East Brunswick Invitational Preview

400 Hurdles

Look for a tight team race between East Brunswick, Old Bridge, Trenton Central, and Hamilton North as all four of the three man squads look to break the 3 minute barrier. Individually, look for Trenton Central's Savion Willis and EB's Callan Davies to run in the 55-57 range for the top times of the day.

4x800

This looks to be a 3 way battle for the crown, as Elizabeth, St. Joseph's and East Brunswick are all seeded under the 8:15 mark.  Can Kareem Osseni and his career PR of 1:57.39 carry Elizabeth to victory over balanced East Brunswick and St. Joe's squads?  All three teams are looking to run fast enough to earn acceptances to the Penn Relays.  

SSMR

This race appears to be another tight one with five teams seeded under the 1:36 mark.  The star of the race here is Hamilton North - Nottingham's Boaz Madeus, who's PR's of 48.65 in the 400 and 52.86 in the 400 Hurdles will surely make other teams nervous.  Madeus will be running the 400 hurdles at the Penn Relays this year.  

4x200

The top heat of this race could wind up being the race of the day, with six teams vying for the top spot.  Trenton Central, Elizabeth, JFK Iselin, East Brunswick, St. Joe's Metuchen, and Old Bridge are all seeded at 1:32 or better.  Trenton's multi talented Semaj Willis leads all runners with a PR of 21.97 in the 200 which he ran this past indoor season.

Shuttle Hurdles

We should see another tight one in the 110 hurdle relay, as 4 teams will vie for the top spot.  Trenton Central, Elizabeth, Hamilton-North-Nottingham, and Holmdel all fielding strong teams.  Look out for Marcello Pinnero of Holmdel (15.23), Savion Willis of Trenton Central (15.10), and Boaz Madeus of Hamilton North-Nottingham (15.33)

Distance Medley

Perennial Middlesex County powerhouse is the top seed in the event, led by senior Arthur Dzieniszweski who's career PR of 4:32.78 in the 1600 should keep Old Bridge among the favorites.  Look out for East Brunswick, Lenape, and Trenton Central, with MOC winner Mulal Mu who will be representing Trenton in the Penn Relays in a couple weeks.  With a career PR of 4:16.03, the other teams in the field better hope they have a big lead going into the 1600 leg.

4x100

Always one of the most exciting races of the day, the 4x100, as always, will come down to who can get the baton around cleanly.  Six teams are seeded under the 45 second threshold, with top seeded Elizabeth, Trenton, New Brunswick and Sayreville looking to dethrone last year's champions East Brunswick.  Look out for New Brunswick's Kadas Reams, Trenton's Aramis Wright, and East Brunswick's Josh Newton to run big legs for their respective teams.

SMR

In the 1600 meter medley, we could be in for a treat with Trenton's Mulal Mu & Semaj Willis possibly running together.  Elizabeth will look to keep pace with a big anchor leg from Kareem Osseni and Hamilton North-Nottingham should also be in contention here.

4x400

This race, like so many others today, should be another tight one, as 5 teams are seeded between 3:29 and 3:34.  Lenape, led by senior Chase Campbell, who's career PR of 48.90 will give his team a fighting chance against anyone in this field.

Novice 4x800

East Brunswick sports 3 of the top 5 relays in this event, as their depth in the distance events comes to light here.  Look for stiff competition from North Brunswick, Elizabeth, and Moorestown.

Novice 4x200

Look for some fast novice times, with 6 teams seeded under 1:39, led by Union with a 1:35.95!

Long Jump

The field once again is loaded up, with 12 boys having cracked the 20 foot barrier.  JaQuay Redding of Pemberton Twp is the top jumper in the field, having already jumped 22' 4" this season.  Look for Elizabeth's Max Michel (21' 7") and New Brunswick's Kadas Reams (21' 6.25") and a handful of others to compete for the top jump of the day.

Triple Jump

Dodley Thermitus leads a strong field in the TJ, but the reality is, no one is close to the Elizabeth HS senior who will be jumping at the Penn Relays this season.  With a career PR of 50' 3.25" and 2016 Group IV and Meet of Champions titles under his belt, it's going to be tough for anyone to catch him.   Look for Hamilton North-Nottingham and Woodbridge to be potential contenders for the team title.

High Jump

Indoor meet of champions winner Semaj Willis and his 6' 10" PR will lead a Trenton squad against a wide open field in the event.  Willis is prepping for his big day at the Penn Relays in a few weeks.  Max Michel of Elizabeth who has also qualified for Penn Relays with an indoor PR of 6'7" will look to challenge Willis.  Look for Elizabeth and Old Bridge to battle with Trenton for the team title.  

Pole Vault

Another hotly contested event, the Pole Vault may wind up coming down to some tie breakers.  With no athlete in the field seeded above 11' 6", its truely anyones title to take in this two man relay.  Look for East Brunswick, Hamilton North-Nottingham, and North Brunswick to all make a claim for the top spot.

Shot Put

There are several strong teams that could make the claim that they are the best squad in the competition, with Hamilton North-Nottingham, Old Bridge, and Elizabeth being the top competitors.  Overall, look for Wakeem Brooks (51' 6.5") of Elizabeth, and Justin Zhang (51' 7.5") to have a tight battle for the top toss of the day.

Discus

Brooks is the man to look to again as the top seed in the event.  Not too far behind is Old Bridge's Gregory Kleinow and Hamilton North's Kier Jenkens.  The team title looks to be totally up for grabs in this event.

Javelin

This should be quite the battle of Middlesex county heavyweights as Jameer Robinson of St. Joe's Metuchen (170' 4") squares off against Anthony Ragusa of Old Bridge (165' 8").  Robinson will represent St. Joe's at the Penn Relays.  Joe's looks to be the favorite on paper, but look out for (you guessed it) Hamilton North, Old Bridge, and Elizabeth to be hot on their trail.