Indoor Track Top Returners: Sprints & Hurdles

Track is back! Team practices are well underway and the first major invitationals are right around the corner. But before the indoor season gets into full swing, let’s see which Mercer County returners had the fastest times last winter.

Today we’ll highlight the top returners in the main NJSIAA sprint events — 55m, 55mH, and 400m. Also check out the top returning distance runners and jumpers and throwers.

Boys 55m

There will be a lot of new faces at the top of the boys 55m this year. 11 of the top 13 finishers at last year’s Mercer County Championships were seniors! 

6.68 - Kamar Archie (Hun, Sr.) only ran one track meet last year — the MAPL Indoor Championships — but his time was the best among Mercer County returners. And his PR is actually 6.61 from his sophomore year. His main sport is football: he’s a four-star linebacker and has committed to play at Rutgers next year.

6.68 - Aldric Crawford (Notre Dame, Jr.) was 6th at last year’s Non-Public A group championship. His main event in outdoor track was the 400m hurdles, where he ran 55.10 (NJ #26) to win the Mercer County Championships.

6.76 - Tolu Olatunji (Lawrenceville, Sr.) ran his 55mH PR at a dual meet last winter. He was 10th (2nd among returners) at last year’s Mercer County Championships.

6.77 - Gavin Alvarez (Allentown, Sr.) ran a nice PR at sectionals to finish 4th and qualify for Group 3 Championships.

6.81 - Ben Gitai (Princeton, Sr.) focused more on the 200m last year, but still ran some great 55m races at the Princeton Invitational Series meets.

6.82 - Aryan Hiray (WW-P North, Sr.) ran a fast 55m last year but may move up to the 400m/800m this indoor season. He qualified for the qualified for the outdoor group championships in both those longer events.

6.83 - Terrance Williams (Ewing, Jr.) only ran one invitational last year (counting both indoor and outdoor), but it was a good one.

6.86 - Dasan Jones (Ewing, Jr.) placed 8th in the 55m at sectionals, and he’s even better at the longer sprints.

Boys 55mH

7.63 - Tristan Jusino Lansing (Lawrence, Sr.) placed 3rd in the 55mH at Group 3 Championships to qualify for the Meet of Champions. He won sectionals in 7.63, which ended up being the 15th-fastest time in the state all year.

7.82 - Christopher Young (Notre Dame, Sr.) was won of the top hurdlers in the county last year. He finished 2nd in the 55mH at last year’s Mercer County Indoor Championships and 2nd in the 110mH at the Mercer County Outdoor Championships.

8.00 - Jelani Cine (Peddie, Sr.) capped last indoor season with a big PR of 8.00 to win Prep States! In the 110mH during outdoors, he was 4th at the Mercer County Championships.

8.25 - Calvin Kallie (Ewing, Sr.) qualified for the group championships in the 55mH last year after placing 4th at sectionals. He also qualified for groups outdoors in the 110mH.

8.27 - Dasyer Bullock (Peddie, Jr.) placed 3rd at Prep States in the 55mH. In outdoor track, he ran the 400mH in 58.78 to place 7th at the Mercer County Championships.

8.27 - Michael Soloman (Nottingham, Sr.) ran his 55mH PR at an early-season indoor meet. His 110mH PR of 14.80, which was #4 in Mercer County, came from an after-season outdoor meet.

Boys 400m

This list just includes reported times in the open 400. But if you know of anyone else who dropped an incredible 4x400m relay split, please reach out!

52.02 - Aryan Hiray (WW-P North, Sr.) only ran a couple of meets last indoor season. He had a fantastic outdoor season in the 400m, where he took 8th at the Group 3 Championships and finished with a PR of 48.72.

52.67 - Ben Gitai (Princeton, Sr.) took 4th in the 400m at the Mercer County Indoor Championships. He’s also the top returning 200m runner in the county, with a PR of 22.21 during outdoor track.

52.70 - Christopher Young (Notre Dame, Sr.) is primarily a hurdler but he still ran a few fast 400s at small meets last indoor season.

52.87 - Dasan Jones (Ewing, Jr.) placed 18th in the 400m at the Group 3 Championships last indoor season, after finishing 5th at sectionals.

53.17 - Jelani Cine (Peddie, Sr.) ran an indoor 400m PR to take 3rd at Prep States last year. Outdoors, he ran 50.97 to finish 7th in the 400m at the Mercer County Championships.

53.25 - Ben Marciante (Hopewell Valley, Sr.) was 8th at the Mercer County Championships and 10th at sectionals in the 400m last indoor season. He didn’t run outdoor track.

Girls 55m

7.16 - Sofia Swindell (Lawrenceville, Sr.) is one of the top sprinters in the New Jersey. She won the 55m at Prep States in 7.16, which ended up being the 9th fastest time in the state all indoor season. Likewise, her 11.94 in the 100m from outdoor season was the 9th fastest time in New Jersey.

7.40 - Bella Daly (Notre Dame, Jr.) was 4th at the Mercer County Championships and 5th at the Non-Public A State Championships in the 400m. Last winter was her first and only season of track so far, as her main sport is soccer.

7.51 - Jael Gaines (Lawrenceville, Jr.) only ran the 55m once last year. Her main events were the 400m and high jump.

7.55 - Lexie Koch (Lawrenceville, Sr.) ran her 55m PR in her last race of the year, taking 2nd at Prep States. She was also 3rd at Prep States in the 200m.

7.55 - Sophie Gono (Princeton, Sr.) was 8th at the Mercer County Championships in the 55m. She didn’t run outdoor track.

7.60 - Anaiss Matos (Steinert, Sr.) placed 2nd in the 55m at Central Group 3 Sectionals last winter to qualify for the Group 3 Championships. She was also 6th at the Mercer County Championships.

7.60 - Samya Jenkins (Lawrence, So.) advanced to the Group 3 Championships after taking 5th place at sectionals. She was 7th at last year’s Mercer County Indoor Championships.

Girls 55mH

8.23 - Sophia Swindell (Lawrenceville, Sr.) ran the 7th-fastest time in New Jersey to win the 55mH at Prep States. The University of Pennsylvania commit went 8.25 or faster three times last year. She was even better at the 100mH during outdoor season, where her PR of 14.15 was the 3rd fastest in the state.

8.53 - Tessa Hughes (Peddie, Jr.) was second in the 55mH behind Swindell at the Mercer County Championships and at Prep States. She ran 8.60 or faster seven times, and her PR of 8.53 was the 22nd fastest in the state.

8.87 - Anastasia Kudin (WW-P South, Sr.) ran her 55mH PR at the STCA Season Opener, and she also ran the 55mH at sectionals, but she otherwise focused her season on the longer sprints.

9.06 - Tomaisa Tard (Trenton, Jr.) was 4th in the 55mH at the Mercer County Indoor Championships — in addition to getting 1st in the 200m and 1st in the 400m at the same meet. She was 7th in the 100mH at outdoor sectionals.

9.08 - Saraiah Hoover (WW-P South, Sr.) finished 5th in the 55mH at the Mercer County Championships. She ran 1:05.70 in the 400mH and got 10th in the Group 4 Championships during outdoor season.

9.10 - Karis Crossland (Ewing, Jr.) ran a huge PR to win Central Group 3 Sectionals in the 55mH last indoor season. She was also second in the 100mH at outdoor sectionals.

9.11 - Brie Davis-Owens (WW-P North, Sr.). She’s one of New Jersey’s top returners in the 400mH outdoors, after she ran a 1:03.52 to get 7th at the Meet of Champions.

9.29 - Alicia Riggins (Lawrence, Sr.) has consistently run well at sectionals, qualifying for the Group 3 Championships in both the 55mH indoors and the 100mH outdoors.

Girls 400m

This list just includes reported times in the open 400. But if you know of anyone else who dropped an incredible 4x400m relay split, please reach out!

57.99 - Anastasia Kudin (WW-P South, Sr.) was 2nd at sectionals, 8th at groups, and 16th at the Meet of Champions in the 400m last indoor season. Outdoors, she won the Mercer County Championships in the 400m.

58.18 - Jael Gaines (Lawrenceville, Jr.) was 2nd at Prep States in the 400m and then finished off her season with a nice PR of 58.18 at the Ocean Breeze Elite Invitational. She ran only a handful of outdoor meets.

59.15 - Tessa Hughes (Peddie, Jr.) was 3rd at the Mercer County Championships, 1st at MAPLs, and 1st at Prep States in the 400m last indoor season. She’s also strong at the 400mH, with a PR of 1:02.65.

1:00.58 - Tomaisa Tard (Trenton, Jr.) ran this PR to win the Mercer County Championships last winter. She went sub-60 during outdoor season.

1:00.61 - Adama Turay (WW-P South, Sr.) took 2nd in the 400m at last year’s Mercer County Indoor Championships. She qualified for the Group 4 Championships in the 400m both indoors and outdoors last year.

1:01.86 - Autumn Carter (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) only ran the 400m once last indoor season, but during outdoors she ran 58.21 to win the Mercer County Championship and went on to get 8th at the Group 3 Championships.

1:01.86 - Claire Dumortier (WW-P South, Sr.) was 5th at the county championships indoors and 6th at the county championships outdoors.