The record books could take another beating, and lots of smoke will be left on the track when the state's best level up at what promises to be one of the most electrifying and historic girls' Meet of Champions of all-time on Sunday at Ocean Breeze.
There has never been this much firepower in the girls' competition at the Meet of Champions!!! Never!!
Check this out - there are six defending champs on the track alone, and five of them - Sianni Wynn, Natalie Dumas, Reagan Moore, Paige Sheppard, and Egypt Bolan, have all won national titles, four of the five are state record holders, and the five of them have combined to win 23 Meet of Champions titles between indoors and outdoors!!
And in the field, there are three more national champions in action!! So that makes a total of 8 national champions who will compete in the girls' competition!! I told you this meet was stacked!!!
As always, there are several big stars, including some listed above, who have qualified for multiple events.
So once again, one of the biggest questions heading into this meet is who will run what? We have tracked down the answers to some of those big questions, so you will know what to expect.
Let's dig into what has all the makings of the meet for the ages!!!
ALL SHE DOES IS WYNN
The biggest storyline of the meet involves Sianni Wynn, the senior speedster from Pennsauken. The University of Florida-bound Wynn is on the verge of making history in more ways than one!!
The electrifying sprinter has captured 11 Meet of Champions titles in her legendary career, which ties her for the most in state history (indoors and outdoors combined) with all-time greats Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of Union Catholic and Olivia Baker of Columbia, with 11.
Wynn is heavily favored to break that record as she's heavily favored to win her fourth straight titles in both the 55 and 200. No one has ever won 4 straight titles in either event. Wynn's total of six indoor Meet of Champions titles is already a state record!
Wynn is the state record holder in the 55m (6.73), 60m, and 200m (23.17) indoors. She won the 100m at the New Balance Nationals last June, and she's a combined 11-0 in Meet of Champions races in her career.
Keep in mind that Wynn has always performed her best on the biggest stages, so there's a good chance she will take down her own state records and add to her remarkable legacy as the most dominant sprinter in NJ history!!
DUMAS DOUBLE
Natalie Dumas of Eastern Regional, another legendary star, is planning to defend her 400m and also run the 800m.
The University of Arkansas commit has won six Meet of Champions titles in her career, including a historic triple last June when she became the first person to ever win the 400m, 800m, and 400m hurdles at the same Meet of Champions!!!
She pulled off the same triple at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals when she broke the state records in the 400m (51.14) and the 800m (2:00.14)
Dumas is the state leader this season in the 400m by a large margin with a 53.68. No one else has broken 55 seconds. Last year, she won in 53.55, just off the meet record of 53.17 set in 2017 by McLaughlin-Levrone, so that could fall.
If she still plans to double after the 400m, Dumas would have the 1600m and the boys' 800m before she runs the 800m.
Dumas has a season-best time of 2:07.73 in the 800m, but we all know she's capable of making a huge drop, which she will have to do to come out on top against a loaded field.
That deep 800m field includes defending champion and 2025 Nike Indoor National Champ Reagan Moore of Oak Knoll and Reese Reynolds-Malone of Rumson-Fair Haven.
Moore, who also won the 800m at the 2024 outdoor Meet of Champions, ran a meet record 2:04.80 when she won last March and has run 2:05.23 this season. Reynolds-Malone ran a PR of 2:05.62 last week. The only runner in the state to go faster this season than Moore and Reynolds-Moore is Paige Sheppard of Union Catholic, who ran a state indoor record 2:02.35 last week.
HOW LOW WILL THE TIME GO
The 1600m isn't as much about who will win, but about how low on time Paige Sheppard will go.
Sheppard, the all-time great from Union Catholic, is a huge favorite to become just the second person to win 3 straight titles in the 1600m, and she's aiming to shatter her own meet and state records. Cathy Feeney of Wayne Valley won three in a row from 1988 to 1990.
The meet record of 4:45.38 that Sheppard ran last year and the state record for a 1600m race of 4:44.77 that Sheppard ran as a freshman in December of 2024 at the Poreda Invitational are both toast.
Sheppard, coming off a state record 2:02.35 in the 800m last Saturday when she beat some pros at the USATF National Championships, is so fit right now and so driven that she's capable of dropping a time in the low 4:30's!!!
It's important to note here that the New Jersey record in the mile indoors is 4:34.55, which junior Blair Bartlett of Lawrenceville ran a 4:34.55 last week at the Ott Center in Philly. Bartlett's 4:34.55 converts to 4:32.96 for 1600m.
Sheppard, who owns 4 Meet of Champions titles (one in XC, two indoors, and one outdoors), ran 4:40.29 in the mile in January, which was the state record at the time, and owns the NJ outdoor record in the mile of 4:33.67, which she ran to finish first at the New Balance Nationals last June.
One thing that we've learned about Sheppard is that anything is possible and no record is ever safe whenever she steps on a track!
FLAIR IN THE AIR
Defending champion Egypt Bolan, a senior of Lindenwold, made 5-10.75 to win the New Balance National title last June and has a season best of 5-10 (which she has made twice), so the meet record of 5-10.50 set in 1984 by Tatitian Smolin of Randolph is in her crosshairs. Smolin also holds the state indoor record of 6-0, so Bolan also has that in her sights!!!
In the pole vault, senior Jenna Monaco of Dumont seems poised to take down the record of 12.6.50 that is shared by Emily Urciuoli of Clifton in 2010 and Caroline Dannenbaum of Pingry in 2020.
Monaco has cleared 13-0.50 this season, which is tied for No. 3 in state indoor history, and also made 12-7 at the North 1 Group 1 Sectional meet.
Morgan Holley of Union Catholic has a chance to make history as she aims to become the first girl to ever win both the long jump and triple jump.
Holley, the defending long jump champ, is the state leader in the event with a 19-6. Angelina Brown of Rancocas Valley is No. 2 with the 18-10 she soared to finish first at the Eastern Championships. Holley's meet record of 18-10.25 should go down!
In the triple jump, Seannah Parsons of Randolph is the favorite with the 41-4 she soared at the U20 Carifta Games last week. Holley is the No. 2 seed with her 40-4.75.
BIG SHOTS
Penn State-bound Hannah Nuhfer of Delsea, who won the discus at both the New Balance Nationals and Meet of Champions, is the state leader in the shot put with the 48-0 she threw to win the State Group 3 title.
Right behind her is senior Nesta Oji of Livingston, who owns a season best of 47-3.25.
Yes, Oji is the sister of the great Jessica Oji, who won the last 3 Meet of Champions indoor shot put titles and is now starring at the University of Pennsylvania.
GOING THE DISTANCE
Senior Allison Lee of West Windsor-Plainsboro North is the one to beat in the 3200m.
She earned the top seed when she ran 10:19.56 to win the State Group 3 race, which makes her the fastest runner in this race.
There are several runners who have gone under 10:40 this season who will challange lee, including Amelia Pattwell of Middletown South, second in Group 3 in 10:33.33, Non-Public A winner Cayleigh Kaiser of Union Catholic (10:33.56), Group 4 champ Katherine Keating of Ridgewood (10:35.44), and Group 2 winner Lexie Mizzone of Voorhees (10:36.32).
BARRIER BATTLE
The 55 hurdles could be the best race of the day as three sub-8.00 athletes will clash - Jasmine Jackson of Winslow Twp, the state leader with a 7.90, Brianna Growalt of Atlantic County Tech, who won the Eastern State Championships with a 7.93, and Kayla Ewing of Morristown, the Eastern States runner-up in 7.97.
BATON BATTLES
Union Catholic and Winslow should have a great showdown in the 4x400m as the two powerhouses could both go under the meet record of 3:45.70 set by Union Catholic last year.
Winslow leads the state this season with a 3:46.06. Union Catholic checks in with a 3:54.54, but hasn't stacked it yet. With their A lineup, Union Catholic should go well under 3:45 and could get close to 3:40!!!
The 4x800m is tough to predict because Union Catholic, which ran a national record 8:40.07 at the Millrose Games, won't have their top roster in this race. So look for Ridgewood (9:23.13), Ramapo (9:27.84), Ridge (9:29.46), Cherokee (9:32.78), and Union Catholic's B squad to battle it out.
LAMBERT PREDICTIONS
The Meet of Champions brings together the best of the best from each Group State Championship. The NJSIAA end-of-season finale will be held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, NY on Sunday, March 8th. Events begin at 10:00 AM ET.
- Performance Lists & Showcase Events -
- Meet Records -
NJ MileSplit will be streaming LIVE starting at 10:00 AM ET. There will be a track events live stream, and we will have full recordings of select field events, which will be uploaded after the meet.
Jim Lambert will be trackside to interview every event winner, so if you bring home the gold, please seek him out. The usual photo coverage will be published post-meet by Tom Smith and Tom Harkins, and you can expect recaps, features, and more.
Tickets Here - Note that no cash will be accepted at the door at Ocean Breeze. Attending spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets online. You can scan and buy tickets at the door, but they will not be using cash.
The record books could take another beating, and lots of smoke will be left on the track when the state's best level up at what promises to be one of the most electrifying and historic girls' Meet of Champions of all-time on Sunday at Ocean Breeze.