A look At New Jersey's U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifiers

New Jersey will be well represented at the U.S. Olympic T&F Trials, which are scheduled for June 18-27 at Hayward Field in Oregon.

There are 30 athletes who graduated from NJ high schools who will be competing for a chance to represent the U.S. at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next month. The complete list of NJ qualifiers is down below.

And there are several athletes who have a great chance at earning a spots on the U.S. Olympic Team that will compete in Tokyo next month. The top three finishers in each event will earn a berth on Team USA, provided they have meet the Olympic standard. 

Leading the way for the Garden State women are Sydney McLaughlin, Ajee' Wilson, and Keturah Orji, who were all members of the 2016 Olympic Team, and Texas A&M phenom Athing Mu, who just completed the greatest college season of all-time. It would be a huge upset if McLaughlin (400 hurdles), Wilson (800), Orji (who will compete in the long and tripe jump), and Mu (800) didn't all make the Olympic Team.

McLaughlin took the track and field world by storm in 2016 when she qualified for the Rio Games in the 400 hurdles at the age of 16. In 2019, McLaughlin ran the second fastest time in world history when she placed second at the World Championships in Doha in 52.23, placing just behind Rio gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad, who ran the world record of 52.16.

McLaughlin heads into the Trials with the fastest 400 hurdles time in the world this season of 52.83, and she has a great to break the world record. 

Wilson and Orji are both American record holders. Wilson, the indoor and outdoor American record holder in the 800, advanced to the semifinals in Rio. Orj, the American record holder outdoors in the triple jump (48-11.50), is the defending Olympic Trials champion in the TJ, and she was fourth in the TJ in Rio.

Last weekend, the 19-year-old Mu broke her own collegiate record in the 400m by running 49.57 to win the NCAA title. But at the Trials she's just focusing on the 800 where she's run 1:57.73, which is also the collegiate record and No. 2 in the World this season.

There is a very strong chance that Wilson and Mu will finish 1-2 in the 800.

For the N.J. men, the best bets to qualify for the Olympic team come from field events athletes Curtis Thompson (javelin), Josh Awotunde (shot put), Sam Mattis (discus), and Corey Crawford (long jump).

Thompson, No. 1 in the U.S. this season with a 267-2, placed second at the 2016 Olympic Trials. But he missed the Olympic standard by 5 inches, so he didn't make the Olympic Team. Awotunde is No. 4 in the U.S. this season in the shot put with a 71-1.50. Mattis was ninth in the discus at the 2016 Olympics, and Crawford is No. 4 in the U.S. in the long jump this season with a 27-2.50!  

There are also a pair of athletes, Rudy Winkler (Rutgers) and Allie Wilson (Monmouth), who starred collegiately in N.J, but didn't go to high school in the state. Winkler is favored to win the hammer throw after he unloaded a U.S. No. 2 all-time bomb of 268-11 in April. 

There is actually already one N.J. athlete who has made the U.S. Olympic Team.

Morgan Pearson, who graduated from Delbarton in 2011, qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team when he earned a bronze-medal at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama on May 15. He also became the first U.S. man in history to win multiple World Triathlon Championship Series medals, earning the silver in Leeds on June 6.

Down below is a list of all the NJ athletes who will be in action at the Olympic Trials as well as the Trials schedule. The athletes are listed alphabetically. If we missed anyone, please let us and know and they will be added.    

NEW JERSEY'S US. OLYMPIC TRACK AND FIELD QUALIFIERS

Name, high school, event, qualifying performance, notes

Sam Allen NJ, Kingsway-Class of 2020. Racewalk-1:38.26.

Cade Antonucci, Holy Spirit-Class of 2017. Javelin-249-10, an Auburn school record which placed him third at the 2021 NCAA Championships and is No. 10 in the U.S. this season.

Taj Burgess, Carteret- Class of 2017. 400-45.55, which is No. 27 in the U.S. this season.

Corey Crawford, Indian Hills-Class of 2010. Long jump-27-2.50, which is No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World this season.

Travis Mahoney, Old Bridge-Class of 2008. Steeplechase-8:28.76. (Place 14th at the 2016 Olympic Trials) 

Sam Mattis, East Brunswick-Class of 2012. Discus-218-9. (NCAA champion in 2015 for UPenn, won 2019 U.S. Outdoor Championships, and placed ninth at 2016 Olympic Trials. Ranked No. 7 in the U.S. this season.

Curtis Thompson, Florence High-Class of 2014. Javelin-267-2, which is No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 26 in the World this season. (Won the NCAA title for Mississippi in 2016, and placed second at the 2016 Olympic Trials. But since he narrowly missed the Olympic standard by 5 inches, he didn't make the Olympic Team).

Joe White, DePaul High School-Class of 2014. 800-1:46.31. (Advanced to the semifinals at the 2016 Olympic Trials) 

WOMEN

Name, high school, event, qualifying performance, notes

Olivia Baker, Columbia-Class of 2014. 800m- 2:01.38. (Advanced to the semifinals at the Olympic Trials in 2016.

Casey Bogues, Middletown North-Class of 2019. Javelin-175-2, a school record at Dayton which placed her 11th at the 2021 NCAA Championships. (Ranked No. 16 in the U.S. this season).

Dana Giordano, Bernards-Class of 2012. 5000m-15:18.06, which she ran to finish fourth in December in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. That was a PR by 35 seconds!!

English Gardner, Eastern-Class of 2010.100m dash-11.13, which she ran this past Saturday at the High Performance Domestic Opportunity meet in Olney, Md. Gardner, who battled through COVID-19 earlier this year, won the 100 at the 2016 Olympic Trials in 10.74, No. 6 in U.S. history, and won a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in the 4x100.

Nickolette Dunbar, Whippany Park-Class of 2016. Shot put-56-6, which she threw to place third at the 2021 SEC Championships for Alabama. (Ranked No. 27 in the U.S. this season). 

Marielle Hall, Haddonfield-Class of 2010. 10,000m-31:05.71, which is No. 5 in the U.S. this season. Also qualified in the 5000m (15:02.27), but scratched from that race. (U.S. Olympian in the 10,000 in 2016) 

Erika Kemp, Rancocas Valley, Class of 2013. 5000m-15:10.10, and 10,000m-31:35.63. (Ranked No. 37 in the U.S. in the 5,000 this season). 

Dana Klein, Gill St. Bernard's-Class of 2014. Steeplechase-9:46.01. (Ranked No. 46 in the U.S. this season).

Josette Norris, Tenafly-Class of 2014. 5000-14:51.42 -That's a 28 second PR, which she ran in Irvine, Calif. last month. Her time is No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 10 in the World this season.  

Sydney McLaughlin, Union Catholic-Class of 2017, 400m hurdles, 52.83, which is No. 1 in the World this season. (2016 Olympian/ran 52.23, 2nd fastest time in World history to place 2nd at 2019 World Championships). 

Athing Mu, Trenton-Class of 2020. 800m-1:57.73, which is the collegiate record and No. 2 in the world this season. Won 2020 NCAA title in the 400 in an NCAA record 49.57, which is No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the World.

Keturah Orji, Mount Olive- Class of 2014. Long jump-22-5.75 and triple jump- 48-11.50, which is the American outdoor record. Placed fourth in the triple jump at the 2016 Olympics, and was fourth in the TJ at the 2016 World Indoor Championships.   

Ajee' Wilson, Neptune-Class of 2012. 800m-1:57.72. (American record holder indoors and outdoors (1:55.61). 2016 Olympian-advanced to the semifinals in the 800/, bronze medalist at 2019 World Championships).  

Jessica Woodard, Cherokee-Class of 2013. Shot put-60-9.50, which is No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 11 in the World this season.

US OLYMPIC T&F TRIALS SCHEDULE