It was a difficult day for South Jersey’s two entries in the 10,000-meter run Saturday morning at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.

With temperatures in the mid-80s, Mount Laurel’s Marielle Hall, a 2016 Olympian and a Haddonfield graduate, ran 34:35.79 and Mount Holly’s Erika Kemp, a Rancocas Valley graduate, dropped out after 6,400 meters at Hayward Field.

Hall has a 10,000 PR of 31:05.71 from the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and has a season-best 31:21.78 this year from a meet at Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., in February.

Kemp has run 31:35.63 for 10,000 meters – also at Serra Catholic but in December of 2020. This was her first 10,000 of 2021.

Hall ranks No. 8 in U.S. history at 10,000 meters and Kemp is No. 34. 

Kingsway graduate Sam Allen placed 6th in the 20,000-meter racewalk Saturday morning at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon.

Allen, a 2020 Kingsway graduate who recently finished his freshman year at Cornell, covered the 12.4-mile course in Springfield, Ore., in a personal-best 1:37.59.

With 1,000 meters to go, Bricyn Healey had closed to within eight seconds of Allen, but Allen closed in 4:52 for his final kilometer, holding off Healey by 19 seconds for a top-six finish.

His kilometer splits ranged from 4:31 for the first 1,000 to a couple 5:22s for his 17th and 19th kilometers.

Allen, who just turned 19 on May 6 and races for Shore Athletic Club, was the youngest competitor in the field of 15 walks who qualified.

The race was won by 20-year-old Nick Christie, who finished in 1:30.48, more than a minute ahead of Daniel Nehnevaj.

Allen’s previous best over a 20,000-meter course was 1:38.26, which he recorded last month in Manchester Township, N.J.

Allen was not projected to finish in the top 10 by Track and Field News, so a 6th-place finish is quite an achievement for the Woolwich Township native.

Allen was the first South Jersey walker to compete in the Olympic Trials since Willingboro native Cliff Mimm in 1988. His father Bob was a member of the 1960 Olympic team.

At Kingsway, Allen competed in both track and XC in addition to independent racewalking. He was 6th man on the 2019 Kingsway cross country team that placed third at Group 4 sectionals.

Jessica Woodard placed seventh in the shot put late Thursday night at the U.S. Olympic Track Trials.

Woodard’s best throw went 59-0, well short of her PR of 62-3 1/2, which she threw last month in Tucson.

With a top-three finish, Woodard would have made the U.S. Olympic team headed for Tokyo next month, but she fell about three feet short.

It was a disappointing finish for Woodard, who earlier in the day threw 60-3 1/4 on her only attempt in the qualifying round, which does not carry over to the finals. That wound up being her best throw of the day.

In the finals, she opened with throws of 57-0 3/4 and 58-8 3/4 and then fouled. She was the eighth and final qualifier to reach the second round of the finals, earning her three more throws. 

As the last qualifier, Woodard threw first in the second round of the finals, and she improved slightly to 59-0 on her first throw, moving her into seventh place. She finished with a 58-6 and then a foul on her final attempt.

Woodard had thrown at least 60 feet in her last six meets and seven of eight this year. 

This is the fourth consecutive top-10 finish at nationals for Woodard, who placed 8th in 2017, 9th in 2018 and 6th in 2019. The meet was not held last year.

A solid start for Jessica Woodard Thursday afternoon at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Woodard, a 2013 Cherokee High School graduate, easily advanced to the second round of the shot put at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

She took one throw and hit 60-3 1/4, almost exactly two feet below her lifetime best of 62-3 1/2, which she threw in Tucson last month and makes her No. 17 in U.S. history.

Her throw was 6th-best of the first round, although place does not matter at this point.

All that matters is that Woodard was one of the top 12 throwers in the first round who advance to the finals, scheduled for 11 p.m. EST on Thursday evening.

Because the first round and second round are considered separate meets and throws don’t carry over, there was no need for Woodard to take anymore throws after hitting 60-3 1/4 because it was impossible for that throw to not be in the top 12 after each of the 22 entrants had gotten three attempts.

The cutoff for advancing wound up at 56-11 1/2.

On Thursday evening, the 12 throwers who advanced will get three more attempts and the top eight in that group will then get three more. The top seven qualifiers Thursday – including Woodard – have the Olympic standard of 58-0 3/4. 

Woodard threw 58-2 1/4 in the prelims in the 2016 Trials, while she was a sophomore at Oklahoma, and made the finals in Eugene but did not get a legal throw in the final.

She placed 8th at USATF Nationals in 2017, 9th in 2018 and 6th in 2019. The meet was not held last year.

The mile is in good hands in 2022. South Jersey returns five sub-4:20 milers next year and four more who ran 4:24 or faster. It has to be one of the deepest groups of returning milers ever.

Overall, New Jersey returns 14 sub-4:20 milers and 29 sub-4:24 milers. At the Meet of Champions last weekend, 11 of the first 16 finishers were underclassmen, including five of the first seven South Jersey runners.

Going deeper, an incredible 23 underclass South Jersey milers ran sub-4:35, including four freshmen under 4:34.

Next year is going to rock when it comes to the 1,600. Hopefully all 23 of them line up at the South Jersey Invitational, the conditions are perfect, somebody takes it out fast and the whole group runs 4:15 or faster! Hey, ya never know!

Let’s take a look at the fastest South Jersey returners in 2021, a list that begins of course with Meet of Champions winner Kyle Rakitis of Kingsway:

4:08.58: *KYLE RAKITIS, KINGSWAY: Rakitis is undefeated at 1,600 meters this year and never ran slower than 4:12.63, his time when he won states. He’ll run one more 1,600, at the National Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on July 3. Rakitis is No. 2 in South Jersey history, behind Brett Johnson’s 4:08.51 in 2008 and No. 23 in state history.

4:18.08: *TOBIAS JANSSEN, HADDONFIELD: Janssen focused on the 3,200 at states, but he got down to 4:18.08 when he won the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township in May. He was also under 4:20 at the Haddonfield Invitational in a terrific race that also saw Brady Shute of Woodbury and Josh Forrest go under 4:19.

4:18.59: *JACOB COBB, WEST DEPTFORD: Cobb had a very consistent season in both the 1,600 and 3,200. He ran 9:19.89 early in the season and lowered his 1,600 PR from 4:21.64 at the Haddonfield Invite to 4:19.62 at states to 4:18.59 at the Meet of Champions, where he was the No. 2 South Jersey (and Gloucester County), finisher behind only Rakitis.

4:19.15: *ZEB HINKER, LOWER CAPE MAY: Hinker has always run XC but this was his first season of track, and after a few races in the 4:25-4:30 range he had a breakthrough at sectionals with a 4:22.43, then ran 4:19.37 at states and 4:19.15 for 11th at the Meet of Champions. That’s the fastest time by a Cape May County underclassman since Miles Schoeder of Ocean City ran 4:11.46 in 2010.

4::19.61: **PATRICK DITMARS, CHEROKEE: Ditmars was the top sophomore in the Meet of Champions, placing 14th in 4:20.23. He PR’d at 4:19.61 at states, which made him the No. 2 sophomore in the state, just a fraction behind Ryan Beegle of Chatham, who ran 4:19.50 at sectionals.

4:21.07: *BILLY CLEWELL, CAMDEN CATHOLIC: Clewell ran two PRs in a challenging Meet of Champions double, going 1:58.56 in the 800 – his first time under two minutes – and 4:21.07 in the 1,600 for 16th place overall. He was the No. 11 underclassman in the 1,600 and No. 7 underclassman.

4:21.08: *JAKE BUNIVA, LENAPE: When Buniva ran 4:21.08 at sectionals, it was a 12 1/2-second PR and made him Lenape’s fastest miler since Burlington County record holder Ryan Garvin, who ran 4:11.15 at the 2009 Meet of Champions (as part of a remarkable double with 1:53.84 in the 800 in his final high school race).

4:22.60: *DENNIS FORTUNA, TRITON: Fortuna’s focus this year was the 3,200, and he ran 9:28.26 at the Cherokee Night of Race back in April. But in his one serious foray at 1,600 meters he ran 4:22.60 at the Camden County Championships.

4:23.92: *ANDRE FAIGAL, RANCOCAS VALLEY: That 4:23 at sectionals was a 12-second PR and makes him one of three Burlington County underclassmen under 4:25 this spring.

ALSO UNDER 4:35:
4:25.42 … *Owen Ritti [Ocean City], SJ-3 Sectionals
4:25.68 … *Linden Wineland [Mainland Regional], SJ-3 Sectionals
4:28.69 … *Scott Hubbard [Audubon], SJ-1 Sectionals
4:29.28 … ***Peyton Shute [Woodbury], Group 1 Sectionals
4:30.19 … *Andrew Littlehales [Delsea], Haddonfield Distance Night
4:31.94 … *Ryan Allen [Kingsway], SJ-4 Sectionals
4:32.94 … ***Owen Karcsh [Eastern], Group 4 Sectionals
4:32.95 … *Jeffrey Heineman [Kingsway], Holmdel Twilight
4:32.96 … *Makaio Kelii [Audubon], SJ-1 Sectionals
4:33.16 … **Alex Boyko [Cinnaminson], Haddonfield Distance Night
4:33.84 … ***Jorge Cruz [Wildwood], Group 1 Sectionals
4:34.48 … *Aiden Dickinson [Cherokee], Cherokee Last Chance
4:34.55 … **Cole Knoedler [Highland], Haddonfield Distance Night
4:34.90 … *Justin Penny [Lenape], Wash. Twp. dual meet

*** – freshman in 2021
** – sophomore in 2021
** – junior in 2021

Here’s how close the Meet of Champions triple jump was:

Going into the final group of jumps, Faith Bethea of Snyder led the competition with a 37-7 jump, Kiley Mironenko of Waldwick was second at 37-5 1/2 and Egg Harbor’s Mariah Stephens was third at 37-3 3/4.

So as they warmed up for the finals, Stephens jumped sixth out of the eight finalists, with Mironenko seventh and Bethea eighth.

With one jump left, nobody had improved on their best jumps of the competition, and Bethea – who already had four jumps over 37 feet – was one jump away from a Meet of Champions title.

Stephens lined up for the final jump of her high school career, and when the official yelled out the measurement – 37-10 1/4 – it put her in the lead.

That was exciting, but there were two jumps to go, and Mironenko and Bethea both had PRs beyond Stephens’ best jump. Mironenko has jumped 37-11 and Bethea – undefeated all year – had a state-leading PR of 39-9.

Mironekno went 36-8 1/4 on her final jump and then it was down to Stephens and Bethea, who is ranked in the top 40 nationally.

Bethea had already jumped 37-7, 37-0 1/2 twice and 37-6 1/4 and when she landed on her final jump of the day she was in almost exactly the same spot as Stephens on her final jump.

Anything from 37-10 1/4 or better gives Bethea the win. Anything at 37-10 or less gives Stephens the win.

The measurement? Would you believe exactly 37-10?

Since Bethea had a superior second jump, a tie would have given her the championship. So Stephens won herself a Meet of Champions by literally the smallest possible margin – one quarter of an inch.

That actually only ties the record for closest Meet of Champions triple jump 1-2 finish in meet history! 

In 2002, Ebony Foster of Hillsborough jumped 37-0 and edged Trisha McGowan of Ridgewood by a quarter of an inch. In fact, the top six that year were all separated by just 6 3/4 inches!

As for Stephens, she became the second straight Atlantic County M-of-C triple jump winner. In 2019, Claudine Smith of Atlantic City won. Oakcrest’s Shameka Marshall won the title in 2001, and the only other South Jersey M-of-C triple jump winners are Pennsauken’s Thananya Wooden in 2000 and Jessica Mills of West Deptford in 2005. So three of the five S.J. winners are from Atlantic County.

Bethea and sprinter Lauren Princz, who won the 200, gave Egg Harbor two Meet of Champions after the school produced just one in meet history – Princz in the 200 in 2018.

Incredibly, Egg Harbor is the first South Jersey school in 40 years with two different girls winning a Meet of Champions title in the same year. 

The only other school to accomplish that was Willingboro in both 1980 and 1981 with Michelle Glover and Carol Lewis. Glover swept the 100 and 200 in 1980 and 1981 and Lewis the 100-meter hurdles and long jump. 

What has to happen for Curtis Thompson to lock up an Olympic berth?

It’s a difficult, complicated question and one that the USATF – the governing body for track and field in the United States – provides no answers to.

In fact, it’s a question nobody provides any answers to.

It’s a strange way to run a sport, leaving people to just guess who’s on an Olympic team. You’d think this is something they’d want people to know. And the amount of incorrect information that was out there Monday evening was unfortunate but understandable considering the actual process that determines Olympians is not only ridiculously complicated but also a virtual state secret that doesn’t appear to be published anywhere.

But that’s the reality of track and field today in the U.S. They don’t make it easy to be a fan of the sport. Imagine watching the Super Bowl and not only not knowing who wins the game for 10 days but not even knowing what the process actually is to determine the winner?

That’s what we’re talking about here!

Thompson, a Florence graduate, on Monday evening in Eugene uncorked a 271-7 when he won the Olympic Trials in Eugene. It’s the 3rd-best javelin throw in Olympic Trials history with the current javelin implement and the No. 18 throw in the world this year, only a few inches short of Thompson’s personal best of 271-11 from 2016.

When you win an event at the Olympic Trials with one of the best performances in the world, you’d think you’d have an Olympic spot locked up.

But the selection process isn’t that easy. Not even close.

And the ridiculous thing is nobody even knows exactly what that process is. It doesn’t appear to be written anywhere – not on the USATF web site or the World Athletics web site. People covering the meet in Oregon didn’t understand it, people tweeting about Thompson’s performance didn’t understand it, even Jim Lambert and I didn’t understand it and we spent all day trying to figure it all out.

Messages sent to the USATF asking for an explanation went unanswered and you can Google all you want you’re just not going to find out how the process works.

But Lambo and I finally cobbled together enough information from various sources to get this figured out, and here’s how it works:

✔️  Every event has a performance standard that World Athletics (formerly IAAF) sets. If you reach that standard and finish in the top three in your country’s Trials, you are an Olympian.

✔️ The javelin standard is 278-10, a mark that only three Americans have EVER hit: Breaux Greer in 2007 (91.29), Tom Petranoff in 1991 (89.16) and Tom Pukstys in 1997 (87.12).

✔️ Thompson’s 271-7 is his best throw during the Olympic qualifying period, so he needs to be ranked in the top-32 by the IAAF to make the U.S. Olympic team.

✔️ That throw ranks Thompson No. 18 in the world this year. But it doesn’t mean he’s ranked No. 18 in the world by World Athletics.

✔️ You can find the rankings here: https://www.worldathletics.org/stats-zone/road-to/7132391?eventId=10229636&qualificationType=q4 (warning – it doesn’t always work. Good luck.)

✔️ It’s not clear what exactly determines an athlete’s ranking and it’s not explained anywhere, but it appears from context to be based not just on performances but also place in various meets with a premium on major meets.

✔️ Every performance is given a numerical rating, and an athlete’s top-five ratings are combined and averaged out to determine their ranking number. The meets that are considered appear to go back as far as 2018.

✔️  Before the Trials, Thompson was sitting in the No. 32 spot in the ranking system. The World Athletics web site that shows the so-called “quota” rankings has not been updated with Thompson’s performance Monday in Eugene.

✔️ The five performances that formed his ranking before the Trials were the 2019 U.S. Championships in Des Moines, Iowa; the USATF Showcase in Prairie View, Texas, earlier this month; the USATF Grand Prix in Eugene in April; the 2018 NACAC Championships in Toronto; and the USATF Throws Fest in Tucson, Ariz.

✔️ Thompson received 1,222 points for the USATF Throws Fest, 1,190 for the NACAC meet, 1,116 for the Grand Prix, 1,164 for the USATF Showcase and 1,112 for the 2019 nationals. That’s 5,584 points for an average of 1,170 points, which is the figure that ranked him 32nd.

✔️ There’s no way of knowing exactly how many points Thompson gets from throwing 271-7 at the Trials because the formula is not explained anywhere, but it has to be somewhere over 1,222 since it was a superior performance to the one that earned him 1,222. Let’s say conservatively he earns 1,230 points. By subtracting his worst performance in the top five (1,112 from 2019 Nationals) and adding 1,230, his total increases by 118 and his average increases from 1,170 to 1,194. That moves him up to 27th in the ranking system. (Curtis told us this morning that he is actually now 28th, so our estimate was close!).

✔️ The cut-off for qualifying is June 30. But considering how difficult it is to move up or down in a ranking system that considers meets going back at least three years, it won’t be easy for four throwers to pass Thompson in the next eight or nine days.

Florence native Curtis Thompson won the javelin Monday evening at the U.S. Olympic Trials and uncorked his biggest throw in five years and the second-best throw of his life, virtually guaranteeing himself a spot on the U.S. Olympic team headed to Tokyo next month.

He’s the first Olympic Trials champion from Burlington County since Carl Lewis of Willingboro won the 100 and long jump in Indianapolis in 1988.

Thompson does not have the Olympic standard of 278-10 (85 meters) – only three Americans have ever thrown that far, none since 2007. 

But as the winner of the Trials, if he’s ranked among the top-32 in the world as of June 29, he’ll make the U.S. team.

He’s currently got the No. 18 throw in the world, although the IAAF’s ranking systems take some other things into account, and his actual updated ranking isn’t available yet. He’s currently listed right at No. 32, but it appears that doesn’t include his performance at the Trials. You can find that ranking system on the IAAF site here.

Thompson also has 10 more days to improve on his 271-7 that he hit on his final throw Monday evening in Eugene.

Thompson had the greatest series of his life Tuesday, averaging 260-3 on six legal throws. Nobody else in the competition had one throw of 260-3. So Thompson’s six-throw average would have won the Olympic Trials!

Thompson won the event by nearly 12 feet. Michael Shuey placed second at 260-0, and when his sixth and final attempt landed at 258-2, it clinched the championship for Thompson. 

This is Thompson’s second national title and first Olympic Trials title. He led the 2016 meet – and broke the Olympic Trials record with a 271-11 on his first throw – before Cyrus Hostetler threw 273-1 on his fifth throw to break Thompson’s meet record and snag the one available Olympic berth.

Thompson didn’t let that happen this year.

He bombed a 263-7 on his first throw of the competition and nobody came within three feet of it the rest of the meet.

Thompson, with the victory locked up, Thompson finished the competition by hitting the second-biggest throw of his life and the No. 3 throw in meet history.

Importantly, that 271-7 moved him up from No. 28 in the world to No. 18, dramatically improving his chances of being in the top 32 in 10 days.

Thompson now owns two of the top three throws in U.S. Olympic Trials history.

This is the second national title for Thompson, who threw 249-3 to win the 2018 championship in Des Moines, Iowa.  

Thompson is the first South Jersey Olympic Trials champ on the men’s side since Edgewood graduate Dennis Mitchell won the 100 in 1996 and the first New Jersey winner since Bobby Smith of Hopatcong won the javelin in 2008 (but did not go to the Olympics because he never achieved the A standard necessary that year).

 After his 263-7, Thompson threw 243-8 on his second attempt and then finished the qualifying round with a 260-4, which was the second-best throw of the first set of throws. 

He opened the finals with a 262-9 and a 259-8 before his closing bomb of 271-7, just four inches off his PR from the 2016 Trials.

Thompson’s margin of victory – 11 feet, 7 inches – is the largest since 1984, when Duncan Atwood won by 27 feet, 10 inches over Tom Petranoff.

A few months ago, Dillon Page had a high jump PR of 6-2. Now he’s a Meet of Champions winner.

Page became the first Cherry Hill East boy to ever win a Meet of Champions title when he was the only competitor to clear 6-6 Saturday at South Plainfield in the 52nd annual M-of-C.

Page cleared 5-10 and 6-0 on his first attempt, 6-2 on his second and 6-4 on his third and was in fifth place before he sailed over the bar at 6-6 on his second attempt. With his 10th, 11th and 12th jumps of the day, he missed three tries at a personal-best 6-8.

The only previous Meet of Champions winners in Cherry Hill East history are three girls – Erin Halpin in the high jump in 1987, Liz Griesback in the javelin in 1989 and Teneacia Smith in the long jump in 1991 and 1992.

He’s not the first Meet of Champions winner from Cherry Hill, though. Terrance Ferguson of Cherry Hill West won the event at 6-8 in 1986 and 6-10 in 1987.

Page is the first South Jersey M-of-C winner in the high jump since 2015, when Devin Bradham of Williamstown and Marquese Bell of Bridgeton shared the title (why didn’t they have a jump off?).

The last winner from Camden County was Jarrett Carr of Pennsauken in 1994.

Page cleared 6-2 three times during the 2020 indoor season, placing second at the state Group 4 meet and ninth at the Meet of Champions. His big breakthrough came this past March, when he hit both 6-4 and 6-6 for the first time in a dual meet against Washington Township at the Bubble in Toms River.

He didn’t lose a high jump competition the entire outdoor season, clearing a PR of 6-6 1/4 at Group 4 sectionals at Washington Township.

Audubon senior Adam Tomeo, who cleared 6-7 indoors in 2020 and 6-6 earlier this year, wound up sixth at the M-of-C at 6-4.

Highland senior Floyd Whitaker, who won the triple jump, made it three South Jersey jumpers in the top seven with a 6-4 clearance for seventh place.

Julia Bannan became the first Holy Spirit girl in 28 years to win a Meet of Champions title Saturday with a lifetime-best throw in the discus.

Bannan threw 129-0 at South Plainfield and won by nine inches over Olivia Prescott of West Orange, who had four throws within 2 1/2 feet of Bannan and finished with a best throw of 128-3.

The last Holy Spirit M-of-C winner was Kim Stoll, who won the high jump at 5-8 in 1993. She went on to become a four-year starter for the St. Joe’s basketball team.

Bannan also became the first South Jersey thrower to win the M-of-C discus since Jessica Woodard of Cherokee won her third straight in 2013. The last Atlantic County discus winner was Atlantic City’s Kim Warren in 2006.

Bannan won her second “straight” state Parochial B title with a PR of 126-8 before hitting 129-0 at the Meet of Champions. 

On Saturday, Prescott hit 128-0 on her second throw to take the lead before Bannan moved into the lead with her 129-0. Prescott had three more big throws – 126-9, 126-9 again and 128-0 – but Bannan’s 129-0 held up for the win.

Bannan was one of three Atlantic County girls to win a Meet of Champions title Saturday at South Plainfield. Lauren Princz of Egg Harbor won the 200 and Mariah Stephens of EHT won the triple jump at 37-10 1/4.

Atlantic County girls have won six Meet of Champions titles in the last three meets after winning 10 in the meet’s first 45 years.

Here’s a look at all the Atlantic County girls who’ve won Meet of Champions titles since the girls meet began in 1974:

1996
Nichole Hill [Oakcrest], 200-Meter Dash [24.71]

1998
Sherese Price [Pleasantville], 100-Meter Hurdles [13.85]

1999
Katrina Sye [Buena], 800-meter Run [2:11.82]
Frances Bundy [Pleasantville], Long Jump [18-3 1/4]

2001
Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], Long Jump [18-10 3/4]
Shameka Marshall [Oakcrest], Triple Jump [38-10 3/4]
Chelsea Salisbury [Buena], Javelin [139-6]

2006
Kim Warren, [Atlantic City], Discus [138-10]
Mia Ali [Pleasantville], 100-Meter Hurdles [13.78]

2012
Helena Leyrer, [Buena], 400-Meter Hurdles [1:00.26]

2018
Lauren Princz, [Egg Harbor Twp.], 200-Meter Dash [23.90]
Brielle Smith [Oakcrest], Javelin [163-8]

2019
Claudine Smith [Atlantic City], Triple Jump [42-0]
Brielle Smith [Oakcrest], Javelin [157-0]

2021
Julia Bannan [Holy Spirit], Discus [129-0]
Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 200-Meter Dash [24.22]