From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

There are PRs and then there are PRs.

Rowan sophomore Francis Terry, who brought a PR of 49.37 into Monday’s New Jersey Athletic Conference meet, won the 400-meter dash at the NJAC conference meet with a blistering 47.99 at the Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island.

Terry’s time is No. 2 in NCAA Division 3 this year.

Terry ran within 13-100ths of a second of the meet record of 47.86 set in 2000 by Rowan’s Rich Dixon.

It’s more than a 1 1/2-second indoor PR for Francis and gets him within only 65-100ths of a second of Dixon’s school record of 47.34, which the Delaware native set in 1999.

Dixon, recruited to Rowan to play soccer by soccer coach Dan Gilmore, was a five-time national champion and 11-time All-America at Rowan, is a member of the Rowan Athletic Hall of Fame and is now a police sergeant in Evesham Township.

Terry, a graduate of Sterling, competed outdoors last year for Neumann University in Aston, where he won the CSAC conference title at 200 meters at Gwynedd-Mercy College but only placed fifth in the 400 in 51.06.

On Monday, just nine months later, he ran more than three seconds faster on a 200-meter indoor track.

Terry’s previous overall 400 PR was 49.37 at the 2016 Camden County Championships at Haddon Township, when he placed second to Haddonfield’s Luke Colehower with a time of 49.37.

His previous indoor PR was a 49.72 for fifth place at the 2016 Easterns at the Armory.

His previous college PR was a 49.55 from the Great Dane Classic, also at Ocean Breeze, back in January. His fastest 400 time last year running for Neumann was 51.07 at a meet at George Mason.

Second place in the race is also a remarkable story.

Terry won by 10 meters over second-place Olivier Paul of Stockton, an Oakcrest graduate, who was second in 49.30.

Paul also recorded a huge PR. His high school PR was 51.88 at a SJTCA meet at the Bennett Center and his college PR before Monday was a 50.77 at a meet at the Armory in January.

 

Natalie Cooper of Moorestown, Madeleine Tattory of Delran and Emma Bean of Mainland Regional, three College of New Jersey juniors, swept the top three spots in the 5,000-meter run Monday afternoon at the New Jersey Athletic Conference championships at the Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island.

Cooper and Tattory repeated their 1-2 finish of last year, although both ran much faster. Bean improved from fifth last year to third this year. All three ran indoor PRs.

Cooper ran 18:05.82, Tattory 18:09.69 and Bean 18:18.21 to sweep the top three sports and deliver 24 points to TCNJ in the first final of the meet. Another TCNJ runner, Olivia Shenkman, placed fifth, making the Lions’ total 28 points in the 5,000.

Cooper’s previous indoor 5,000 PR was an 18:29.73 at last year’s conference meet. Tattory’s previous indoor PR was an 18:18.90 at a meet on the same track last month. Bean’s previous indoor PR was 18:28.94 at a meet in Boston last weekend. She also surpassed her outdoor PR of 18:22.99 from a meet at Widener last spring.

This is the third straight year Tattory has placed third in the indoor NJAC meet 5,000. She was second to a runner from Stockton as a freshman, when Cooper was fourth.

The distance team of junior Connor Melko, senior Nick Hutchinson, junior Andrew Massaro and senior Brian Hutchinson combined for 41 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and Bishop Eustace rolled to its fourth straight state Parochial B title Sunday at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Eustace outscored second-place Mater Dei of Middletown Township, Monmouth County, 69-59 1/2 in a two-team race. No other school had more than 24 points.

Eustace’s four-season winning streak is tied for second-longest among South Jersey schools in indoor state meet history. Willingboro won five straight  in Groups 3 and 4 from 1986 through 1990. Haddonfield also won four straight, from 2000-2003.

Senior Nick Hutchinson won the 3,200 in 9:48.57 and was second in the 1,600 in 4:34.05. Junior Connor Melko won the1,600 in 4:26.94 and took third in the 800 in 2:05.56. Junior Andrew Massaro placed in both the 800 and 1,600 (2:06.96 for fourth, 4:40.87 for sixth), and senior Brian Hutchinson ran fifth in the 3,200 (10:28.95).

That’s 41 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

But that group got some help in the field. Junior Mason Domino (12-0) and senior Luke LaRosas (10-6) scored 14 points in the pole vault, going second and third. And shot putter Andrew Sobocinski threw 41-6 1/2 for second place.

Eustace also scored in the 1,600-meter relay, with four juniors placing third in 3:49.55 — Manik Dhawan, Domico, Nick Massaro and Sean May.

Paul VI speedster Antonio Tarantino won his first indoor state title Sunday, running a PR 6.45 to win the Parochial A 55-meter dash at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Tarantino took 1-100th of a second off his PR of 6.46, which he ran in the trials at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Wayne Letwink Memorial Winter Championships at the Ocean Breeze track earlier this month.

Tarantino broke the meet record of 6.50 set in 2014 by Jordan Jimmerson of Union Catholic.

The Paul VI senior led all qualifiers with a 6.54 in the trials before lowering that to 6.45 in the final.

He’ll go into the Meet of Champions as the No. 2 seed behind Mario Heslop of Franklin Township, who ran 6.39 to win the state Group 4 title.

Tarantino won the state Parochial B 200-meter dash title last spring, but this is his first indoor state championship.

His time is fastest in South Jersey this year and No. 4 in the state and equals the No. 13 in South Jersey history.

ALL-TIME S.J. 55-METER DASH LIST
6.30 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2001
6.31 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.36 … Kenny Reynolds [Willingboro], 1986
6.37 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
6.39 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2009
6.41 … Chris Church [Millville], 2007
6.42 … Thomas Walls [Wilson], 2006
6.42 … Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
6.43 … George McKey [Willingboro], 1982
6.43 … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
6.45 … Paul Wheeler [Willingboro], 1983
6.45 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2004
6.45 … Rob McGriff [Camden], 2006
6.45 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2018
6.46 … Albert Newkirk [Camden], 1996
6.46 … Darnell Charles [Oakcrest], 2012
6.46 … Kashif Miller [Haddon Heights], 2014
6.47 … Anthony Jones [Edgewood], 1982
6.47 … Darren Ford [Vineland], 2004
6.47 … Reggie Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
6.47 … Curtis Fitzpatrick [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
6.47 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2016
6.48 … Gary Gordon [Willingboro], 1995
6.48 … Fabian Santiago [Oakcrest], 2012
6.48 … Caleb Williams [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2015
6.48 … Clayton Crosse [Washington Twp.]. 2016
6.49 … Louis Smith [Burlington Twp.], 1997
6.49 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2001
6.49 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2016
6.49 … Ryquell Amstead [Millville], 2014
6.50 … Jamaal Harris [Palmyra], 2002
6.50 … Zachary Clarke [Camden], 2008
6.50 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2007
6.50 … Rasheed Grandy [Absegami], 2010
6.50 … Bobby DeMarco [Holy Spirit], 2008
6.51 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2018
6.51 … Mikhail Micheaux [Eastern], 2013

Rider sophomore Asia Young, a Pleasantville native who competed scholastically for Holy Spirit, tied her career-best mark Sunday, winning the long jump title at the Metropolitan Atlantic Athletic Conference championships at the Armory with a jump of 19-8 3/4.

Young has competed in three MAAC conference championships and has won the long jump in all three. She jumped an identical 19-8 3/4 last year to win the indoor meet, then won the outdoor meet last spring with a 19-7 1/2.

She’s the only 19-footer in school history indoors or outdoors.

Young’s high school best was 19-2 3/4 from Parochial B sectionals at Central Regional in 2016. She was a two-time state champion in the long jump and also won a state title indoors in the 400.

Young will compete in the triple jump later Sunday.

The Winslow girls scored 65 points in winning the state Group 3 indoor title, and they did it with just six girls scoring. That’s crazy!

Winslow’s three stars did most of the damage: Senior Flora Ahiarakwe won the 400 in 57.67 and placed third in the 55 in 7.37 after a 7.28 in the trials, senior Shakira Dancy was second in the 55 in 7.32 and third in the 400 in 58.55 and junior Tionna Tobias was second in the hurdles in 8.32 after an 8.28 in the trials, third in the high jump at 5-4 and sixth in the 55 in 7.46.

That’s 45 points just from Ahiarakwe, Dancy and Tobias!

Senior Ciarra Johnson was second in the shot put with a 40-foot throw and sophomore Janeya Hammond ran fifth in the 400 in 58.71, and Dancy, Hammond and Ahiarakwe joined sophomore Nylah Perry to run 3:57.36 and win the 1,600-meter relay.

Winslow out-scored second-place Allentown of Monmouth County, 65-24. The 65 points are the most ever in Group 3, and the 41-point margin of victory is the largest ever. Winslow set both previously in winning the 2014 title 60-20 over West Morris Central of Chester, Morris County.

The title is the eighth indoors for the Winslow girls. They won Group 4 in 2003 and have won Group 3 in 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. They also won the 1984 title in Group 4 with Denise Mitchell as Edgewood.

 

 

Clayton junior Tiaija Hampton did something at states this weekend that no Clayton girl had done in nearly two decades.

She won.

Hampton won the Group 1 55-meter dash in 7.30 to edge Rebecca Kneppel of Butler, who had posted the fastest qualifying time in the trials. Kneppel ran 7.34 in the trials to Hampton’s 7.38.

The Clayton girls won the 1,600-meter relay at states in 2003 and the 400-meter relay at states last year with the team of Catherine Copeland, Gabrielle Dillard, Hampton and Hannah Halikman.

But Hampton is Clayton’s first individual state track champion indoors or outdoors in 19 years, since Jackie Nicholson won the intermediate hurdles in 1:05.02 at the 1999 state Group 1 meet in South Plainfield.

Hampton, a first-year indoor runner, has lowered her PR from 7.66 in December to 7.46 in January to her personal-best and school-record 7.27 in February, which she ran at sectionals.

 

Williamstown grad Devin Bradham, a junior at Penn State, PR’d in the high jump Saturday, clearing 6-11 1/2 to win the Penn State Tune-Up at the Ashenfelter track on campus in State College.

Bradham cleared 6-6 1/4 and 6-8 1/4 on his first attempt and then set a PR of 6-10 1/4 on his second attempt. He and teammate Chisom Ifedi were the only jumpers left at 6-11 1/2, which Bradham cleared on his second attempt and Ifedi missed three tries. It appears from the meet results that Bradham did not continue jumping.

Bradham’s collegiate best before Saturday was 6-9, which he had cleared three times, twice outdoors and again last month in another meet at Penn State.

Bradham cleared 6-10 several times in high school, including at states as a junior outdoors and Meet of Champions as a senior in 2015 and indoors at Easterns, in a memorable battle with Ameer Banks of neighboring Delsea. Banks won on fewer misses over his Gloucester County rival.

For the 13th time in school history, the Willingboro boys are state indoor champions.

The Chimeras moved within two of Asbury Park for most state titles by a public school in New Jersey indoor track history.

Only Christian Brothers of Lincroft (21) and Asbury Park (15) have more titles than the Boro. St. Benedict’s of Newark also has 13. Asbury Park hasn’t won a state title since 1996 though.

The Willingboro boys have also won 12 state titles outdoors. The Willingboro girls have won five state titles indoors and four outdoors. At the state relays, the boys have won 14 titles and the girls nine.

So today’s state title was the 39th for the boys program and 57th for the Willingboro program in all. It was the Chimeras’ fourth in the last seven years and second in a row.

Going into the 1,600-meter relay at the Bennett Center in Toms River, Glen Rock had 32 points and Willingboro and McNair Academic were tied at 30 points, and those were the only three schools with a chance to win the team title.

Glen Rock then ran 3:37.87 in the third section of the 4-by-4, with Willingboro and McNair lining up in the final section alongside Shabazz, Whippany Park and Audubon.

Senior Onaje Howell, sophomore Reginald Jones and juniors Elijah Valme and Cristian Coot ran 3:32.82 to win the 4-by-4 for the Chimeras, with Shabazz second in 3:34.04 and McNair third in 3:34.48.

That gave Willingboro a 40-36 win over McNair. Glen Rock’s time stood up for sixth, giving them 33 points and third place.

Huge event for Willingboro was the high jump, where the Chimeras’ three sophomores — Nate Robertson, Zaire Clement and Kameron Smith — all cleared 6-0 to place second, third and fourth. That was good for 18 team points — enough in that one event to place fifth in the final team standings!

Willingboro’s Rayshawn Johnson, a rare first-year senior, had a huge triumph in the 55-meter hurdles, PR’ing with a 7.41 and edging Burlington County rival Sam Aviles, a Palmyra junior, who ran 7.96 for second place.

The Chimeras also scored two points in the 400, where junior Christian Coot ran 53.13.

A quick note on the hurdles:

Johnson is the second consecutive Willingboro boy to win the state indoor hurdles title. Jahaad Beckford ran 7.83 to finish first last year, with Aviles second in that race as well.

Zavian Bell placed second in the Group 1 hurdles in 2015 and in Group 2 in 2016, with a 7.86 and a 7.84, so that’s four straight years the Chimeras have had a hurdler place either first or second at indoor states.

Here’s a full list of all the Willingboro high hurdles to win indoor state titles:

2018 – Rayshawn Johnson, 7.91 [Group 1]
2017 – Jahaad Beckford, 7.83 [Group 1]
2012 – Isaac Williams, 7.41 [Group 2]
1991 – Gerard Reynolds, 7.41 [Group 4]
1990 – Gerard Reynolds, 7.62 [Group 3]
1988 – Doug Newman, 7.63 [Group 3]
1985 – Eric Frieson, 7.6 [Group 3]
1979 – Mark Dickerson, 7.4 [Group 4]

Zyra Thomas won her fourth state shot put title this weekend, putting the shot 43-4 1/2 to win by more than five feet over sophomore Cydney Thomas of Collingswood at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Cyndi Thomas threw 38-2 3/4 for second place. Collingswood senior Precious Ayeni took third in 37-9 for a 1-2-3 South Jersey sweep.

Zyra Thomas is undefeated since a season-opening loss on a second-best throw tiebreaker to Cyndi Thomas at a South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet in December.

Zyra Thomas has won the last two state Group 1 shot put titles outdoors and also last year’s indoor title in Group 1. She’s the first Schalick girl to win consecutive indoor state titles in the same event since sprinter Candyce DeLoatch in 1995 and 1996.

She just missed her PR of 44-2 3/4, set earlier this year in another meet at the Bennett Center. She ranks No. 1 among South Jersey throwers and No. 3 in the state.

Zara Thomas is the top-ranked thrower in South Jersey history from outside Cumberland County. The top three are from Cumberland County. Zyra is the indoor Salem County record holder with her 44-2 3/4.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey girls indoor shot put list:

46-1 1/2 … Najeaya Singleton [Vineland], 2017
45-3 … Nacole Moore [Bridgeton], 2000
44-6 1/2 … Sylvia Galarza [Millville], 2004
44-2 3/4 … Zyra Thomas [Schalick], 2018
44-3 1/2 … Jocelyn White [Delsea], 2004
44-0 1/2 … Melinda Boykin [Bridgeton], 1996
43-11 3/4 … Stephanie Scaramella [Bishop Eustace], 2007
43-10 1/4 … Mercedes Hicks [Atlantic City], 2006
43-10 … Rosetta Hunter [Burlington Twp.], 2015
43-4 3/4 … Jessica Woodard [Cherokee], 2012
43-4 1/2 … Victoria Imbesi [Our Lady of Mercy], 2009
43-3 … Janice Rose [Delsea], 2011
42-7 3/4 … Typhanie Bates [Williamstown], 1995
42-5 1/2 … Genevieve Tybicki [Our Lady of Mercy], 2007
42-4 … Sophia Coleburn [Haddon Heights], 2007
42-0 1/2 … Lisa Stuto [Winslow Twp.], 2009
42-0 1/4 … Lola Agabalogun [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
41-10 … Lillian Rivera [Pemberton], 1984