Girls Group Championship Preview

Group 1

2019 Group 1 Leaders - Sectional Merge Leaders

2018 Results - Defending Champs: 100m - Anyae Simmons, 800m - Amirah Sharpe, 100H - Arianna Smith, 400H - Arianna Smith, HJ - Kerry Perna, D - Cydney Thomas. Defending Relay Champs: 4x100m - Collingswood, 4x400m - Paulsboro, 4x800m - A P Schalick. Team Champions:  A P Schalick.

Rebecca Ochan of Highland Park won three events at this meet as a freshman in 2017, and while an injury unfortunately kept her out of all of 2018 she showed signs of being back on top this past indoor season running 56.59 for second at the Meet of Champions. She enters Groups fresh off two Sectional wins in the 200m, 24.76, and 400m, 58.25 and has a chance to see one of not two gold medals this weekend. 

One athlete all eyes should be on is Pennsville senior Arianna Smith who is out front in the 400m with her 56.88, leads the 100H with 14.44, and also has a strong lead in the 400H at 1:02.97. She had wins in all three of these events last week at Sectionals with the addition of the long jump as well where she ranks fourth in Group 1. 

NJ#2 ranked high jumper Kenady Wilson of Willingboro enters the meet at 5-08, a height she's cleared twice already. If she manages 5-10 she'd be tying a record from 1982 held by Tish Edwards of Mater Dei. She won the high, long, and triple jump last week at Central Group 1. 

The Malcom X Shabazz 4x100m relay is the ninth best in the state based off their 48.44 from early May, if they've found some time to drop since then could they make a run at the Group 1 record of 48.15? Keep an eye on their 100m Group leader Vernetta Gosier who has a 12.24 NJ#15 from Essex County two weeks ago, teammate and defending champ Anyae Simmons also in the mix. 

More Athletes to Watch: In the discus defending champ Cydney Thomas has moved to Group 2, leaving the meet wide open for a new champion. Annika Hantho of Woodstown and Amaya Reed-Clark of Paulsboro lead the way with both scoring throws over 110 feet this season. Reed-Clark also leads the shot put with a 39-0.25 that won Gloucester County in early May. 

For the 800m, defending champ Amirah Sharpe of Paulsboro is back but there is some stiff competition for the group title with the rise of Hanna Birdsall for Shore Regional, Grace Wills of Mountain Lakes, and Corina Vidal of Henry Hudson all right there as well. 

Corina Vidal is on the trail of that sub-5 1600m leading the Group with her 5:03.07 from Monmouth County. 

Kathryn Brown of Kinnelon leads the Group in the long jump at 18-02 and won three events (LJ, 100H, 400H) along with a second place finish (TJ) last week at Sectionals. Her teammate Emma Kline looks strong in the 3200m at 11:18.86. 

Sarah Parr of Audubon has the best Group 1 vault this season thanks to her 11-0 last weekend. 

Team Battle: The girls Group 1 team title has been won by five different teams the past five years, A P Schalick has a chance to make it two in a row for the first time since Penns Grove in 2013 and 2014... BUT they'll have to battle few a few quality teams to do it such as the Paulsboro girls who won the head to head in their section.  If Paulsboro gets the team win this weekend it will be their first since 2004. Kinnelon, Willingboro, Malcolm X Shabazz, and Pennsville all in the mix for the team title as well.