The record books could take another beating, and sparks will be flying when the state's best throw down at what promises to be one of the most electrifying Meet of Champions ever on Sunday at Ocean Breeze.
As always, there are several big stars who have qualified for multiple events, so once again, one of the biggest questions heading into this meet is who will run what? We have tracked down the answers to some of those big questions so you will know what to expect.
It's time to dive into the top storylines in girls competition, where there will be eight Meet of Champions winners seeking to add to their gold medal collections and some of them will be chasing meet records, state records, and there is even one national record that could go down.
Last year, seven meet records were smashed in the girls competition!!!! How many more will go down on Sunday?!
Let's start out with a bang in the sprints, where Pennsauken's Sianni Wynn will take center stage.
The sizzling junior sprinter is undefeated in her career at the Meet of Champions (4 indoor titles and 2 outdoors) and is favored to make history by winning the 55 dash and 200 for the third straight year, which would make her the winningest athlete in indoor Meet of Champions history.
Wynn also qualified for the 400 and owns the No. 2 time in the state in that event with a 54.27, but she said she will not be running the 2-lapper.
If she wins both her races, Wynn would own 6 indoor Meet of Champions titles, the most in state history!
Olivia Baker of Columbia HS and Giselle Harris of Malcom X Shabazz share the M of C record with five individual titles. Baker won the 400 from 2011-14 and the 800 in 2013 and '14. Harris won three straight 800's (1984-86) and the 400 in 1985 and '86.
Wynn already owns the state record in the 200 with the 23.60 she ran in January, and she set both meet records in the 55 (a NJ No. 3 all-time) and in the 200 (24.00).
Will Wynn add the state record in the 55 dash to her legendary resume and take down her own meet records. Time will tell, but I wouldn't ever bet against her. She has a way of rising up and performing at her best when the stakes are highest and the spotlight the brightest.
800 & 1600 Title Defenses
For those hoping to see a clash of titans in the 800 between defending champ Clemmie Lilley of Rumson-Fair Haven and Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic, it won't happen. Both have decided to defend their titles, so Lilley will be running the 800 and Sheppard the 1600m as both are huge favorites to repeat.
Lilley edged Sheppard last month in the 800 when she ran an NJ No. 4 all-time 2:06.17 and Sheppard, a sophomore, ran an NJ No. 5 all-time 2:06.90 at the NY Armory.
The Stanford-bound Lilley, who ran a NJ No. 4 all-time 2:06.17 last month, broke the meet record last year when she ran 63.69 over the final 400 to stop the clock at 2:08.30!! That erased the meet record of 2:08.81 set in 2018 by Victoria Vanriele of Gov. Livingston.
In case you're wondering, the state indoor record is a 2:03.98, run by U.S. outdoor record holder and double Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu of Trenton in 2020.
As for Sheppard, she also set a meet record last year, and she is chasing the third Meet of Champions title of her career.
Sheppard won the 1600m at this meet last year when she outkicked defending champion Emma Zawatski of Freehold Township in an epic duel to win in a meet record 4:48.13. Sheppard, who also won the XC M of C title this past fall, ran a state record 4:44.77 in the 1600 in her season opener in December and is simply in a league of her own in this race.
BOMBS AWAY
The biggest can't-miss event of the meet is the girls' shot put!!!
Every possible high school record will be in jeopardy whenever Jessica Oji steps in the circle.
The University of Pennsylvania-bound star from Livingston has a great chance of becoming the national record holder!!!
When Oji unloaded a 57-4.50 at the Essex County Relays last month at Ocean Breeze, she moved all the way up to No. 2 in U.S. high school indoor history, just an inch off the national record of 57-5.50, by another NJ legend, Alyssa Wilson of Donovan Catholic, at the 2017 Eastern States Champions.
Oji, a virtual lock to become just the third girl to win three straight shot put titles, also has her sights on the meet record of 55-2.25 set by Wilson in 2017. Oji has gone beyond 50 feet in nine meets this season!
WIDE OPEN TWO-LAPPER
There will be lots of smoke on the track in the 400 as three Meet of Champions winners will clash.
Rhia Randolph of West Orange is the defending champion in the 2-lapper. She won when she was a freshman last year at Union Catholic, but she has lots of fast company to deal with as she attempts to go back-to-back.
Junior Natalie Dumas of Eastern Regional, a triple winner at the Meet of Champions last spring (400, 400 hurdles and 4x400), won the 400 and 800 at the State Group 4 meet last week and also qualified in the 200 showcase. Dumas is planning on skipping the 800 and running the 400, the 200 and she'll anchor the 4x400.
At the Group 4 meet, Dumas won the 400 in 56.04 and Randolph was second out of a different heat in 56.24.
Dumas owns an indoor PR of 54.45, but there is someone who has run faster.
Taylor Aska of Union Catholic, seeking her first M of C title, is the state leader with a 54.01! The Duke-bound Aska, second in the 55 dash last year, ran that time at the New York International Showcase in January at Ocean Breeze. Aska will also be running the 200.
Dumas vs. Aska makes for a very interesting contrast in styles.
Aska is a great sprinter (6.94 for 55 and 24.12 for 200 this season), who gets out fast! Dumas, the national champ in the 400 hurdles last, has run 24.41 in the 200 this season, but her biggest strength is her strength (2:11.42 for 800), which makes her a great finisher.
HURDLE GOAT SEEKS 3-PEAT
Taylor Cox of Union Catholic is already the most decorated and fastest hurdle in NJ indoor history.
She owns the state records in both the 55 hurdles (7.53) and the 60 hurdles (8.10), won the national indoor and outdoor titles in the high hurdles last year, and she set the meet record of 7.73 when she won at the indoor M of C last year.
So what's left for the University of Georgia-bound Cox to do??
Well, believe it or not, she still has the opportunity to make even more history and further cement her legacy at NJ's indoor hurdle GOAT!!!
There is still something that no other hurdler has ever done before!!
With a victory on Sunday, Cox would become the first to ever win 3 straight indoor M of C hurdle titles. There are multiple back-to-back champs, but no one has ever win 3 in a row!
FLAIR IN THE AIR
All eyes will be on Hannah Byrd-Leitner of Moorestown in the pole vault.
Leitner moved up to No. 4 on NJ's all-time list in the pole vault last week when she cleared 13-0 to win the State Group 3 title!
Byrd-Leitner, who made 13-2 to win the outdoor M of C title last June, should take down the meet record of 12-7 set in 2020 by Caroline Dannenbaum of Pingry. Byrd-Leitner is so talented that she could also make a run at the state record of 13-5 set by Danielle O'Reilly of Shawnee at the Varsity Classic in 2004 at the NY Armory.
GORDON'S LATEST QUEST FOR GOLD
Liliah Gordon of Northern Burlington has won every possible championship in NJ except a M of C title. She's been agonizingly close with two runner-up finishes, one last winter by just .05, but she has a great shot to finally get that elusive title when she runs the 3200m. Gordon also qualified in the 1600m, but the 3200m is her bread and butter, and she will focus on that race only.
The Penn State-bound Gordon, who has won several State Group Championships and is a 2-time Foot Locker XC national finalist.
Star freshman Leah Starkey of Ocean Township will also be after that title in this race, along with NPB state champ Cayleigh Kaiser of Union Catholic and Group 1 state champ Delana Einreinhofer of Wallkill Valley.
The record books could take another beating, and sparks will be flying when the state's best throw down at what promises to be one of the most electrifying Meet of Champions ever on Sunday at Ocean Breeze.
As always, there are several big stars who have qualified for multiple events, so once again, one of the biggest questions heading into this meet is who will run what? We have tracked down the answers to some of those big questions so you will know what to expect.