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During the early part of every season there are athletes who deliver breakthrough performances that indicate they are poised to emerge as big stars.
What Maameyaa Nyinah did at Thursday's North Shore Invitational at the Armory in New York shows that the junior at Union Catholic has the potential to be one of the state's best middle distance runners this winter.
Nyinah, a junior at Union Catholic, won the girls 600-meter run with a NJ#1 and US#3 time of 1:36.08, and she split 58.77 to anchor the winning 4x400m relay that ran a NJ#1/US#13 4:07.03. Nyinah's 1:36.08 is a PR by more than three seconds. The first three legs for UC were handled by sophomore Leah Gould (63.59), senior Jenna Keith (62.07), and sophomore Leilani Gibson (62.59). Keith also placed third in the 600m in a NJ#2 1:41.78.
There were several other impressive victories turned in by New Jersey athletes.
- Plainfield senior Celine-Jada Brown extended her state lead in the girls long jump by winning that event with an 18-2.
- Senior Nick Givan of Union Catholic won the boys 300m dash in 35.35, the second fastest time in the state, and he also placed second in the 55m hurdles in 7.87.
- Neptune senior Nyron Lewis won the boys 55m dash in 6.62, which is No. 5 in NJ this season and just off his PR of 6.61 that he ran last year.
- Columbia-bound Jada Mia Puryear of Union Catholic, the state leader in the shot put with a 42-5, won that event with a 37-9.50.