Winter track: Highlights from the Eastern States Invitational
It may not have the luster it held from 1934 to 1965, when it was called the AAU National Interscholastic Indoor championships and was held in the "old" Madison Square Garden concurrently with the senior national championships.
It may not have as many future Olympians like Carol Lewis, Carl Lewis, Lamont Smith, Alberto Salazar and John Marshall, who competed regularly in the 1970s and 1980s, although 2021 gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin (2015 200 and 2017 long jump) and 2021 silver medalist Rai Benjamin (2015 200) were recent winners and other current professional stars Keturah Orji (long and triple jumps) and Talitha Diggs (400) have competed in recent years.
But the Eastern States Invitational, held for the 90th time Tuesday night, at the Armory Track Center, still has some juice.
There were six National top 10 2024 US performances and 23 efforts that currently rank in the top 25 in the nation along dozens of personal bests and school records from the more than 1,800 athletes from more than 240 schools from seven Eastern States who showed up on a school night to run, jump, hurdle, vault and throw.
North Jersey provided two winners and nearly 25 medalists, as Leonia senior Jaden Marchan set his third Bergen record of the winter in winning the 200 meters, while Christina Allen of River Dell dominated the girls mile.
Marchan, who ran indoors for the first time this winter after playing basketball the previous three winters, broke a tie with 2022 Bergenfield graduate Souleymane Fall by running 21.55 in the trials to break the old mark of 21.62 and then equaled that mark in winning the final.
Earlier in the winter, the Georgetown signee had broken the state record in the 600 and a week ago, lowered his own indoor county record in the 400 to 47.64, tops in New Jersey this year.
Allen, who has signed to run at the University of Cincinnati, won the girls mile in 5:01.68, running the second half of the race about five seconds faster than her opening half mile. She seems ready to make a strong bid to win her first indoor State Meet of Champions title March 3 at Ocean Breeze to go with her two outdoor titles won in 2021 (3200) and 2022 (800).
Old Tappan's Abigail Dennis was second behind Mount Olive star Morgan Ryerson in the 55 hurdles, but lowered her personal best to 8.07, the third fastest time in Bergen County history. She'll get a chance at a rematch with Ryerson (and state favorite Taylor Cox of Union Catholic) at the SMOC.
Other girls top individual performances included a pair of medals for Holy Angels sprint star Gina Certo, who was second in the 200 and fourth in the 55. She's expected to contend for the State 400 title. Passaic Tech junior Calyse Villaneuva moved into fifth place on the Passaic County triple jump, after she a close fourth with a leap of 37-5 1/2, nearly a foot better than she jumped in winning the Passaic championship last month. Ramapo freshman Sophia Cannon ran the fastest 800 by a public school ninth grader this year when she dropped a 2:18.65 for fourth in that race.
In the girls relays, the Hackensack team of Joli Joyner, Brianna Darling, Ayanna Chape and Kiona Webber broke the 19-year-old school record by running 1:47.04 in the trials and then lowered that mark to 1:45.70 for fourth place in the finals. Ridgewood's 4-x-800 team of Cellina Rabolli, Peyton Wennersten, Ayla Cooke and Avery Sheridan was fourth in 9:36.28, likely fast enough to put the Maroons into the Penn Relays in the spring.
Passaic Tech's Raynier Galvez was third in a fast 800, lowering his indoor personal best of 1:54.39, fourth on the all-time Passaic list. Ramapo's Ryan Welch was fifth in 1:55.83, among the top 20 times in Bergen history, while Dylan Guarquila was sixth in 1:57.68, less than 1/4 second off of the Comet indoor school record. Jack Small of Old Tappan lost a shot put competition for the first time in 11 starts but broke his indoor personal best twice, throwing 56-4 for third place.
As in the girls relays, the boys quartets had some outstanding performances. The Passaic Tech 4-x-400 of Jordan Lawton, Esmeidy Ortiz, John Swaney and Galvez ran 3:25.39, second fastest of the last 25 years among Passaic County schools for third, while the Ridgewood quartet of Jack McKenna, Chris Brady, DJ Murphy and Luke Pash was third in 8:00.43 while Demarest set a school record in fourth in 8:01.12 with a team of Max Gilbert, Enrico Parrella, Ivan Timochko and Luke Davis.
Summaries (winners and top North Jersey performances)
Boys
55: 1. Ryan Johnson, Delbarton, 6.39 (North Jersey semifinalists: 13. Jayden McKenzie, Eastside, 6.62; 23. Nigel Jennings, Eastside, 6.72.)
200: 1. Jaden Marchan, Leonia, 21.55 (Bergen County record, old record, 21.62 by Marchan, 2024 and Souleymane Fall, Bergenfield, 2022) (Marchan 21.55 also in trials; 12. Mckenzie, 22.40.)
400: 1. Shakur Taylor, East Orange Campus, 49.01. (Also: 7. Adam Kaufman, Demarest, 50.18.)
800: 1. Steven Hergenrother, Ridgefield (CT), 1:53.24; 3. Raynier Galvez, Passaic Tech, 1:54.39; 5. Ryan Welch, Ramapo, 1:55.83; 6. Dylan Guarquila, Hackensack, 1:57.68.
1 mile: 1. Alex Pelov, Montville, 4:16.45.
2 mile: 1. Jake Gogarty, Bay Shore (NY), 9:23.99; 6. Jimmy Hernandez, Bergenfield, 9:38.70. (Also: 8. Lamarr Olive, Clifton, 9:44.18; 10. Marcus Koshy, Pascack Valley, 9:54.54.)
55 HH: 1. Yashahya Brown, Washington Township, 7.10. (North Jersey semifinalists: 20. Tavi Victoria, Passaic Valley, 7.85; 24. Kyle Keyes, Lakeland, 7.87.)
Shot put: 1. Damere Lassiter, Glassboro, 60-1; 3. Jack Small, Old Tappan, 56-4.
High jump: 1. Ty'shawn Ewings, Harrisburg (PA), 6-8.
Long jump: 1. Micah Blair, Amity (CT), 22-10; (Also: 10. Nathaniel Phillip, Clifton, 20-11 3/4; 13. Aidan Lin, River Dell, 20-6 1/2.)
Triple jump: 1. Daniel Arana, Franklin Township, 46-10 1/2. (Also: 11. Kymani Clarke, Fort Lee, 42-6 3/4; 14. Nathaniel Phillip, Clifton, 31-3 3/4; 15. Baxter Clark, Demarest, 41-2.)
Pole vault: 1. Neil Howard, Taconic Hills (NY), 15-6; 3. Owen Keating, Pompton Lakes, 13-6.
4-x-200 relay: 1. East Orange Campus, 1:29.66.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Freeport (NY), 3:22.84; 3. Passaic Tech, 3:24.39; (Also: 7. Bergenfield, 3:26.61; 10. Passaic Valley, 3:30.33.)
4-x-800 relay: 1. Colts Neck, 7:57.17; 3. Ridgewood (Jack McKenna, Chris Brady, DJ Murphy, Luke Pash); 8:00.43; 4. Demarest (Max Gilbert, Enrico Parrella, Ivan Timochko, Luke Davis), 8:01.12. (Also: 12. River Dell, 8:10.83).
Distance medley relay: 1. Ridge, 10:10.72.
Girls
55: 1. Delaney Farley, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 7.09; 4. Gina Certo, Holy Angels, 7.29. (North Jersey semifinalists: 14. Jordan Myers, Paramus, 7.40; 19. Briana Darling, Hackensack, 7.45; 24. Piper Portacio, IHA, 7.49; 26. Ella Buoncuore, Holy Angels, 7.55
200: 1, Corbin Raston, West Orange, 24.73; 2. Gina Certo, Holy Angels, 24.91. (Also: 14. Ayanna Chape, Hackensack, 25.59).
400: 1. Aaliyah Murphy, Morristown, 56.93; (Also: 15. Gabrielle Rothstein, Demarest, 59.81; 17. Siena Kannenberg, Mahwah, 59.91).
800: 1. Alexandra O'Rourke, Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa (NY), 2:16.57; 4. Bridget Cannon, Ramapo, 2:18.65. (Also: 11. Kara Langbaum, Wayne Hills, 2:20.73.)
1 mile: 1. Christina Allen, River Dell, 5:01.68. (Also: 9. Mika Tampadong, Becton, 5:16.69; 13. Isabella Gabay, River Dell, 5:20.40.)
2 mile: 1. Addison McGoey, Kent Place, 11:15.18; 2. Amelia Keogh, Ramapo, 11:21.23. (Also: 7. Brianna Potaki, Ramapo, 11:43.46.)
55 HH: 1. Morgan Ryerson, Mount Olive, 8.02; 2. Abigail Dennis, Old Tappan, 8.07. (North Jersey semifinalists: 13. Kailey Attali, Demarest, 8.61; 28. Leila Shamash, Northern Highlands, 8.99.)
Shot put: 1. Julia Santos, Toms River South, 39-3 1/2; (Also: 10. Maya Mikay, Demarest, 35-4; 11. Isabella Andriulli, Lakeland, 35-1 1/2; 12. Daliana Rojas, North Arlington, 35-1; 13. Julia Sobilo, IHA, 34-9.
High jump: 1. Alanna Woolfork, Clayton, 5-6; 3. Mackenzie Beazley, Passaic Valley, 5-2.
Long jump: 1. Saniyah Evans, Rahway, 18-3. (Also: 7. Grace McQueeney, River Dell, 17-7 1/2; 10. Kailey Attali, Demarest, 17-0; 15. Olyvia Burrell, Emerson, 16-9; 16. Anna Steines, Ramsey, 16-7 1/4.
Triple jump: 1. Lauren Fadairo, Rancocas Valley, 38-1 1/2; 4. Calyse Villaneuva, Passaic Tech, 37-5 1/2. (Also: 7. Kailey Attali, Demarest, 36-0; 19. Molly Quinn, IHA, 34-2 1/4.)
Pole vault: 1. Rebecca Hoover, Haddonfield, 11-6; 4. Isabella Formoso, Bergen Tech, 11-0; 5. Jamie Kim, Old Tappan, 10-6; 6. Emerson Wiatrak, Ridgewood, 10-6. (Also: t7. Allie Tuite, Old Tappan, 10-0.)
4-x-200 relay: 1. Willingboro, 1:41.70; 4. Hackensack (Joli Joyner, Brianna Darling, Ayanna Chape, Kiona Webber), 1:45.70.
4-x-400 relay: 1, Willingboro, 4:05.50 (Also: 8. Passaic Valley, 4:11.47.)
4-x-800 relay: 1. Oak Knoll, 9:28.17; 4. Ridgewood (Cellina Rabolli, Peyton Wennersten, Ayla Cooke, Avery Sheridan), 9:36.28. (Also: 9. Ramsey, 9:49.19.)
Distance medley relay: 1. Cherokee, 12:16.72.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Winter track: Highlights from the Eastern States Invitational
