Mustang Day, Raiders Curtis, Smith, Care, Ritzel and Godfrey
FRANKLINVILLE – Sofia Day. Sophia Curtis. Maeve Smith. Chloe Care. Frankie Ritzel. Carly Godfrey. All are state champions.
Day, a Mainland Regional High School junior, won two events at the Group III state track and field championship meet over the weekend at Delsea Regional High School. Curtis, an Ocean City High School senior, one one title.
Raiders Smith, Care, Ritzel and Godfrey combed to win a relay title.
Fellow Raider Matt Hoffman also moves onto the Meet of Champions with second- and third-place finishes.
Day won the 800 meters and 1600 meters.
In the 800, Day finished in 2:12.55, just over two seconds ahead of second-place finisher Natalie O’Connor of Colts Neck (2:14.74). Ocean City freshman Godfrey was ninth with a time of 2:18.5. Mustang sophomore Emma Preissman was 14th in 2:20.43.
Day won the 1600 meters, breaking the five-minute mark with her time of 4:59.37. Smith, an Ocean City junior, was was third in 5:01.2. Preissman was 11th in 5:12.27.
Curtis won the triple jump with her distance of 41’9.5”, which coach Tim Cook reported is No. 1 in New Jersey and fourth in the U.S.
Curtis was a silver medalist in the 400 meter hurdles, 8/100ths of a second behind NV-Old Tappan’s Abigail Dennis. Both broke 50 seconds. Curtis finished in 59.80 seconds, the sixth South Jersey girl to go under 50 seconds in the race, according to Cook. Curtis broke her own personal record in the race. Dennis finished in 59.72 seconds.
Curtis was fourth in the long jump, leaping 17’5.25”. Winslow sophomore Ma’Sryiah Browner won at 19’3.5”.
Smith, junior Care, senior Ritzel and Godfrey won the 4×800 state title with a time of 9:25.06, nine seconds ahead of second-place Winslow Township.
The state champions advance to the Meet of Champions.
Smith was third in the 3200 meters with a time of 11:06.37. Middletown South senior Rosemary Shay won in 10:43.20. Mainland senior Gillian Lovett was fifth in 11:21.77 and Care was eighth in 11:35.43.
Ocean City’s 4×400 relay team was ninth in 4:08.28. Timber Creek won in 3:51.81. Running for the Raiders were senior Grace Tedesco, sophomore Callie Duff and freshmen Kai Linthicum and Godfrey.
Mainland’s 4×100 relay team finished 12th in 50.42 seconds with seniors Sienna Bodkin and Caitlyn Lin and sophomores Camryn DeMorat and Madison Taylor. Timber Creek won in 46.95 seconds.
Bodkin was 10th in the pole vault, clearing 9’6”. Moorestown junior Hannah Byrd-Leitner won at 12’7”.
Boys at States
Hoffman was a double silver medalist, taking second in the 1600 and 3200 meters.
In the 3200, he finished in 9:22.90. Colts Neck junior Hunter Celkupa won in 9:16.54. Ocean City teammate Erik Preisner, a sophomore, was eighth in 9:47.07.
In the 1600, Hoffman was a second behind winner Celkupa, who finished in 4:12.
Mainland junior Josiah Williams finished fifth in the triple jump, going 44’5.5”. Moorestown senior Rece Englehart won at 48’4.5”.
Raider head coach Matt Purdue said Hoffman ran the fastest 1600 meters in his career, beating his previous best by 3 seconds. “It was a very exciting race today,” Purdue said Saturday. “He ran tough and went after it.” The coach said Hoffman will likely run the 3200 meters at the Meet of Champions.
Williams was sixth in the 110 high hurdles with his time of 14.93 seconds. Morris Knoll senior Elijah Bastos won in 14.21 seconds. Williams also finished 13th in the long jump, leaping 20’4.5”. Englehart won at 22’9.5”
The Mustang 4×100 relay team was ninth in 43.47 seconds. Delsea Regional won in 42.07 seconds. Running in the Mainland relay were freshmen Dallas Rowell and Saki Marcus, sophomore Chris Keene and junior Jonathon Perez.
Mainland junior Colin Kummings was ninth in the high jump. The junior cleared 6’. Red Bank senior Lawrence Hicks won by clearing 6’6”.
Ocean City’s 4×800 relay finished ninth. Preisner, juniors Ethan Buck and Cal Heyman and freshman Michael Romano finished in 8:15.28. Morris Knolls won in 7:58.05.
Mustang Matt Muits, a sophomore, was 15th in the javelin, throwing 139’2”. Evan Brooks of Old Tappan won at 171’.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
