Egg Harbor’s Anthony Vazquez, Winslow’s Isaiah Lewis, Burlington Township’s Donovan Wright and R.V.’s Daniel Darrell all qualified for the 55-meter hurdles final at the 52nd annual Meet of Champion.

Vazquez ran 7.52, Lewis 7.53, Wright 7.60 and Darrell 7.66 to reach the final later Sunday at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island.

Terrel Williams of Columbia and Dwight Henry of Irvington were the top qualifiers, both at 7.45.

Vazquez is South Jersey No. 1 this year at 7.45. Lewis has run 7.51, Wright 7.53 and Darrell 7.63.

Aliya Rae Garozzo of Paul VI, CInnaminson’s Meredith Updike, Eastern’s Jailya Ash and Millville’s Bryanna Craig all ran sub 8.40 and advanced to the finals of the 55-meter hurdles at the Meet oF Champions Sunday morning.

Garozzo ran 8.33, Updike 8.34, Ash 8.35 and Craig 8.39 to advance to the eight-runner final at Ocean Breeze. Millville sophomore Leah Ellis ran 8.42, missing the final by 1-1000th of a second.

The top six qualifiers all ran between 8.30 and 8.36. 

Kirstyn Schechter of Hillsborough and Mariah Fede of Paramus Catholic lead all qualifiers into the final later Sunday. Both ran 8.30 in separate trials, and meet timers couldn’t break the tie as both were officially credited with 8.295. 

Garozzo has run 8.17 this year, Updike 8.29, Ash 8.08 and Craig 8.31. Fede (8.02 ) and Ash (8.08) are the two-fastest hurdlers in the state, and Garozzo is fourth.

WHAT A RACE BY KINGSWAY!!!

With senior Stone Caraccio anchoring in 1:52.8, the Kingsway boys ran the fastest 3,200-meter relay time in the U.S. this year Sunday morning at the Meet of Champions!

The Dragons ran 7:47.50, No. 7 in state history and fastest in seven years at the 52nd annual Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze on Staten Island.

Kingsway and Ridge gapped the field early, and ran together for most of the race. Caraccio moved passed Ridge anchor Alex Sargen with 300 to go and then ran away from him on the final lap, Kingsway winning by 12 meters. Ridge was second in 7:49.51, which is No. 16 in state history.

Kingsway’s time is No. 3 in South Jersey history behind only Cherokee’s 7:43.64 at 2012 nationals and Pleasantville’s 7:45.55 at Easterns in 2013, both at the Armory.

Kingsway destroyed the Gloucester County record of 7:51.43 set by Washington Township at 2009 nationals at the Armory. The Dragons also ran faster than their overall school record of 7:47.66 that they ran at the 2011 outdoor Meet of Champions at Old Bridge. They just missed the overall indoor-outdoor Gloucester County record of 7:46.28 that Delsea ran to win the 2018 outdoor Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington.

Senior Ethan Bentley and sophomores Jeffrey Heineman and Kyle Rakitis also ran for Kingsway, which also broke the Meet of Champions record of 7:57.34 set two years ago by Hopewell Valley at the Bubble. The 4-by-8 has been contested at the M-of-C since 2017. I’ll update with complete splits ASAP.

This is the first time in its 52-year history the Meet of Champions has been held outside New Jersey and the first time it’s been held on a banked track.

Kingsway bumped Phillips Exeter Academy of New Hampshire out of the No. 1 spot on the 2020 U.S. MileSplit list. Phillips Exeter ran 7:48.81 at Easterns last month at the Armory. Ridge went into the race as the top seed with its 7:50.02 from Millrose, which was No. 2 in the U.S.

ALL-TIME N.J. INDOOR 3,200-METER LIST
7:41.53 … Christian Brothers Academy, 2012
7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:43.91 … Morris Hills, 2009
7:44.07 … Pope John XXIII, 2012
7:44.5h … Roselle Catholic, 1969
7:45.55 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:47.50 … Kingsway, 2020
7:47.69 … Colts Neck, 2005
7:48.10 … Morris Hills, 2016
7:48.55 … Christian Brothers Academy, 2001
7:48.6h … Roselle Catholic, 1970
7:48.82 … Ridgewood, 2014
7:48.92 … Egg Harbor, 2017
7:49.23 … Christian Brothers Academy, 2013
7:49.31 … Old Bridge, 2015
7:49.51 … Ridge, 2000
7:49.70 … West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 2013
7:49.89 … South Brunswick, 2014
7:49.96 … Old Bridge, 2017

ALL-TIME S.J. OVERALL 3,200-METER LIST
7:40.71 … Pleasantville, 2013 [outdoors]
7:43.57 … Haddonfield, 2015 [outdoors]
7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012 [indoors]
7:46.28 … Delsea, 2018 [outdoors]
7:47.27 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016 [outdoors]
7:47.50 … Kingsway, 2020 [indoors]
7:47.66 … Kingsway, 2011 [outdoors]
7:47.96 … Haddonfield, 2016 [outdoors]
7:48.16 … Kingsway, 2013 [outdoors]
7:48.25 … Vineland, 2012 [outdoors]
7:48.70 … Rancocas Valley, 2016 [outdoors]
7:48.92 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017 [indoors]
7:49.67 … Washington Twp., 2009 [outdoors]
7:49.85 … Cherokee, 2012 [outdoors]

Five South Jersey athletes – three girls, two boys; four juniors, one senior – go into Sunday’s 52nd annual Meet of Champions as No. 1 seeds.

Let’s take a look at those five:

*JAILYA ASH, EASTERN, 55-METER HURDLES: Ash won the state Group 4 race with a personal-best 8.08, a full 11-100ths of a second faster than anybody else ran in the highs at states. Paramus Catholic senior Mariah Fede, the Parochial A champ, is the No. 2 seed at 8.19. Ash won the Meet of Champions in the 55 last winter at 7.06 and was third last spring in the 100 at the M-of-C but focused the hurdles this season. Ash’s 8.08 is No. 13 in South Jersey history.Twelve South Jersey girls have won the highs at the indoor Meet of Champions, most recently Claudine Smith of Atlantic City last year and Lenaami Morton of Camden in 2017. Ash’s older sister Jewel is also in the field with an 8.38 at states.

*LAUREN PRINCZ, EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, 55-METER DASH: Princz is the top seed in the 55 at 7.12, with four others under 7.20. Princz has a PR of 7.05 from Easterns, which is fastest this year by a New Jersey girl and No. 10 in South Jersey history. She already has a Meet of Champions title after winning the 200 in 23.90 at the outdoor M-of-C her freshman year. Princz is also No. 2 seed in the 200 at 25.01 behind only Mariah Fede of Paramus Catholic, who has a 24.74 to her credit.

*JADE POPE, PENNSAUKEN, 400-METER DASH: Pope ran a PR 56.98 with her second straight win at states to earn the top seed over Nylah Perry of Winslow, who ran 57.33 but has run 56.85 this winter. Pennsauken’s only indoor Meet of Champions winner was Alethia Jenkins in the hurdles in 2000. Pope will also anchor Pennsauken’s No. 8-seeded 4-by-400.

GABRIEL MORONTA, PLEASANTVILLE, 400-METER DASH: Moronta ran a lifetime best 48.79 at Group 2 states to earn the No. 1 seed in the 400 over Liam O’Hara of CBA, who’s second at 49.21. Moronta also won the 800 at states in 1:56.11, which makes him the No. 4 seed, but he does have a 1:54.59 from this winter.

*FLOYD WHITAKER, HIGHLAND, TRIPLE JUMP: Whitaker is the top seed in the triple jump by nearly a foot over Sebasteon Allen of East Orange. Whitaker won states at 46-10 3/4, and Allen jumped 45-11. Whitaker has an indoor PR of 46-10 3/4, but he set a state sophomore record and Meet of Champions record last spring with a 50-2. Whitaker is also the No. 2 seed in the long jump at 23-0 1/2.

Susann Foley, a Stockton sophomore from Seneca, tied her PR and won the high jump at the All-Atlantic Region Championships.

Foley, only seeded fourth, cleared 5-5 and beat TCNJ’s Kassidy Mulryne of Allentown High on misses to record her first major college individual championship at Nazareth College’s Golisano Center in Rochester, N.Y.

Foley and Mulrayne both cleared 5-1 on their first attempt, but Mulryne had a miss at 5-3 and Foley was clean. They both cleared 5-5 on their second try and went out at 5-6, which gave the win to Foley because of Mulryne’s miss at 5-3.

A clearance at 5-6 would give Foley a share of the Stockton indoor school record set in 2008 by Lisa Shepherd, a six-time All-America from Oakcrest High School. Shepherd cleared 5-7 1/4 outdoors in 2010.

This was Foley’s first season at Stockton. She attended Ithaca last year, clearing 5-3 3/4 indoors – at the AARTFC meet – and 5-3 outdoors.

She first cleared 5-5 in a meet at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse in December.  Foley is tied for the No. 22 mark in NCAA Division 3.

At Seneca, Foley cleared 5-2 nine times and was a state Group 3 medalist and Group 3 sectional and Burlington County Open champion. She also placed in the 100-meter hurdles at the County Open.

Rakim Coyle of Wildwood Catholic, a Rowan sophomore, soared a big indoor PR 23-7 1/2 and teammate Francis Richard, jumped a PR 23-3 1/4 to place 1-3 in the long jump at the All-Atlantic Regional Saturday.

Rowan sophomore Ahmir Johnson, a graduate of Wissahickon High School in Ambler and a transfer from Gwynned Mercy, jumped 22-7 1/4 for fifth after breaking the school triple jump record, and sophomore John Owens, from West Windsor-Plainsboro North, went 22-5 for sixth at Golisano Fieldhouse at Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y.

So Rowan now has four 23-foot jumpers on the current team.

Let’s take a deeper look at this:

RAIKIM COYLE: Coyle’s previous indoor PR was 23-1 1/2 last month in a meet at Ithaca. He just missed his overall PR of 23-8, which he set last spring at the outdoor AARTFC meet at Cortland, N.Y. The 23-7 1/2 is No. 12 in NCAA Division 3 this winter.

FRANCIS RICHARD: Richard, from Northern Highlands High in roke his overall PR of 23-0, which he set outdoors last spring at Swarthmore. His previous indoor PR was 22-9 1/4, which he actually recorded twice this winter – in a meet at Ithaca and again at the NJAC meet at Ocean Breeze. 

AHMIR JOHNSON: On Friday, Johnson shattered Rowan’s school record in the triple jump. You can read about that here: https://wp.me/p5uW7L-4yy. Johnson’s 22-7 1/4 On Saturday, he surpassed his college PR of 22-1, which he set last month at Ithaca. His lifetime PR of 23-4 3/4 dates back to a high school meet for Wissahickon at Lehigh’s Rauch Fieldhouse.

JOHN OWENS: Hit an indoor PR of 23-2 in January at Ocean Breeze. Has an outdoor PR of 23-7 1/2 from last spring at SUNY Cortland. 

Rowan’s school record is 24-1, set by Robert Beaman for Glassboro State in 1981. Four-time high jump and long jump All-America Jeffrey Tucker of Eastern set the outdoor mark of 24-10 in 2017.

Keion Oglesby never ran the 400 in high school, but the Timber Creek graduate has sure become one in college.

Oglesby, a junior at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, ran a personal-best 48.47 to place third at the Northeast Conference Championships at Ocean Breeze. 

After a 49.49 in the trials, Oglesby finished only 19-100ths behind winner Kimorie Shearman of Long Island University. Second-place Eric Rosario of Merrimack in North Andover, Mass., was second in 48.43 out of a separate section.

Oglesby also ran a 49.6 out of the hole on FDU’s winning 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:14.71. Sndley Elysee, Conroy Ellis and Kenroy Ellis also ran for FDU, which won by more than 2 1/2 seconds over LIU, which ran 3:17.29.

Oglesby also went 22-1 1/2 in the long jump, finishing 10th overall in his only long jump competition this year and jumping 1-4th of an inch off his PR.

Oglesby’s previous 400 PR was 48.66 from his second-place finish at last year’s NEC indoor Meet at Ocean Breeze. His outdoor PR is slightly slower (48.52 from a meet last spring at Rider), so this was his fastest lifetime 400.

At Timber Creek, Oglesby did some high jumping and long jumping and occasionally sprinted. He didn’t run an open 400 until outdoor season his freshman year. His first lifetime indoor 400 was last January at Lehigh, when he ran 51.97 – just 14 months ago.

Here’s our handy guide to Sunday’s 52nd annual indoor Meet of Champions, with links to all-time winners, the order of event, how to watch the live stream, all-time performance lists and everything else you need to enjoy watching New Jersey’s best runners, jumpers and throwers in action!

Official 2020 Meet of Champions program
Final Meet of Champions Performance Lists
All-Time Meet of Champions Winners
Meet of Champions meet records
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex
Watch live on MileSplit
Boys All-Time Meet of Champions Performance List
Girls All-Time Meet of Champions Performance List
Order of events

Robert Abrams, a College of New Jersey junior from Cherry Hill West, ran 4:13.19 to win the mile at the All-Atlantic Region Championships Saturday.

Abrams ran a PR 4:12.53 at Boston University last month, but this was his fastest time ever in a championship race.

Abrams won by 25 meters over Nolan Vest of Cortland, who ran 4:16.94. He broke the facility record at Nazareth College’s Golisano Training Center of 4:15.89, set by Aidan Ryan of Williams in January.

With three laps to go, Abrams led Vest by only 34-100ths of a second (2:38.29 to 2:38.95). By the time they came around with two laps to go, the lead had opened up to nearly 1 1/2 seconds, and a 31.3 seventh lap gave him a nearly 3-second lead at the gun. Abrams closed in 31.7.

Matt Molski, who ran scholastically for Sparta, set the school record of 4:09.71 in 2005. Here’s a paper Molski wrote as a Yale post-doctoral student on how “β-Peptide bundles with fluorous cores represent the essential first step in the synthesis of orthogonal protein assemblies that can sequester selectively in an interstitial membrane environment.”

Fast dude. Smart dude.

Abrams had a high school 1,600 PR of 4:24.59, which is the equivalent of a 4:26.12 full mile. So he’s run nearly 14 seconds faster in college than he did in his school. He didn’t break 4:20 until last February at Boston University and came into this winter with a PR of 4:18.97.

Cherokee grad Kaila Carter, a senior at The College of New Jersey, won the 60-meter hurdles Saturday morning at the All-Atlantic Regional Championships at Nazareth College’s Golisano Center in Rochester, N.Y.

Carter ran 8.94, finishing just ahead of Laura Mathews of Stevens Institute in Hoboken, who was second in 8.99, and Emily Lavarnway of SUNY Geneseo, who ran 9.02.

Carter is ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division 3 at 8.89, which she ran winning the NJAC title last month. That broke the TCNJ school record of 8.91, set in 2010 by Priscilla Senyah.

The regional title is Carter’s first after two 2nd-place finishes and a 4th-place finish.