Mario Heslop, arguably one of the best high school sprinters in New Jersey history during his days at Franklin High School, died in a car accident on Monday, Franklin High School Athletic Director Ken Margolin confirmed on Tuesday morning.
According to a report by Spreeznews.com, Heslop died in the accident on Monday in the area of Somerset Township. He was 23 years old.
Heslop, the 2019 MileSplit50 Athlete of the Year, finished his high school career with three state records, one national championship and eight Meet of Champions titles.
During the 2019 indoor campaign, Heslop had a season for the ages.
He won the New Balance National Indoor title in the 200m dash in a NJ record 20.90, the U.S. No. 4 all-time performance at the time. He was also an All-American in the 60m dash, finishing third at the NB Nationals with a time of 6.73 (he ran 6.70 in the prelims).
Heslop, who grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, also earned a share of the state record in the 55m when he ran 6.26 to finish first at the Eastern States Championships as a junior in 2018 and then ran a state record of 33.26 in the 300m in 2018.
Heslop's 6.26 in the 55m tied the state record that Damiere Byrd of Timber Creek in 2011. Byrd's 6.26 was en route performance to his 6.74 victory in the 60m dash during the 2011 New Balance Nationals Indoor meet
At the 2019 NJSIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions at Northern Burlington High School, Heslop's final meet on NJ soil in his legendary career, he won two more titles.
Heslop repeated as 100m dash champion in 10.53, and then came back to blast a 20.74 to win the 200m, the second-fastest all conditions time (the wind gauge failed to register a reading) ever run in state history. You can watch his 200m race right here.
Heslop's 100m/200m double brought him to a total of eight M of C titles in his career. Heslop also won the 100 and 400 at the 2018 M of C in the spring of 2018, and won the 200 and 400 at the state indoor M of C in 2018 ad 2019.
He finished his outdoor PR's of 10.33 in the 100, No. 3 all-conditions time in state history, 20.74 in the 200, and 47.12 in the 400.
After his high school career, Heslop ran at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, North Carolina, before competing for OXY Athletics out of Georgia. According to the World Athletics website, Heslop ran 10.12 in the 100 and 20.44 in 2022, and according to the MileSplit database, Heslop last competed at the KSU Invitational April 7-8 at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, where he won the 100 in 10.54 and the 200 in 20.78.
