Group 3 Girls
NV - Old Tappan HS emerged out of the NJSIAA Group 3 Girls Championship with the victory, defeating Timber Creek Regional HS 51.5-43.
Sophomore Layla Giordano from NV - Old Tappan HS had one of the best performances throughout the entire meet, setting a new personal best in the discus throw by over ten feet. Not only was this a new personal best for Giordano, but she also raised the standard for girls discus throwers in New Jersey with her NJ No. 1 mark of 139-6.
Giordano also placed second in the girls shot put throw with a state top 25 mark of 39-4.5. With the No. 1 mark in New Jersey, Giordano confirmed she will be competing to solidify herself as the No. 1 girls discus thrower in New Jersey at the Meet of Champions.
The girl's distance events were highlighted by juniors Ava Wilmot from Colts Neck and Lily Oliver of Toms River South. Wilmot broke the 11-minute barrier in the 3200m for her first time ever. Wilmot's 10:55.92 places her in the top 20 times across New Jersey, and looks to continue her 3200m winning streak (has won past three 3200m races) at either the Meet of Champions or nationals next week.
Toms River South's Lily Oliver took home the first place medal for both the group 3 800m and 1600m. On day 1, Oliver ran a 2:14.89 800m and proceeded to win the group 3 1600m with a time of 4:57.75, being the only girl in the Group 1 and 3 Championships to break the 5 minute barrier.
Winslow Township HS senior Jaia James came out on top of the group 3 girls 100m and 200m dash events, running 12.13 and 25.05 to record another state top 10 performance in both events. Earlier in the season, James admitted to struggling with her starts throughout her races, but clearly she had been practicing, currently ranking No. 2 in the 100m dash and No. 7 in the 200m dash out of New Jersey sprinters.
During an interview after her day 2 victory in the 200m dash, James confirmed she would be running at nationals instead of the Meet of Champions due to the races conflicting in the same weekend.
Faith Bethea from Snyder HS recorded another USA top 50 mark for herself in the group 3 triple jump. Her 40-4 mark was the only mark to break 40 throughout all groups at states this weekend, and she is the only New Jersey triple jumper to break 40 this season.
Group 3 Boys
After a close battle at the Group 2 South Sectional Championship, Delsea and Pennsauken battled it out once more, where Delsea won by just 5 points in a 64-59 victory.
Delsea's throwers remained consistent, with their top thrower Jason Nwosu placing 2nd in the discus with a mark of 175-6 and an emphatic 7-foot win in the shot put with a new personal best mark of 63-2.5.
Nwosu's mark in the shot put made him the top shot put thrower in New Jersey, and he looks to defend that title at the Meet of Champions, where his throwing teammates, Josh Caudill and Cade Berardelli will also compete in the shot put and discus. After celebrating his team's Group 3 Championship win, Nwosu expressed his desire to compete in both the Meet of Champions and nationals next weekend.
While Delsea's throwers scored 30 of the 64 points to win them the championship, Pennsauken's sprinters made them a close 2nd. Juniors Bryce Tucker and Premier Wynn would contribute a combined 58 (relays, sprints, hurdles) of the team's 59 points.
Both Tucker and Wynn went 1-2 in the 400m hurdles, where Wynn would crack the USA top 25 with a new personal best 54.28. He would continue to contribute 10 more points to his team in each the 4x100m relay, 400m dash, and 4x400m relay. Tucker's outing this weekend was followed by his victories in the 110m hurdles (14.42) and the 4x400m relay alongside Wynn.
Other notable performances include Moorestown senior James Burrus after he took the 100m dash crown with a 10.58 personal best. His new personal best makes Burrus the 6th fastest runner in New Jersey going into next weekend's championship meets. Burrus's victory came after an unfortunate ending at sectionals in the 100m dash, where the original final race was stopped after he had run halfway to the finish and Burrus had an apparent injury in his hamstring. His resilience allowed him to continue and has led him to an inspiring personal best, as he will be moving on to the Meet of Champions.
Souleymane Fall of Bergenfield HS ran his way to the 200m group 3 boys title, winning by a narrow 0.18 seconds. In an interview after his 200m victory, Fall described his struggles with injury over the season and how he is finally overcoming the injuries he had in the past. Fall will be looking to compete in both the 100m and 200m dash at the Meet of Champions this upcoming weekend.
Morris Knolls sophomore Luke Schagelin ran an impressive 1:55.60 in the group 3 boys 800m. Schagelin. Schagelin explained, in an interview after his 800m win, he was going into the Meet of Champions with a time-oriented goal of around 1:55.20.
Delsea's Andrew Littlehales completed Delsea's group 3 triumph, winning the 3200m with a time of 9:12.75 and the 1600m in a brand new 4:17.71 personal best.
The Group 3 Boys and Girls Championships were both fairly close competitions between first and second place. Winslow Township's girls were also knocking on the door with 37 points, alongside Colts Neck and Mendham (34 and 32 points). Many of these athletes will be looking to place in their respective events in the last week of the high school spring postseason, whether they compete at the Meet of Champions or nationals.