EAST ORANGE, NJ (updated Tuesday June 6, 10:07 a.m. names of 4-x-400 are now included) – East Orange Campus High School boys’ track and field star Cory Poole is ready to defend his NJSIAA state Meet of Champions titles in the 110-meter high hurdles and 400-meter intermediate hurdles.
Poole, a University of Florida-bound senior, won both events for the third consecutive year to lead the Jaguars at the NJSIAA Group 4 state Championships, June 2-3, at Egg Harbor.
Poole ran 51.20 in the 400 hurdles to set the All-Groups meet record. The previous record was 51.58 by Camden’s Dwight Ruff in 2001. EOCHS junior teammate Akeem Lindo was second in the same event in 53.05.
The EOCHS boys’ athletes finished second overall in the team standings with 67 points, four points shy of winner Franklin, based on the top six finishers in each event. The Group meet consisted of the top six finishers in each event from the section meets held the previous weekend.
The Jaguars posted other stellar efforts at the Group meet.
The 4-x-400-meter relay took first place for the second straight year, clocking 3:13.05. The runners on the unit were sophomore Kishaun Richardson, Poole, senior Willesley Lindo and junior Immyouri Etienne.
Lindo was second in the 100-meter dash in 10.85. Poole also was fourth in the 400-meter dash in 47.60. Etienne was seventh in the same event at 48.90.
In the 800-meter run, Richardson took 11th in 1:55.95 and Etienne was 22nd in 2:00.27.
The Jaguars went 1-2-3 in the 110 high hurdles, with Poole in first place in 13.85, Lindo in second place in 14.23 and junior Al-Tariq Dunson in third place in 1434.
The 4-x-100-meter relay was sixth in 42.90.
On the girls’ side, the 4-x-100-meter relay team finished fourth in 48.63. Kevaray Gilette, a junior, took sixth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 1:03.20. Gilette also took 16th in the preliminaries of the 100 high hurdles in 15.94, but did not advance to the finals. Iyana Alexandre was 23rd in the shot put at 32 feet-1 ¼ inches.
The top six finishers, plus wild-card berths, from the Group meets will advance to the Meet of Champions, which will take place June 10 at Northern Burlington County Regional HS in Columbus.
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