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Sprints & Hurdles
55 Meter Dash - State Rankings
Four return from last year's final including the 2016 champion Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley who ran a NJ#2 time of 7.01 at Groups. She will have some tough competition with Bria Mack of Williamstown as they set to rematch from the Group 4 showdown. Mack ran a NJ#10 all-time performance of 6.95 on Friday for the Group 4 state championship.
Abby Collins of Red Bank Catholic, and Cecelia Gerstenbacher of Delsea both return from last year's final. Also keep an eye on Iyanla Kollock of Our Lady of Mercy ranked third this season, Amaya Chadwick of Union Catholic, Sydney Hawkins of Phillipsburg, and Flora Ahiarakwe of Winslow Twp.
Top 16 Seeds
1 Mack, Bria 12 Williamstown 6.95 2 Taylor, Aliyah 11 Rancocas Val 7.01 3 Ahiarakwe, Flora 11 Winslow Twp 7.15 4 Gerstenbacher, Cecelia 12 Delsea Reg. 7.17 5 Hawkins, Sydney 10 Phillipsburg 7.18 6 Kollock, Iyanla 11 Our Lady of 7.19 6 Chadwick, Amaya 11 Union Cathol 7.19 8 Glatz, Toni 12 Delsea Reg. 7.28 9 DiFrancesco, Katie 12 St. John Via 7.29 10 Jackson, Kayla 12 Northern Bur 7.31 11 Fosam, Bonvie 12 Robbinsville 7.32 12 Opoku-Agyemang, Nyamekye 12 Union HS 7.34 13 McRae Ross, Jordan 12 Willingboro 7.35 13 Collins, Abby 12 Red Bank Cat 7.35 13 Starnes, Adia 12 Timber Creek 7.35 16 Upshaw, Donjai 12 Highland Reg 7.36
55 Meter Hurdles - State Rankings
Amaya Chadwick of Union Catholic leads the state and the Group seeds heading into the Meet of Champions. She won the Non-Public A title with an 8.14 on Saturday and has a season best of 8.00 from January.
Challenging her for the win will be Lenaami Morton of Camden who went for an 8.19 at Groups and has an 8.11 on the season. Simone Kirton of Chatham will be up there also, Claudine Smith of Atlantic City, Mijah Collier of Lawrence, Reanda Richards of West Essex, and Joshonda Johnson of Absegami all names you should keep an eye on.
Top 16 Seeds
1 Chadwick, Amaya 11 Union Cathol 8.14 2 Morton, Lenaami 12 Camden 8.19 3 Kirton, Simone 12 Chatham 8.24 4 Collier, Mijah 11 Lawrence HS 8.43 4 Smith, Claudine 10 Atlantic City 8.43 6 Richards, Reanda 11 West Essex 8.44 7 Johnson, Joshonda 12 Absegami 8.48 8 Notarianni, Nicole 12 South Brunswick 8.51 9 Tobias, Tionna 10 Winslow Twp 8.52 10 Davis-Hines, Janiyah 12 Timber Creek 8.53 11 Jones, Sarah 12 Bishop Eusta 8.54 11 Harris, Te'seanna 10 Camden 8.54 13 Glew, Cayleigh 12 Sparta 8.56 13 Akinsola, Bukola 12 West Orange 8.56 15 Quainoo, Felicia 9 Union Cathol 8.57 16 Marsh, Amaris 11 Deptford 8.59
200 Meter Dash Showcase - State Rankings
The 200 meter will have a new champion with the graduation of Kiara Lester who had won the event the past two years. Cecelia Gerstenbacher of Delsea is the fastest returner from the 2016 running, she finished second with a 25.17. In 2017 Gerstenbacher is seeded third entering the meet at 25.54. The top seed is Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley who posted a 24.93 at the Ocean Breeze Invitational. The second ranked time came from this very track however, Shakira Dancy of Winslow Twp ran 25.45 at the SJTCA Meet #9 which was held at the Bennett Complex.
Top 16 Seeds
1 Taylor, Aliyah 11 Rancocas Val 24.93 2 Dancy, Shakira 11 Winslow Twp 25.45 3 Gerstenbacher, Cecelia 12 Delsea Reg. 25.54 4 Young-Bey, Nyjah 10 Montclair HS 25.73 5 Lewis, Dahria 12 Columbia HS 25.84 6 Jackson, Kayla 12 Northern Bur 25.88 7 Piron, Claudia 12 Summit HS 26.04 8 Opoku-Agyemang, Nyamekye 12 Union HS 26.05 9 Nance, Sydne 12 Rancocas Val 26.08 10 Collins, Abby 12 Red Bank Cat 26.10 10 Ahiarakwe, Flora 11 Winslow Twp 26.10 12 Boyce, Amahri 11 North Star A 26.12 13 Nkulume, Chidumga 9 Union HS 26.13 14 Osborne, Emma 12 Summit HS 26.16 15 Furth, Kayleigh 11 Newton HS 26.20 16 Williams, Iyianna 12 Winslow Twp 26.25
Sydney McLaughlin's US#3 run of 54.27 at Group Championships.
400 Meter Dash - State Rankings
All eyes will be on the track for this one with Olympian Sydney McLaughlin ready to take the stage. She has won this event the past two years and hasn't lost an indoor 400 meter since her freshman Meet of Champions race in 2014. McLaughlin also holds the national record in this event, a 51.84 at 2016 New Balance Nationals Indoor. Her qualifying time of 54.27 from Groups came out of the unseeded heat.
Other top seeds include Aliyah Taylor of Rancocas Valley 56.76, Nyjah Young-Bey of Montclair 57.98, Katie DiFrancesco of St. John Vianney 58.11, Dakota Gerges of Sayreville 58.11, and Joely Serpe of Old Bridge. All those times coming from Group Championships last weekend. To add to that list Kaira Brown, a sophomore from Kent Place School, is also ranked NJ#3 this season at 57.80.
Top 16 Seeds
1 McLaughlin, Sydney 12 Union Cathol 54.27 2 Taylor, Aliyah 11 Rancocas Val 56.76 3 Young-Bey, Nyjah 10 Montclair HS 57.98 4 DiFrancesco, Katie 12 St. John Via 58.11 4 Gerges, Dakota 12 Sayreville 58.11 6 Serpe, Joely 11 Old Bridge 58.16 7 Fazio, Brooke 12 Ridge HS 58.24 8 Civatte, Jennifer 12 Eastern Regional 58.28 9 Jones, Portia 10 Watchung Hills 58.33 10 Richards, Reanda 11 West Essex 58.46 11 Brown, Kaira 10 Kent Place S 58.63 12 Whetstone, Shelby 10 Lenape Reg. 59.05 13 Glatz, Toni 12 Delsea Reg. 59.06 14 Reid, Jenna 12 Middletown N 59.18 15 Lamadieu, Cassandra 12 Union Cathol 59.28 16 Lambert, Shannon 12 Lenape Reg. 59.31
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