Nick Vena Smashes NJ Indoor SP Record / Ups Soph NR at Passarelli Invite   Morristown sophmore Nick Vena broke the 10 year old Indoor Shot Put State Record and added to his National Soph mark with a heave of 67' 8.25" at the Passarelli Invitational at Drew University today. Vena's throw breaks the mark of 67' 3" set by Kevin DiGiorgio (Bayonne) in 1998.   In other Post-Christmas action at Drew, the Randolph HS Girls posted a Seasonal US #1 in the Shuttle Hurdles with a time of 33.70 and Laura Vigilante (Mendham) ran the 3200m in a US seasonal leading time of 11:15.29. New Jersey seasonal leaders were set by Brigitte Mania of Hunterdon Central in the 600m (1:37.13). On the Boys side, Martin Sweeney (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) ran the 3200m for a NJ seasonal #1 of 9:50.68 and Union HS ran a season leading 32.82 in the Shuttle Hurdles. Washington Twp. posted a Seasonal NJ #1 time in the Sprint Medley with a 3:40,24 at the South Jersey Coaches Meet at the Bennett Complex in Toms River. The Millville HS Girls Sprint Medley Relay team ran 4:18.86 for a NJ Seasonal #1 also at "The Bubble"  

ArmoryTrack.com will once again webcast the meet this Saturday from 10am-4pm. Tune in right here on this page for results, highlights, and the streaming webcast starting at 10am EST Saturday morning.  

Lots of Top Marks From New Jersey Athletes With the old year ringing out, the new Track & Field year is ringing in with a bang for Jersey runners, jumpers & throwers. So far we have had a new Soph NR in the Shot for Nick Vena (Morristown), and National Seasonal Bests from Dominique Booker (Immaculate Conception) in the 55m with 7.08, and Hopewell Valley Girls in the Sprint Medley (4:23.00). On the Boys side, besides Nick Vena's national leader, we have Raldaine McDonald (Dwight Morrow) at #1 with a 6.44h in the 55mand Clayton Parros  (Seton Hall Prep) at 1:21.56 in the 600m.  Overall NJ accounts for almost 60 Top Ten Ranked preformances. The season resumes with the Colgate Womens Games on the 26th and a full slate of action on Saturday. NJRunners Girl's Indoor Rankings (Thru 12/25) NJRunners Boy's Indoor Rankings (Thru 12/25)   MileSplit Girl’s National Rankings (Thru 12/25) MileSplit Boy's National Rankings (Thru 12/25)   Please send additions and/or corrections to me at Pfm724@comcast.net

NJRunners and The MileSplit Network Wish You All A Merry Christmas!

Girls results, winners table, pictures all posted. Streaming video went well from 9am-4pm. Tune in next Saturday for the next broadcast from the Marine Corps Holiday Classic.

Nick Vena Breaks Soph SP Record O'Leary Lid Lifter Morristown Soph sets new mark with 66' 9.5" toss. Breaks Kevin Bookout's mark of 65' 7.75" (2000) Ariann Neutts (Roxbury) Scores Two MRs With Double Wins 1600m in 5:12.40 / 1000m in 3:05.87   Full Results Posted   25 MileSplit National Elite Performancs / All Marks Posted to Athlete Pages  

TO COACHES / MEET DIRECTORS NJRunners wants to publish as many meet results as possible, All performances are added to our Database and posted to each athletes Personal Page. Hytek/RaceTab (Flat HTML) results are most desireable, but any format will be accepted. Best wishes for successful Indoor campaigns!

By: Mike Frye The Merli Invitational is the unofficial start of the HS indoor track season here at the Jersey Shore and this year it’s a week earlier than last.  That’s right, it’s time to start rooting for our favorite teams and speculating on who is going to do what by the end of the season.    You might say this doesn’t mean anything.  You might say it’s just a ‘warm-up’ meet that doesn’t count toward any points.  You might say it’s too early to tell who the frontrunners are going to be this season, but you’d be wrong.  If last year is any indication we’ll get a glimpse of who the top dogs in each event are going to be right away.      Group 3 55m Champ Mike Peavy Will be a Leading Sprinter  (Photo by: Maroon News)   Continued...Click on Headline  

With the completion of the long, but exciting, XC season this past weekend, it’s time to turn attention to the “undercover” season. Indoor T&F starts in earnest during the 10 days before Christmas with meets throughout the state and at the NY Armory. The slate of Indoor events kicks off on Thursday at Drew University with the O’Leary Lid Lifter (4:30pm). Named for coaching legend Jack O’Leary, the Lid Lifter is the first of an extensive slate of meets at the Drew facility. Once again, New Jersey will provide a long list of excellent marks on the track and in the field. Brett Johnson(Sr. / Ocean City) and Robby Andrews (Sr. / Manalapan) have already been invited to compete in the HS Mile Run at the prestigious Millrose Games. Morristown sophomore Nlck Vena (Morristown) will undoubtedly pick up where he left off in the Shot Put. Who will step up to challenge the super soph now that rival Mike Alleman (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) has moved on to college? Voorhees standout English Gardner is sidelined for the season after a freak knee injury (playing football), but the girls sprints will be extremely competitive with 11 returners having run 7.3 or better for 55m. Boys and Girls distance events return long lists of runners who will threaten records all over the place. All in all, it will be a very interesting winter season. NJRunners will bring as much action as possible with results, rankings, pictures and features. Have a Great Holiday Season! Jillian Smith Takes the HS Girls Mile @ the 2008 Millrose Games (Photo by: MaroonNews)    

    Chelsey Ley 8th in 17:49. Leads NJ Contingent in Girls Final Laura Vigilante 16th (18:14) Lanie Thompson 17th (18:18) Katie Kellner 27th (18:34)         Chelsea Ley Video Interview   Photo by: Margot Kelly   Tough Day For NJ Boys George Galasso - 27th (16:01)  George Galasso Video Interview Phil Wood - 30th (16:04) Phil Wood Video Interview Tyler Udland - 34th (16:18) Brett Johnson - 40th (18:41)   Video - Boys Race Video - Girls Race (Complete)   Video - Girls Race (Highlights)  

BOYS FIRST TEAM   Tyler Udland Millburn / Jr. Credentials: 1st @ MOC (15:40) Foot Locker Finalist (2nd Place) Group 3 Champion Holmdel Seasonal Best: 15:36 (Groups)           Joe Rosa West Windsor-Plainsboro No. / So. Credentials: Runner Up @ MOC 1st Place @ NXN NE Regional Holmdel Seasonal Best: 15:38 (Shore Coaches)               Sean Pohorence Morris Hills / Sr. Credentials: 3rd Place @ MOC NXN Individual Qualifier 16th Place (15:38) @ NXN Championship Holmdel Seasonal Best: 15:51 (MOC)              *To View Balance of 1st Team, 2nd Team and Group Teams,  Click on Headline * !st & 2nd Teams Selected by NJRunners Ranking Panel * To View Athlete Profiles, Click on Name  

View the Entire Event Live From San Diego Join the MileSplit National team as we bring you live coverage of the Foot Locker National Finals this Saturday. It all starts at  11am (Eastern) LIVE STREAMING VIDEO

GIRLS FIRST TEAM    Melanie Thompson (Sr. / Voorhees) Credentials:   1st @ MOC  Foot Locker Finalist (4th)  Group 3 Champion  Holmdel Seasonal Best: 17:47 (MOC)           Chelsea Ley (Jr. / Kingsway) Credentials:   Runner up @ MOC Foot Locker Finalist (5th) Holmdel Seasonal Best: 17:44 (Shore Coaches)                 Katie Kellner (Sr. / West Windsor - Plainsboro So.) Credentials:   3rd Place @ MOC  Foot Locker Finalist (6th)  Holmdel Seasonal Best: 18:19 (Groups)                * To View Athlete Profiles, Click on Name *To View Balance of 1st Team, 2nd Team and Group Teams,  Click on Headline * !st & 2nd Teams Selected by NJRunners Ranking Panel

PORTLAND, Ore. – Normally we see a stoic Fayetteville-Manilus squad unfazed by success, already on to the next challenge. Not this time. This time they made room for tears and hugs. And more tears. It’s not that none of the other races mattered. It’s that each race was another step climbed; another step toward its third-straight national championship. It was another step toward an ever-evolving stage of excellence.

FLASH * Joe Rosa  - 4th Overall (15:19)                       * W. Windsor-Plainsboro No. Over Don Bosco Prep for 5th on Tiebreaker ! (216 pts) * Spencer / Molke 34th (15:56.1) & 35th (15:56.8) * Sean Pohorence 16th (15:37.7) FULL RESULTS POSTED / ADDED TO RANKINGS & ATHLETE PAGES   MileSplit On Site

NXN Boys Team Previews: Thumbnail sketches and analysis of all 22 boys teams

If cold weather bothers Solomon Haile, it didn't appear to affect him yesterday in New York City and should bode well for his chances in San Diego.