Alexander Osayemi and Sianni Wynn both left lots of smoke on the track when they ran two of the fastest 400's in NJ history on Saturday.
Osayemi, a senior at Clayton, made another huge PR drop when he ripped a Gloucester County record 46.60, which is No. 8 in NJ history and No. 2 in South Jersey history, to place fourth at the Puma East Coast International Showcase at the Hughes Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
The previous Gloucester County record of 46.95 was run by Darrell Bush of Woodbury when he placed second at the 2011 Meet of Champions. The only runner in South Jersey to run a faster 400 in high school than Osayemi is Olympic gold medalist Dennis Mitchell of Edgewood, who ran 46.02 in 1984.
Osayemi, who was fourth in the 400 at both outdoor Meet of Champions last June and the Indoor M of C in March, had a previous best of 47.05, which came in season opener on April 23 at the FAT Wednesday Invitational at Cherokee.
The only NJ runners to run faster in the 400 in high school than Osayemi are Clayton Parros of Seton Hall Prep (45.71 in 2009), Dennis Mitchell of Edgewood (46.02), Zyaire Clemes of Trenton (46.28), Ray Williams of Scotch Plains-Fanwood (46.34), Jaden Marchan of Leonia (46.35), Ron Freeman of Elizabeth (46.3), and Najee Glass of St. Peter's Prep (46.43).
In her first open quarter of the season, Wynn, the dynamic junior sprinter at Pennsauken, continued her assault on the record book by throwing down a South Jersey record 52.80, which is No. 5 in NJ history, in the Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division competition at Pennsauken. Wynn's previous PR was 53.45.
The 52.80 by Wynn took down the SJ record of 52.91 set by Michelle Brown of Seneca when she placed third as a junior at the 2009 Nike National Championships. The only NJ girls who have run a faster 400 in high school than Wynn are 4-time Olympic gold medalist and world 400 hurdle record holder Sydney McLaughlin of Union Catholic (51.87), Olympic gold medalist and American Outdoor 800 record holder Athing Mu of Trenton (51.98), Olivia Baker NJ of Columbia (52.46), and Mikele Barber of Montclair (52.56).