From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Eastern junior Manny Azuonwu joined the 50-foot club Friday with a throw of 50-0 1/2 at the state Group 4 relays at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Azuonwu’s previous indoor shot put PR was 48- 1/4 from a meet at the Bennett Center in December. His overall PR is a 48-2 1/4 from last year’s Olympic Conference meet.

Azuonwu, a St. Augustine transfer, and his partner, senior Cheston Bulgin, placed fourth overall in the shot put relay. Bulgin threw 46-9 1/2, which is an indoor PR although he’s throw as far as 51-0 outdoors.

Azuonwu is Eastern’s first indoor 50-footer since Jarred Williams, who was the 2010 South Jersey Group 4 champion with a 52-9 1/2. Williams threw as far as 55-0 outdoors at Group 4 states.

He’s only the third 50-footer this winter from South Jersey, joining Kamron Kobolak of Cinnaminson (58-9) and Bill Goldsborough of Delsea (57-11 1/2)

Senior Justin Kelly’s 4:24 anchor led Cherokee to its fastest indoor DMR in 16 years Friday at the state Group 4 relay championships at the Bennett Center in Toms River.

Kelly split 4:24.52 and Cherokee ran 10:35.83, fastest this year by a South Jersey school and No. 10 in the U.S. Cherokee finished just behind West Windsor-Plainsboro South [10:33.36] and Hunterdon Central [10:34.34].

The time is fastest by Cherokee (or any Burlington County school) indoors since the 2001 Chiefs ran 10:16.32 for second at Easterns (Josh Joseph 3:07.2, Sean Meyers 50.9, Kevin Hurley 2:01.8, Marc Pelerin 4:16.3).

On Friday, sophomore Chris Spisak led off with a 3:15.7 followed by seniors Kevin Milligan-Tinker [52.2] and Brandon Marks [2:03.5] to set up Kelly.

Cherokee ran about three seconds faster than Camden Catholic did one day earlier on the same track. Camden Catholic ran 10:38.89 for second place in the Parochial A race with the team of juniors Matt Coffey, Ray Derman, Denny Kelly and Richard Castaneda. The same quartet won the 3,200-meter relay in 8:17.4.

Rowan sophomore Nick Neville posted the No. 2 800 time this year in NCAA Division 3 when he ran 1:54.32 Saturday at the Great Dane Classic at the Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island, N.Y.

The only faster time in the nation according to the Direct Athletics database was turned in the same day by Jack Pinho of Springfield (Mass.) College, who ran 1:54.22 in a meet at Tufts University in Boston.

It looks like Neville’s previous indoor PR was a 1:58.04 at the 2016 Gotham Cup meet on the same track.

Neville placed third behind post-collegiate Wesley Vasquez, who ran 1:49.15, and UMBC’s Ifa Eado, who was second in 1:54.17.

Neville ran 1:53-point three times last spring, including an outdoor PR of 1:53.02 at the Hopkins Invitational in Baltimore. He was second to five-time All-America Jeremy Hernandez of Ramapo in the NJAC meet on Rowan’s home track in Glassboro with a 1:53.91 behind Hernandez’s 1:51.87.

Neville’s 1:54.32 puts him less than a second off Rowan’s indoor school record of 1:53.57, set back in 1981 for Glassboro State by Tavo Rivera, who  won the 1977 Meet of Champions in the 880-yard run for Pemberton.

Neville ran high school track at South Brunswick and was fourth in the 2015 Meet of Champions with a 1:54.21 and also ran on South Brunswick’s fifth-place 3,200-meter relay team, which went 7:53.39 at the M-fo-C.

Two similarly monickered South Jersey girls — Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley and Aaliyah Vandergrift of Paul VI — took the two qualifying spots in the 55-meter dash Wednesday night at the Millrose Games trials at the 168th Street Armory.

Taylor, a senior, won the race in 7.24 and Vandergrift, a junior, was second with a personal-best 7.27 to qualify for the 111th annual Millrose Games at the Armory next month.

Taylor, the Meet of Champions winner at 55 meters as a sophomore and the 200 last year, has a 55 PR of 7.01 from last year’s state Group 4 meet, when she was second to Williamstown’s Bria Mack, who ran 6.95.

Taylor actually ran 7.23 in the trials to lead all qualifiers to the final and Vandergrift ran 7.37, which lowered her PR of 7.42 from the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational at the Armory in mid-December.

The Millrose Games are scheduled for Feb. 3 back at the Armory. This is the meet’s seventh year at the Armory after 98 years at Madison Square Garden. From 1908 through 1913 the meet was held at a Manhattan armory.

 

Haddonfield junior Derek Gess took on some of the best milers in the country Wednesday night and emerged with his second PR in a week.

Gess placed eighth in the Millrose Games trials at the 168th Street Armory with a time of 4:19.17 for the full mile.

His time converts to 4:17.67 for 1,600 meters, which is nearly a three-second PR. His previous indoor PR was 4:20.54 last weekend at the Ocean Breeze Freedom Games. His previous outdoor PR was a slightly faster 4:20.51 at Group 2 sectionals last spring at Delsea.

The race produced eight of the 13-fastest times in the country this year for the full mile.

Gess’s time is fastest in New Jersey this year and it looks like it puts him No. 5 on the all-time Haddonfield list, which is pretty elite company.

This is my best attempt at an all-time indoor South Jersey 1,600-meter run list, with mile times converted to 1,600 meters using the standard conversion formula. I could be missing a few times in the low- to mid-4:17 range. Once the Eagles lose (or win the Super Bowl), I’ll have time to update some of these lists!

As always, if you see a time or performance missing or listed incorrectly, please list the correct information in the comments section!

Thanks!
 
4:13.68y … Marc Pelerin [Cherokee], 2002
4:14.18 ….. Greg Pelose [Haddonfield], 2016
4:14.1y ….. Marty Ludwikowski [Cherry Hill West], 1975
4:14.53y… Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 2003
4:14.71 … Luke Petela [Haddon Twp.], 2015
4:15.11….. Jim Smith [Haddonfield[, 1980
4:16.02 … Erik Johnson [Ocean City], 2012
4:16.0 ….. Greg Stremmel [Gateway], 1974
4:16.3 ….. Rich Caton [Woodbury[, 1979
4:16.57 … Miles Schoedler [Ocean City], 2011
4:16.62 … Bill Dolan [Clearview], 2014
4:16.85 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2011
4:17.67 … Derek Gess [Haddonfield], 2018

Winslow Township’s girls punched their ticket to the Millrose Games Wednesday night, winning the Suburban 1,600-Meter Relay at the Millrose Trials at the 168th Street Armory.

Winslow ran 3:58.70, fastest by any New Jersey school this year.

Janeya Hammond opened with a 60.2 split, followed by Flora Ahiarakwe, who ran 59.6. Shakira Dancy’s 61.2 set up anchor Nylah Perry, who ran 57.9 to get Winslow across the line safely under four minutes.

New Rochelle [4:00.94], North Rockland [4:03.99] and Woodbridge [4:04.59] also ran under 4:05.

Winslow’s time is No. 1 in New Jersey this year, beating Union Catholic’s 4:00.90 from the NJCTC Winter Relays at the Armory last month.

The Millrose Games are scheduled for Feb. 3 back at the Armory. This is the meet’s seventh year at the Armory after 98 years at Madison Square Garden. From 1908 through 1913 the meet was held at a Manhattan armory.

Rancocas Valley’s 4-by-8 ran 7:59.90 at the 168th Street Armory Wednesday night, the No. 6 time in the country this year, and qualified for the 3,200-meter relay at next month’s 111th annual Millrose Games.

It will be the Red Devils’ first trip ever to the Millrose Games in the 4-by-8. R.V.’s 4-by-4 made the trip last year.

Micah Wood led off with a 2:00.0 carry, followed by Vincent Brown (2:02.7), Jake Tyndale (1:58.5) and Ian Moore (1:58.6).

Rancocas Valley’s previous indoor school record was 8:04.10, when the Red Devils won the Varsity Classic at the Armory in 2015.

R.V.’s time is No. 6 nationally this year, No. 2 in New Jersey and No. 1 in South Jersey, with four of those top six times coming from the Millrose Trials.

Rancocas Valley finished fourth behind Northport, N.Y. [7:55.79], St. Benedict’s of Newark [7:57.32] and Pennsbury of Fairless Hills [7:57.41].

The Millrose Games are scheduled for Feb. 3 back at the Armory. This is the meet’s seventh year at the Armory after 98 years at Madison Square Garden. From 1908 through 1913 the meet was held at a Manhattan armory.

R.V.’s time is No. 6 in Burlington County history and fastest in six years:

7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:51.78 … Cherokee, 2000
7:52.95 … Willingboro, 2003
7:53.64 … Willingboro, 2002
7:57.5h … Willingboro, 1983
7:59.90 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
8:02.47 … Cherokee, 2011
8:04.10 … Rancocas Valley, 2015
8:06.58 … Cherokee, 2009
8:07.5h … Shawnee, 2000

I don’t have a complete South Jersey all-time sub-8 list, but this should be fairly complete. There are probably some times missing in the 7:56-7:59 range from the 1980s and 1990s.

7:43.64 … Cherokee, 2012
7:45.55 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:48.92 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
7:51.43 … Washington Twp., 2009
7:51.78 … Cherokee, 2000
7:52.77 … Pleasantville, 2006
7:52.95 … Willingboro, 2003
7:53.64 … Willingboro, 2002
7:54.76 … Pleasantville, 2007
7:55.40 … Washington Twp., 2008
7:55.44 … Haddonfield, 2010
7:57.29 … Oakrest, 2009
7:57.5h … Willingboro, 1983
7:58.08 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2016
7:59.05 … Pleasantville, 2015
7:59.51 … Pleasantville, 2012
7:59.84 … Kingsway, 2014
7:59.90 … Rancocas Valley, 2018
7:59.91 … Kingsway, 2013

Delsea’s Bill Goldsborough bombed an indoor PR 56-0 1/2 in the shot put Tuesday evening at the Cherokee Throw Down #1 in Marlton.

Goldsborough won a terrific battle with Cinnaminson’s Kamron Kobolak, who wound up second in 54-0 and the Delsea senior also took over the No. 1 spot on the 2018 South Jersey list from Kobolak, by less than two inches.

Goldsboro had five legal throws over 52 feet, including three over 54 feet. He opened with a 54-8 and a 54-5 and after a foul on his final throw of the trials, he finished at 53-3, 52-10 and then the 56-0 1/2 on his final attempt.

Kobolak got off his 54-0 on his third throw. The Cinnaminson senior had PR’d at 55-10 3/4 in late December at the Bennett Center.

Goldsborough’s throw is best by a Delsea thrower since Josh Awotunde threw 57-8 1/4 in 2013. Awotunde is a two-time first-team All-America in the shot for South Carolina.

Goldsborough’s throw ranks him No. 3 in the state, behind C.J. Licata of Gill St. Bernard’s [U.S. #1 61-11] and Union Catholic’s Brandon Patterson [56-10]. It also puts him inside the U.S. top 20, according to the milesplit database.

Outdoors, Goldsborough has PRs of 56-5 1/2 in the shot, from his second-place finish at sectionals last spring, and 151-4 in the disc, which got him third at states.

This past fall, Goldsborough was a two-way end for the Delsea football team, which beat Wilson 29-28 at Rowan to win the South Jersey Group 3 championship.

Camden’s 4-by-200 ran the No. 2 time in the country over the weekend, winning the Freedom Games final in 1:30.09 at the Ocean Breeze complex on Staten Island, N.Y.

Sophomore Hakeem Evans led off for Camden, followed by juniors JaJuan Hudson and Donald Williams and senior anchor Damon Rice.

The only faster time in the U.S. also comes from New Jersey. East Orange ran 1:28.76 last month at the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational at the 168th Street Armory.

Camden led all qualifiers in the trials with a 1:30.91. In the final, it was Camden vs. Henry A. Wise High School of Upper Marlboro, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. Wise finished second in 1:30.89.

Camden’s time is No. 18 in South Jersey history but seventh in Camden history! So Camden now holds seven of the top 18 times ever run indoors in South Jersey. But it’s also Camden’s fastest 800-meter relay in 14 years, since the 2004 team set the South Jersey record of 1:26.90 at the 2004 Easterns.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey list:

1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:29.52 … Vineland, 2003
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:29.61 … Camden, 1999
1:29.72 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:29.74 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
1:30.09 … Camden, 2018
1:30.12 … Delsea, 2007

Pennsauken freshman Jade Pope extended her PR from 5-4 to 5-6 Saturday winning the event at the Hispanic Games at the 168th Street Armory.

That mark equals the No. 9 performance in South Jersey history and is No. 2 in the state this year, No. 1 in South Jersey. It’s also No. 6 nationally.

Pope was the only girl to clear 5-6, which she cleared on her first attempt.

Watch her winning jump, video courtesy of Pennsauken assistant coach Phil Zimmerman!

https://twitter.com/PennsaukenTFXC/status/949789833215512576

Here’s a look at the all-time South Jersey indoor list:
5-8 … Carol Lewis [Willingboro], 1981
5-8 … Shatich Rivers [Moorestown], 1992
5-8 … Abby Campbell [Shawnee], 2002
5-8 … Gabrielle Bennett [Winslow Twp.], 2015
5-7 1/4 … Tonya Lee [Rancocas Valley], 1988
5-7 … Lindsey Walsh [Lenape], 2008
5-7 … Megan Kirschling [West Deptford], 2012
5-7 … Alicia Terrell [Timber Creek], 2013
5-6 … Erin Halpin [Cherry Hill West], 1987
5-6 … Mandy Wolicki [Ocean City], 1996
5-6 … Kate Beatty [Shawnee], 1997
5-6 … Patty Dudek [Bordentown], 2000
5-6 … Marcene Jack [Mainland Reg.], 2004
5-6 … Brianna Gray [Haddon Heights], 2007
5-6 … Anna Cook [Florence], 2007
5-6 … Mary Durek [Shawnee], 2012
5-6 … Tierra Hooker [Timber Creek], 2016
5-6 … Kelsey Evancho [Lenape], 2010
5-6 … Amaris Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2013
5-6 … Natalie Cowan [Hammonton], 2015
5-6 … Jade Pope [Pennsauken], 2018