Several New Jersey athletes and relay squads produced eye-popping performances at the Ocean Breeze Holiday Classic on Monday at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.
In a meet that featured 10 New Jersey No. 1 performances, Chris Serrao of East Brunswick and Celine-Jada Brown of Plainfield, who each won Meet of Champions titles last spring, Xander Roberts of Pleasantville, Lindsay Hausman of Kent Place, the East Orange boys, and the Freehold Township girls led the charge.
The Rutgers-bound Serrao, who set the Middlesex County record in the 110-meter hurdles and won that race at the M of C, captured the 55m hurdles in 7.62. Brown, the M of C winner in the long jump, soared a NJ#1 18-0 to win the LJ.
The East Orange boys put on a sizzling show in the sprints, winning the 4x200 in a NJ#1 1:31.62, and taking second in the 4x400 in 3:29.30, also the top time in the state so far this season.
Roberts, a junior, continued his torrid start to the season by capturing the boys 400 in 49.81, bumping Seton Hall Prep junior Xavier Donaldson (49.82) from the top of the state's leaderboard. Roberts is also the state leader in the 600 with the 1:24.77 that he ran to place third at the Bishop Loughlin Games.
Hausman, a junior, had a huge meet for Kent Place.
Hausman finished second in a thrilling girls 2-mile in a NJ#1/US#3 10:49.87, and split 3:47.11 for 1,200 on Kent Place's winning DMR that ran a NJ #1 12:36.29. The final three three legs for Kent Place were handled by Addison McGoey (1:01.47), Christiana Nwachuku (2:31.30), and Miranda Lorsbach (5:16.40).
In the girls 4x800, Freehold Township's quartet of Tess Bossdorf (2:31.67), Abigail Bossdorf (2:30.06), Emma Zawatski (2:20.78), and Brianna Kirsch (2:26.34) combined to finish first in a NJ#1 9:48.87.
The two other NJ #1 performances came from the Washington Township girls in the shuttle hurdles, second in 41.28, and from Hunterdon Central sophomore Doug Vail in the weight throw, fourth with a 36-5.50.
Hunterdon Central also received victories from junior Bryan Aronow in the boys high jump (5-6), and from sophomore Kyla Massenburg in the girls 55m dash (7.40).