While there were impressive performances all across the board, here is a glimpse of the top performances during South Groups 2 and 3 Championships.
Boys Group 3
Team Champion: Delsea Regional HS was crowned the Boys South Group 3 Champions for the fifth straight year, beating Pennsauken, 105-92.
Delsea was sitting in 3rd place and very much in contention to win the Group 3 South title, before their throwers hurled them into 1st place. In day 1, Jason Nwosu snatched the title for the boys discus, hitting a mark of 167-8 on his very first attempt. Nwosu's teammate, Cade Berardelli was not far behind as he launched his way to second place with a mark of 165-1. On day 2, Nwosu took the title for boys shot put with a mark of 61-3.25. Nwosu's fellow throwers were back to help, as Delsea would take 1st, 2nd, AND 3rd in the boys shot put. In addition to Delsea's sensational showing in the shot put and discus, Hammonton's Austin Hudak put on a clinic in the boys javelin with a monstrous mark of 188-11 on his very first attempt.
Pennsauken was led by star sprinters Bryce Tucker and Premier Wynn, who finished 1st and 2nd in the 400m hurdles (Tucker finished with a USA top 10 time and Wynn a USA top 50 time) and both contributed to the winning 4x400m. Tucker went on to win the boys 110m hurdles and Wynn in the 400m dash. The two juniors are looking forward to running at their home track, where Pennsauken will be hosting the Group 1 and 3 Championships. Timber Creek's Zyheem Coleman Frazier won the 100m dash finals and cracked the New Jersey top 25 with a new personal best 10.80.
Delsea's Andrew Littlehales contributed heavily to Delsea's victory in addition to their throwers, blowing the 3200m competition away with a new personal best and new meet record of 9:10.39. Littlehales continued to win the boys 1600m.
Boys Group 2
Team Champion: Willingboro HS won with a commanding 29 point lead, followed by Manchester Township HS in a score of 113-84.
Malachi James of Willingboro HS showed his blistering pace in the boys 100m dash and 200m dash. James won the 100m dash final in 10.56 and the 200m dash in 21.68, as the star sophomore gained 20 of his team's 113 points.
CJ Johnson moved into New Jersey's list of top 10 shot put throwers after throwing a new personal record of 56-5, giving Willingboro 10 more vital points.
Haddonfield's Seth Clevenger and George Andrus would finish 1st in 2nd and both the 1600m (4:13.11 and 4:13.88) and 3200m (9:11.07 and 9:13.20). Clevenger and Andrus would both join Andrew Littlehales in breaking Devin Hart's 3200m meet record set back in 2019 (9:17.21).
Girls Group 3
Team Champion: Timber Creek took home the South Group 3 Girls Championship, defeating Winslow Township, 101-86, ending Winslow's streak of eight straight titles.
Timber Creek's Chloe and Naylah Jones were key contributors in the Chargers' big win over Winslow Township. The dynamic duo's combined performances earned them points in the 4x400m relay, 100m dash, 200m dash, and 400m dash. The variety of events done by just Chloe and Nayla Jones played an incredibly significant role for Timber Creek's Sectional Championship victory.
Winslow Township HS may have been the runner-up, but their effort is not at fault. Senior Jaia James and Junior Janelle Marshall earned points for their squad through multiple events. James won the 100m dash final on day 1 of the sectional championship with a time of 12.01. On day 2, James went on to take the 200m dash field by storm, going under 25 seconds with a new personal best of 24.79. Her teammate, Janelle Marshall won the 100m hurdles final with a time of 15.09 while also competing in the 200m and placing 5th.
Toms River South HS was the highlight of the girl's South Group 3 distance events, where Taylor Guthrie won the 3200m by an astounding 23 seconds and breaking the 11-minute barrier. In addition, Guthrie also obtained a new school record with her new personal best time of 10:59.62. Guthrie also finished 3rd in the 1600m, where her teammate Lily Oliver finished in 1st place with a time of 4:59.04. Oliver's massive victory in the 1600m was already her 2nd victory of the meet: she also claimed 1st place in the 800m, running a 2:18.59.
Girls Group 2
Team Champion: Haddonfield Memorial HS shined in the South Group 2 Girls Championship, picking up a monumental 130-86 win over Sterling to extend its state record to 21 sectional titles.
The Haddonfield girls distance crew was the center of attention as they took the top 3 spots in the 800m and placed 1st, 2nd and 4th in the 1600m and 3200m. The distance team was led by sophomore standout Audrey Naticchia. Naticchia took home the first place medal for the 3200m in a time of 11:06.91 on day 1. During day 2, she added a 1600m sectional title to her resume, running 5:13.86. Haddonfield continued their winning ways when Livsey Kegler won the 100m hurdles final with a new personal best time of 15.84. The Haddonfield 4x800m relay team also added one more to the Haddonfield girls win column.
