Shamali Whittle burned up the track with two of the greatest sprint performances in NJ history at Friday's Outdoor National Championships at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Whittle, a junior at Hamilton North, ran the fastest wind-legal 200-meter dash in state history when he ran 20.75 in the preliminary round. There was tailwind reading of 2.0 meters per second during the race, which is the maximum allowed to be legal. Anything over 2.0 is wind-aided.
Whittle's 20.75 broke the wind-legal state record of 20.93 (0.5 wind) that Danny Johnson of Rahway ran to win the 200 at the 2001 Meet of Champions, and breaks Whittle's own state Junior Class State Record of 20.95 that he ran to win at the Meet of Champions last month. Mario Heslop of Franklin ran 20.74 when he won the 2019 Meet of Champions, but there was no wind reading for that race.
Whittle came back in the final later on Friday and ran even faster, dropping a 20.73 to place fourth, but there was a 2.1 wind reading, making his time wind-aided by the slimmest of margins. Whittle's 20.73 is the second fastest all-conditions 200 ever run in NJ history behind the wind-aided 20.51 (2.8 wind reading) that Antonio Tarantino of Paul VI ran in the prelims at the 2018 New Balance Nationals at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tarantino came back to run a wind-legal 21.06 to place third in the final.
Whittle was one of many New Jersey athletes who earned All-American honors (top six earn All-American) on Friday.
The Ridge boys continued its national dominance in the 4x800 by successfully defending their title by running a US#1 and NJ#5 all-time 7:39.06.
In the girls 4x800, Haddonfield and Union Catholic finished 2-3 with Haddonfield running a NJ#10 all-time 9:00.51 and UC going a NJ#12 9:01.49. Niwot of Colorado finished first in 8:52.48.
For Haddonfield's all senior lineup, Sarah Naticchia led off with a 2:15.40 carry, Lindsay Colflesh followed with a 2:14.63. Then Olivia Stoner ran 2:14.04, and Allison Colflesh finished it off with a 2:16.44 carry.
Union Catholic's splits were 2:15.21 for senior Morgan Williams, 2:16.45 for junior Asydiah Pray-Brown, 2:18.19 for sophomore Maameyaa Nyinah, and 2:11.64 for sophomore Kaleigh Gunsiorowski.
The third-place finish by UC in the 4x800 was one of three All-American finishes (the top six earn All-American status) on the day for the Vikings. UC also placed third in the shuttle hurdles when sophomore Ajanae Thompson, senior Avery Jordan, sophomore Alexandra Bonn, and senior A'Liyah Thomas ran a NJ#4 all-time 59.49, just over a second off the state record of 58.30 that UC ran to place fourth the 2018 New Balance Nationals. The Vikings also finished fourth in the 4x100 in 48.06.
Senior Joe Morrone of St. Peter's Prep finished third in the boys 400 hurdles in 52.99.
East Brunswick junior Chris Serrao, the Meet of Champions winner in the 110 hurdles and the state leader with a 13.84, placed sixth in the HH in 13.97 to earn All-American
The Paul VI boys finished sixth in the 4x100 in 42.56, just off its state leading 42.42 that it ran in Thursday's prelims.