One of Sianni Wynn's biggest pre-meet rituals is to visualize her races. Before Sunday's NJSIAA Meet of Champions, the legendary Pennsauken sprinter saw herself doing something extraordinary, something historic.
Her vision became a reality, not once, but twice as the electrifying junior produced a double for the ages by blowing up the track at Ocean Breeze by breaking two state records to become the all-time winningest athlete in the 57-year history of the Meet of Champions!
Wynn blasted a state record 6.73, No. 6 in U.S. history, to win the 55-meter dash for the third straight year and came back to shatter her own state record in the 200, which she won for the third straight year in a jaw-dropping 23.31, which is No. 12 in U.S. history!
Wait. There's more!
The 3-peats by Wynn in the 55m and 200m raised her career total to six indoor Meet of Champions titles, a new state record. Olivia Baker of Columbia and Giselle Harris of Shabazz had shared the record with five.
Wynn, who has won three outdoor Meet of Champions titles (the 400 as a freshman and the 100 and 200 last year) at the outdoor Meet of Champions, is now a combined 9-0 in all her MOC races, indoors and outdoors combined. Wynn is now just three MOC victories away from breaking the NJ all-time indoor/outdoor combined record of 11 titles, which Baker and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone share.
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Wynn's breathtaking double led a flurry of nine meet records on this magnificent day, which also featured several eye-popping times, historic performances, four double winners, three 3-peats, several emotionally-charged victories, bombs from the circle and record leaps in the horizontals, which added up to this being one of the greatest Indoor Meet of Champions of all-time as New Jersey's best put on an epic show.
Here are the highlights on an epic day in NJ track and field lore.
Meet of Champions Highlights
SHEPPARD LEVELS UP
Paige Sheppard has been battling through a variety of illnesses lately, which made her a bit nervous about how well she would run when she defended her title in the 1600m.
Sheppard, Union Catholic's sophomore star, showed her resilience and her heart by not only repeating as champ, but she also took down her own meet record, stopping the clock at 4:45.38!!! Not bad for someone who was battling Covid and flu-like symptoms over the past couple weeks.
And that's not all.
Sheppard came back later to split 56.35 on the anchor leg to bring Union Catholic across the line first in the 4x400 in a meet record 3:45.70!!
Sheppard used a big finish to win the 1600m after sophomore teammate, Sophia Thompson, handled the fast pace up front for most of the race. Thompson was second in 4:47.83, also under Sheppard's former record of 4:48.13. UC had another sophomore, Kayla Devine, place sixth in 4:56.32. Three sophomores from the same team under 4:57!!!! Yowzaa!!
PANEQUE AND JOHNSON PRODUCE DAZZLING DOUBLES
The biggest boys winners of the day were Liam Paneque of Demarest and Jordaine Johnson of East Orange Campus.
The University of Florida-bound Johnson, second in the 400 at the Outdoor Meet of Champions last spring, won the 400 in 47.43, No. 2 in meet history, and came back to rally to edge 55 dash winner Cole Cramer of Southern in the 200 by burning a meet record 21.25. The former meet record of 21.28 was set last year by Malachi James of Burlington City.
Also in the 200, Jevon Ledgister of St. Peter's Prep ran a state freshman record 21.76 to place third. Last month, Ledgister ran a state record 6.44 in the 55 dash.
Paneque, who is headed to the University of Virginia, owned the horizontal jumps, soaring to a pair of victories, including a meet record.
Paneque exploded to a PR of 47-11.75 to win the triple jump and then capped off his sensational day by going 23-6.50 to break the meet record and repeat as champion. Paneque now has four M of C titles in his remarkable career. He also won the LJ at the outdoor Meet of Champions when he soared 25-2 last spring!!
THREE-PEATS
Taylor Cox of Union Catholic made more history, and Jessica Oji of Livingston launched another bomb when the two senior stars won their third straight titles.
Cox, the state record holder in the 55 and 60 hurdles and the reigning indoor and outdoor national champion, ran 7.94 to become the first person (boy or girl) in meet history to win three straight 55 hurdle titles. And the University of Georgia-bound Cox did this after missing the whole week of school this past week with illness.
Oji, who is headed to the University of Pennsylvania, dominated the circle, sending the shot sailing 54-5. No. 2 in meet history, to capture her third straight championship. Oji, the US leader in the shot with a 54-4.50, is just one inch off the national record of 57-5.50 set in 2016 by another NJ legend, Alyssa Wilson of Donovan Catholic. Oji will get one more shot at Wilson's record at the Nike Nationals later this month.
HOW SWEET IT IS
Seniors Liliah Gordon of Northern Burlington and Cole Cramer of Southern Regional, who have both come agonizingly close to winning Meet of Champions titles in the past, finally got those elusive titles in dominating and heart-pounding fashion.
The Penn State-bound Gordon, second by just .05 in the indoor 3200m last year and second at the cross country M of C this past fall, simply ruled the 3200m, hammering out a 5:00.26 over the final 1600m to pull away and secure her first M of C title in 10:13.41. That's the second-fastest time in meet history and No. 3 in state history!
Gordon was feeling all the emotions as she crossed the finish line to accomplish the biggest goal of her career and make her dream come true. She was relieved and obviously excited as she flashed a huge ear-to-ear smile. It was one of the best and most emotional moments of the meet! The packed house was fully aware of what the moment meant to Gordon
Cramer, who is headed to Tennessee, was second in the 55 dash the past two years. But this time, he refused to lose and left lots of smoke on the track when he burned a 6.24 to win the 55 dash!! That's the second-fastest time in meet history and No. 3 in NJ history!!! Cramer came back to place second in the 200 in 21.28, which is tied for No. 2 in meet history and is No. 7 in NJ history.
UNION COUNTY SWEEPS GREAT 800'S
The 800's produced some red-hot results as Oak Knoll sophomore Reagan Moore pulled off a stunning upset with a blistering meet record performance in the girls race, and Ryan Daly used a strong move on the final lap to take control of the race on his way to victory.
Moore, despite winning the 800 at the outdoor M of C last spring, was a big underdog as she squared off with defending champ Clemmie Lilley of Rumson-Fair Haven. But Moore stayed on Lilley's heels the whole race and used a huge kick over the final 100 meters to score the victory in a meet record 2:04.80!!!
Moore's time, a five second PR, is No. 3 in NJ history. Only double Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu of Trenton, the American outdoor record holder in the 800, and multiple Olympian and American indoor 800 record holder Ajee' Wilson of Neptune have run faster indoors than Moore!!! Mu owns the state indoor high school record of 2:03.98 that she ran in 2020, and Wilson is No. 2 with the 2:04.13 she ran in 2012.
In the boys' 800, Daly made a huge charge on the backstretch to power his way to victory, running a PR of 1:51.62, the second-fastest time in meet history. Daly's victory marks the fifth time a Westfield runner has won the 800 at the Meet of Champions, the most of any team in meet history.
GOING THE DISTANCE
Hunter Celkupa of Colts Neck and Luke Pash of Ridgewood produced a pair of epic wins in the boys' distance races.
The Cornell-bound Celkupa relied on his monster kick to blast to the lead with 100 meters to go and then held off a hard-charging Matthew Littlehales to win the 1600m in a meet record 4:09.21!! Littlehales, a junior, was second in 4:09.37, also under the former meet record of 4:09.42 set in 2022 by Shane Brosnan of Union Catholic. Nine runners broke 4:15 in this race, including Cherokee's Jack Tindall, who was ninth in a state freshman record 4:14.92.
In the 3200m, the University of North Carolina-bound Pash made a big surge with just less than five laps remaining to open a big gap on his way to decisively win his second straight 3200m title in 8:54.81, the fifth-fastest time in meet history!
RED HOT 4X400'S
The Toms River North boys and Union Catholic girls finished the meet with a bang as both relay squads took down the meet records!
Union Catholic ran 3:45.70, No. 4 in NJ indoor history, to edge Winslow, second in 3:45.89. The former record of 3:47.26 was set in 2016 by Union Catholic. UC's four runners were Taylor Aska (56.03), Sydney Chadwick (56.46), Maya Wyche (56.86), and Sheppard (56.35).
In the boys' 4x400, Toms River North won its second straight title in a great duel with Winslow, 3:15.70 to 3:17.97.
TRN, who broke the meet record of 3:15.83 set in 2023 by Pennsauken, received splits of 49.46 from Mordecai Ford, 48.53 from Camryn Thomas, 49.58 from Tayshaun Wilson, and 48.14 from Mamadi Diawara. TRN will take one last shot at the state indoor record of 3:14.53 that Seton Hall Prep ran in 2013 at the New Balance Nationals in Boston later this month.
DUMAS CRANKS OUT SIZZLING QUARTER
Natalie Dumas of Eastern Regional moved way up the state's all-time list when she threw down a 53.55 to win the 400.
The junior who won the 400, 400 hurdles and anchored the winning 4x400 at the M of C last spring is now No. 4 on the NJ all-time list in the two-lapper and is No. 2 in meet history. Only the legendary Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of Union Catholic (national record 51.61 in 2017), Athing Mu of Trenton (52.55 in 2020), and Olivia Baker of Columbia (53.49 in 2014) have run faster indoors than Dumas.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS
Sophomore Morgan Holley was one of three individual champions for the Union Catholic girls as she came up with a huge clutch jump of 18-10.25 on her final attempt to rally for the victory in the long jump and take down the meet record.
Hannah Byrd-Leitner of Moorestown, who owns an NJ No. 4 all-time 13-0 in the pole vault, won the pole vault by clearing 12-6, one inch off the meet record. She took three good tries at 13-0, but couldn't quite get over it.
James Dely of Paramus Catholic was very emotional after he won the boys 55 hurdles in 7.32, a PR and No. 9 in meet history. Dely missed the entire indoor season and most of the outdoor season last spring with a broken ankle.
In the first clash of 16-foot pole vaulters in state indoor history, Owen Keating of Pompton Lakes won the boys' pole vault on misses at 16-0. Keating and Cade Zeolla of West Morris, who also cleared 16-0 to place second, are now tied for No. 2 in meet history. Both vaulters had some good tries at 16-6, but came up just short.
Jayden DeLeon of Highland Reg made 6-6 to win the boys' high jump.
Kennedy White of Montclair, who hadn't hit 40 in the triple jump heading into the meet, went beyond that barrier three times, including a 40-4, No. 2 in meet history, to lock up the triple jump title.
In the boys shot put, University of Michigan-bound Peter Donini of Delbarton launched a 63-7 to win his first M of C title.
Junior Egypt Bolan, who gave up basketball to compete indoors for the first time this season, made history by becoming the first athlete from Lindenwold (boys or girls) to win an M of C title when she matched her PR by clearing 5-8 to win the girls' high jump.
The 4x800 champs were the Winslow girls in a school record 9:25.67 and the Ridge boys who ran an NJ No. 1 time of 7:53.19.