Some of New Jersey's biggest stars will be chasing titles and fast times when they head out West to compete at the Brooks PR Invitational on Sunday at Renton Memorial Stadium in Renton, Washington.
Recently crowned Meet of Champions winners Natalie Dumas of Eastern, Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic, and Taylor Cox of Union Catholic will be joined by Joe Barrett of CBA, Clemmie Lilley of Rumson, Reagan Moore of Oak Knoll, Ryan Jennings of Timber Creek, and Sophia Thompson of Union Catholic.
Dumas, coming off her electrifying triple at the M of C on Wednesday, has a great chance to break the state record in the 400.
The junior currently shares the record of 51.87 with the great Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. When Dumas, who ran that time at the South Jersey, Group 4 meet last month, hunts down a goal she usually gets what she comes for, so there's a good chance that she will the NJ record along with the meet record of 52.01.
Cox, a 3-time national champ in the high hurdles, shattered the NJ record in the 100 hurdles at the Meet of Champions by burning a 13.18, which is US No. 2 this season. Cox will clash with Anisa Bowen-Fontenot of San Diego High School, who leads the nation with a wind-legal 13.16 and has run a wind-aided 12.99.
Sheppard, who just smashed the state record in the 1,600 at the M of C by running 4:37.65 (No. 4 in U.S. history for a sophomore), Lilley, and Moore will be competing in a loaded 800, which features US leader Emmry Ross of Michigan, who has run a US No. 5 all-time 2:00.53 this season.
Sheppard, a sophomore, has run a NJ No. 5 all-time 2:03.84, the Stanford-bund Lilley has a PR of 2:04.79, which is No. 7 in NJ history, and Moore, a sophomore has run 2:06.31 this season, No. 13 in NJ history. Could they challenge the NJ record of 2:00.91, set by Ajee' Wilson of Neptune at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships? They sure could!!!
And with this much firepower in the race, there's chance that Ross or someone else in the field could make a run at the national record of 1:59.04 set in 2022 by Juliette Whittaker of Mount DeSales in Maryland.
The only NJ boy scheduled to compete is the University of North Carolina-bound Barrett in the 2-mile.
Barrett, who ran a NJ record 8:43.26 for 3,200 at the 2024 Arcadia Invitational in California, will take aim at the 2-mile state record of 8:44.06 set by Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North when he finished first at the 2010 New Balance National Championships at the University of North Carolina A&T in Greensboro. Barrett owns the fastest PR in the race, where he will square off with multiple runners who have run sub 8:50.
In the girls mile, Thompson, second to Sheppard at the Meet of Champions, will bring a PR of 4:43.39 into the race, which is the third fastest time for a sophomore in the nation this season.
Jennings, a senior at Timber Creek who skipped the M of C, is entered in the girls 100 dash. Jennings has run a wind-aided 11.32 this season.
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