10,000-meter walk is scheduled for 11:46 a.m. EST Saturday, July 8.

✔️  Seth Clevenger: Former Haddonfield star recently completed his freshman year at Iowa State. He’s entered in both the 5,000 and 10,000 with a 3:48.23 in the 1,500 and a 14:24.57 in the 5,000. Neither mark shows up on the World Athletics U.S. Under-20 list, probably because World Athletics doesn’t have Clevenger’s birthday. Clevenger ran 3:48.23 at a meet last month in Ames and ran his 14:24.57 at a meet in Azusa, Calif., in April. The 1,500 first round is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EST Friday, July 7, with the final at 6:12 p.m. EST Sunday, July 9. The 5,000 final is scheduled for 7:24 p.m. Sunday, July 9.

✔️  Bryanna Craig: Craig scored a lifetime-best 5,460 points in her last heptathlon, at the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind. (won by Winslow graduate Tionna Tobias), which makes her the No. 4 American and No. 21 Under-20 in the world. She appears to be the No. 2 seed behind JaiCieonna Gero-Holt of Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Wash., who scored a sophomore-record 5,481 at Eugene Nationals last week. Gero-Holt finished 13 points ahead of Craig at last year’s Under-20 Championships in Eugene, and they both made the U.S. team that competed at the World Under 20 Championships in Cali, Columbia. The two-day heptathlon begins with the 100-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. EST Friday, July 7, and concludes with the 800-meter run at 4:01 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 8.

✔️  Sophia Curtis: Curtis had a historic junior year at Ocean City running 1:00.42 in the 400-meter hurdles and triple jumping 41-3 ¼, and it looks like she plans to contest both in Eugene. Looks like she’s No. 9 seed in the triple jump and No. 8 in the 400IH – as a rising high school senior. The triple jump is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST Friday. The 400 hurdles first round is scheduled for 6:04 p.m. EST Saturday, July 8, with the final at 6:38 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 9.

✔️  Greg Foster: After finishing his freshman year at Princeton, Foster heads to Eugene to compete in both horizontal jumps. Foster is the top seed in the long jump with his 26-1 ¾ from outdoor Heps at Franklin Field and 51-0 ½ from last year’s West Philly Nationals (the qualifying window opened June 8, and the triple jump was June 17). Based on the entries, Foster appears to be the top seed in both jumps. Triple jump final is 6:05 p.m. EST Friday. Long jump final is 3:10 p.m. EST Saturday.

✔️  Bryce Tucker: Thanks to his 50.96 to win his 3rd straight Meet of Champions title, Tucker is the No. 1 seed by 1-100th of a second over Yan Vazquez of UCLA, who ran 50.97 in the trials of the NCAA Western Preliminaries. Tucker is the No. 14 Under-20 in the world. First round is 6:24 p.m. EST Saturday and the final is 6:46 p.m. EST Sunday.

With track season finally over, we’ll catch our breath and spend the next couple weeks taking a look at some top South Jersey athletes who fell through the cracks this year that we didn’t have a chance to write about.

TODAY: Bishop Eustace junior Shawn Brady.

It was truly the Year of the Discus in South Jersey, with eight weight guys surpassing 160 feet (and another 10 inches away).

Six of the top 10 throwers in the state this past year were from South Jersey, and the eight 160-foot throwers is the most South Jersey has produced since 2014, when there were nine. Five of the eight – including Brady – made it onto the all-time South Jersey top-5.

Brady had a very consistent junior year. After PR’ing with 140-9 last year, he hit 150 feet for the first time in his season opener at the Don Danser Relays [152-0], improved to 156-5 at the South Jersey Elite, 158-9 winning the Camden County Championships, then surpassed 160 feet for the first time at the Olympic Conference meet, which he won at 166-6.

Brady won the state Parochial B meet with a 163-4, joining Rich DiGiovanni [154-2 in 1991 and 150-11 in 1992], Mike Harte [143-0 in 1996] and Montel Johnson [149-6 in 2017] as Eustace’s 4th state discus champion since 1986.

Then it was off to the Meet of Champions, where Brady placed 6th with another PR 169-1. He was 3rd among underclassmen, behind two juniors – Bergen Catholic’s Ben Shue, 2nd at 190-8, and Glassboro’s Damere Lassiter , 4th at 171-7. And he was the No. 3 South Jersey placer, behind Lassiter and Rancocas Valley senior Devon Brooks, who was 5th at 169-9.

Brady also became the first Eustace thrower – shot, disc, jav – to ever place in the top six at a Meet of Champions since the meet’s inception in 1969.

Brady also placed 2nd in the state Parochial B meet in the shot put with a PR 50-2, which made him the No. 8 underclassman in South Jersey this past spring and the No. 2 overall Parochial B returner, behind only Meet of Champs winner Joshua Huisman, who hit 64-7 ¾ and was the No. 4 junior in the country, according to the MileSplit national database. It was Huisman that Brady topped in the state meet in the discus by more than 10 feet.

Here’s what the loaded South Jersey top 10 from 2023 looks like:

184-8 … *Damere Lassiter [Glassboro]
183-4 … Janier Armstead [Penns Grove]
177-4 … Malicah Etienne [Cinnaminson]
170-5 … Devon Brooks [Rancocas Valley]
169-1 … *Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace]
166-6 … Luke Maxwell [Delsea]
160-11 … *Gabriel Wilson [Absegami]
160-1 … Keishon Patterson [Williamstown]
159-2 … Micah Walker [Oakcrest]
158-0 … Chris Griffin [Egg Harbor Twp.]

Lassiter, Brady and Wilson are the No. 1, 2 and 4 rising seniors in the state.

Meanwhile, Absegami’s Gabriel Wilkins – with his 160-11 at the state Group 3 meet – is the top returner in the state in Group 3 and the No. 5 overall returner for 2024, behind Shue, Lassiter, Brady and Huisman.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey discus top-50, with five new additions from this spring:

216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
199- 6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197- 0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
192- 5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
189- 7 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
185-11 … John Mooers [Middle Twp.], 2015
185-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], 1985
185- 7 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], 2010
185- 6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
185- 5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
184-8 … Damere Lassiter [Glasboro], 2023
184- 4 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], 2017
183-9 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
183-4 … Janier Armstead [Penns Grove], 2023
181-10 … Jason Winrow [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
180- 3 … Howard Clark [Pennsauken], 1998
179-11 … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
179-11 … Will Cioffi [Pitman], 2013
178- 0 … Jim Stites [Millville], 1970
177-4 … Malicah Etienne [Cinnaminson], 2023
174- 9 … John Ridinger [West Deptford], 1982
173-10 … Mark Rifkin [Cherry Hill West], 1978
175- 7 … John Clark [Pennsville], 2007
174-11 … Rich Lewis [Williamstown], 1985
174-11 … Cade Berardelli [Delsea], 2022
174- 6 … Josh Dillard [Lindenwold], 2005
174- 4 … Dennis Norman [Cherokee], 1997
174- 3 … Alex Lewis [Delran], 2000
173- 6 … Ryan Knight [Delsea], 1996
173- 3 … Jake Nwosu [Delsea], 2019
173- 2 … Darren Wan [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2016
172- 1 … Derek Frazier [Williamstown], 1978
171-10 … Steve Muse [Kennedy], 1984
171- 6 … Rashaun Graves [Willingboro], 2013
171- 4 … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], 1998
170-10 … John McNeil [Kennedy], 1976
170-5 … Devon Brooks [Rancocas Valley], 2023
170- 4 … Kurtis Johnson [Burlington Twp.], 1987
170- 0 … Anthony Robertson [Penns Grove], 2014
169-10 … Julian Giovinetti [Haddon Twp.], 2016
169- 8 … Ell Ash [Willingboro], 2004
169- 7 … Chuck Spinner [Willingboro], 1979
169 – 2 … Greg Hardy [Willingboro], 1988
169- 1 … Cade Antonucci [Holy Spirit], 2017
169-1 … Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace], 2023
169- 0 … Brian Glenn [Eastern], 1968
168- 9 … John Purvis [Winslow Twp.], 2019
168- 3 … Tom VonReichbauer [Moorestown], 2000
168- 3 … Nate Karl [Hammonton], 2019

With track season finally over, we’ll catch our breath and spend the next couple weeks taking a look at some top South Jersey athletes who fell through the cracks this year that we didn’t have a chance to write about.

TODAY: Eastern junior Zoe Goldberg

Talk about consistency. Eastern’s rising senior Zoe Goldberg threw the javelin at least 126-8 in her last seven meets and after a 119-6 at the Deptford Spartan Relays in her first meet of the year back on April 8, Goldberg threw at least 123-2 in her 10 remaining major meets.

Goldberg may have spent much of the spring in the shadow of another South Jersey Group 4 thrower, Millville’s Texas Tech-bound Leah Howard, who was U.S. No. 7 with her 163-1 and won the Meet of Champions, but Goldberg had a terrific year in her own right.

She surpassed 130 feet four times, including wins at Fast Times at Cherokee [131-4] and the Olympic Conference [132-0]. She was 3rd at the state Group 4 meet [127-0] and the Meet of Champions [136-3]

That 136-3 made her the top underclassman in New Jersey by about five feet over Kitty Williams of Montclair Kimberley, who threw 131-6 at a meet last month in Newark.

The only other returning 125-foot thrower in South Jersey is Goldberg’s teammate at Eastern, rising senior Aniyah Smith, who PR’d at 126-9 at the Woodbury Relays. Smith is also the No. 6 returner in the discus in South Jersey with her PR of 116-6 at sectionals. She was a top-10 finisher in the Meet of Champions in the disc and a sectional medalist in the shot.

Eastern won the South Jersey Group 4 title and placed 2nd at the Group 4 state championships.

As you can see, both Goldberg and Smith are on the all-time Camden County top-10 and No. 2 and 3 in Eastern history, behind Caitlin Cielo, who threw 140-1 at the 2002 Meet of Champions – the first year of the new javelin.

152- 9 … Kate Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
148- 8 … Caitlin Cielo [Eastern], 2002
142-3 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
136-7 … Zoe Goldberg [Eastern], 2022
136- 6 … Danielle Still [Bishop Eustace], 2002
132- 4 … Kelsey Reese [Paul VI], 2011
128-5 … Saraly Gonzalez [Sterling], 2018
127-11 … Pam Watson [Haddon Heights], 2016
127-5 … Bernadette McGowan [Paul VI], 2016
126-9 … Aniyah Smith [Eastern], 2023

Just so these marks don’t get lost forever, here’s the all-time Camden County top-10 with the old javelin (actually it’s only a top-9 since only nine Camden County girls threw 125+ with the old javelin):

149-5 … Carla Brown [Overbrook], 1986
147-7 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
139-2 … Liz Griesback [Cherry Hill East], 2001
132-11 … Sherri Redd [Camden], 1982
133-3 … Brooke Derham [Haddonfield], 1998
128-2 … Mary Klinewski [Gloucester Catholic], 1980
127-3 … Tracie Pickard [Highland], 1979
126-9 … Connie Labouff [Haddon Twp.], 2000
125-8 … Sherreta Butler [Camden], 1996

Deptford’s Lathan Brown ran a personal-best 48.72 Saturday in the Under-20 400 at the USATF New York City Grand Prix at Ichan Stadium on Randall’s Island.

Brown placed 3rd behind Meet of Champions runner-up Jaden Marchan of Leonia, who won the race in 48.00, and Jaylin Santiago of Fordham Prep of the Bronx, who was 2nd in 48.22.

Brown had a high school PR of 48.76 from his win at the South Jersey Group 3 sectionals at Delsea. He went on to win the state Group 3 title also at Delsea. He picked the intermediates for the Meet of Champions and placed 3rd in a PR 52.65 – 5th-fastest in Gloucester County history – and also took 5th at West Philly Nationals in 53.44, earning All-America honors.

He’s not yet listed on the entries, but Brown has qualified for the 400IH at the USATF Under-20 Championships in Eugene, Ore., next month. The 400IH qualifying standard is 53.54.

Brown will join Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker as part of Rutgers’ incoming track class this fall. Tucker was U.S. No. 1 in the 400-meter hurdles this spring with his 50.96 to win his 3rd straight Meet of Champions.

With track season finally over, we’ll catch our breath and spend the next couple weeks taking a look at some top South Jersey athletes who fell through the cracks this year that we didn’t have a chance to write about.

Today: Julian Coppage-Seepersaud, Thomas Howard Jr., Xavier Bancroft, Jameer Bellamy, Caleb White

Julian Coppage-Seepersaud ran 11.11, 22.91 and 49.18 this year. Thomas Howard Jr. ran 22.34 and 50.77. Xavier Bancroft ran 11.34, 22.60 and 51.27. Jameer Bellamy clocked a 11.34 and Caleb White 54.49.

Some pretty fast sprinters for Rancocas Valley this spring.

What’s crazy is that all of them are freshmen.

R.V. assembled the greatest collection of freshman sprinters on record, which means since MileSplit began putting together its New Jersey performance lists in 2006. Before that, it’s impossible to determine what year many runners were since most results didn’t list grades and New Jersey Track Annuals, which did list grades, didn’t have particularly deep lists.

But since 2006, no other New Jersey school had three freshmen run 51.27 or faster the same year or three freshmen at sub-23.00.

Coppage-Seepersaud was the No. 2 freshman at 100 meters in New Jersey, 2-100ths of a second behind Piscataway’s Donald Nwaigwe, who ran 11.09. Howard Jr. and Bancroft were both among the top 10 freshmen in the 100.

In the 200, Howard Jr. and Bancroft were two-fastest freshmen in the state this year, and Coppage-Seepersaud – we’ll shorten it to JCS – was No. 4, with Pennsauken’s KaRon Ali breaking up the Red Devil group with a 22.69.

In the 400, JCS and Ali were the top two freshmen in the state – Ali ran 49.39 at sectionals. Howard was 5th and Bancroft 8th.

JCS is the fastest South Jersey freshman since Haddonfield’s Luke Colehower ran 48.31 in 2016. He also split 48.29 anchoring R.V.’s 1,000-meter sprint medley at West Philly Nationals. The Red Devils earned All-America honors with a 3rd-place finish in 1:57.33. Howard Jr. also ran on that team, as did senior Jadon Kendrick and sophomore David Smith.

He’s also closing in on the R.V. school record of 48.88 set by Brian Merriman at the 2017 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.

R.V.’s school records in the two short sprints are 10.72 and 21.66 by Sterling Pierce in 2015.

White also ran 54.49, which means R.V.’s four-fastest freshmen went 49.18, 50.77, 51.27 and 54.49, which adds up to 3:25.71 – without accounting for running starts in a relay.

Over the last 18 years, JCS, Howard Jr. and Bancroft are the three-fastest freshman in the 400 in Burlington County.

Let’s add up R.V.’s four-fastest freshmen in the 200: 22.34, 22.60, 22.91, 23.93 for a composite total of 1:31.78.

You never know how freshmen are going to progress. Some find other interests or other sports. Some just don’t improve. Some transfer out. But this group has a ton of potential, and it’s going to be fun following their progress over the coming years.

With track season finally over, we’ll catch our breath and spend the next couple weeks taking a look at some top South Jersey athletes who fell through the cracks this year that we didn’t have a chance to write about.

Today: Sunsarai Moore, Glassboro

Sunsarai Moore started out her freshman year placing 28th in the discus at the Deptford Spartan Relays the first week of the season.

She improved so much over the next couple months that she was the top freshman discus thrower in the state by the end of the year.

Moore threw 95-9 in her 2nd meet, Fast Times at Cherokee, and then hit 100 feet for the first time at Delsea Crusader Field Event Meet in late May with a 107-9.

At Group 1 sectionals, she PR’d at 118-2 and placed 3rd behind Clayton junior Maylisa Bluford [129-5] and Schalick junior Grace O’Neill [125-11] and then PR’d again at states with 118-8 behind only Bluford’s 129-3.

So she went from 28th at Deptford on April 8 to 2nd in the entire state Group 1 on June 10.

She was the only freshman to even reach the Meet of Champions – she placed 17th overall – and finished the year 11th overall in South Jersey and is the No. 6 returning thrower for the 2024 season.

In the last 20 years, the only freshman in South Jersey to throw farther was Rancocas Valley’s Ravin Hood, who hit 130-6 at the 2019 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington. Moore is the top Group 1 freshman in at least 20 years.

With three years to go, Moore is already within 11 feet of the Glassboro school record of 129-3 set by Stacie Belzer at the 2002 Tri-County Conference All-Star Meet at Delsea.

It was a heck of a rookie year for Karon Brookins, a 1st-year sophomore sprinter and jumper at Timber Creek.

In his first season of high school track, Brookins had success in a number of events this spring and wound up tied as the No. 1 sophomore high jumper in New Jersey, No. 3 long jumper, No. 12 triple jumper and No. 15 in the 100-meter dash.

On the South Jersey lists, he’s No. 1 sophomore in the high jump, No. 1 in the long jump, No. 4 in the 100 and No. 7 in the triple jump.

Brookins cleared 6-6 in the high jump at the Woodbury Relays, hit 22-2 in the long jump to place 2nd in the state Group 4 meet – just 4 ½ inches from a state title – triple jumped 43-0 ½ to win the Camden County meet and PR’d in the 100 with his 11.11 at states after medaling at sectionals.

Not many athletes even attempt those diverse events. Brookins was the only athlete in the state this year just to jump as high as 6-6 and run as fast as 11.11. So you can can imagine how rare 6-6 / 22-2 / 43-0 1/2 / 11.11 is.

Brookins caught 15 passes for 250 yards and two TDs for Timber Creek’s football team this past fall. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds.

Delsea graduate Elisia Lancaster won the hammer throw at the Elliott Denman New Jersey International Track Meet at Holmdel High School on Saturday.

Lancaster threw 205-1 in her first meet in her home state since the Lions Invitational on April 26, 2019, when she was attending Rowan College Gloucester County. She then competed for Towson before settling at Southern Illinois, where she blossomed into one of the top throwers in the country.

Lancaster threw a PR 220-4 last spring in a meet in Des Moines and went on to compete in the NCAA Division 1 Championships.

Lancaster is the No. 22-ranked American woman this year with her near-PR 220-3 at the Gary Wieneke Memorial Invitational at Demirjian Park in Champaign, Ill., in April.