McGill And Wennersten Lead NJ Frenzy At East Coast Invite


Many of New Jersey's biggest stars lit up the track with red hot performances at the East Coast Invitational this past weekend at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.

Camryn Wennersten, Emma McGill, Shamali Whittle, Myles Plummer, and Amirah Sharpe led  the charge for the Garden State.

Wennersten, a junior at Ridgewood who is competing for the Garden State Track Club, pulled off a great distance double by winning the girls mile in a US No. 6 4:53.22, and placed third in the two-mile in 10:42.77. Those times are close to Wennersten's PR's of 4:51.60 and 10:37.97. 

The Villanova-bound McGill, a senior at Voorhees who competed unattached, blasted a PR of 10:35.81 to place second in the two-mile. That time places McGill No. 12 all-time in NJ history is No. 10 in the nation this season.

Whittle, a junior at Hamilton North who was competing for the Trenton Track Club, continued his climb up the state's all-time list in the 200 with another sizzling victory in 21.40, No. 4 all-time in NJ indoor history, and the seventh fastest time in the country this winter.  Whittle just missed the state indoor junior class record of 21.37 set in 2018 by Mario Heslop of Franklin, who set the state indoor record of 20.90 when he won the New Balance National title in 2019.

Plummer, a junior who ran unattached, ripped off a great double with a pair of NJ No. 1 times. He placed third in the 800 in a NJ No. 1 time of 1:55.79 on Saturday, and was sixth in the mile the day before in a NJ No.1 4:21.45.

Paulsboro senior Amirah Sharpe, running for Sharpe Athletics, lowered her PR and state leading time in the 400m down to 57.08 when she finished sixth, and also placed second in the 600m in a NJ No. 1 and US No. 5 1:39.25. Sharpe's twin, Arianna, ran a PR and NJ No. 2 58.23 in the 400.  

In other NJ highlights, Delsea's Carly Nicholson, , the state leader in the 800m, finished seventh in the girls 1000m in 3:05.71, and state leader Ryan Davi of Pingry placed eighth in the girls 1000m in 3:07.48. Davi leads the state with a 3:04.77.

Immaculata's James Ptack was ninth in the boys two-mile in a NJ No. 2 9:24.21, and was 13th in the mile in 4:24.23, both huge PR's, and Collingswood's Josh Forrest placed 10th in the two-mile in 9:25.55 in his first high school race ever at that distance.

Kiera Duffy of Lawrenceville finished ninth in the girls mile in 5:08.89, and Jalen Ridgeway of Toms River North finished sixth in the boys 800m in 1:59.11.