Nwachuku, Brown, Ridge, Millville Burn Up Track At Stanner


Results 

Christiana Nwachuku burned two NJ#1 times, Millville ran a NJ#1 in the girls shuttles, Ridge swept the 4x800 relays with hot times, and Elijah Brown won a fast showdown at Saturday's Molloy Stanner Games at the New York Armory.

Nwachuku, a sophomore at Kent Place, blasted a NJ#1 7.16 to win the girls 55 dash, and took over the No. 1 spot in the state when she stopped the clock at 40.43 to finish fourth in the 300.

The Millville girls also vaulted to the top of the state leaderboard in the 4x55 shuttle hurdles wit its winning time of 34.81. Randolph was second in a NJ#2 35.09, and Tenafly was third in a NJ#5 35.86.

Ridge ruled the 4x800!!

The boys, despite a dropped baton on the lead off leg, still threw down a NJ#2/US#3 7:59.29 to finish first and the Ridge B team was second in 8:16.43. 

Ridge's splits on its victorious squad were 2:04.1 for Alex Sargen, 1:57.4 for Luke Roberts,  2:00.5 for Will Pinto, and 1:57.4 for Sam Lewis. That's the same four who won the 4x800 at the Group 4 meet last spring. James Kisker split 1:59.4 for the Ridge B team, his first time cracking 2:00.

On the girls side, the Ridge girls ran a NJ#4 9:36.14 to win. It was a big day for Coach Tim Mooney's girls, who also placed second in the 4x400 in 4:04.58.  

Ana Goya, Grace LaCapra and Morgan Lyons all ran on both the 4x400 for 4x800 for the Ridge girls. In the 4x800, LaCapra ran 2:26.2, Tatum Peskin (2:25.4) , Goya (2:27.1) and Lyons went 2:17.2. Lyons came back to anchor the 4x400 in 58.14!!.

In a matchup between two of the state's best in the 600, the George Mason-bound Brown, who won the 800 at the Meet of Champions last winter, moved to NJ#2 and US#4 with a winning time of 1:21.11. Junior Domenick Wallace of Morris Hills, competing in his first indoor season, was second to Brown in 1:22.63. Wallace has run a US#5 1:21.80 this season. Pleasantville senior Gabriel Moronta is the state leader and US#3 with a 1:20.90.

In the distance races, Stephen Daly of Delbarton won the 3,200 in 9:33.52 to take over the No. 1 spot in the state rankings.

  Other NJ Highlights

  • Gavin Richards of North Hunterdon finished second in the mile in a NJ#2 time to 4:21.54.
  • Elizabeth placed second in the boys shuttles in 31.56. The Minutemen are NJ#4 at 31.38.
  • Jason Tomaino of Randolph cleared 14-3 to finish second on misses in the pole vault.
  • Randolph's Meredith Finley was fourth in the 1,000 in 3:03.31 and teammate Maya Wilkins placed third in the 1,600 (5:23.89). 
  • Angel Gonzalez Marquez of Morris Hills threw the shot put 51-3 1/4 to finish second.
  • Myles Plummer of Union Catholic finished fourth in 4:22.39, US#3 among sophomores.
  • Jonathan Nguyen of Delbarton ran a NJ# 7.77 to place second in the boys 55 hurdles.
  • Leah Ellis of Millville took fourth in the girls long jump (NJ#8 17-1 1/4).
  • Ebenezer Edzii of Millville, who is NJ#2 in the TJ with a 44-3, finished fourth in that event with a 43-5.