From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Yesterday, we ran down the long and wild progression of the South Jersey sprint medley record, and today it’s time for the all-time South Jersey top-50 sprint medley list!

All the times up through 1978 were run at the full one-mile distance and all the times from 1980 on were run at 1,600 meters. Meets were split in 1979, and on this list Willingboro’s 1979 time was run in meters and Woodbury’s in yards. I converted all the yard sprint meds down using the standard .9942 conversion ratio.

Incredibly, 9 of the top 15 times were run during that three-year span from 2001 through 2003, a stretch when Vineland, Camden, Willingboro, Winslow, Bridgeton and Lenape were all putting down incredible sprint medley times.

Only four of the top 25 times come from this past decade, but the list includes a remarkable 11 performances from the 1970s (compared to just three from the 1990s!).

As always, I appreciate the corrections and additions you guys are sending in through the comment section. I’m making the changes as soon as I can!

All-Time South Jersey Sprint Medley Top-50 List

3:22.71 … Vineland, 2002
3:22.75 … Vineland, 2003
3:22.85 … Camden, 2001
3:23.56 … Willingboro, 2003
3:23.79 … Willingboro, 2001
3:24.19 … Bordentown, 2005
3:25.06 … Moorestown, 2017
3:26.25 … Absegami, 2008
3:26.75 … Winslow Twp., 2003
3:27.10 … Washington Twp., 2010
3:27.32 … Oakcrest, 2014
3:27.1h … Bridgeton, 2001
3:27.3h … Willingboro, 1983
3:27.55 … Washington Twp., 2009
3:27.69 … Overbrook, 1999
3:28.55 … Winslow Twp., 2002
3:28.63 … Lenape, 2001
3:29.1h … Willingboro, 1979
3:29.44 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:29.5y … Woodbury, 1978
3:29.72 … Rancocas Valley, 2005
3:30.38 … Washington Twp., 2000
3:30.1y … Pemberton, 1977
3:30.3h … Camden, 1983
3:30.3h … Edgewood, 1983
3:30.4h … Willingboro, 1977
3:30.45 … Lenape, 2001
3:30.61 … Delsea, 2011
3:30.68 … Rancocas Valley, 2014
3:30.69 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
3:30.70 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
3:30.83 … Moorestown, 2016
3:30.92 … Willingboro, 2015
3:30.8h … Overbrook, 1998
3:30.9y … Williamstown, 1977
3:30.9h … Cherokee, 2001
3:31.1y … Pemberton, 1976
3:31.1h … Willingboro, 1981
3:31.41 … Washington Twp., 1999
3:31.4y … Willingboro, 1977
3:31.5y … Woodbury, 1979
3:31.68 … Ocean City, 2003
3:31.69 … Rancocas Valley, 2005
3:31.6y … Rancocas Valley, 1974
3:31.6h … Highland, 1989
3:31.8h … Bridgeton, 2003
3:31.97 … Cinnaminson, 2007
3:32.02 … Rancocas Valley, 2013
3:32.2y … Woodbury, 1972
3:32.2y … Camden, 1978

I thought it would be fun to trace the progression of the South Jersey sprint medley record as well as I could.

I didn’t realize at the time the record has changed hands 12 times … including twice in the span of five minutes!

The earliest South Jersey sprint medley record I could find was Overbrook’s 3:37.8 in 1970 for the full 2 1/2-mile distance. Whatever the mark was before that was over 3:40.

Woodbury broke the record in 1972 with a 3:33.4 and then Rancocas Valley broke that mark two years later with a 3:32.8. That mark stood two more years until Pemberton ran 3:32.3 in 1976.

Then, at the 1977 South Jersey Relays at Pennsauken, Williamstown and Pemberton both broke the record in consecutive races! Williamstown literally held the South Jersey SMR record for five minutes!

Here’s the Courier-Post’s story on that from 43 years ago:

In 1978, Woodbury lowered the record to 3:30.7.

All the times mentioned so far were done in yards. So the sprint medley was exactly a mile. In the list below, all those times have been converted using the standard .9942 conversion rate.

By 1980 all the sprint medleys were 1,600 meters. But in 1979, some meets were held in yards and some in meters.

In 1979, Willingboro lowered the record to 3:29.1 in a metric race and another Willingboro team lowered the mark to 3:27.3 in 1983, which meant the South Jersey sprint med record had been broken six times in 12 years.

But Willingboro’s mark stood for 18 years.

Finally, in 2001, both Camden (3:22.85) and Willingboro (3:23.79) ran faster. The next year Vineland turned in its remarkable 3:22.71, and that has also stood for 18 years.

So a record that once was broken twice in five minutes has now been broken twice in 36 years!

I spent way too many hours on this, but here is a complete progression of the South Jersey sprint medley record. I listed where I could find them.

I’ll post the full all-time South Jersey sprint medley top-50 this afternoon. But first … the complete all-time record progression!

3:37.8: Overbrook, May 3, 1970, South Jersey Relays, at Pennsauken [Gene Hortz, Brian Morris, Terry Wescott, Frank Hass]

3:33.4: Woodbury, May 7, 1972, South Jersey Relays, at Pennsauken [John Stratton 50.8, Howard Savage 22.4, Jeff Thornton 22.3, Jack Turnock 1:57.9]

3:32.8: Rancocas Valley, April 21, 1974, Woodbury Relays [Bill Robinson, Roger Schneider, Jerry Felton, Greg Honsby]

3:32.3: Pemberton, May 17, 1976, New Jersey Relays, at Metuchen [Jim Sherrer, 50.5, Bob McKeever, Brian Tademay,Tavo Rivera 1:54.6]

3:32.1: Williamstown, May 8, 1977, South Jersey Relays [Group 1-2 race] at Pennsauken [John Marino 51.5, Mike Bull 24.3, Warren Williams 21.5, Tony Uzdavines 1:54.8]

3:31.4: Pemberton, May 8, 1977, South Jersey Relays [Group 3-4 race], at Pennsauken [George Thompson 51.1, Charlie Brown 23.6, Stanley Whittaker 23.2, Tavo Rivera 1;53.4]

3:30.7: Woodbury, May 16, 1978, New Jersey Relays at Toms River [Keith Washington 47.8, Bruce Washington, Blane Martin, Dick Caton 1:54.3]

3:30.3: Willingboro, April 22, 1979, Krulik Relays, at Kearny [Marc Dickerson 22.2, Carl Lewis 21.0, Quincy Vaughn 50.0, Bob Mann 1:57.1]

3:27.3: Willingboro, April 23, 1983, Woodbury Relays [Greg Gaiters, Darryl Coleman, Jeff Bradford, Vance Watson]

3:27.0: Willingboro, April 21, 2001, Woodbury Relays [Michael Bolling, Mike Levinson, Darrin Scott, Marvin Lewis]

3:22.85: Camden, June 14, 2001, adidas Outdoor Championships, Raleigh, N.C., [probably Dwight Ruff, Jade Smith, Jamar Ervin, John Morris]

3:22.71: Vineland, adidas Outdoor Championships, Raleigh, N.C. [Marcus Lee 21.08, Dale Coleman 22.4, Schaefer Sherrer 48.02, Shannon Sherrer 1:50.05]

The super sprint medley was still in its relative infancy when Willingboro ran 1:30.09 at the 2007 adidas Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro.

These days, the super sprint medley – legs of 100, 100, 200 and 400 meters, or exactly half the conventional sprint medley – is held in most major meets.

But Boro’s 1:30.09 remains a state record 13 years after the Chimeras ran it.

The team of Anthony Coleman and Marco Biersinger on the 100s, Antonio Abney on the 200 and Jusson Boyd on the 400 broke the state record of 1:30.11. DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsville, Md., was second in 1:30.42.

Today, 13 years later, Willingboro’s time is No. 11 in meet history and No. 17 in U.S. history.

Willingboro that day broke the state record of 1:30.11 set in 2003 by Ewing at the same meet and broke its own South Jersey mark of 1:30.87 set earlier in the year at the Eastern Regional Relay Classic at Carl Lewis Stadium. That had broken the South Jersey record of 1:31.05 set in 2005 by Camden at NON.

Even though the super sprint med is more prevalent than ever these days, nobody in South Jersey has come within a second of Willingboro’s 1:30.09 since. The fastest anybody has run since is Cherry Hill East’s 1:31.22 at nationals in 2012.

The closest any team state-wide has come to challenging Boro’s record is Pope John XXIII of Sparta, which ran 1:30.84 at nationals in 2010.

What’s amazing is that Boro coach Gerald Richardson used Abney – the Meet of Champions 400 winner – on the 200 instead of the 400 because he was running two other 400s at nationals, and three would have been too much. Boyd still ran 47-low and got the win, but with those splits reversed the Chimeras might have gone under 1:30.

All-Time S.J. Super Sprint Medley Top-50 List

1:30.09 … Willingboro, 2007
1:31.05 … Camden, 2005
1:31.22 … Cherry Hill East, 2012
1:31.48 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:31.66 … Willingboro, 2006
1:31.90 … Delsea, 2007
1:32.26 … Deptford, 2018
1:32.98 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2015
1:33.06 … Washington Twp., 2010
1:33.09 … St. Augustine, 2019
1:32.23 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:33.24 … Deptford, 2019
1:33.29 … Cherokee, 2008
1:33.35 … Moorestown, 2016
1:33.43 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:33.44 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:33.54 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:33.66 … Timber Creek, 2009
1:33.67 … Camden, 2009
1:33.68 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2010
1:33.68 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
1:33.79 … Moorestown, 2015
1:33.81 … Camden, 2007
1:33.89 … Delsea, 2014
1:33.92 … Camden, 20014
1:33.95 … Camden, 2019
1:33.97 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:34.05 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016
1:34.11 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2009
1:34.13 … St. Augustine, 2018
1:34.14 … Willingboro, 2019
1:34.32 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2014
1:34.36 … Paul VI, 2017
1:34.39 … Burlington Twp., 2010
1:34.43 … Vineland, 2008
1:34.44 … Bordentown, 2007
1:34:51 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
1:34.89 … Burlington Twp., 2011
1:34.78 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2019
1:34.79 … Rancocas Valley, 2014
1:34.83 … St. Augutine, 2018
1:34.83 … Deptford, 2019
1:34.88 … Haddon Heights, 2011
1:34.89 … Wilson, 2007
1:34.94 … Cherokee, 2018
1:34.98 … Absegami, 2012
1:35.00 … Northern Burlington, 2016
1:35.05 … Cumberland Reg., 2010
1:35.08 … West Deptford, 2011
1:35.16 … Burlington Twp., 2019
1:35.25 … Rancocas Valley, 2009

It was one of the most remarkable performances in South Jersey track history.

And it happened 53 years ago.

It was June 1, 1967, and Deptford was entered in the two-mile relay at the old Delaware Valley Meet of Champions at Franklin Field.

Coach Jim Hawkins’ Deptford middle-distance squad was on a roll that year. The Spartans – in only he school’s seventh year of existence – had won the two-mile relay at the Kiwanis Relays at William Tenant in a meet-record 8:10.6 and then gone to the Long Branch Relays and set a meet record of 8:01.3.

Then they went to the Northeastern Meet of Champions at Highland Park and set another meet record and South Jersey record of 7:54.0, breaking the meet record of 7:58.4 set a year earlier by Essex Catholic.

At the Penn Relays, the same quarter – Wayne Jenkins, Tom Williams, Jerry Clark and Irv Jenkins – won the South Jersey mile relay in 3:22.8, breaking the meet record of 3:24.3 set in 1963 by Haddon Heights.

Same four guys won S.J. mile relay at Penn in 3:22.8, broke record of 3:24.3 set in 1963 by Haddon Heights.

So Deptford was undefeated going into the Delaware Valley M-of-C and chasing not only their own South Jersey record of 7:54.0 – that converts to a 7:51.2 for a 3,200-meter relay – but the meet record of 7:52.1, set a year earlier by Malvern.

Wayne Jenkins led off with a huge 1:56.9 split, Williams ran 1:57.4, Clark came through in 1:58.8 and Irv Jenkins anchored in 1:56.1

Deptford had run 7:49.0, won the race, broke the meet record and shattered the South Jersey record.

At the time, that was the only South Jersey performance in the all-time New Jersey two-mile relay top-50 (according to my 1968 New Jersey Track Annual).

Here’s the story from the June 2, 1967, Courier-Post:

Deptford’s performance stood as the South Jersey record for 16 years until Willingboro won the 1983 Penn Relays in 7:40.99 on the same track as part of their Penn Relays 4-by-800-DMR double.

It was another 20 years until another South Jersey school ran faster.

To this day, more than half a century after Deptford turned in that miraculous performance, it remains No.7 in South Jersey history!

That’s truly incredible!

Here’s the full all-time South Jersey boys outdoor 3,200-meter relay top-50 performance list!

All-Time S.J. 3,200-Meter Relay Top 50

7:40.43 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
7:40.71 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:40.99 … Willingboro, 1983
7:43.57 … Haddonfield, 2015
7:44.25 … Willingboro, 2003
7:46.28 … Delsea, 2018
7:46.2h … Deptford, 1967
7:47.27 … Egg Harbor, 2016
7:47.66 … Kingsway, 2011
7:47.96 … Haddonfield, 2016
7:47.9h … Willingboro, 1982
7:48.16 … Kingsway, 2013
7:48.25 … Vineland, 2012
7:48.3h … Woodbury, 1977
7:48.70 … Rancocas Valley, 2016
7:48.92 … Highland, 2018
7:49.34 … Cherokee, 2000
7:49.67 … Washington Twp., 2009
7:49.72 … Haddonfield, 2019
7:49.85 … Cherokee, 2012
7:49.95 … Delsea, 2018
7:49.9h … Willingboro, 1978
7:50.1h … Camden, 1977
7:50.26 … Ocean City, 2003
7:50.3h … Willingboro,
7:50.87 … Haddonfield, 2014
7:51.07 … Washington Twp., 2008
7:51.09 … Mainland Reg., 2004
7:51.52 … Vineland, 2010
7:52.53 … Willingboro, 2002
7:52.60 … Cherokee, 2011
7:52.66 … Cherokee, 1998
7:52.75 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2018
7:52.7h … Willingboro, 1978
7:52.90 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
7:53.03 … Bishop Eustace, 1997
7:53.44 … Shawnee, 1991
7:53.99 … Highland, 1991
7:54.16 … Woodrow Wilson, 2011
7:54.5h … Paul VI, 1991
7:54.74 … Paul VI, 1990
7:54.78 … Highland, 2017
7:54.94 … Kingsway, 2014
7:55.0h … Edgewood, 1984
7:55.19 … Pleasantville, 2012
7:55.53 … Delsea, 2017
7:55.63 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
7:55.67 … Rancocas Valley, 2014
7:56.30 … Rancocas Valley, 2019
7:56.36 … Ocean City, 2017
7:56.5h … Vineland, 1966

The New Balance Nationals have tentatively rescheduled the postponed 2020 meet for mid-July, meet officials announced Sunday.

The meet, originally scheduled for June 18-21, is now scheduled for July 16-19. The meet is held annually at Belk Stadium at North Carolina AT&T in Greensboro, N.C.

Meet officials acknowledged it may be impossible to hold the meet on the new dates but said they are “cautiously optimistic.”

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have moved the 2020 New Balance Nationals Outdoor to the new dates of Thursday-Sunday, July 16-19,” meet officials said on the meet web site.” These are tentative dates and depend totally on the guidance of national, state and local governments.  We will continue to post updates as further definitive information is available (hopefully next 2-4 weeks).  We continue to be cautiously optimistic we can host the meet on the new scheduled dates and wish everyone good health and safety in the meantime.”

The outdoor high school nationals go back to 1993, when the meet was first held in Raleigh, N.C. It moved  to Greensboro in 2006.

Think about how fast 3:09.91 is for a high school 4-by-4. That’s an average of 47.5, which is nuts.

It’s been 19 years now since Camden set the state 1,600-meter relay record at adidas Outdoor Nationals in Raleigh, N.C., with the team of Maurice Young, Dwight Ruff, Jade Smith and John Morris blowing away the field.

And it’s not only a state record but No. 16 on the all-time U.S. list and fastest ever run by a school outside Texas or California.

Because it didn’t happen in South Jersey the local papers barely mentioned it.

Here’s the only mention I found using the Newspapers.com database, and it’s from a story in the Home News, a New Brunswick paper:

Young led off with a 48.4 out of the hole, Ruff split 46.4 (he won the USATF Junior National intermediates title in Richmond – two hours away – the night before), Jade Smith split 47.8 and Morris anchored with a 47.3.

But the Panthers broke the state record of 3:11.2 set by the Edgewood team of Chris Bennett, Keith Gloster, Brian Bennett and Dennis Mitchell in 1984 at the old Delaware Valley Meet of Champions at Franklin Field.

Willlingboro, which had edged Camden at the Meet of Champions [3:12.44 to 3:12.57, with Edgewood third at 3:13.85] was second in 3:13.82.

As you can see, that period from 1999 through 2003 was a remarkable one for the 4-by-4 in South Jersey, with 13 of the top-24 times coming during that five-year stretch!

For the sake of comparison, only one performance on this list comes from the last 10 years, Egg Harbor’s crazy 3:13.08 on its home track at the 2017 Meet of Champions.

3:09.91 … Camden, 2001
3:10.47 … Winslow Twp., 2003
3:11.24 … Willingboro, 2003
3:11.2h … Edgewood, 1984
3:12.14 … Edgewood, 1985
3:12.17 … Winslow Twp., 2002
3:12.27 … Winslow Twp., 2002
3:12.44 … Willingboro, 2001
3:13.08 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
3:13.50 … Camden, 2005
3:13.58 … Camden, 2004
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
3:13.78 … Camden, 2000
3:13.85 … Edgewood, 2001
3:14.06 … Lenape, 2000
3:14.12 … Edgewood, 1983
3:14.2h … Willingboro, 1982
3:14.58 … Camden, 1999
3:14.79 … Willingboro, 2007
3:14.95 … Vineland, 2002
3:14.99 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
3:15.00 … Lenape, 2000
3:15.04 … Willingboro, 2002
3:15.29 … Eastern, 2002
3:15.31 … Willingboro, 2007
3:15.34 … Camden, 1997
3:15.41 … Vineland, 2003
3:15.5h … Woodrow Wilson, 1984
3:15.65 … Lenape, 1996
3:15.77 … Absegami, 2008
3:15.79 … Willingboro, 2006
3:16.08 … Camden, 2007
3:16.13 … Winslow Twp., 2008
3:16.33 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
3:16.3h … Camden, 2002
3:16.46 … Camden, 2004
3:16.47 … Vineland, 2003
3:16.53 … Paul VI, 2016
3:16.57 … Cherry Hill East, 2016
3:16.61 … Oakcrest, 2011
3:16.65 … Timber Creek, 2003
3:16.6h … Willingboro, 1988
3:16.76 … Willingboro, 1993
3:16.9h … Camden, 1981
3:16.9h … Camden, 1986
3:17.10 … Winslow Twp., 2005
3:17.32 … Cherry Hill East, 2010
3:17.57 … Pleasantville, 1996
3:17.65 … Willingboro, 2018
3:17.69 … Timber Creek, 2014

Think about how fast 1:24.49 is. That’s an average of about 21.1 per split for an 800-meter relay. And that’s crazy.

That’s what Winslow ran at adidas Outdoor Nationals in Raleigh in 2003, and 17 years later it remains not only the South Jersey record but the state record.

At the time it was No. 7 in U.S. history and today, all these years later, it’s still somewhere around No. 35.

Reuben McCoy, Anthony Miles, Albert Harris and Antraye Miles won the race and broke the South Jersey record of 1:26.05, set by Camden in 2000 at what was then called Foot Locker Outdoor Nationals in Raleigh, by more than a second and a half.

The previous state record was 1:26.0, set in 1973 – 30 years earlier – by the Somerville team of Ricky Jones, Ray Hoagland, Gary Hall and Neville Plummer at the New Jersey Relays at Williams Field in Elizabeth. (Hall – who was mainly a high jumper – replaced Collen Plummer, who was suspended for the meet by coach Joe Figliolino for a minor violation of team rules. Plummer pulled his hammy at the end of the race and didn’t run again that year.)

Camden ran 1:24.90 a year later at adidas Outdoor Nationals in Raleigh, but since then nobody in South Jersey has run within two seconds of Winslow’s time. And the fastest time any New Jersey school has run the last 15 years is a 1:26.59 by East Orange at a meet in Newark in 2018.

Because the race wasn’t held in New Jersey, there wasn’t anybody to write about this incredible accomplishment. This is all the Courier-Post had the next day:

But 17 years later, Winslow’s 1:24.49 stands untouched and largely unchallenged. One of the greatest records in state history.

Here is the full all-time South Jersey 800-meter relay top-50:

1:24.49 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:24.90 … Camden, 2004
1:26.05 … Camden, 2000
1:26.68 … Camden, 1997
1:27.38 … Paul VI, 2016
1:27.52 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
1:27.66 … Oakcrest, 2011
1:27.68 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:27.69 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:27.74 … Pleasantville, 1994
1:27.75 … Willingboro, 2007
1:27.80 … Pleasantville, 1999
1:27.84 … Winslow Twp., 2002
1:27.90 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:27.96 … Williamstown, 2015
1:27.98 … Camden, 2002
1:28.01 … Camden, 1999
1:28.02 … Edgewood, 2000
1:27.9 ….. Edgewood, 1985
1:27.9 ….. Winslow Twp., 2008
1:28.23 … Rancocas Valley, 2015
1:28.0h … Willingboro, 1979
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 1984
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 1985
1:28.0h … Camden, 2001
1:28.0h … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:28.29 … Cherry Hill East, 2012
1:28.35 … Timber Creek, 2014
1:28.37 … Camden, 2005
1:28.38 … Paul VI, 2018
1:28.40 … Cherokee, 2008
1:28.42 … Pennsauken, 2005
1:28.2h … Cumberland Regional, 1981
1:28.44 … Lenape, 1996
1:28.47 … Pennsauken
1:28.52 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:28.57 … Deptford, 2017
1:28.62 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
1:28.62 … Delsea, 2010
1:28.64 … Rancocas Valley, 2014
1:28.4h … Woodrow Wilson, 1986
1:28.4h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.65 … Camden, 2000
1:28.79 … Willingboro, 1999
1:28.82 … Buena, 2000
1:28.6h … Willingboro, 1982
1:28.6h … Willingboro, 1990
1:28.6h … Vineland, 2002
1:28.90 … Delsea, 2008
1:28.7h … Willingboro, 1977
1:28.7h … Edgewood, 1982
1:28.7h … Edgewood, 1982
1:28.96 … Deptford, 2015
1:28.96 … Egg Harbor Twp.,2015

You might notice a trend here. Camden ran 41.62 or faster every year from 2000 through 2004, which is amazing considering the entire program turns over every four years. But the Panthers kept running hot 400-meter relays every year.

Those Camden teams own three of the top four times in South Jersey history, four of the top eight and five of the top 11. In all, there are 11 Camden performances on the list. Edgewood / Winslow is next with eight, Deptford has six and Pennsauken four. Kennedy – which closed in 1989 – has three!

Think about that sort of sprint relay dominance. Camden ran 41.62 or faster five times during a five-year stretch. And every other South Jersey school in history ran that fast only six times combined.

All-Time South Jersey 400-Meter Relay List

40.92 … Winslow, 2003
41.09 … Camden, 2000
41.25 … Camden, 2004
41.25 … Camden, 2001
41.45 … Timber Creek, 2014
41.47 … Deptford, 2018
41.50 … Timber Creek, 2013
41.54 … Camden, 2002
41.57 … Pennsauken, 2017
41.55 … Deptford, 2017
41.62 … Camden, 2003
41.64 … Winslow Twp., 2004
41.69 … Willingboro, 1982
41.71 … Edgewood, 2000
41.71 … Salem, 2017
41.72 … Deptford, 2018
41.80 … Oakcrest, 2012
41.83 … Camden, 1997
41.83 … Oakcrest, 2011
41.83 … Camden, 1997
41.7h … Camden, 1996
41.7h … Edgewood, 2001
41.85 … Pennsauken, 2016
41.86 … Pennsauken, 2017
41.7h … Camden, 1996
41.7h … Edgewood, 2001
41.96 … Paul VI, 2018
42.01 … Deptford, 2019
41.9h … Pleasantville, 1994
42.03 … Rancocas Valley, 2015
42.05 … Camden, 2007
42.05 … Pennsauken, 2015
42.05 … Bridgeton, 2018
42.07 … Kennedy, 1982
42.07 … Edgewood, 1983
42.07 … Camden, 2005
42.07 … Salem, 2016
42.12 … Edgewood, 1984
42.12 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
42.12 … Pleasantville, 1999
42.12 … Deptford, 2016
42.0h … Kennedy, 1980???
42.15 … Woodrow Wilson, 1992
42.15 … Delsea, 2019
42.17 … Deptford, 2013
42.22 … Timber Creek, 2016
42.23 … Delsea, 2019
42.24 … Willingboro, 1988
42.1h … Edgewood, 1983
42.25 … Clayton, 2019

The new javelin has been in use for 17 years now, and only nine South Jersey throwers have reached 200 feet during that span and only another 11 have hit 190 feet.

Compare that to the old javelin list, which we posted yesterday. Obviously the old javelin was in use much longer, from the dawn of New Jersey track in the 1930s through 2002. But 31 South Jersey throwers hit 210 feet or farther with the old implement.

The 50th spot on the old-jav list is 202-8. The 50th spot on the new-jav list is 182-11. So it’s a very different event this days.

The new javelin weighs the same as the old javelin – about two pounds. The changes were minor. The center of gravity was moved forward just a few inches and the tail is flattened out a bit. But the new javs look the same and throwers will tell you they feel the same. They just come down to Earth about 10 percent faster.

Which tells you how remarkable guys like Nick and Chris Mirabelli, Curtis Thompson and Cade Antonucci are. They were all among the top-20 American javelin throwers in 2019 — Thompson was No. 3 — and will all be among the best in the country when competition begins again.

Without further ado, here’s the all-time

227-10 … Nick Mirabelli [Rancocas Valley], 2017
224-10 … Curtis Thompson [Florence], 2014
220-11 … Cade Antonucci [Holy Spirit], 2016
216- 6 … Chris Mirabelli (Holy Cross), 2014
212- 2 … Alexander Georgia [Timber Creek], 2017
209- 4 … Steve Jernee (Ocean City), 2017
203- 6 … Stephen Benigno (Cherry Hill East), 2014
201- 1 … Sean Biehn (Burlington City), 2006
200- 8 … Cade Antonucci (Holy Spirit), 2016
199-10 … Kobe Roberts [Mainland Reg.], 2018
196- 9 … Terrence Smith [Oakcrest], 2016
195-11 … Joshua Moore [Middle Twp.], 2017
192- 6 … Matt Rafferty (Northern Burlington), 2012
192- 6 … Chris Reider (Eastern), 2010
192- 3 … Shane McDevitt (Cinnaminson), 2014
192- 1 … Nick Cando [Eastern], 2004
191- 6 … Robert Marks (Rancocas Valley), 2016
191- 5 … Andrew Pierce (Cumberland Reg.), 2009
190- 0 … Andrew Forbes (Williamstown), 2011
190- 2 … Ian Meneswisch (Highland), 2003
189-11 … Tom Carr (Eastern), 2012
189- 8 … Alex Christ (Gloucester Catholic), 2010
189- 4 … John Zimmatore (Bishop Eustace), 2007
189- 4 … Craig Scarpa (Vineland), 2003
188- 3 … Felix Roman (Pennsauken), 2007
188- 2 … Edward Evans (Timber Creek), 2008
188- 2 … Luke Pease (Haddonfield), 2014
187-11 … Javier Garcia (Pleasantville), 2009
187- 11 … Jose Ramos (Vineland), 2008
187- 8 … Jerry Fusco (Holy Cross), 2016
187- 6 … Dan Frame (Triton), 2002
187- 6 … Lane Owens [Ocean City], 2019
187- 0 … Jeremy Wilbur (Moorestown), 2013
186-11 … Brian Owens (Woodstown), 2008
185- 3 … Kevin Mosley (Glassboro), 2003
184- 1 … Russ Steater [Delsea], 2005
183- 5 … Kyle Wright [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2004
183- 4 … Kent Carpenter [Pennsauken], 2005
183- 2 … Alex Garcia [Pleasantville], 2009
182-11 … Yvanda Rigby [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2018
182- 3 … Joe Kelly [Pitman], 2011
182- 2 … Scott DiCresenzo [Haddon Twp.], 2008
181- 6 … Tim VanLiew [Deptford], 2008
181- 5 … Matt Poulton [Glassboro], 2009
181- 3 … Matthew Dash [Willingboro], 2011
181-10 … Geff Giancaterino [Triton], 2019
181- 8 … Tony DeFeo [Oakcrest], 2003
180- 9 … Peter Flacco [Eastern], 2015
180- 8 … Pat Casey [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2011
182-11 … Kevin Glover [Gateway], 2005

One unfortunate byproduct of the javelin change in 2003 was that it orphaned so many historic javelin marks.

With one rule change, decades of track and field history was erased.

High schools in New Jersey and across the country changed javelins after the 2002 season, going to the college implement, which has a different center of gravity that reduces distances.

Tomorrow, we’ll post the South Jersey “new” javelin all-time top-50, the current list, but today I want to give credit to all the early javelin greats – especially the guys from the 1960s and 1970s that track and field has forgotten.

Even though the “old” javelin was in use through the 2002 season, this list is packed with old marks.

The entire top 10 is from 1966 through 1986, and half of the top 50 marks – exactly 25 – are from the 1960s or 1970s. Another 17 are from the 1980s and six are from the first half of the 1990s, so if my math is correct there are only two marks from 1996 through 2002.

I welcome corrections and additions. Just use the comment section to send me details!

Tomorrow it’s the new javelin top-50 and then we’ll get started on relays!

All-Time South Jersey Old Javelin Performance List

229-1 … Vince Labosky [Holy Cross], 1986
226-11 … Dave Reiss [Haddon Heights], 1966
224-9 … Eric Schoenboen [Holy Cross], 1985
222-9 … Greg Geraci [Vineland], 1969
222-1 … Ron Thompson [Collingswood], 1968
221-11 … Frank Delape [Paul VI], 1972
221-7 … Drew Forbes [Rancocas Valley], 1978
220-8… Fred DePalma [Penns Grove], 1969
219-5 … Mike Tamaccio [Holy Cross], 1982
219-4 … Charles Gibson [Haddon Heights], 1966
219-2 … Gil Winters [Willingboro], 1990
218-3 … Royce Reed [Bridgeton], 1995
217-9 … Bob Barnett [Triton], 1976
216-10 … Ron Fazio [Willingboro], 1980
216-4 … Dwayne Clark [Willingboro], 1978
215-9 … Jim Stites [Millville], 1970
215-8 … Dick May [Haddon Heights], 1962
215-4 … Gene Andrews [Vineland], 1965
215-1 … John MacNeill [Kennedy], 1977
214-7 … Mike Coffey [Moorestown], 1975
214-5 … Jerry Vitellli [Holy Cross], 1987
214-1 … Wayne Martin [Haddon Twp.], 1989
213-8 … Cornelius Cruz [Oakcrest], 1994
213-5 … Wayne McDonnell [Haddon Heights], 1970
213-5 … Steve Muchowski [Florence], 1986
212-7 … Curt Turner [Cinnaminson], 1971
212-1 … Rick Brokenbaugh [Penns Grove], 1988
211-9 … Jason LaBarbera [Shawnee], 1993
211-6 … Frank Powers [Pennsville], 1989
211-5 … Mike Chapman [Paul VI], 1970
211-4 … Tony Griggs [Kennedy], 1978
210-10 … Keith Dougherty [Paul VI], 1989
209-7 … Luke Fisher [Shawnee], 1987
209-5 … Mike Findley [Willingboro], 1993
208-10 … John Poulton [Triton], 1976
208-10 … Gordon Bierchenk [Pennsauken], 1979
208-5 … Ken Fields [Woodstown], 1989
206-2 … Michael Applegate [Audubon], 1977
206-0 … Mike Rapposelli [Pennsauken], 1978
205-9 … Clark Leen [Palmyra], 1977
205-3 … Dave Wirth [Pennsauken], 1979
205-2 … Julian Holmes [Kingsway], 1988
204-4 … Kyle Foster [Moorestown], 1982
204-1 … Dave Gindhart [Kingsway], 1970
203-8 … Mike Herron [Absegami], 1983
203-7 … Erik Dare [Holy Cross], 1998
203-6 … Frank DePhilippo [Cinnaminson], 1970
203-2 … Bill Denby [Willingboro], 1984
203-2 … Mike Galenda [Northern Burlington], 1990
203-0 … Corey Mosley [Camden], 1988
202-8 … Jason Cowden [Rancocas Valley], 1999