New Jersey often provides solid examples of why we're one of the very best states in track and field. The USATF U20 Outdoor Championships this past weekend in Miramar, Florida was yet another gleaming moment, it wasn't just our college aged athletes shining but current high school stars also made noise and then some. Check out the New Jersey recap and highlights below.
Bryanna Craig Out-Scored Own National Freshman Record in Heptathlon
At New Balance Nationals Outdoor a week ago the Millville freshman Bryanna Craig turned plenty of heads when she won the Heptathlon National Championship with a National Freshman Record of 4,958 points. The 15 year old track and field star wasn't done there.
At U20 Championships she broke 5,000 points with a final tally of 5,094! That makes her the only freshman Nationally to ever go over 5,000 and the only one overall in New Jersey state high school history as well. With six athletes competing, including the National Record holder in the event Anna Hall first at 5,646 points, Craig finished fourth overall.
Her scorecard went as follows: fourth in the 100H running 14.49 (910pts), second in the high jump with a clearance of 5-08 (891pts), fifth in the shot put with 29-06.75 (465pts), fourth in the 200m dash at 25.24 (865 pts), fourth in the long jump 16-11.25 (603pts), first in the javelin throwing 114-09 (571pts), and then third in the final 800m event running 2:22.58 (789pts). She PR'd in five events within that heptathlon score including the 200m, 100H (wind aided), long jump, high jump, and javelin! What a performance! What a bright future ahead!
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Athing Mu Wins 800m, Victoria Vanriele 8th both record 2:05s
In a tactical race Athing Mu, the track star from Trenton TC, won the 800m final at 2:05.59. Mu came into the final with a prelim leading run of 2:05.73.
In second was the Wisconsin freshman Roisin Willis who finished second with a 2:06.99, a "re-match" of sorts from NBNI where Willis got the surprise win over Mu. But for Mu this race was all about moving on to Pan American Junior Championships in Costa Rica and the win itself was sugar on top. Pan-Ams will take place July 18th through the 21st this summer.
Victoria Vanriele of Governor Livingston ranked second through prelims just behind Mu by .26 clocking 2:05.99, she came back in finals with an eight place finish of 2:12.01. Vanriele had posted three straight 2:05 performances in June winning NJSIAA Meet of Champs at 2:05.43, second at Brooks PR with a PR 2:05.15, and then the prelim time of 2:05.99 at this meet.
Also running from NJ was Union Catholic's Leena Morant 12th in Prelims at 2:09.67.
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Past MOCs Winner Hayley Horvath 2nd at 13-05.25
Townson University freshman Hayley Horvath, a 2018 graduate of Notre Dame HS, placed second in the pole vault clearing 13-05.25. That ties her career best in the event and she'll be moving on to the Pan American Junior Championships.
Her final high school meet on NJ soil was the Meet of Champions which she won with a state record clearance of 13-05.25.
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Racewalking to Pan-Am, NJ Advances TWO High Schoolers
New Jersey qualified two high schoolers to the Pan American Junior Championships in the 10K racewalk. Samuel Allen of Kingsway, who recently won New Balance Nationals Outdoor in the 3K racewalk, finished second with a time of 54:08.19.
In the girls race Grace Endy of Westfield also placing second with a time of 56:21.52.
For Kingsway's Allen he's also qualified for the USATF Outdoor Championships in the 10K racewalk and will be competing in Des Moines, Iowa in late July.
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More New Jersey Athlete Highlights
- Penn State freshman, Shore Regional HS '18, Drew Maher finished second in the 1500m running 4:26.04. This is an event he's gone 3:44.88 in before.
- A'nan Bridgett finished second in the long jump with a 25-05.75 (1.3). Just finishing his freshman year at Rutgers, graduated from West Windsor Plainsboro South in 2018, a past Meet of Champions winner. He's advancing to Pan-Am
- In the javelin New Jersey had two top finishers. Nickolas Mirabelli of Texas A&M was third throwing 227-07, Anthony Ragusa of Rider University fourth at 204-05. Mirabelli is the state high school record holder with his 227-10 to win the Meet of Champions in 2018 competing for Rancocas Valley. Ragusa graduated from Old Bridge HS in 2018
- Shelby Bigsby third in Shot Put with a big performance of 50-06.25. She's at the University of Albany, a past Meet of Champions winner at Montclair HS.
- Aliya Rae Garozzo of Paul VI ran 61.77 in the 400m hurdles to finish ninth in prelims.