Top Storylines To Follow At The NJSIAA Meet of Champions

NJSIAA State Meet Of Champions
Jim Lambert


Here we go!

It's time to get your Meet of Champions on!

The greatest day of the season is here!

One of the best things about the 56th Meet of Champions, scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Pennsauken High, there is no scheduling conflict with any national championship meets, which was a big problem in recent years!!!

So that means it will be a true Meet of Champions once again since the top athletes and relay teams don't have to choose between the M of C and New Balance Nationals etc.

There are plenty of can't miss matchups, and the potential for some historic performances that will make this another all-time classic M of C as an avalanche of records could go down when the state's best clash.    There will be lots of smoke on the track, so buckle up and get ready for a wild track and field.


THE DUMAS TRIPLE

One of the biggest storylines of the meet is the triple that Eastern junior Natalie Dumas will attempt. Dumas, the defending champ in the 400 hurdles and the 400, will defend those titles and is also planning to run the 800. No one has ever won all three of those races. If she wins all 3, it would be one of the greatest performances in state history!!

Since she is tripling and the 400 is in between the 400 hurdles and the 800, it would be difficult for Dumas to make a run at the state record in the one-lapper that she currently shares with a time of 51.87, but you never know. Imagine if she does that!!!    

HURDLING INTO HISTORY

Union Catholic senior Taylor Cox NJ, a 3-time Meet of Champions winner indoors in the 55 hurdles and a 3-time national champ in the high hurdles, will take another shot at the state record of 13.33. Cox has run  13.35 multiple times, and she has been targeting this state record her whole career. This could be her time to finally get it!  


HOW MANY MORE WILL SHE WYNN

Sianni Wynn of Pennsauken has already won nine individual Meet of Champions titles in her career and has never lost a race at the M of C. 

Wynn, who has won 6s ix indoor M of C titles and three outdoors, is favored to repeat as champion in the 100 and 200 and she's also planning to run on the 4x100 relay. 

Last year, Wynn set the meet record in the 100 with a time of 11.36 and just missed the meet record in the 200 when she ran 23.34, just off the meet record of 23.24. Wynn could reset both records and maybe even make a run at the state records of 11.17 and 22.96!!!    

BOMBS AWAY
Defending shot put champion Jessica Oji of Livingston, who is also one of the favorites to win the discus, will be seeking to shatter the meet record in the shot put of 55-3.50 set in 2016 by national record holder Alyssa Wilson of Donovan Catholic. Oji has a personal best of 57-4.50 from this past winter and has thrown 55-11 this season. 

And look out for Oji in the discus. She threw the discus 166-2 last weekend, No. 5 in NJ history. So the meet record of 171-1 that Layla Giordano of Old Tappan set last year is also within her reach.   

FLAIR IN THE AIR

With a pair of 16 plus pole vaulters competing, Owen Keating of Pompton Lakes (16-6 indoors) and Cade Zeolla of West Morris (16-5 this season), there's a chance they could push each other beyond to the meet record of 16-4.75 that was set in 20221 by Brian McSweeney of East Brunswick.

Hannah Byrd-Leitner of Moorestown, who cleared 13-2 to win the girls pole vault last year, has the talent and the drive to possibly threaten the meet and state record of 13-5.25 that was set in 2018 by Hayley Horvath of Notre Dame.

Liam Paneque, who has won four M of C titles in the horizontal jumps (3 indoors), will take aim at breaking his meet record in the long jump of 25-2 that he soared last year. He is also one of the favorites in the triple jump!    
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STATE RECORD WATCH IN 4X100'S

Both 4x100 relays could go down!!

The Burlington Township boys ran 41.30, tied for NJ No. 7 all-time, to win the Group 3 race last Friday. They, along with St. Peter's Prep (41.42), Bergen Catholic and Piscataway (both at 41.53) and defending champ Toms River North (41.63), could push each other under 41.00 and challenge the state record of 40.92 set in 2003 by Winslow!!.

In the girls 4x100, Union Catholic ran 45.53 at the Non-Public A meet last weekend, so there is a strong chance the Vikings will break their own state record of 45.48 that they ran at New Balance Nationals last June.

SHEPPARD AIMS FOR TRIPLE CROWN/STATE RECORD

Sophomore Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic has a great shot at breaking the state record in the 1,600 of 4:40.15 that was set in 2021 by Lilly Shapiro of Colts Neck. Sheppard, who has won 3 M of C titles in her career (one in XC and 2 indoors in the 1,600), has run 4:41.93 this season! With a victory, Sheppard would complete the triple crown, which consists of winning a M of C title in all 3 seasons in the same school year.    

ALEXANDER THE GREAT
 
The meet record in the boys 400 of 46.43 that Najee Glass of St. Peter's Prep ran in 2011 is on shaky ground. Alexander Osayemi of Clayton might finally be the one to take it down. Osayemi has run 46.60 this season.  


GOING THE DISTANCE

Luke Pash, who has won 3 M of C in his career (2 indoors in the 3,200/1,600 outdoors last year) is the man to beat in the 3,200, and of the pace is honest he is more than capable of breaking the meet record of 8:46.08 set in 2010 by Jeramy Elkaim of Livingston. Pash, a who ran a 4:03.02 mile last month, ran 8:54.81 when he won the indoor M of C race.  

TRN CHASING ANOTHER STATE RECORD  
The Toms River North boys, who already broke the national record in the shuttle hurdles this season and took down the state indoor record in the 4x400 in March, now have the state outdoor 4x400 record of 3:09.91 by Camden in 2001 in their crosshairs. They ran 3:11.95 at the Penn Relays after running several races that weekend, so look out Camden!!!!! Sub 3:10 just may happen!!!   


SHUE THROWING THROUGH PAIN 

Benjamin Shue of Bergen Catholic, the 2024 champ in the discus, will defend his discus title with a strained/slightly torn torn pec muscle. Shue has given up on throwing the shot put for the rest of this season because of the injury, but he said the pain/discomfort is more manageable when he throws the discus


TWO-LAPPER COULD BE A HOT ONE 

Depending on who opts to run the girls 800, there is the potential for the fastest 2-lapper in meet history.

Defending champion Reagan Moore of Oak Knoll, who also won the 800 at the indoor M of C and the Nike Nationals this past winter, Clemmie Lilley of Rumson, the 2024 M of C indoor champ, Reese Reynolds Malone of Rumson, and Dumas could all clash?!!!.

If they do, the meet record of 2:04.67 set in 2009 by Jillian Smith of Southern has a chance to be broken. Lilley has a PR of 2:04.79, Moore has a PR of 2:04.80, Reynolds Malone has run 2:06.69, and Dumas 2:07.68.