Andrew Lodge’s crazy improvement from high school to college continued Saturday when he broke 22 seconds in the 200 for the first time.

Lodge never broke 23 seconds at Shawnee.

Lodge’s time is No. 3 in TCNJ history, behind four-time All-America Eric Green from Clifford Scott High in East Orange, who ran 21.34 twice in 2002 – in the trials and the finals of the NCAA Division 3 Championships in St. Paul, Minn., where he placed 4^th (the race was won by William Paterson’s Robert Hargrove from Vineland) – and Chris Medina of Monsignor Donovan in Toms River, who ran 21.85 at TCNJ’s own Last Chance Invitational in Ewing in 2012.

It was his first outdoor race ever for TCNJ and his first outdoor 200 in nearly three years.

Lodge’s time is No. 3 in TCNJ history, behind Eric Green, who ran 21.34 in 2002, and Chris Medina, who ran 21.95 in 2012.

That 21.93 is also No. 18 in NCAA Division 3 in the early going this year and No. 1 among NJAC sprinters.

At Shawnee, Lodge ran 24.29 as a freshman in 2016, 23.51 as a sophomore, 24.04 as a junior and PR’d with a 23.09 for 12th place in 2019 at the South Jersey Invitational at Delsea. He did run 50.88 in the 400, good for 2nd place in the County Open at Rancocas Valley behind Cinnaminson’s John Meekins.

At TCNJ, Lodge ran 22.83 indoors as a freshman in 2020 in a meet in Boston and also PR’d at 400 meters with a 50.18 at the same meet.

This past indoor season, he had a breakthrough in the 400, setting an indoor school record of 48.89 at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships at Ocean Breeze, taking 2nd behind Rowan’s Amara Conte, who ran 48.45, but he didn’t run the 200 at the conference meet (although he did lead off TCNJ’s 3rd-place 4-by-4).

He did lower his 200 PR to 22.46 in Boston, but he only ran the open 200 twice.

But this weekend he PR’d by more than half a second in his first outdoor 200 since the 2019 Olympic Conference Championships at Washington Township, where he placed 3rd in 23.19.

Delsea graduate Elisia Lancaster, a senior at Southern Illinois, opened her 2022 outdoor season with a PR in the hammer throw in a meet in Murray, Ky.

Lancaster threw 208-5 at the Margaret Simmons Invitational at Hamilton Field about a half mile from the Murray State University campus. Her previous PR was a 207-11 from last April at the Rock Chalk Classic in Lawrence, Kans.

Post-graduate Deanna Price, the American record holder, a two-time Olympic finalist and the 2019 world champion, won the event with a throw of 237-6.

Southern Illinois teammates Shauniece O’Neal and Lancaster placed 2nd and 3rd, O’Neal with a throw of 214-3 and Lancaster with her 208-5. They are the top two marks in Southern Illinois history and they rank No. 6 and No. 12 in NCAA Division 1 so far this spring.

Lancaster, who placed 10th at the NCAA Championships in Birmington two weeks ago in the weight throw, now ranks No. 12 among U.S. women.

Jewel Ash shattered her own Charleston Southern 400-meter intermediate hurdles school record Saturday, leading three South Jersey girls among the top seven finishers at the Raleigh Relays.

Ash, an Eastern graduate, won the event at North Carolina State’s Paul Derr Track in 59.22, breaking her own school record of 59.50 set last year when she won the event at the Big South Championships in High Point, N.C.

Two other South Jersey runners ran collegiate bests in the race. Princeton freshman Arianna Smith of Pennsville placed 4th in 1:00.51 and Penn freshman Aliya Garozzo from Paul VI ran 1:01.43 for 7th.

Ash’s time is No. 11 in NCAA Division 1 so far this year. This was her first intermediate hurdles race since her 59.50 in May.

These three women are no strangers. They’ve been racing against each other for years. At the 2019 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington, Smith won the intermediates, Garozzo was 4th and Ash was 6th as a junior.

On Saturday, Garozzo raced in the 1st of six 400IH sections, Smith in the 3rd and Ash in the final race.

Smith and Garozzo moved into the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the 2022 Ivy League list. Smith’s time is No. 8 in Princeton history, and Garozzo’s time is No. 7 in Penn history.

 

Curtis Thompson uncorked one of the biggest throws of his life Friday in Austin.

Thompson, an Olympian and two-time U.S. javelin champion, threw 263-11 at the 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike Myers Stadium on the University of Texas campus.

The Florence High School graduate won the event by 5 ½ feet over Olympic Trials finalist Zach Holland of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., who threw a personal-best 258-6.

Thompson’s 263-10 is Thompson’s 6th-farthest throw ever and just eight feet and one inch off his lifetime best of 271-11, which he threw at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Thompson and Holland are now No. 1 and No. 2 in the U.S. this year. Thompson is No. 10 in the world, and Holland is No. 16. The meet produced four of the top 27 throws in the world this year.

Thompson opened his series Friday in Austin with a 255-3 and a foul. Holland took the lead with his 258-6 on his 3rd throw and 19-year-old Baylor freshman Chinecherem Prosper Nnamdi of Nigeria threw a PR 257-3 on his 5th throw to bump Thompson into 3rd place.

Thompson hit 253-7 219-1 and 239-1 on his 3rd, 4th and 5th attempts before securing the win on his final throw. Nnamdi’s throw is No. 2 in Nigerian history, behind only a 266-0 by Pius Bazighe at Athens Tsiklitiria in 1999.

Here’s a look at Thompson’s eight lifetime 260-foot throws:
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016
271-7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021
267-2 … USATF Throws Fest, Roy P. Drachman Stadium, Tucson, Ariz., May 22, 2021
265-10 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 17, 2021
265-10 … Florida State Relays, Mike Long Track, Tallahassee, Fla., March 25, 2016
263-10 … 94th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Mike A. Myers Stadium, Austin, Texas, March 25, 2022
260-11 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 30, 2016
260-1 … NACAC Under-23, San Salvador, Estadio Jorge “Mágico” González, June 17, 2016

Cinnaminson graduate Mike Ungvarsky ran a big steeplechase PR Friday in Raleigh, N.C.

Ungvarsky, a Duke junior, ran 8:53.10 and placed 11th out of 53 runners in the 3,000 steeple at the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State’s Paul Derr Stadium. He was 3rd in his section.

His previous steeple PR was 9:02.04 from the 2019 Penn Relays. He didn’t race outdoors in the spring of 2020 or 2021, and his entire 2019 outdoor season consisted of a few relay legs and four steeples.

Ungvarsky’s time is No. 5 in Duke history. After getting out in 38 seconds for the first 200, he split 71.33, 71.12, 69.68, 69.40, 71.83, 72.02 and 69.74.

Ungvarsky never ran a steeplechase until he arrived at Duke. This was his first steeple in almost three years, since he ran 9:15.11 at the 2019 ACC Championships in Charlottesville, Va., in May of 2019.

Who’s the last South Jersey runner to go sub-9 in the steeplechase? 

Great question and I have no idea what the answer is. If you know of any, please let me know in the comment’s section! 

In the first outdoor 400 of her collegiate career, Eastern graduate Jewel Ash broke the Charleston Southern school record Friday afternoon.

Ash ran 54.04 at the Raleigh Relays, breaking the school record of 54.39 set by Dionne Gibson at the 2008 Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta.

It’s Ash’s second school record at Charleston Southern. She ran 59.50 in the intermediates last spring in the prelims at the Big South Conference Championships in High Point, N.C.

Ash broke her 400 PR of 55.37, which she ran this past indoor season at the Big South Conference Indoor Championships at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she placed 2nd to North Carolina A&T’s Delecia McDuffie.

Ash ran her 54.04 in the 10th of 12 sections, and her time held up for 2nd overall even after the two “fast” sections. McDuffie was the only quarter-miler to bump Ash with her 53.46 in the final race.

Ash’s time is No. 15 in NCAA Division 1 so far this spring.

Ash is also No. 6 in school history in the 100 hurdles at 14.14 and No. 2 in the indoor 400 with her 55.37. She’s run 14.14 twice, including into a 1.2 meters-per-second wind last weekend in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The women’s 400-meter hurdles is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. The official meet timing site does not yet have a start list for the event, but based on her flat 400 time you would think Ash’s 400IH PR is in jeopardy in good conditions.

In the same event Friday, Cherry Hill East graduate Maya Drayton, a Georgetown junior, ran 56.70. Drayton and Ash were briefly teammates at Cherry Hill East in 2017.

Rancocas Valley graduate Bethany Biggi moved into the No. 6 spot in the hepthatlon in James Madison history with her season-opening PR performance in a meet in North Carolina.

Biggi, a JMU junior, scored 4,486 points at the Bob Davidson Memorial Invitational at High Point University’s Dick Vert Stadium.

Her score is only 342 points off the school record of 4,828 set by Nicolette Serratore at the 2019 Roadrunner Invitational in San Antonio. That’s less than 50 points per event.

Biggi opened by running 15.80 in the 100-meter hurdles for 739 points and then added 701 points with a 5-1 ¾ clearance in the high jump. She finished Day 1 by scoring 497 points with a 31-2 ½ in the shot and then 697 points running 27.18 in the 200.

On Day 2, she long jumped 17-6 ¼ for 654 points, threw the javelin 108-4 for 534 points and ran the closing 800 in 2:32.33 for 664 points.

Biggi’s previous heptathlon PR was 4,451 points at the Colonial Athletic Championships last spring at her home track in Harrisonburg, Va.

Her 200, hurdles and long jump were all PRs, although her hurdles time was slightly wind-aided at 2.1 meters-per-second.

Biggi already ranks 10th on the school’s all-time list in the high jump [5-4 ¼], 8th in the javelin [117-9], 8th in the indoor high jump [5-5 ¾] and 5th in the indoor pentathlon [3,476 points]

Collingswood grad Adam Hunt opened the outdoor season with a discus PR and the No. 4 throw in Rutgers history.

Hunt, a Rutgers sophomore, threw 181-8 and placed second at the Blue and Gold Invitational at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Hunt’s previous PR was a 180-1 last April in a meet in Iowa City, Iowa.

Hunt moved into the No. 4 spot in Rutgers history, behind Central Regional’s James Plummer [205-11 in Des Moines in 2013], East Stroudsburg’s Sam Segond [199-7 at Penn in 2005] and Middle Township’s John Mooers [185-2 at Penn in 2019].

Not only did he throw 181-8 on his first throw, Hunt added throws of 178-11 and 178-1 in his series.

John Sobota of Kentucky won the event at 191-9.

Hunt also threw a PR of 167-3 in the hammer and threw 51-5 1/2 in the shot. His previous hammer PR was 163-5 last March in College Park, Md.

Although Hunt is relatively new to the hammer – this was only his fourth lifetime meet throwing the hammer – he moved up to No. 7 in Rutgers history.

Hunt ranks No. 29 in NCAA Division 1 in the early going and No. 2 in the Big Ten, behind Ohio State sophomore Tanner Watson, who threw 181-11 in a meet last weekend in Tempe, Ariz.

Rowan’s Jacob Riley got his outdoor season off to a hot start over the weekend in Lexington, Va.

Riley turned in a couple PRs at the Washington & Lee Carnival – 1:54.89 for 2nd place in the 800 and 4:01.08 for 5th place in the 1,500.

Riley’s previous 800 PR was a 1:58.15 last spring in a meet at West Chester, and his 1,500 PR was 4:12.18 also last April in a home meet in Glassboro.

You don’t get many 3 ½-second PRs in the 800.

To get a sense how much Riley has improved since high school, his PRs at North Warren High in Blairstown were 1:57.80 at the 2019 state Group 1 meet at Franklin and 4:39.64 at 2018 indoor sectionals at the Bubble. Riley did run 4:17.05 indoors this year at the AARTFC Championships in Rochester.

His 1:54.89 is fastest by a Rowan half-miler since All-America Nick Neville ran 1:51.10 at the 2018 NCAA Division 3 Championships in La Crosse, Wisc.

Riley was one of three Rowan milers who ran 4:01 and change in Lexington. Cherokee graduate Justin Kelly, a Rowan freshman, ran 4:01.23 in his first outdoor college race, and senior Jeffrey Stewart of Jackson Memorial ran 4:01.40.

Kelly didn’t run any 1,500s or miles indoors. His mile PR is 4:17.38 from the 2018 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington. He also ran 1:59.97 in Lexington. Stewart’s 4:01.40 breaks a PR of 4:04.85 from last spring in a meet at Rowan.

Another Rowan freshman, Zachary Voll from Lakeland Regional in Wanaque, ran 1:58.54 after going 1:58.17 indoors, and soph Peter Argerakis from Sachem East in Brookhaven, N.Y., also broke two minutes for the first time ever in Lexington with a 1:59.96

With Jake Kolodziej, who ran 1:52.66 indoors, Riley, Kelly, Voll and Argerakis, this Rowan team has the potential to put together a decent 4-by-8 this spring.

They haven’t raced yet outdoors, but Rowan also lists Jackson’s Joe DeVito on its roster. DeVito ran 1:53.25 at the 2019 Group 3 state meet, where he placed second to Sean Dolan of Hopewell Valley (who ran 3:56.39 for Villanova in February). And soph Charlie Serrano from Matawan ran 1:56.57 at the Monmouth County Championships as a senior at Matawan. Another current Prof, Cole Kolodziej, ran 1:59.52 as a senior at Washington Township.

Add the four best 800 PRs – 1:52.66, 1:54.89, 1:56.57 and 1:58.54 – and you can see why Rowan has sub-7:40 potential by the end of the year.

(Lenape grad Kevin Lauer ran 4:14.81 at the indoor NJAC meet so he’s good for something a 1:57-low at worst! Lauer hasn’t run an 800 since a 1:59.39 in 2019.)

In his first meet since the Olympics, Curtis Thompson recorded the No. 1 javelin throw in the U.S. this year.

Thompson, a Florence High graduate, threw 251-7 on his second throw at the Yellow Jacket Invitational at George C. Griffin Track on Georgia Tech’s campus in Atlanta.

It was Thompson’s first meet since he threw 256-6 and placed 22nd in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Thompson placed second behind 2012 Olympic gold medalist and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, who threw world No. 2 277-10.

Thompson opened with a throw of 240-11 before hitting 251-7 on his second attempt and then finishing with 241-9 and 248-11.

The 251-7 is Thompson’s second-best season opener ever. He began last year with a 252-8 throw at the Falcon Classic in Montevallo, Ala.

Thompson, an NCAA champ, two-time U.S. champion, former Olympic Trials record holder and four-time BCSL Freedom Division winner, ranks 16th in U.S. history with his 271-11 throw at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.