what happened to New Jersey HS distance runners??

Debenedictis put a good 50 seconds at both the Belmar 5 and the George Sheehan Classic from the next Jersey runner. Debenedictis ran 24:16 at the Belmar 5 the previous year.

What is that telling you if 1 guy in 2200 runners can break 26 for 5 miles?

The Belmar 5 offers no prize $$ and is not a New Balance USATF-NJ Grand Prix scoring race. Hence, the Jersey Leaguers largely ignore it. The Sheehan classic has $$ but no NB GP scoring.

Mike Mykytok still bangs the NJ roads.

Jackson Kipn'gok and Stephen Ondieki seem to have settled in NJ for good so let's include them.

Anthony DeBenedictis has been injured a lot, he did not start doing anything other than distance runs until September.

Tim Styler has repatriated himself to NJ after Villanova and is coming into form.

As for Rich Byrne, tho I think he still lives in PA, but he makes the occasional appearance in NJ. He should be angling for the USOT at this point.

Am missing some guys but this it top of my head stuff.

Besides Slattery, who else gained national prominence from NJ? I am not talking about some dude who won DIV-III national champs, I am talkin about dudes who can give DIV I allstars like Mulvaney, Cragg, Dathan a run for their money...atleast for a couple laps.

....wow so much silence, what's the matter? No names come to mind? Exactly my point, much like the NJ nets BBall team, you guys get blown out if you compete against the real players out west. The Tim Duncans and Shaqs of the running world. They should have a developmental league for sorry states like NJ, DE, WV, RI, and the like.

Yes, the College of NJ has a nice team. Hunterdon Central used to be a powerhouse for girls track and cross country (Butterfield, Fogg to name two I can remember), but don't know what they are doing now.

Two Jablonskis from Hopewell are doing well, esp. the Freshman. He may be the one to watch in coming years.

I haven't seen many people who could compete with Cragg, Mulvaney (although that's a pretty easy thing to do in cross) and Ritz.

NJ has had its fair share of college flameouts but Cali hasn't been delivering the goods either.

MDM

Keep your eye on Mo K. I have a hunch this kid is a lot more fit than most people realize.

I guess I was just including the "American born" runners, but anyways some of these races like the Belmar 5 and the George Sheehan Classic seem to draw the competitors out of the woodwork, more so, than most of the grand prix races in Jersey. I think Scott Defillipis has already graduated from UT, so I'm not sure if he's racing.

Congrats on making the trials in '96' and '00'. I had noticed your name in the results at the Cranford 4 miler in 2002. One of the more miserable races I had run, felt like 125 out there, despite the early start.

Zat..easy there please..on the Mo K thing

NJ returners:

3200

Scheid: 8:55

Mo K:9:09

Pannone:9:13

Zagorski:9:15

Hughes :9:19

1600

Zagorski:4:12.88

Carvella:4:13.8

Wyner :4:15.16

Pannone:4:16

Klatsky:4:18

Whitakker:4:18

Scheid: 4:13 DMR leg

So what state are cragg and mulvaney coming from???(South africa and England) What state are you from, MI? Take ritz out who do you have(since we are taking Slat out of the equation) NJ isn't bringing home any ncaa titles but Sharpe was close, 2nd in the Indoor 800 and 3rd in 400h2x and Ruff 5th. Moran 5th in the 5k and fasulo should be up there this year. The biggest problem is that the last group of studs didn't pan out murad, miller, hahn, myers, kerwin, but the new guys should be able to perform: scheid, hess, krieger, richardson and several others.

Thanks, Alex. That Firecracker 4 in Cranford...I was out late the prev night and wanted to stay in bed by my girlfriedn and her friend (who were going to the race but not running) wouldn't stop ringing my doorbell. When my g.f. saw those luggage bags being given away, she made me enter. And Anthony DeBenedictis got so far ahead that the 2nd-10th place guys couldn't see him and took a wrong turn, adding abt half a mile. All in the withering heat.

Last year at the Widener Invit Skelly won. http://www.widener.edu/?pageId=2160 I was there but I don't remember watching the race. I ran in the 5000. The coolest race that spring was at the Penn Relays. Bob Kennedy ran the 5000. I took some pictures of it but they didn't turn out good. If you Click on the 5000 results http://pennathletics.ocsn.com/sports/c-track/stats/042103aah.html you'll notice Pelerin was about a minute behind Kennedy. Skelly ran a 14:19 in the college mens 5000. Brian Hoffman, who I believe came for m the Cherokee squad ran a 15:31.

Well, Briana Jus-----wicz (didn't look up the spelling of her name) has been mighty impressive at her young age. Let's hope she doesn't burn out. She's 14, I think, and already has run something like 400 races.

Around my parts, Russ Curly is the best (top ten one year at Broad Street).

Other names that came to me out on my run today, some from the past, some present, some not big time, but have all have my respect: Laurie Butterfield, Ann Marie Lauck, Nancy Beiger, Autumn Fogg, Seiben (unsure of spelling, still holds the course record at LBI I think), Chuck Crabb (great ultra runner, moved to the Reading PA area and still running great on the shorter trail stuff), Laurie Corbin or Parton, Bill Lauder (great ultra runner from the early 80's - still on the alltime JFK 50 miler list).

Brian Hoffman is from CBA. Cherokee runners will probably take offence to that mistake since there is such a rivalry between the two high schools.

SJ Harrier-

Any chance you've coached in that area? have you kept in touch or heard from any of those athletes you listed? How about Kerwin?

I believe Rich Byrne lives in Ridgewood, NJ. He recently ran a 30:19 10K.

Laurie Corbin/Parton is now Laurie Gordon. I think she's been injured because her times have been relatively slow.

Caryn Heffernan (who I think is Brendan Heffernan's sister?)has been cranking out some fast times.

How about Gene Mitchell, who at the age of 35 ran 14:34 and 30:23?

Let's not forget about Erin Donahue, who currently runs for N. Carolina. She was a national champion and holds the NJ state record in the mile (4:42). She also placed 3rd in the javelin at nationals.

Bill Sieben still does have the CR at the Long Beach Island Commemorative 18-Mile Run, which is one of my favorite races in the world.

No dis to Bill, wherever he is, but I wanted that mark. I missed it by 15 sec one year, and by a bit over a minute another year when there was a sorta stiff headwind (for non-Jersey Leaguers, it's a straight-line, wide-open point-to-point course ona beach road, so a headwind is there and unobstructed for 17.65 miles).

Because the race is very old-school -- no prize money, kind of long, extremely local in favor, and a free lunch award ceremony after -- and thus does not attract top talent, that record may stand forever. Good for Bill.

I believe Rich Byrne lives in Ridgewood, NJ. He recently ran a 30:19 10K.

Laurie Corbin/Parton is now Laurie Gordon. I think she's been injured because her times have been relatively slow.

___________________

Richie has a great store in Ridgewood, NJ with a great shoe selection (but Rich....put some of the older stuff on sale, puh-leeze!) great guy, ran with Paula at Chicago last year for several miles.

Laurie Gordon is a hottie--a Playboy Playmate blonde in racing flats. I see Laurie's husband, Guy Gordon, running on Route 10 out here in Morris County all the time. My wife says that he--literally--has a big head.