Winslow broke out the brooms for the team sweep, the Demarest boys completed a 3-peat, the Rumson girls put the final jewel in their triple crown, Nester Wea smashed two more records and Isabella Alvarez showed off her versatility with a remarkable performance at the NJSIAA Group 2-3 Championships on Saturday at Frank Jost Field in South Plainfield.
There is plenty of great stuff to get to, so let's dive in.
Let's start with the team champions.
How about what Winslow did, taking home both the boys and girls team trophies!!!!
Winslow is the first program in 23 years to sweep the Group 3 titles. Willingboro was the last pull it off in 2002.
The The Winslow girls racked up a whopping Group 3 record 129 points (89 more than runner-up Ocean City) to win their second straight title and their 10th overall, which is tied for the third most in state history. Winslow broke its own meet record for points scored in Group 3 of 115 that it scored in 2013.
For the Winslow boys, who outpointed Colts Neck and Burlington Township, 74-44, this was their first championship since 2004 and their 9th overall.
The Winslow girls won 7 events, two each by sophomore Cinniya Robinson (400 hurdles/400) and junior Ma'Syiah Brawner (TJ/HJ). Freshman Jasmine Jackson won the HH in 13.94 in the HH, and the 4x100 and 4x400 squads were victorious.
For the Winslow boys, junior KaRon Ali and senior Dominic Bassey were the catalysts. Ali won the 400 with a PR of 48.48, was second in the 200 and ran on the winning 4x400 (3:19.53). Bassey won the 400 hurdles (53.85), and was third in both the 800 (1:56.26) and the 400 (49.69).
DYNAMIC DUO LEADS RUMSON
Reese Reynolds Malone and Clemmie Lilley, one of the state's most potent 1-2 combos, teamed up to score 60 points to fuel Rumson to its second straight title, third championship in four years, fourth outdoor title overall and it finished this school year with a state title in all three seasons-XC, indoors and outdoors to complete a very rare triple crown!! How awesome is that!!
Rumson outscored runner-up Willingboro, 77-64.50.
Malone, a junior, scored 24 points with second place finishes in the 800 (2:10.43), 400 (54.82) and 200 (24.48) and then threw down a big exclamation point on Rumson's team championship by burning a 53.88 anchor leg as she chased down Willingboro and brought the Bulldogs across the line first in the 4x400 in 3:52.29!!! That's what's called leaving no crumbs!!!
Lilley, a senior headed to Stanford, was cooking on the track all weekend as she piled up 26 points with wins in the 800 (2:09.94) and 1,600 (4:53.30) and a third-place finish in the 400 (55.75)
PANEQUE LEVELS UP FOR DEMAREST
Liam Paneque did what he does best, scoring all over the place for Demarest to ignite the Norsemen to their third straight boys title in Group 2, 83-52 over runner-up Bernards.
After winning the long jump and placing second in the high jump on Friday, the Virginia-bound star won the triple jump and placed fourth in the 110 hurdles on Saturday.
Paneque, who has won 4 Meet of Champions titles in his career (3 indoors and one outdoors) will defend his title in the LJ at the M of C on Wednesday and will also compete in the TJ.
TRIPLE WINNERS
Not only did Nester Wea of Willingboro sweep the girls sprints in Group 2, she broke meet record in all three races!!!
The senior won the 100 on Friday in a Group 2 record 11.62, then came back and left more smoke on the track on Saturday and ripped a 53.98 in the 400 and a 23.89 in the 200 to break those records!!!
Wea said despite the 400 being her favorite race to run, she plans to run the 4x100, 4x400 and the 100 and 200 at the Meet of Champions.
Quayd Hendryx, a junior at Burlington Township, also picked up his third gold medal of the meet on Saturday. After winning the 100 dash and anchoring Burlington Township record-smashing 4x100 that ran 41.30, tied for No. 7 in NJ history, Hendryx blasted a PR of 21.72 to win the 200 on Saturday.
THE AMAZING ALVAREZ
I'm still shaking my head at what I saw Isabella Alvarez do on Saturday.
In the matter of a couple hours, Alvarez, a freshman at Pleasantville, won the girls Group 2 100 hurdles in 14.56, then she ran over and launched a 38-10.75 to win the shot put! Who does that!!! I can't think of any athlete (boy or girl) who ever won state titles in both the high hurdles and the shot put.
But that's only half the story.
After she won the shot put, Alvarez cleared 5-4 to place second in the high jump, and then soared 17-6.25 to place fourth in the long jump. Alvarez is one of the versatile and unique track and field athletes we have ever seen in this state! It's sure going to be a lot of fun to watch what Alvarez does during her high school career.
MORE DOUBLE WINNERS
Ocean City came up with a sensational performance in the girls 4x800 when the foursome of Chloe Care (2:18.88), Maeve Smith (2:17.80), Riley Tolson (2:26.02) and Carly Godfrey (2:11.52) ran 9:14.20 to break the meet record of 9:15.61 that Ocean City set in 2011. Godfrey, who was five second behind Winslow when she got the baton, blasted out fast when she got the stick and wasted no time reeling in Winslow on the way to come back victory.
Winslow broke out the brooms for the team sweep, the Demarest boys completed a 3-peat, the Rumson girls put the final jewel in their triple crown, Nester Wea smashed two more records and Isabella Alvarez showed off her versatility with a remarkable performance at the NJSIAA Group 2-3 Championships on Saturday at Frank Jost Field in South Plainfield.