From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Egg Harbor boys!

When Egg Harbor’s nationally 19th-ranked 3,200-meter relay team was disqualified, it was a huge punch in the gut to the Eagles’ chances of winning the South Jersey Group 4 title.

In a section as insanely competitive as SJ-4, it’s tough to just give up eight or 10 points.

But EHT regrouped and rebounded and roared to a 104-94 win over Rancocas Valley for its second sectional title in five years. The Eagles also won in 2013, both on their home track.

Even without the 4-by-8 — and EHT has run 7:47.13 this year — Egg Harbor finished with the fifth-highest point total in meet history.

Let’s take a look how they did it!

Egg Harbor scored a staggering 56 points in the four shortest flat track races — the 100, 200, 400 and 800.

Amir Brock led the way with a crazy fast triple — a near-PR 10.89 and PRs of 21.66 and 48.23. He took third in the 100 and won the 200 and 400. That’s 26 points from Amir!

Alex Dessoye added a second in the 400 (PR 48.26), just behind Brock, and ran another PR for fourth in the 200 (21.98).

The 800 was huge for EHT, not surprisingly. Can you believe three guys at 1:55 or faster? Aidan Hendriks ran second in 1:54.79 — a nearly two-second PR — and Eric Barnes and Robert Dessoye were next across the line in 1:55.70 and 1:55.98, the latter a PR for Robert Dessoye.

That’s 18 massive points just in the 800!

Barnes also ran 4:24.87 for a sixth in the 1,600.

The Eagles added 10 points each with wins in the 4-by-1 and 4-by-4. Alex Dessoye, Shaquille Boyd, Devon Covington and Brock ran 42.82 in the 400 relay, and Hunter Barbieri, Hendriks and Robert and Alex Dessoye teamed up to go 3:16.24 in the 1,600 relay.

Much more from this insanely deep Egg Harbor team.

Deejay Banggad cleared 13-0 and Kevin Luo 12-0 for second and fifth in the pole vault. Alvin Taliaferro medaled in both horizontal jumps (21-1 3/4, 43-9), Brandon Truong and Tyler Anzisi both scored in the shot put (49-0, 47-6), Anzisi also took fourth in the discus (149-2) and Barbieri added a fifth in the intermediates with a very fast PR of 55.92.

One note about Taliaferro. He was the 18TH SEED IN THE GROUP 4 LONG JUMP AND HE PLACED FIFTH!!!!!

Taliaferro’s 21-1 3/4 wasn’t just his first time over 21 feet, it was his first time over 20 feet. In fact he’d only been over 19 feet twice previously in major meets. And his PR last year was 17-6 1/2 feet!!! The EHT junior PR’d in both jumps, but the 21-1 3/4 was a 1 1/2-FOOT personal best from his 19-7  1/2 at the Bridgeton Relays. Talk about stepping up to the plate when your team needs you the most! Alvin Taliaferro sure did that!

I love those kinds of stories!

 

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Lenape girls!

With everything on the line, Lenape did what it always does. Put together a monster relay team.

Seniors Skyla O’Connor, Shannon Lambert and Megan Quimby and sophomore Shelby Whetstone ran the fastest 1,600-meter relay in South Jersey sectional history — 3:50.28 — and delivered the third South Jersey Group 4 sectional  title in the last six years to Lenape.

Going into the relay, there were five teams within five points, a ridiculous logjam that left the team title entirely up for grabs.

Howell led with 58 points, followed by Lenape (55), Rancocas Valley (54), Eastern (53) and Kingsway (53).

But Howell didn’t enter the 4-by-4. Howell’s best this year is a 4:16 and their only shot at the team title was essentially if everybody else fell down.

That didn’t happen.

O’Connor led off for Lenape with a 57.9 leg, Lambert ran 56.8, Quimby 59.5 and Whetstone left no doubt about it with a 55.9 anchor and Lenape crossed the line in 3:50.28, breaking the South Jersey Group 4 record of 3:51.59 set in 2008 by Southern Regional and breaking the overall South Jersey sectional mark of 3:50.88 set by Winslow last year.

Curiously, that 3:51.59 meet record gave Southern a three-point win and the team title nine years ago over Lenape.

It was the fastest time run by any school in any section Saturday, nearly four seconds faster than West Essex’s 3:54.06 in North 1 Group 3 at River Dell.

It was also No. 3 in the state this year, behind only Union Catholic, which ran 3:38.92 at Penn with Olympian Sydney McLaughlin anchoring in 50.37 seconds, and Winslow Township, which ran 3:48.08, also at Penn.

The time is No. 5 in Lenape history behind three times from 2015 — all between 3:49.25 and 3:49.97 — and the school-record 3:48.78 from third place at the 2014 Meet of Champions.

Cherry Hill East finished 20 meters back with a 3:54.64, and Rancocas Valley (3:57.95), Eastern (3:59.33) and Southern (3:59.88) were all also under four minutes.

That gave Lenape 65 points, Rancocas Valley 60, Howell 58, Eastern 57, Kingsway 54 and Cherry Hill East 50 in a crazy close six-team finish.

The team title was Lenape’s third in the last six years. The Indians out-battled Southern to win the 2011 and 2015 titles. Southern won every championship from 2006 through 2010 and again in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

So Lenape and Southern have combined to win 11 of the last 12 South Jersey Group 4 titles, although neither has won back-to-back titles since Southern in 2009 and 2010. Cherokee won the other one in 2013.

Quimby had her usual big meet for Lenape, placing third in two very fast races. She ran 2:16.83 and 5:03.49 for 16 big points. Junior Alexa Woltjen PR’d at 5:04.99 for fourth in the 1,600.

Lambert ran a personal-best 56.87 for fourth in the 400 and also took third in the 200 in 25.29. And Whetstone also PR’d in the 400, taking third in 56.62.

Junior Cassie Hoxit cleared 10-6 to win the pole vault and score 10 big points for the Lenape cause, and senior jumper Skyla O’Connor added eight points with a third in the triple jump (35-3 1/2) and a fifth in the long jump (16-7). Alexis McDonald added a fifth in the high jump with a 5-0 clearance.

Lenape also took fourth in the 3,200-meter relay in 9:44.64 with freshman Rebecca Thomas, juniors Talia Hartman and Woltjen, and Quimby anchoring.

Lenape has been as consistent as virtually any school in the state over the past decade on the sectional level under coaches Gerald Richardson and Jack Walsh. Check out this consistency:

SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 4 TEAM SCORING
2005: 1. Winslow Twp. 72.25, 2. Southern 60.25, 3. Lenape 49.25
2006: 1. Southern 92, Lenape 71
2007: 1. Southern 95, 2. Lenape 59
2008: 1. Southern 83 1/2, 2. Lenape 80
2009: 1. Southern 107, 2. Lenape 78
2010: 1. Southern 99, 2. Lenape 85
2011: 1. Lenape 107, Southern 86
2012: 1. Southern 83, 2. Cherokee 79.33, 3. Lenape 74
2013: 1. Cherokee 110, 2. Southern 107 … 9. Lenape 9. 13
2014: 1. Southern 67, 2. Lenape 57
2015: 1. Lenape 133, 2. Kingsway 81 … 4. Southern 52
2016: 1. Southern 92.5, Lenape 75
2017: 1. Lenape 65, 2. Rancocas Valley 60 … 8. Southern 38

Since 2005, Lenape has placed third or better 12 out of 13 years, with 2013 the only exception. During that span, the Indians have won three times, placed second seven times (all behind Southern!!!) and placed third twice.

The Southern-Lenape rivalry was incredible, but Southern’s eighth-place finish this year was its worst since 2001! Incredibly, Southern placed in the top four 15 consecutive years.

During that span, Southern won eight titles, placed second four times and was fourth twice.

All eight times Southern won South Jersey Group 4, a Lenape district school was second!

Who’s seeded where? Who’s strong in which events? How do the state meets shape up?

The NJSIAA has released the performance lists for the 12 state meets coming up starting Friday at Egg Harbor and Northern Burlington.

Click here to check them out!

BOYS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Non-Public A
Non-Public B

GIRLS
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Non-Public A
Non-Public B

Schalick ran well. Haddon Township ran just a little bit faster.

Going into the 4-by-4, Schalick led Haddon Township 63-62 in the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

With the meet in the balance, Schalick ran a six-second season-best in the 1,600-meter relay despite racing by themselves in an unseeded heat. Really an incredible performance.

Kason Barrett, Juan Casino, Jared Golembski and Greg McGuire ran 3:30.32 in the first section of 4-by-4.

That put a ton of pressure on Haddon Township in the next section.

The Hawks had to run faster to win the team title. But their best time this year was 3:33.40.

But the Hawks did exactly what they had to do. The team of juniors Owen Vermette and Jerrod Green, senior Jake Howley and freshman Aidan McEarlean ran a big season-best 3:28.77 for fourth place, 48-100ths of a second ahead of Glassboro.

That bumped Schalick to sixth overall and gave Haddon Township the team title by a tight 66-64 margin at Egg Harbor.

The team title is the seventh for Haddon Township, following Group 2 titles in 1971 and 1972 and Group 1 titles in 1989, 1991, 2012 and 2015.

Only Penns Grove (15), Willingboro (15), Winslow/Edgewood (13), Woodbury (13), Bridgeton (10), Camden (8) and Haddonfield (8) have won more sectional titles among South Jersey programs.

As always, Haddon Township scored big in the distance races, netting 30 in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

In the 800, Jake Howley won in 1:58.53 and junior Jerrod Green ran fifth in 2:03.37. Junior Patrick Mulligan ran 9:46.24 to win the 3,200 and 4:29.95 for second in the 1,600 and 18 points.

Green, Howley and Mulligan also ran on Township’s winning 3,200-meter relay team, which ran a 16-season-best of 8:11. Justin Shaw also ran a leg.

Freshman Aidan McEarlean cleared 5-10 in the high jump, picking up seven points with a second-place tie, sophomore Brian Burns placed in both hurdles races, 58.22 for third in the intermediates and 16.15 for sixth in the highs (after a PR 15.74 in the trials) and senior Eric DiCrescenzo threw 49-0 for third in the shot and 129-9 for fifth in the disc.

 

 

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Sterling girls!

OK, the Coppolino twins got a whole lot of help from their teammates. But Madison and Sydney, Sterling’s tireless twin juniors, did score enough points at sectionals to win the South Jersey Group 2 title by themselves.

Madison edged Sydney with both at 5:10 and change in a 1-2 finish in the 1,600, Sydney ran 2:13.91 to lead a 1-4 finish with Madison in the 800, Madison won the 3,200 in 11:09.41 and Sydney won the 400 in 57.74 and was second in the 400 intermediates in 1:03.63 — 1-100th of a second behind Camden’s Lenaami Morton.

That’s 18 points in the 1,600, 14 in the 800, 10 in the 400 and 10 in the 3,200 and eight in the intermediates.

That’s 60 points from one family, enough to beat second-place Haddonfield, which scored 51.

The South Jersey Group 2 title at Delsea was the third sectional team championship in a row for Sterling, which also won the 1982 championship.

In all, Sterling scored a whopping 148 points, so this was far more than the Sydney and Madison Show.

There was Aliya Harrison, who had a fast sprint double, winning the 100 in 11.91 (read about it here) and the 200 in 25.13 and anchored a season-best 49.25 second-place 4-by-1 after legs by Carly Fox, Janell Rowe and Lori Stratton.

There was a fast 4-by-8, with Natalia Weitzel, Madison Coppolino, Saraly Gonzalez and Leyna Jewell running 9:45.24 for second place.

There was Stratton winning the pole vault with a 10-6 clearance and scoring in the long jump and Rowe picking up two second places with two PRs – a 17-5 3/4 in the long jump and 37-11 1/2 in the triple.

There was Sammy Callahan, Natalie Weitzel, Saraly Gonzalez and Jewell running 4:08.11 for fifth in the 1,600-meter relay.

And there were the throws. Taylor Carter threw the shot a career-best 37-6 1/2 for third, and Gonzalez and Lauren McCann went 2-5 in the javelin, Gonzalez throwing 123-10 and McCann 104-10.

Also, Jewell was fifth in the 800 in 2:23.05, Stratton was fifth in the intermediates in 1:08.06 and Jessie Klenk took sixth in the pole vault at 9-0.

 

It’s been a busy couple days filled with tremendous performances both from South Jersey’s high school track stars and its alumni, and you may have missed something, so here are quick links to everything we’ve written the last two days on From the Backstretch!

Just click the title!

Much more to come Sunday!

FRIDAY
Long-time javelin rivals Thompson, Mirabelli advance to NCAA Championships
Benjamin, Toliver qualify 1-2 in high hurdles at NCAA Division 3 nationals
Woodard bombs PR 185-10 to advance to NCAA discus championships
Cinnaminson piles up 24 points with 1-2-3 shot put sweet in SJ-2
Moorestown’s Outlaw breaks meet record, runs all-time SJ #5 400
Historic 400-400IH double for Eastern freshman Jewel Ash in SJ-4
Salem senior Jonathan Taylor opens M-of-C defense with PR 10.49
Kingsway’s Rachel Vick runs No. 6 1,600 in South Jersey 
Day 1 results from all the sectionals 

SATURDAY
South Jersey quartet, led by Bria Mack, rewrites 100-Meter Dash record book
South Jersey Group 4 400-meter dash was fastest and deepest in meet history
Camden’s Morton runs fastest high hurdles time by a South Jersey runner this year
Pennsauken’s Booker out-races loaded field with #4 all-time S.J. time in 200
Rowan’s Salemo becomes first Rowan athlete to win national title in 19 years
HOW THEY WON: Cinnaminson amasses 45 field event points on way to SJ-2 team title
Complete South Jersey and Central Jersey sectional results
HOW THEY WON IT: Schalick used depth and relay strength to win 5th sectional crown
HOW THEY WON IT: Moorestown boys won first sectional title in 43 years
Kingsway’s Vick fashioned one of the greatest distance triples in NJ history
Cherokee grad Woodard adds shot put to NCAA discus qualifier

Oklahoma junior Jessica Woodard, who threw a personal-best 185-10 to qualify for the NCAA championships in the discus on Friday, advanced to nationals in a second event Saturday when she placed fourth in the shot with a 56-8 3/4 at the Western Regional preliminaries at the University of Texas in Austin.

Woodard, the only woman in the U.S. who’s thrown 60 feet in the shot and 185 in the disc this year, had a series of 52-7 1/4 / 56-8 3/4 / 55-7. The top 12 throwers advanced to the NCAA Championships next month in Eugene, Ore.

Woodard, a native of Marlton and graduate of Cherokee High School, was one of only two women to qualify in both the shot and discus out of the Western Regional. Maggie Eden of Arizona State was second in the shot and fourth in the discus.

From the East, Emmanie Henderson of Louisville, Dannielle Thomas of Kent State and Janeah Stewart of Mississippi qualified for both throws.

OK, this is insane.

Rachel Vick lowered her 1,600 PR from 4:59.78 to 4:52.88.

She lowered her 800 PR from 2:18.59 to 2:13.00

She lowered her 3,200 PR from 10:47.60 to 10:32.53.

And she did it all without really being pushed. In the span of 24 hours.

Vick, a senior at Kingsway, turned in one of the greatest triples in New Jersey track history this weekend at the South Jersey Group 4 meet at Egg Harbor.

She reduced her PRs a combined 27.56 seconds, or more than nine seconds per race and entered the all-time pantheon of New Jersey distance stars.

Simply unbelievable.

Vick’s performance is the second-fastest sectional distance triple in South Jersey history and most likely the second-fastest in state history as well. Still have a little research to do on that one.

Vick became only the sixth girl in New Jersey track history to run 2:13.00, sub-4:53 and sub-10:35 in an entire career! And she did it in 24 hours!!!!!

Only two-time Olympian Erin Donohue in South Jersey history has had a triple that fast in any meet. Jodi Bilotta and Janet Smith, who ran in Central Jersey in the mid-1980s, may have had similar one-meet triples. Still researching that!

Vick goes into the state Group 4 meet as the top seed in the 1,600 and 3,200 and the No. 3 seed in the 800. Overall, based on all the sectionals state-wide, she No. 4 in the 800, No. 1 in the 1,600 and No. 2 in the 3,200, behind only Mainland’s Alyssa Aldridge, who ran 10:31.12 at the Group 3 meet at Delsea.

Oh, and Vick also anchored Kingsway’s winning 3,200-meter relay team, joining up with sophomore Morgan Robinson,, senior Destiny Stanford and junior Alexis Mullarkey to run 9:28.36, third-fastest 4-by-8 from among all the sectional meets.

Let’s take a look at the five other girls who’ve run as fast as Vick … these are some absolute legends of New Jersey track and field:

Michelle Rowen, Washington Township, 1982, 1983: Why hasn’t Vick broken any county records? Because of Rowen. She ran 2:10.1 in 1982, 4:41.52 in 1982 and a state record that still stands of 10:12.8 in 1983.

Erin Donohue, Haddonfield: Legendary Olympian had PRs of 2:08.87 in 2001, 4:41.16 in 2000 and 10:28.6 in 2001. At the 2001 Group 2 sectionals, she ran 2:12.8, 4:49.8 and 10:28.6 – and won the javelin at 141-7.

Ciara Roche, Freehold Township: Ran 2:09.88 in 2016, 4:47.90 in 2016 and 10:33.09 in 2015. Roche did not run the 3,200 in 2016.

Jodie Bilotta, North Hunterdon: The remarkable Bilotta ran 2:09.1 in 1988, 4:47.7 in 1987 and 10:18.0 in 1987

Melanie Thompson, Voorhees: Thompson, like Roche, needed two years to run those times. She ran fast in the 800 and 1,600 in 2009 — 2:10.14 and 4:46.28 — but she didn’t have a fast 3,200 that year. She did run 10:17.18 in 2008, when she won the Meet of Champions.

We already wrote Friday about Vick’s 1,600 – you can read that story here – but let’s take a look at Vick’s historic weekend event-by-event.

800-METER RUN: Her time is No. 16 in South Jersey history but only No. 5 in Gloucester County history, behind Rowen, Ruth Lockbaum, Felicia O’Donnell and Kingsway’s Liz Locke.

Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey 800 list:

2:07.33 … Marielle Hall (Haddonfield), 2009
2:08.87 … Erin Donohue (Haddonfield), 2001
2:09.2h … Katrina Sye (Buena), 1999
2:09.50 … Renee Tomlin (Ocean City), 2005
2:10.1h … Michelle Rowen (Washington Twp.), 1982
2:10.57 … Nijgia Snapp (Oakcrest), 2009
2:10.79 … Krista Ferrara (Vineland), 1991
2:10.9h … Ruth Lockbaum (Glassboro), 1985
2:11.07 … Miya Johnson (Lenape), 2007
2:11.56 … Mary Bohi (Seneca), 2009
2:12.0h … Monica Olkowski (Cherokee), 1990
2:12.61 … Felicia O’Donnell (Delsea), 2009
2:12.63 … Liz Locke (Kingsway), 2010
2:12.83 … Brooke Kott (Millville), 2008
2:12.85 … Greta Feldman (Haddonfield), 2008
2:13.00 … Rachel Vick (Kingsway), 2017

1,600-METER RUN: Vick moved into the No. 6 spot on the all-time South Jersey list in the 1,600. Here’s the entire state list:

4:37.45 … Danielle Tauro [Southern Reg.], 2006
4:41.16 … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2000
4:41.61 … Josette Norris [Tenafly], 2013
4:41.52i,y … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
4:42.1h,y … Doreen Ennis [Nutley], 1973
4:43.92 … Ajee’ Wilson [Neptune], 2010
4:44.90 … Molly McNamara [Red Bank Catholic], 2011
4:45.36 … Liz Lansing [Randolph], 2013
4:45.57 … Claudia DiSomma [Sparta], 2010
4:45.97 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2014
4:46.28 … Melanie Thompson [Voorhees], 2009
4:46.32 … Sarah Disanza [High Point Reg.], 2013
4:46.4h … Margaret Scutro [Ridgewood], 1985
4:46.87 … Jill Smith [Southern Reg.], 2007
4:46.95 … Ariann Neutts [Roxbury], 2009
4:47.71 … Ashley Higginson [Colts Neck], 2007
4:47.7h,y … Jodi Bilotta [North Hunterdon], 1987
4:47.90 … Ciara Roche [Freehold Twp.], 2016
4:48.23 … Christina Cancan [West Windsor-Plainsboro South], 2016
4:48.48 … Kylene Cochrane [West Morris Central], 2014
4:48.62 … Katy Trotter [Red Bank], 2003
4:48.73 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:48.82 … Catherine Pagano [Northern Highlands], 2014
4:49.11 … Renee Tomlin [Ocean City], 2005
4:49.7h … Karen Ahern [Bernards], 1985
4:49.88 … Marin Warner [Holmdel], 2014
4:50.0h,y … Christine Engel [Mount Olive], 1992
4:51.38 … Grace Dwyer [Nottingham], 2014
4:51.54 … Joelle Amaral [Randolph], 2011
4:51.56 … Julia Guerra [Indian Hills], 2015
4:51.5h,y … Joetta Clark [Columbia], 1978
4:51.63 … Stephanie Snyder [Randolph], 1992
4:51.86 … Amanda Trotter [Red Bank], 2003
4:51.89 … Laura Quintana [Bernards], 2013
4:51.7h,y … Meg Waldron [Bernards], 1983
4:51.99 … Dana Giordano [Bernards], 2012
4:52.1h,y … Janet Smith [North Edison], 1984
4:52.41 … Kaitlyn Mooney [Southern Reg.], 2016
4:52.44 … Emily Bushey [Vernon Twp.], 2013
4:52.46 … Jenn Ennis [Roxbury], 2006
4:52.65 … Lindsay Gallo [Howell], 2000
4:52.74 … Eve Glasergreen [North Hunterdon], 2015
4:52.7h … Stacy Bilotta [North Hunterdon], 1984
4:52.88 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
4:52.95 … Caitlin Orr [Lenape], 2009

3,200-METER RUN: And finally the 3,200, where Vick moved into the No. 7 spot in South Jersey history.

Vick actually doesn’t even hold the Kingsway 3,200 record. That belongs to Chelsea Ley, who ran 10:19.31 in 2008. That makes Kingsway one of only six schools in state history with two girls under 10:33. The others are North Hunterdon, Red Bank, Voorhees and Ridgewood.

ALL-TIME N.J. 3,200 LIST
10:12.8h … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1983
10:13.44 … Ashley Higginson [Colts Neck], 2007
10:15.02 … Sarah Disanza [High Point Reg.], 2013
10:17.18 … Melanie Thompson [Voorhees], 2008
10:17.28 … Katy McCafferty [Oak Knoll], 2008
10:18.0h … Jodie Bilotta [North Hunterdon], 1987
10:18.24 … Mackenzie Barry [Mendham], 2012
10:18.7h … Janet Smith [North Edison], 1983
10:19.31 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
10:20.40 … Dana Giordano [Bernards], 2012
10:21.46 … Grace Dwyer [Nottingham], 2015
10:22.02 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2012
10:22.87 … Courtney Thompson [St. John Vianney], 2014
10:25.33 … Megan Curham [Villa Walsh], 2013
10:26.14 … Elyssa Gensib [Princeton], 2012
10:26.1h … Christi Constantin [Kittatinny], 1988
10:26.47 … Katy Trotter [Red Bank], 2003
10:26.56 … Eve Glasergreen [North Hunterdon], 2014
10:26.59 … Colette Richter [Mountain Lakes], 2012
10:27.44 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland Reg.], 2017
10:27.74 … Colette Whitney [Voorhees], 2010
10:28.25 … Kaitlyn Mooney [Southern Reg.], 2016
10:28.35 … Kelly Janokowicz [Hillsborough], 2012
10:28.11 … Amanda Trotter [Red Bank], 2003
10:28.6h … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
10:29.79 … Sarah Pagano [Immaculate Heart], 2008
10:28.80 … Caroline Kellner [West Windsor-Plainsboro South], 2012
10:29.97 … Carleen Jeffers [Ridgewood], 2015
10:30.57 … Dina Iacone [Washington Twp.], 2012
10:30.75 … Sam Halvorsen [Ridgewood], 2016
10:31.6h … Cate Guiney [Middletown South], 1999
10:31.6h … Lindsay VanAlstine [Hawthorne Christian], 2003
10:31.93 … Jenn Ennis [Roxbury], 2006
10:32.51 … Shannon Goria [River Dell], 2016
10:32.53 … Rachel Vick [Kingsway], 2017
10:32.4h … Mindy Rowand [Sterling], 1985
10:32.86 … Nicol Traynor [Ridge], 2007
10:33.09 … Ciara Roche [Freehold Twp.], 2015
10:33.21 … Dana Klein [Gill-St. Bernard], 2014
10:33.22 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2011
10:33.25 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2010
10:33.9h … Jenna Rogers [Ridgewood], 1994
10:34.04 … Katie Kellner [West Windsor-Plainsboro South], 2009
10:34.60 … Catherine Pagano [Northern Highlands], 2014
10:34.5h … Patti Mileski [Ridgewood], 1983
10:34.5h … Sandra Tignor [Princeton], 1988
10:34.79 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2007
10:34.92 … Sierra Castaneda [West Morris Central], 2015

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Moorestown boys!

Brandon Outlaw and Kevin Fox are Moorestown’s two studs. Outlaw ran a meet-record and all-time South Jersey No. 5 46.82 in the 400 on Friday — you can read all about that race here — and Fox raced his way to two second-places at sectionals this weekend with a 1:55.64 and 4:26.62.

The real heroes for Moorestown at Bernards High on its way to its first sectional title in 43 years — 43 YEARS!!!!! — were seniors Zion Howard and Hunter Rieger and freshman Christian Phelps.

Why?

Howard, Rieger and Phelps medaled in a combined seven events and in the process set … SEVEN PERSONAL BESTS!!!

That’s what track’s all about! Getting better and performing when the stakes are the highest!

Let’s take a look!

ZION HOWARD: Placed third in the intermediates in 56.33, took fifth in the 200 in 22.32 and ran sixth in the 400 in 50.37 for nine big points for the Quakers. Howard’s previous PRs were 58.17 in the intermediates, 22.36 in the 200 and 50.49 in the open 400.

HUNTER RIEGER: Rieger scored 16 huge points with second-place finishes in both the long jump and high jump. Rieger cleared 6-4 and jumped 22-3. Previous PRs were 6-2 and 21-9 3/4

CHRIS PHELPS: And Phelps came out of nowhere to place in both the high jump and triple jump. He cleared 6-0 after never having done better than 5-8 before, and he went 41-3 1/4 in the triple, adding exactly a foot from his PR from the County Open. Phelps also PR’d in the long jump at 19-6 but did not place.

How big were those combined 33 points?

Moorestown, forced to travel 80 miles for its sectional meet, finished with an 81-70 margin of victory over Nottingham.

The sectional title was Moorestown’s third overall, the first two coming in 1972 and 1974.

 

Over the next 48 hours, we’ll take a look at every South Jersey team that won a sectional title. Up next: Schalick girls!

Schalick scored 24 of a possible 30 points in the three relays and added a whopping 45 3/4 points in the field to win its fifth South Jersey sectional title since 1996.

The Schalick girls outscored second-place Audubon 89 3/4-72 3/4, with the fractions coming from a three-way tie for fourth in the high jump.

The South Jersey Group 1 title at Egg Harbor is Schalick’s third in the last seven years. The Cougars won their previous titles in 1996, 2002, 2011 and 2015.

Let’s take a look at how Schalick did it!

The Cougars scored only 20 points in the eight individual track events. That’s 20 points in the 100 through 3,200 and the two hurdles races.

But Schalick showed its depth by placing second in all three relays.

Deja Aviles, Elyssa Johnson, Deyane Carter and Leigh Jackson ran 50.60 for second to Clayton in the 400-meter relay, Carter, Amanda Chomo, Olivia Grestenbacher and Jackson ran 4:06.46 for second to Audubon in the 1,600 relay, and Chomo, Michaela Costantino, Gerstenbacher and Allison Lowryran 10:06.77 for second to Haddon Township in the 4-by-800.

In the field, the Cougars got three huge wins.

Camry Castellani won the pole vault at 9-6 and was also third in the high jump, Rayanni Robinson won the triple jump at 34-2 1/2 and was also tied for fourth in the high jump, and Zyra Thomas won the shot put with a 40-2 1/2.

The Cougars also got big points from Chomo, who in addition to her two second-place relay legs was second in the 800 in 2:21.08 and fifth in the 400 in 1:00.55. So she had a hand in 26 of Schalick’s 89 3/4 points.

Gerstenbecher was also third in the 1,600 (5:20.15) and fourth in the 3,200 (11:53.75), and Aviles took fifth in the long jump (15-8).

In meet history, only Woodbury (nine titles, only two since 1982), Paulsboro (nine) and Haddonfield (seven) have won more South Jersey Group 1 titles than Schalick.