From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Pennsauken sophomore Sianni Wynn turned in one of the greatest sprinting performances in state history Sunday morning with a record-setting win in the Meet of Champions 55-meter dash at Ocean Breeze.

Wynn won the race in 6.81, the fastest time by a New Jersey sprinter in 39 years and 3rd-fastest in state history. It’s also No. 5 in the U.S. this year, according to the MileSplit national database
And it’s the fastest time ever by a New Jersey girl in a high school race.

For the video, click here.

Wynn began the day with a PR of 7.00 from her win at last year’s Meet of Champions and lowered that to 6.93 leading all qualifiers in the trials earlier Sunday.

In the final, she outraced Union Catholic junior Taylor Cox, who ran 6.90, also under the previous meet record of 6.92 set by Montclair Immaculate’s Dominique Booker at the Bubble in 2009.

Timber Creek senior Naylah Jones ran 6.95 for 3rd place, the 8th-fastest time in meet history.
The only girls in state history to run faster than Wynn are legendary Michelle Glover of Willingboro, who ran 6.73 against a world-class field at the 1981 Dallas Times Herald Invitational, at Reunion Arena and Trenton’s Wenda Vereen, who ran 6.79 – also against a world-class field – in the 1984 U.S. Championships at Madison Square Garden.

The fastest previous 55 time by a New Jersey sprinter in a high school-only race was a 6.84 by Myasia Jacobs of Paramus Catholic to win 2011 Easterns at the Armory.

Wynn broke the Camden County record of 6.88 set in 1979 by Patti Dunlap in the trials of the AAU Nationals at Madison Sqquare Garden.

All-Time New Jersey 55-Meter Dash Sub-7 list
6.73y … Michelle Glover [Willingboro], 1981
6.79y … Wenda Vereen [Trenton], 1984
6.81 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024
6.84 … Myasia Jacobs [Paramus Catholic], 2011
6.87 … Aleah Williams [Montclair], 1998
6.88y … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
6.90 … Taylor Cox [Union Catholic], 2024
6.91 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2010
6.93 … Ogechi Nwaneri [Chatham], 2008
6.93 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
6.93 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024 [-]
6.94 … Stephanie Saleem [Neptune], 1985
6.95 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
6.95 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
6.95 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
6.95 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
6.95 ….Christiana Nwachuku [Kent Place], 2022
6.97 … Melissa Barber [Montclair], 1998
6.97 … Jenna Harris [Franklin], 2003
6.97 … Dominique Booker [Immaculate Conception], 2008
6.98 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
6.98 … Sydney Hawkins [Phillipsburg], 2017

 

Pennsauken sophomore Sianni Wynn, seeking her 2nd straight Meet of Champions 55-meter dash title, ran the 2nd-fastest time in meet history Sunday morning in the trials.

Wynn led all qualifiers in 6.93 in the 3rd semifinal race, matching the No. 4 time in South Jersey history and the No. 7 time in state history.

Wynn’s 6.93 is only 1-100th of a second off the meet record of 6.92 set at the 2009 meet at the Bubble in Toms River by Montclair Immaculate’s Dominique Booker. The fastest previous time run at a Meet of Champions by a South Jersey girl was 6.95 by Winslow Township’s Torie Robinson when she won the 2014 final in 6.95 at the Bubble.

Her time is No. 13 in the U.S. according to the MileSplit national database and No. 3 among sophomores.

Union Catholic’s Taylor Cox and Timber Creek’s Naylah Jones both also ran under 7.05, Cox with a 7.03 in the 4th qualifying race and Jones in the 1st. Willingboro junior Nester Wea also qualified for the final with a 7.26.

All-Time New Jersey 55-Meter Dash Sub-7 list
6.73y … Michelle Glover [Willingboro], 1981
6.79y … Wenda Vereen [Trenton], 1984
6.84 … Myasia Jacobs [Paramus Catholic], 2011
6.87 … Aleah Williams [Montclair], 1998
6.88y … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
6.91 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2010
6.93 … Ogechi Nwaneri [Chatham], 2008
6.93 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
6.93 … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024 [-]
6.94 … Stephanie Saleem [Neptune], 1985
6.95 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
6.95 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
6.95 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
6.95 ….Christiana Nwachuku [Kent Place], 2022
6.97 … Melissa Barber [Montclair], 1998
6.97 … Jenna Harris [Franklin], 2003
6.97 … Dominique Booker [Immaculate Conception], 2008
6.98 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020
6.98 … Sydney Hawkins [Phillipsburg], 2017
6.73y … Michelle Glover [Willingboro], 1981
6.88y … Patti Dunlap [Camden], 1979
6.91 … English Gardner [Eastern], 2010
6.94 … Naylah Jones [Timber Creek], 2024
6.95 … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017
6.95 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014
6.95 … Denise Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
6.98 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020

All-Time Meet of Champions 7.00 List
6.92 … Dominique Booker [Montclair Immaculate], 2009 [1]
6.93 … Ogechi Nwaneri [Chatham], 2008 [1]
6.93q … Sianni Wynn [Pennsauken], 2024 [-]
6.95 … Torie Robinson [Winslow Twp.], 2014 [1]
6.7h … Wendy Vereen [Trenton], 1984 [1]
6.96 … Myasia Jacobs [Paramus Catholic], 2011 [1]
6.97 … Aleah Williams [Montclair], 1998 [1]
6.97 … Melisa Barber [Montclair], 1998 [2]
6.98 …….. Booker, 2008 [2]
6.98 … Lauren Princz [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2020 [1]
6.99q …….. Nwaneri, 2008 [-]
6.99q … Bria Mack [Williamstown], 2017 [-]
7.00 … Haisha Bisiolu [Union], 2013 [1]
7.00 … Iyanla Kollock [Our Lady of Mercy], 2017 [2]
7.00 …… Wynn [Pennsauken], 2023 [1]

Burlington City senior Malachi James broke the Meet of Champions 55-meter dash record in qualifying heats Sunday morning at Ocean Breeze.

James tied his PR of 6.30 – 4th-fastest in state history – to cross the line first in the 4th of four semifinal races.

The meet record was 6.34 set by Louis Akpadago of Nottingham in 2020 at Ocean Breeze, and the fastest previous time run by a South Jersey sprinter at M-of-C was a 6.38 by Glassboro’s James Brown to win the 2009 meet at the Bubble.

The final is shaping up to be another record-setting race between James, Delbarton senior Ryan Johnson and Southern Regional junior Cole Isaac Cramer, who ran the 1st, 2nd- and 6th-fastest times in meet history in the trials.

Johnson won the 1st semi in a big PR 6.32 – also under the previous meet record – and Cramer ran 6.37 to win the 2nd semi. Johnson is now No. 10 in state history.

State record holder Ajani Dwyer of Washington Township, who ran 6.18 at the Millrose Games Trials at the Armory in January, missed states with an injury so wasn’t eligible to race Sunday. He may be cleared in time for nationals later this month.

Dwyer’s teammate, junior John Santos, did qualify for the final later Sunday with a 6.51 behind Cramer in the 2nd qualifying heat. Woodbury junior Marquis Taylor ran 6.52 and also advanced.

6.30q … Malachi James [Burlington City], 2024 [q]
6.32q … Ryan Johnson [Delbarton], 2024 [q]
6.34 … Louis Akpadago [Nottingham], 2020 [1]
6.35q …….. Akpadago [Nottingham], 2020 [-]
6.35…..Fitzroy Ledgister [St. Peter’s Prep], 2022 [1]
6.37……Fabian France [Bergen Catholic], 2022 [2]
6.37q … Cole Isaac Cramer [Southern Regional], 2024 [-]
6.38 … Damier Johnson [Long Branch], 2008 [1]
6.38 …….. Akpadago [Nottingham], 2019 [1]
6.38q …….. Akpadago, 2019 [-]
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009 [1]
6.38 … Marvin Morgan [Neptune], 2017 [1]
6.39 … Joe Henderson [Freehold Boro], 1986 [1]
6.39 … Bryant Fitzgerald [Highland Park], 2008 [2]
6.39 … Miles Shuler [Long Branch], 2011 [1]
6.39 … Kadeem Douse [Ewing], 2011 [2]
6.39 … Bryce Watts [Toms River North], 2017 [2]

Indiana Tech senior hurdler Javon Sanders, a Deptford graduate, earned All-America honors Saturday and nearly won his first national title at the NAIA Championships in Brookings, S.D.

Sanders ran a lifetime-best 7.91 and placed 2nd to Tajean Houston of Texas Wesleyan of Fort Worth at Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex on the South Dakota State University campus.

Sanders was only the 5th-fastest qualifier on Friday with an 8.03 to win his heat. But in the final, racing out of Lane 7, he came within 3-100ths of a second of Houston, the NAIA champion at 110 meters last spring in 13.87 in Marion, Ind.

Last year, Sanders was 5th at indoor nationals. He lowered his PR from 7.92, which he just ran last month at a meet in Ashland, Ohio.

Sanders’ 7.91 is No. 3 in school history behind Coby Bailey, who ran 7.82 at 2022 NAIA nationals in Brookings, and Ahumad Williams, who ran 7.84 also in 2022 in a meet in Nashville. Williams, now a senior, ran 7.96 Saturday and placed 4th at nationals.

Other South Jersey hurdlers under 8.00 this year are Miami senior Sincere Rhea of St. Augustine [7.75], Syracuse senior Anthony Vazquez of Egg Harbor [7.91], Princeton sophomore Greg Foster of Lumberton and Lawrenceville Prep [7.96], Syracuse senior Naseem Smith of Deptford [7.96] and Rowan senior Marquise Young from Sterling [7.96].

Sanders goes into the outoor season with a PR of 14.22 over the 42-inch 110-meter barriers. He ran that last May when he won the Wolverine-Hoosier title in Adrian, Mich. That’s No. 8 in school history.

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 8-second 60-meter hurdles list
7.50 … Anwar Moore [Camden], Feb. 24, 2008, Boston
7.52 … Jack Pierce [Woodbury], Feb. 25, 1995, Fairfax, Va.
7.72 … Isaac Williams [Willingboro], Jan. 9, 2015, Houston
7.75 … Sincere Rhea [St. Augustine], Feb. 9, 2024, Clemson, S.C.
7.80 … Anthony Acklin [Triton], Jan. 21, 2006, Carbondale, Ill.
7.86 … Tyler Garland [Deptford], Feb. 29, 2020, South Bend, Ind.
7.87 … Devon Carter [Washington Twp.], Feb. 28, 2014, Clemson, S.C.
7.89 … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], Feb. 23, 2003, Boston
7.90 … Jalen Walker [Burlington Twp.], March 8, 2015, Boston
7.91 … Dwight Ruff [Camden], Feb. 12, 2005, Ames, Iowa
7.91 … Anthony Vazquez [Egg Harbor Twp.], Jan. 19, 2024, New York
7.91 … Javon Sanders [Deptford], March 2, 2024, Brookings, S.D.
7.92 … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville Prep / Lumberton], Feb. 10, 2023, New York
7.94 … Jusson Boyd [Willingboro], Feb. 26, 2012, Winston-Salem, N.C.
7.94 … Edwin Alston [Winslow Twp.], Feb. 18, 2017, New York
7.94 … Jusson Boyd [Willingboro], Feb. 26, 2012, Winston-Salem, N.C.
7.96 … Naseem Smith [Deptford], Feb. 2, 2024, Cambridge, Mass.
7.96 … Marquise Young [Sterling], Jan. 20, 2024, Staten Island, N.Y.
7.97 … Chais Hill [Highland], Feb. 26, 2016, Geneva, Ohio
8.00 … Isaiah Lewis [Winslow Twp.], Feb. 11, 2022, Clemson, S.C.

Northern Burlington’s Keira Mansure shattered the Rider indoor 5,000 record Saturday afternoon at the ECAC Championships at Boston University’s Track and Tennis Center.

Mansure finished 7th in 16:56.62, breaking the school record of 17:02 set in 2017 by Meg McGarrity at the Terrier Invitational, on the same Boston University track.

Mansure’s previous 5,000 best indoors or out was a 17:31.22 in January, also at the Terrier Classic at B.U.

For some reason, the splits that showed during the race have disappeared from the results, but Mansure averaged about 40.7 per lap. She ran most of the second half of the race with two Iona women – Claragh Keane and Madison Klein. Keane finished just ahead of Mansure, Klein just behind.

Only three Rider women have broken 17 minutes outdoors – Niky Mateescu of South Brunswick ran 16:49.31 at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., in 2016, Emily Ritter of Sussex Tech in Millsborog, Del., ran 16:55.37 at Monmouth in West Long Branch in 2015 and Jordan O’Neill from Neshaminy in Middletown Township, Bucks County, 16:57.46 last year in Fairfax, Va.

So Mansure’s time is fastest by a Rider runner over 5,000 meters indoors or out in eight years.

It also appears to be 4th-fastest all-time by a Burlington County alumni. Interesting that four of the top seven (that I’ve been able to find) are Northern Burlington graduates. And remember, Liliah Gordon ran 17:26.55 last winter as a Northern sophomore. And Leake, who has run 4:53.23 this winter for Monmouth, hasn’t run a 5,000 since last April.

15:10.10 … Erika Kemp [Rancocas Valley], May 29, 2021, Attleboro, Mass.
16:34.70y … Jenna Darcy [Shawnee], Feb. 19, 2005, Kingston, R.I.
16:36.18 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], June 5, 2021, Nashville, Tenn.
16:56.62 … Keira Mansure [Northern Burlington], March 2, 2024, Boston
17:03.30 … Laura Mason [Northern Burlington], June 15, 1996, Atlanta
17:08.79 … Isabella Leak [Egg Harbor Twp.], May 6, 2023, Williamsburg, Va.
17:12.71 … Colleen Sunderland [Northern Burlington], N/A

Mansure had high school PRs of 5:13.85 and 11:37.21 at Northern. So she ran a faster pace in her 5,000 on Saturday than in her fastest 3,200 in high school.

Kingsway’s Stone Caraccio ran an indoor 800 PR Saturday at Boston University at the IC4As and qualified for Sunday’s final.

Caraccio, a junior at Monmouth, ran 1:51.62, breaking his lifetime best indoors of 1:52.08, which he ran at the 2022 Metro Atlantic Championships at the Armory. Caraccio split 26.85, 27.41, 28.58 and 28.80.

Caraccio’s outdoor PR is 1:50.83 from a meet at Princeton in May of 2022. He ran more than a second faster than he had previously this winter. He ran 1:52.80 at the Coastal Athletic Conference Championships last weekend at the Armory.

The Mount Royal native’s time is No. 6 on the all-time Monmouth indoor list.

Rancocas Valley’s Ian Moore, a Monmouth junior, ran 1:51.96 and missed qualifying for the final by 2-100th of a second. He’s run 1:50.84 outdoors and just PR’d indoors with a 1:51.70 at the CAA Championships.

The final is scheduled for 12:20 p.m. Sunday.

Junior David Kenny from St. Augustine turned in the fastest indoor 800 by an Ursinus runner in eight years Saturday with his 3rd-place finish in the AARTFC Championships.

Kenny ran 1:55.49 at the Glisano Training Center in Nazareth, Pa., breaking his previous indoor PR of .

His time is fastest by an Ursinus runner in eight years, since Andrew Mackin set the school record of 1:54.05 on his home track in Collegeville at the 2016 Centennial Conference Championships. Dent Lent from Cardinal Dougherty in Philly, ran a hand-timed 1:53.9 in 1987, which converts to about the same time.

Kenny, who’s from Margate, has an outdoor PR of 1:55.66 from the Widener Invitational in Chester, Pa., in April of 2022. He just ran his previous indoor PR of 1:56.21 last month in Lexington, Va.

At St. Augustine, Kenny ran 2:02.11 indoors at 2020 Parochial A states at the Bubble and 1:57.46 outdoors in the spring of 2021 at Haddonfield Distance Night.

The fastest 800 ever run by a St. Augustine graduate is 1:51.24 by Mark Sivieri in Dedham, Mass., in June 2000.

Audubon’s Scott Hubbard, a sophomore at Rowan, ran 1:55.96 and finished 4th, just behind Kenny.

Kayla Kass won the 800 Saturday at the AARTFC Championships, appears to have broken Stockton’s school record, definitely broke the meet record and may have punched herself a ticket to the NCAA Division 3 Championships.

Kass, a sophomore from Bayonne, ran what is likely a school-record 2:12.32 at the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships at the Golisano Training Center in Nazareth, Pa

Stockton’s web site lists 2:18.37 by Manchester Township’s Cassandra Hrusko in 2016 as the school record – according to TFRRS Hrusko ran that on Feb. 6 at Ursinus. But also according to TFRRS Cierra Granger of Ocean City ran 2:18.08 at Ocean Breeze on Feb. 27, 2016.

How could 2:18.37 be the school record when a different runner ran faster three weeks later? Good question! Apparently the Stockton web site was last updated since some point between Feb. 6, 2016, and Feb. 27, 2016.

That was eight years ago. Time to update the web site, Stockton sports information department!

But wait … Hrusko actually ran faster than that 2:18.37 in 2014. She had a 2:18.20 on March 1, 2014, so maybe that was the school record until Granger ran her 2:18.08.

But I went through all Stockton results as far back as TFRRS goes – which is the 2009-2010 season – and the actual Stockton school record didn’t belong to Hrusko or Granger but to Kass herself with her 2:14.71 two weeks ago, when she won the NJAC title at Ocean Breeze.

I’m sure Stockton will get around to updating that in 2032 or so.

Anyway, heck of a race by Kass, who closed in 31.33 for her final 200 and 64.65 for her final 400 and finished eight meters ahead of 2nd-place Megan Bell of Rochester, who ran 2:13.53.

Now here’s the interesting part. Coming into this weekend, Kass ranked 28th in NCAA Division 3 with that 2:14.71, and the top 20 runners in D-3 through tonight qualify for next weekend’s nationals in Virginia Beach.

But depending on what else happens today around the country, Kass could be in the top 20. Only eight women in Division 3 had run as fast as 2:12.32 coming into the weekend. We’ll see what else happens and the official fields for D-3 nationals will be announced Sunday, but it looks like Kass has a pretty good shot.

The previous meet record was 2:12.51 set by Windsor Ardner of SUNY Geneseo last year. Kass also broke the Golisano Center record of 2:13.55 set by Ardner last year at the Nazareth Conference Tune-Up.

Sophomore Kwaku Nkrumah, senior Marquise Young and sophomore Jason Agyemang of Rowan swept the top three spots in the hurdles Saturday morning at the AARTFC Championships at the Golisano Training Center in Nazareth, Pa.

The 60-meter hurdles has a chance to be a huge event for Rowan at NCAA Division 3 Nationals next weekend. Nkrumah, Young, Agyemang and Jacob Kiyler were ranked No. 2, No. 4, No. 13 and No. 18 in NCAA Division 3 coming into the weekend, and the top 20 hurdlers will qualify for nationals starting Friday in Virginia Beach.

On Saturday in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championships, Nkrumah, a freshman from Teaneck, won the race in 8.01, Young, from Sterling, was 2nd in 8.07, and Agyemang, from North Plainfield ran 3rd in 8.08. Sophomore Anais Hughes from Willingboro also scored, placing 8th, which gave Rowan 25 points in one event. Kiyler, a freshman from Toms River North, didn’t run the hurdles this weekend.

Team scoring isn’t really important at the AARTFC meet, it’s all about trying to get NCAA qualifiers. Nkrumah is No. 2 in D-3 at 7.93, Young is No. 4 at 7.96 – those are the two-fastest times in Rowan history – and Agyemang’s 8.08 is a PR, likely moving him up a couple spots on the Division 3 performance list.

Getting no help from Rowan’s web site, but here’s my best attempt at an all-time Rowan hurdles list. If this is accurate, that means four of the six-fastest performers in school history are from this year. If it’s not, lemme know who’s missing!

7.93 … Kwaku Nkrumah [Teaneck], 2024
7.96 … Marquis Young [Sterling], 2024
7.98 … David Benjamin [Freehold Twp.], 2017
8.01 … Bobby Cooks [McArthur, Pembroke Pines, Fla.], 2018
8.07 … Jacob Kiyler [Toms River North], 2024
8.08 … Jason Agyemang [North Plainfield], 2024

Deptford’s Javon Sanders won his hurdles semifinal Friday at the NAIA Championships and advanced to Saturday’s final.

Sanders, a senior at Indiana Tech, ran 8.03 to win the 3rd of five heats in the 60-meter hurdles qualifying at Dakota State’s Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, S.D.

Sanders is ranked 4th in NAIA with a PR of 7.92 from a meet last month in Ashland, Ohio. He won the WHAC title with a 7.96 two weeks ago in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Sanders earned All-America honors with a 5th-place in last year’s NAIA indoor championships in Brookings.

The three NAIA hurdlers who had run faster than Sanders this year – Tajean Houston of Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth [7.77], Zach Turner of Doane in Crete, Neb. [7.85], and teammate Ahumad Williams of Indiana Tech [7.89] – also advanced to the final., Houston in 7.98, Turner in 7.92 and Williams in 7.94. Leading all qualifiers was Emmanuel Niang of Talladega (Ala.), who PR’d in 7.90.

The final is scheduled for 1:55 p.m. EST Saturday. Sanders will be in Lane 7.