From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: Brianna Growalt, Atlantic County Tech

You name the event, Brianna Growalt was one of the top freshmen in New Jersey this year.

Growalt, a freshman at Atlantic County Tech in Hamilton Township, ran 12.43 at sectionals, 25.60 at the Cape Atlantic County Championships and 15.16 at sectionals and long jumped 17-2 ½ at the Atlantic County Championships.

Wow.

Growalt was the No. 6 freshman in New Jersey in the 100 and No. 2 in New Jersey [behind Willingboro’s Maya Bolden, 12.07], No. 5 in the 200 [and No. 3 in South Jersey behind Bolden, 24.54, and Timber Creek’s Amaya Jones, 25.38], No. 3 in the 100-meter hurdles and No. 1 in South Jersey and No. 3 in the long jump and again No. 1 in South Jersey.

Growalt’s first big meet was the Atlantic County Championships at Buena, where she won the 200 in 26.09, won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.71 and placed 2nd in the 100 [1-100th of a second behind Pleasantville soph Sunya Powell] and long jump [behind Absegami’s Jaidah Garrett].

At the Cape-Atlantic Championships at Bridgeton, she won the 200 with a PR 25.60 and hurdles in 15.43 and placed 3rd in the 100 in 12.69 and long jump at 16-6 ¼.

Then it was off to South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken, where she placed in the 100 [PR 12.43], 200 [25.62] and hurdles [PR 15.16].

Growalt’s 15.16 is fastest ever by an Atlantic County freshman. Her 12.43 is 3rd-fastest, 25.60 is 4th-fastest and her 17-2 ½ is 4th-best.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: Matthew Littlehales, Delsea

Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales followed an auspicious indoor season with a terrific outdoor season.

Indoors, Littlehales was the No. 2 sophomore in New Jersey at 4:21.71 at the state Group 3 meet [behind only Manalapan’s Clay Stevens, who ran 4:20.82], No. 4 in the 800 at 1:59.93 and No. 5 in the 3,200 [9:40.15]. He was fastest sophomore in South Jersey at all three distances.

This spring, Littlehales was the No. 2 sophomore half-miler in the state with his 1:54.93 to place 2nd at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals to Winslow junior Dominic Bassey.

That was fastest by a South Jersey sophomore since Rancocas Valley’s Jacob Tyndale ran 1:54.33 at 2016 Group 4 states at Egg Harbor and fastest ever by a Gloucester County sophomore.

Littlehales ran within about 1 ½ seconds of the Delsea school record of 1:53.49 set at Group 3 states at South Plainfield in 2011 by Steve Butenewicz.

Overall, Littlehales will be the 11th-fastest returner at 800 meters in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind only Bassey.

In cross country last fall, Littlehales placed 4^th at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals with a 16:07.51, fastest last year by a sophomore at DREAM Park.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: I’Mara Ford, Moorestown

Moorestown’s I’Mara Ford enjoyed a huge junior year, long jumping 17-11, triple jumping 37-4 and high jumping 5-6.

She’s the No. 3 returner in South Jersey in the long jump [behind Winslow’s Ma’Syiah Brawner and Absegami’s Jaidah Garrett], No. 3 in the triple jump [behind Brawner and Garrett] and tied for No. 1 in the high jump [along with Williamstown’s Addison Inge].

At the South Jersey Elite at Delsea, Ford was 2nd in the long jump [behind Garrett], 3rd in the triple jump [behind Sophia Curtis and Garrett] and 3rd in the high jump [behind Clayton’s Alanna Woolfolk and Egypt Bolan of Lindenwold].

At the Burlington County Open at Northern Burlington, she won the high jump and took 2nd in both horizontal jumps [behind R.V.’s Lauren Fadairo].

And at the Olympic Conference Championships at R.V., she was 2nd to Brawner in the high jump, 3rd in the long jump [behind Brawner and Shawnee’s Sakiyah Horsley] and 4th in the triple jump.

Ford had a big weekend at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals, placing 2nd [to Brawner] in the high jump, 4th [behind Garrett, Brawner and Curtis] in the long jump and 6th in the triple jump.

At states, she was top 10 in all three jumps, and at Meet of Champions she placed 2nd in the high jump with her 5-6 PR. Inge also cleared 5-6, getting the win with one fewer miss at 5-6 than Ford.

Moorestown hadn’t had a girl place in the top three at Meet of Champions since Jessica Kloss took 2nd in the pole vault at the 2005 meet in South Plainfield, but both Ford and junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner – who won the pole vault – did it this year.

The last Moorestown girl to place in the high jump at Meet of Champions was Sandy Tokoto, who tied for 2nd at the 1991 meet in South Plainfield with a 5-4 clearance.

Dylan Fitzpatrick was the top underclass javelin thrower in South Jersey and No. 5 in the state and became the first Burlington Township boy to ever win a sectional javelin title.

Fitzpatrick’s progression is eye-opening. He threw 125-0 as a freshman in 2022 and 145-3 as a sophomore.

But in his first meet of his junior year, he threw a school-record 170-5 at the Don Danser Relays at Rancocas Valley – a quick 25-foot PR to open the season. At the Central Jersey Group 3 meet at Jackson Liberty, he improved 177-4, winning by 17 feet.

Teammate Dylan Zerillo, a senior, was 3rd with a 159-0, and junior Anthony Barber took 5th with a 151-10. Those 18 points helped Burlington Township place 4th in team scoring with 52 points.

Fitzpatrick  became Burlington Township’s first thrower to win a sectional title since Jaehlan Joyner won the shot at the 2016 CJ-3 meet at Northern Burlington with a 52-5 ½ and the Falcons’ first underclassman to win a sectional title since junior Eriq Morris won the Central Jersey Group 2 800 in 2009 at Monmouth Regional in 1:58.71.

Fitzpatrick then placed 2nd at states at Delsea, less than 2 ½ feet behind senior Evan Brooks of Old Tappan. He was the No. 2 South Jersey finisher at the Meet of Champions at Pennsauken, behind only runner-up Miles Acchione of Lenape.

His 177-4 is the best throw by a Burlington County underclassman since Nick Mirabelli of Rancocas Valley threw 213-5 to win the Burlington County Open in 2017 at R.V.

Burlington County 175-Foot Javelin Club [new javelin since 2003]
227-10 … Nick Mirabelli [Rancocas Valley], 2017
224-10 … Curtis Thompson [Florence], 2014
216-6 … Chris Mirabelli [Holy Cross], 2014
204-4 … Kevin Burr Jr. [Rancocas Valley], 2023
201-1 … Sean Biehn [Burlington City], 2006
195-10 … Miles Acchione [Lenape], 2024
192-6 … Matt Rafferty [Northern Burlington], 2012
192-3 … Shane McDevitt [Cinnaminson], 2014
191-6 … Robert Marks [Rancocas Valley], 2016
187-8 … Jerry Fusco [Holy Cross], 2016
187-0 … Jeremy Wilbur [Moorestown], 2013
181-3 … Matthew Dash [Willingboro], 2011
180-1 … Justin Nykiel [Cherokee], 2010
178-5 … Shaun Schaeffer [Cinnaminson], 2011
177-9 … Matthew Gross [Cherokee], 2016
177-4 … Dylan Fitzpatrick [Burlington Twp.], 2024
177-0 … Warren Oliver [Palmyra], 2009
176-2 … Jarrett Braitwaite [Willingboro], 2014
175-8 … John Szymanek [Seneca], 2010
175-2 … Kyle McDevitt [Cinnaminson], 2011
175-2 … Adam Rotsides [Northern Burlington], 2008

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: Laurel Conway, Sterling

Laurel Conway brought a javelin PR of 104-4 into her senior year at Sterling, but by the end of the season she was one of the top throwers in New Jersey.

As a sophomore, Conway threw 104-4 at 2022 South Jersey Group 2 sectionals at Delsea, where she placed 3rd. She won sectionals as a junior but her best throw was a 103-4 at the Haddonfield Invitational.

But on her second throw of senior year she hit a lifetime-best 108-0 when she won the Don Danser Relays at Rancocas Valley and after a win at the West Deptford Relays with a small PR of 108-10 she broke through at Woodbury with a 122-8 and 2nd place behind eventual Meet of Champions runner-up Zoe Goldberg of Eastern.

Conway then popped a 131-3 on her 4th and final throw to win the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township by nearly 40 feet. That broke the school record of 128- set by Saraly Gonzalez at the 2018 Haddonfield Invitational.

She won the Nick Baker Invitational and SJ-2 sectionals and then threw well at West Philly Nationals with a 123-11. She’s the only girl from Sterling ever to win a sectional javelin title, and she’s now won two.

Conway finished the year ranked No. 2 in South Jersey behind Goldberg’s 146-1 to win South Jersey Group 4 sectionals and she was ranked No. 5 in all of New Jersey.

All-Time Camden County Javelin List
152-9 … Kate Johnston [Haddonfield], 2012
148 8 … Caitlin Cielo [Eastern], 2002
146-1 … Zoe Goldberg [Eastern], 2024
142-3 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
136-6 … Danielle Still [Bishop Eustace], 2002
132-4 … Kelsey Reese [Paul VI], 2011
131-8 … Laurel Conway [Sterling], 2024
129-1 … Aniyah Smith [Eastern], 2024
128-5 … Saraly Gonzalez [Sterling], 2018
127-11 … Pam Watson [Haddon Heights], 2016

Curtis Thompson unloaded the 9th-best throw of his life Saturday to win American JavFest at East Stroudsburg [Pa.] High School.

Thompson, who heads to Paris next month for his second Olympics, threw 271-0 on his 3rd attempt and won by 10 feet over Sindri Gudmundsson, who threw 261-0 on his 2nd attempt. Thompson and Gudmundsson both threw at Mississippi State but not at the same time.

Thompson, a 2014 Florence High School graduate, won the Trials in Eugene last month and his 4th career U.S. title with a 272-5 throw. He’s ranked 23rd in the world this year and No. 2 among U.S. throwers. His 287-9 at 2022 American JavFest is No. 3 in U.S. history.

On Saturday, Thompson opened with a foul and a 261-7 before the winning 271-0. He finished with a 260-7, 256-2 and 260-0.

Deptford graduate Tim VanLiew placed 6th with his best throw in six years in his 2nd meet since 2018. VanLiew threw 232-9, his best throw since a 236-4 in his final meet of 2018 – the U.S. Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, where he placed 5th.

After that meet, he didn’t compete again until the Lions Invitational at The College of New Jersey in April, where he threw 219-1.

VanLiew’s lifetime best is 261-2 from Tucson [Ariz.] Elite Classic in May 2016.

Curtis Thompson’s 270-Foot Throws
287-9 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [2nd throw]
276-4 … NACAC, Freeport Stadium, Grand Bahamas, Bahamas, Aug. 20, 2022 [3rd throw]
274-11 … Athletissima, La Pontaise, Lausanne, Switzerland, Aug. 26, 2022 [1st throw]
273-4 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 9, 2022 [1st throw]
272-5 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 23, 2024 [1st throw]
271-11… Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, July 4, 2016 [1st throw]
271-10 … Spitzen Leichtathletik, Luzern, Switzerland, Aug. 30, 2022 [3rd throw]
271-7 … Olympic Trials, Hayward Field, Eugene, June 21, 2021 [6th throw]
271-0 … American JavFest, East Stroudsburg [Pa.] South High School, July 13, 2024 [1st throw]
270-3 … Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Invitational, Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland, Aug. 6, 2022 [2nd throw]

Winslow rising junior Ma’Syiah Brawner won the triple jump Thursday at the AAU National Club Championships in Memphis.

Brawner jumped 39-1 ½ on her final attempt to snag the lead after trailing the entire competition.

Brawner opened with two fouls and facing early elimination she jumped 37-6 ½ to move into 4th place and earn three more jumps.

She improved to 38-0 ¼ on her fourth attempt and then 38-6 ¾ but going into the final round still trailed Nicole Green of Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School in Ladue, Mo., who opened with a 38-9 ¾.

But on her final attempt, Brawner came up huge, sailing 39-1 ¼ to win by 3 ½ inches. Green jumped 37-3 on her final attempt, and the national title belonged to Brawner.

During the high school season, Brawner jumped 40-5 ¾ to win the Meet of Champions and 40-6 ¼ to place 8th at West Philly Nationals and set a South Jersey sophomore class record. She was the 5th-ranked sophomore in the U.S., according to the MileSplit national database.

Brawner also jumped 19-7 ½ in the long jump at Franklin Field and was an All-America in both horizontal jumps.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.

Today: Ashraf Maklache, Cherry Hill East

One of the most improved two-way hurdlers in the state, Cherry Hill East’s Ashraf Maklache lowered his 110-meter high hurdles time from 16.16 as a sophomore to 14.51 as a junior and dropped from 56.31 to 53.48 in the 400-meter intermediates.

Maklache’s big breakthrough in the highs came at the Camden County Championships at Haddon Township, which he won in 14.97. He lowered that to 14.51 in the prelims at South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken before placing 5th in the final in 14.54.

But he saved his best for the intermediates. His first sub-56 and sub-55 came at South Jersey Elite at Delsea, where he placed 4th in a loaded race in 54.74, then dropped his PR to 54.62 when he won the Camden County title for a hurdles double.

His next PR came in his next race at the Cherokee Final Countdown Last-Chance Invitational, where he and Gloucester’s Jaden Garris were both timed in 54.40, Garris getting the win.

Maklache lowered his PR to 53.78 at sectionals, where he placed 2nd to Toms River North’s Mordecai Ford, who ran 53.60 and then he PR’d for a 5th consecutive meet at the state Group 4 meet in Somerset with a 53.48, behind only Morristown senior Jason Meza, the eventual Meet of Champions winner.

That 53.48 made Maklache the No. 4 underclassman in New Jersey, behind Ford [52.85], Winslow’s Dominic Bassey [53.35] and Toms River North’s Camryn Thomas [53.40].

Maklache’s 53.48 is No. 3 in Cherry Hill East history, behind Alex Reber [52.92 at the 2012 Olympic Conference meet at Washington Township] and Kervens Mezilus [53.28 at the 2017 Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington]. His 14.51 is No. 2 in school history, behind only Jordan Clark’s 14.38 at South Jersey Group 4 sectionals at Egg Harbor in 2016.

Camden County Junior Class 400IH List
52.92 … Alex Reber [Cherry Hill East], 2012
53.28 … Kervens Mezilus [Cherry Hill East], 2017
53.30 … Maxwell Dickens [Paul VI], 2016
53.35 … Dominic Bassey [Winslow Twp.], 2024
53.3h … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1985
53.48 … Ashraf Maklache [Cherry Hill East], 2024

Tionna Tobias leaped 20-7 ½ and placed 5th in the long jump Thursday evening at the Ed Murphey Track Classic, a Puma American Track League event in Memphis.

Tobias, a Winslow graduate who recently finished her senior year at Iowa, was competing for the first time since the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Tobias hit 20-6 ¾ on her first jump and 20-7 ½ on her 2nd. She also had a 20-4 ¾ jump on her 3rd jump.

This was one of Tobias’s better results over this past year. She jumped a PR 21-4 ¼ in Gainesville in March.

Also Thursday night in Memphis, Delsea graduate Josh Awotunde threw 66-8 ¼ and took 3rd in the men’s shot put, and Cherokee graduate Jessica Woodard threw 59-1 ½ and placed 4th in the women’s shot put.

Jonathan Harris, who was the No. 3 shot putter in New Jersey this past spring as a Delsea junior, popped a personal-best and meet-record 63-2 ¾ Wednesday at the AAU National Club Championships in Jacksonville.

But Harris won by 15 feet and broke the listed meet record of 61-0 ½ by Beau Burroughs of Tampa Jesuit High in 2004.

Harris’s official high school PR is a 63-0 ½ when he won South Jersey Group 3 sectionals earlier last month at Delsea. That’s 7th in South Jersey history. His 63-2 ¾ won’t count on all-time high school lists because it was made out of season, but it would rank 6th in South Jersey history, just ahead of former teammate Jason Nwosu, who threw 63-2 ½ to win the 2022 state Group 3 meet at Pennsauken.

The Gloucester County record is 64-10 1/2 by Paulsboro’s Jon Kallas at the 1997 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.

Harris, competing for the Omega Track Club, opened with a 57-2, two fouls and a 57-8 ¼. He improved to 58-9 ½ on his 5th attempt before hitting the 63-2 ¾ on his final attempt.