From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Juniors Xavier Bancroft, Julian Coopage-Seepersand and Tim Howard Jr. and senior David Smith ran the 5th-fastest indoor 800-meter relay in Burlington County history Saturday qualifying at the Beantown Winter Classic at the TRACK in Boston.

R.V. ran 1:30.43 – fastest in New Jersey so far this year – in the 8th and final qualifying race. R.V. was forced to run by itself, with nobody else in its heat breaking 1:39. They finished about 85 meters ahead of 2nd-place Coginchaug of Durham, Conn.

Their qualifying time is 2nd-fastest, behind River Hill School of Clarksville, Md., which ran 1:30.01 in the 3rd qualifying race. Eight teams advanced to the final, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The cutoff was 1:34.90.

The only faster times in Burlington County history are Lenape’s 1:28.46 when they set the then-South Jersey and meet record at 2000 Easterns at the Armory with Herb Reid, Ian Moore, Luis Tomlinson and Mohamad Kanu in the lineup and R.V. in 2017, also at Easterns at the Armory, with Brian Merriman, Sam Keleekai, Rob Hawkins and Brandon Boggs.

All-Time Burlington County 800-Meter Relay List
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:30.43 … Rancocas Valley, 2025
1:30.56 … Rancocas Valley, 2024
1:30.59 … Willingboro, 2024
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.96 … Willingboro, 2022
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 800-Meter Relay
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.28 … Washington Twp., 2024
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.77 … Pennsauken, 2023
1:28.80 … Deptford, 2023
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:29.33 … Delea, 2024
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
1:29.81 … Pennsauken, 2022
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
1:30.06 … Buena, 2001
1:30.08 … Camden, 2006
1:30.09 … Camden, 2018
1:30.12 … Delsea, 2007
1:30.15 … Depetford, 2020
1:30.16 … Camden, 2005
1:30.20 … Edgewood, 2000
1:30.22 … Millville, 2020
1:30.36 … Winslow Twp., 2003
1:30.38 … Winslow Twp., 2008
1:30.40 … Delsea, 2009
1:30.42 … Vineland, 2002
1:30.43 … Rancocas Valley, 2025
1:30.47 … Vineland, 2005
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1993
1:30.51 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996
1:30.59 … Willingboro, 2024
1:30.56 … Rancocas Valley, 2024
1:30.60 … Delsea, 2008
1:30.62 … Winslow Twp., 2005
1:30.63 … Eastern, 2002
1:30.63 … Willingboro, 2007
1:30.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004
1:30.7y … Willingboro, 1988
1:30.87 … Woodrow Wilson, 1995
1:30.89 … Vineland, 2001
1:30.96 … Willingboro, 2022
1:30.97 … Vineland, 2008

Highland senior Jayden DeLeon notched the best indoor high jump by a South Jersey athlete in a decade Saturday at the Ott Center.

Competing at the South Jersey Coaches Association meet in West Philly, DeLeon cleared 6-9 on his 2nd attempt, the best clearance by a South Jersey jumper since Williamstown’s Devin Bradham and Delsea’s Ameer Banks both cleared 6-10 at Easterns at the Armory.

His 6-9 is tied for No. 3 in Camden County history and matches the best jump in 38 years, since Cherry Hill West’s Terrance Ferguson cleared 7-0 at Easterns at Princeton’s Jadwin Gym.

DeLeon had cleared 6-8 indoors last week at the Bubble and outdoors at Group 3 Sectionals at Delsea last spring.

DeLeon’s 6-9 equals the No. 5 performance nationally, according to the MileSplit U.S. database. It’s the best jump by a Highland athlete since Reggie Williams cleared 7-0 at South Plainfield when he placed 2nd to Franklin’s Reggie Garrett at the 1997 Meet of Champions.

On Saturday, DeLeon passed through 6-0, then cleared 6-2, 6-4, 6-6 and 6-8 ¼ on his first attempts. Glassboro junior Amari Sabb cleared a lifetime-best 6-4 on his 1st attempt for 2nd place. He had cleared 6-2 at the Gloucester County Championships last spring at Deptford. His previous indoor PR was 6-0, which he cleared a couple times last year.

After. Clearing 6-8 ¼, DeLeon had the bar moved up to 6-9 and sailed over the bar on his 2nd try. Then it was up to 6-10, where he missed three tries.

Here’s the all-time South Jersey indoor list …

7-4 1/4 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003 [i]
7-0 … Terry Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], 1987 [i]
6-11 … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], 1980 [i]
6-10 ¾ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 1999 [i]
6-10 … Damon Julian [Edgewood], 1984 [i]
6-10 … Raffael Craig [Millville], 1999 [i]
6-10 … Josh Butler [Delsea], 2006 [i]
6-10 … Devin Bradham [Williamstown], 2015 [i]
6-10 … Ameer Banks [Delsea], 2015 [i]
6-9 … Andrew Athias [Cherry Hill East], 2011 [i]
6-9 … Jayden DeLeon [Highland], 2025 [i]

And the all-time South Jersey combined indoor-outdoor list:

7-4 1/2 ..… Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 2000 [o]
7-4 1/4 ..… Robert Jordan [Millville], 1999 [o]
7-4 1/4 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003 [i]
7-1 ………. Drew Kanz [Seneca], 2009 [o]
7-0 1/2 ..… Dwayne Robinson [Bridgeton], 1992 [o]
7-0 ………. Marc Holland [Willingboro], 1978 [o]
7-0 … Terry Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], 1987 [i]
7-0 ………. Reggie Williams [Highland], 1997 [o]
7-0 ………. Raffael Craig [Millville], 1999 [o]
7-0 ………. Daryl Gause [Schalick], 2000 [o]
7-0 …..….. Todd Lowber [Delran], 2001 [o]
7-0 …..….. Montez Blair [Timber Creek], 2008 [o]
7-0 ………. Markquese Bell [Bridgeton], 2016 [o]
6-11 … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], 1980 [i]
6-11 …….. Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1985 [o]
6-10 1/2 … Mike Starks [Haddon Heights], 1993 [o]
6-10 1/4 … Ed Malone [Gloucester], 1985 [o]
6-10 …….. Scott Knecht [Haddonfield], 1979 [o]
6-10 …….. Scott Landers [Northern Burlington], 1980 [o]
6-10 …….. Paul Tyson [Camden], 1983 [o]
6-10 …….. Troy Saunders [Bordentown], 1983 [o]
6-10 …….. Pat Collier [Willingboro], 1983 [o]
6-10 …….. Damon Julian [Edgewood], 1984 [i,o]
6-10 …….. Spencer Irvin [Paulsboro], 1993 [o]
6-10 …….. Jarrett Carr [Pennsauken], 1994 [o]
6-10 …….. Jamil Sanders [Bridgeton], 1994 [o]
6-10 …….. Willie Hill [Vineland], 1994 [o]
6-10 …….. Anthony [Schalick], 1999 [o]
6-10 …….. Marshall Akins [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2005 [o]
6-10 …….. Justin Oliver [Pennsauken], 2006 [o]
6-10 …….. Josh Butler [Delsea], 2006 [i,o]
6-10 …….. Devin Bradham [Williamstown], 2005 [i,o]
6-10 …….. Ameer Banks [Delsea], 2015 [o]
6-9 ¼ …… Keith Brown [Salem], 1979 [o]
6-9 ¼ ………. Blake Bartlett [Penns Grove], 1999 [o]
6-9 ………. Bob Reid [Oakcrest], 1977 [o]
6-9 ………. Marvin Bass [Palmyra], 1994 [o]
6-9 … Andrew Athias [Cherry Hill East], 2011 [i]
6-9 … Jayden DeLeon [Highland], 2025 [i]

Audubon junior Riley Fayer ran one of the fastest indoor 1,600s ever by a South Jersey Group 1 girl Saturday morning at the Ott Center.

Fayer closed in 73.66 and won the 1,600 at the South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet in 5:07.46, finishing 90 meters ahead of 2nd-place Cherokee freshman Erin Healy, who ran 5:25.40 in her first high school track race.

Three other girls ran sub-5:28 – Washington Township junior Hannah Saleh [5:26.50], Williamstown junior Sophia Aldridge [5:26.60] and Mainland Regional junior Emily Preissman [5:27.41].

Fayer’s previous indoor PR was a 5:18.23 last year at Ocean Breeze. She PR’d outdoors at Delsea with a 5:04.02 in May. But on a 200-meter track, her time is 7th-fastest ever in South Jersey Group 1, behind five Haddonfield girls back before Haddonfield moved up to Group 2 as well as Glassboro’s Ruth Lockbaum in 1985.

Fayer split 75.99, 79.71, 79.10 and 73.66. Her time is 6th-fastest in New Jersey this year and fastest by a Group 1 girl this year or any public school runner.

4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
5:04.54 … Mia Spinelli [Haddonfield], 2010
4:55.04y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
4:56.1h,y … Ruth Lockbaum [Glassboro], 1985
5:02.21 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2014
5:07.46 … Riley Fayer [Audubon], 2025

Here’s what the all-time Camden County list looks like.

4:49.46y … Erin Donohue [Haddonfield], 2001
4:51.60 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2016
4:52.90 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 2024
4:55.04y … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2010
5:01.96 … Grace Wassell [Highland], 2022
5:02.21 … Shelby Cain [Haddonfield], 2014
5:03.82 … Allison Colflesh [Haddonfield], 2020
5:04.24 … Sarah Naticchia [Haddonfield], 2020
5:04.54 … Mia Spinella [Haddonfield], 2010
5:04.69 … Alyssa Condell [Timber Creek], 2017
5:05.27 … Megan Venables [Highland], 2011
5:05.66 … Ava Thomas [Haddonfield], 2024
5:05.90 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2011
5:05.90 … Madison Coppolino [Sterling], 2017
5:06.12 … Payton Wiener [Haddonfield], 2020
5:06.38 … Lindsay Thomas [Overbrook], 2001
5:06.85 … Kesley Cummings [Triton], 2016
5:07.46 … Riley Fayer [Audubon], 2025
5:07:47 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
5:08.65y … Kathy Linck, Eustace, 1995

Washington Township senior Ella Karp threw a shot put PR and moved into the all-time Gloucester County top-10 on her final attempt Saturday morning at the South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet at the Ott Center in West Philly.

Going into their 6th and final throws, Delsea junior Hannah Nuhfer had the lead at 39-8 on her 3rd attempt and Karp was 2nd at 38-6 ¾ on her 5th.

But Karp hit a nearly two-foot indoor PR on her sixth throw to record the win.

Karp’s previous indoor PR was a 39-2 ¼ from Ocean Breeze a year ago this week. She threw 40-3 ¼ outdoors at Delsea in May.

Nuhfer is one of the state’s top discus throwers, was 2nd in the Meet of Champions with a 152-6 last spring. Her shot PR is 41-3 ½ from a meet in January at the Bubble.

Karp’s 40-11 is a school record and the best throw by a Washington Township girl either indoors or out.

A couple fast 400s to open the season for Gloucester County sprinters Marquis Taylor Matthew Niedbalski Saturday morning at the Ott Center.

Taylor, a Woodbury senior, won the race in 49.32, and Niedbalski, a Clearview junior ran a huge PR of 49.43.

Taylor just missed his indoor PR of 49.24 from Ocean Breeze this past February. He ran 48.23 indoors when he won the state Group 1 title last year in Somerset. Their times are No. 2 and 3 in New Jersey this year.

This was a big jump for Niedbalski, who had an indoor PR of 54.74 from sectionals last year at the Bubble and an overall PR of 51.02 from outdoor sectionals at Delsea. He’s the first Clearview boy ever to run sub-50 indoors, and his time is 7th-fastest in Gloucester County history indoors.

48.96 … Lathan Brown [Deptford], 2023
49.11 … Darrell Bush [Woodbury], 2012
49.13 … Eric Chekemian [Washington Twp.], 2001
49.24 … Marquis Taylor [Woodbury], 2024
49.26 … Tim Carey [Washington Twp,], 2010
49.34 … Alexander Osayemi [Clayton], 2024
49.43 … Matthew Niedbalski [Clearview], 2025
49.65 … Aaron Younger [Delsea], 2007
49.97 … Kanye Mills [Washington Twp.], 2023

Washington Township senior Jack Schuck, Clearview senior Steven Niedbalski, presumably Matthew’s brother, and Woodstown junior Joshua Crawford also PR’d in the 400, Schuck in 3rd place in 50.22, Steven Niedbalski 4th in 51.17 and Crawford 5th in 51.31.

Taylor also won the 55-meter dash in 6.59, finishing 1-100th of a second ahead of senior John Santos of Washington Township.

Sianni Wynn ran the 6th-fastest 400 in the U.S. early Saturday morning at the South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet at the Ott Center.

By 9:15 a.m., the Pennsauken junior had PR’d in the hurdles with an 8.38 and run 56.17 in the 400 on Penn’s new banked 200-meter track.

Before New Year’s in her first 400 of the year, she ran within two-thirds of a second of her indoor 400 PR of 55.51 from a meet last December at Ocean Breeze. That’s No. 6 in South Jersey history indoors. She ran 53.45 outdoors – No. 8 in state history – when she won the state Group 4 title in Somerset.

On Saturday, Wynn won by 20 meters over Autumn Carter of Hopewell Valley, who was 2nd in 59.49. Paul VI junior Claire Magee was also under a minute in 3rd place with a 59.84.

Wynn also won the 55-meter hurdles in 8.38, lowering her PR in a relatively new event from 8.52 , which she just ran last weekon the same track in West Philly.

That’s fastest by a Pennsauken girl since Alethia Jenkins ran 8.03 when she won 2000 Easterns title at the Armory.

Holy Family sophomore Desi Stroud from Mays Landing and Atlantic County Tech popped a triple jump PR at the recent Seahawk Shootout at Ocean Breeze.

Stroud leaped 46-5 ½ on his final attempt to smash his previous PR of 44-11 ½ from a meet this past February at Ursinus.

Stroud is one of four Holy Family triple jumpers ranked in the top six in the NCAA Division 2 East Regional headed into this weekend.

Earlier this month, Stroud long jumped 23-3 ½ at a meet at Ocean Breeze.

It appears that all of the 45-foot jumps in school history have been in the last three years, with Stroud No. 5 on the all-time school performance list.

49-5 ¾ … Odane Smith, 2025 [Ocean Breeze]
49-5 … Nishorn Pierre, 2024 [Ocean Breeze]
48-5 ½ … Terrance Jones, 2024 [Ocean Breeze]
47-1 ¾ … Ernest Robinson, 2025 [Ocean Breeze]
46-5 ½ … Desi Stroud, 2025 [Ocean Breeze]
45-1 ½ … Javon Bowen, 2023 [Ocean Breeze]

Stroud has long jumped 23-8 ¾ indoors. At ACIT, he had a long jump PR of 22-1 ¼. He never triple jumped in high school, and it appears his first lifetime triple jump competition was just about a year ago – early December 2023 in a meet at Ocean Breeze.

Versatile Georgian Court senior Julian Rodriguez, a Deptford graduate, is already the school record holder in the intermediate hurdles and moved into the No. 3 spot in the pole vault in his season-opening meet.

Rodriguez cleared 14-5 ¼ at the Fastrack Season Opener at Ocean Breeze and trails only Jan Volkmar [16-6 ¾ in 2023] and Evan Boyce [14-11 in 2019] on the all-time Georgian Court performance list.

Rodriguez did not compete last spring and didn’t compete after mid-January last year, so it was his 1st meet in about 11 months and only his 2nd since the end of the 2023 outdoor season.

Rodriguez set the school record of 54.15 in the intermediates when he placed 3rd at the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships in Lakewood. He’s also 6th in school history in the 110-meter highs [15.54] and10th in the triple jump [40-1 ¼] and ran the third leg on the school-record 400-meter relay, a 42.55 at Shippensburg back in 2022.

Indoors, he ranks 6th in the 60 hurdles [8.67], 7th in the high jump [5-10 ¾], 8th in the long jump [21-2 ¾] and 3rd in the pole vault [14-5 ¼].

Georgian Court head coach Mike Murawski is a Cinnaminson native and Holy Cross graduate. He was a two-time state Parochial A high jump champ for the Lancers and he holds Duqesne school records in the high jump [6-8 ¼] and decathlon [6,140].

Considering Rodriguez’s versatility and Murawski’s background, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s a multi in Rodriguez’s future.

Rancocas Valley graduate Kristina Tossas opened her senior year at Rutgers with one of the top long jump performances in the country so far this indoor season.

Tossas won the Rutgers Holiday Classic at the Armory with a jump of 20-0 ¼. That’s No. 1 so far in NCAA Division 1 Mid-Atlantic Region and 11 in NCAA Division 1, according to the TFRRS performance lists.

Tossas fouled on her 1st attempt before hitting 20-0 ¼ on her 2nd. She had two other legal jumps – a 19-0 ¾ and an 18-5 ½.

This was the 5th meet Tossas has surpassed 20 feet and 3rd indoors. She hit her indoor PR of 20-9 ¼ when she won the 2023 Big East Championships in Geneva, Ohio. She also had a 20-5 at last year’s indoor Big East meet, also in Geneva.

She’s gone 20 feet outdoors twice – a wind-aided 20-11 ¾ in a meet this past March in Tampa (she also had a legal 20-1 ¼ at the same meet) and a 20-5 also in Orlando in March of 2023.

Tossas ranks 4th in Rutgers history indoors and she’s also 9th in the triple jump at 39-6. Outdoors, she’s 5th in the long jump at 20-5.

Audubon’s Thomas Weick opened his senior year in style with a big PR at the South Jersey Track Coaches Association meet at the Bubble.

Weick cleared 6-4 – as always with Bubble meets, field event series information is not available – and recorded the top Group 1 jump in New Jersey so far this year.

This is a six-inch indoor PR and four-inch lifetime-best for Weick. His best jump indoors as a junior was 5-10, which he cleared four times, including a 5th-place at the state Group 1 meet. Outdoors, he had one 6-0 clearance – early in the season at the West Deptford Relays.

Audubon has a pretty good high jump tradition. Mark Kelly won the state Group 2 title at 6-4 in 1974 at Highland Park and cleared a then-South Jersey-record 6-8 ¼ outdoors at the Woodbury Relays, Mark Anderson won Group 2 in 1975 in Piscataway.

Recently, Aden Tomeo jumped 6-7 at 2020 indoor sectionals at the Bubble and went on to place 3rd at the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze.

Early on in the 2024-25 season, Weick’s 6-4 is the top Group 1 jump in the state and No. 3 overall.