TCNJ Invitational: Blazing battles on the straightaway headline opening invite
Spring track has been in full swing for a couple of weeks, but the TCNJ Invitational really kicked it into high gear. Taking advantage of the nice, warm weather — an upgrade from last year’s more rainy affair — Mercer County’s sprinters and hurdlers set the recently resurfaced track on fire with state-leading times in the 100m, 100mH, 4×100m, and 4×400m. Add in numerous praiseworthy performances in the distance and field events, and this local meet was a resounding success that set the tone for a big spring.
Check out Mercer County’s most notable performances below, and see the full results here.
Girls Sprints
CVC girls set the straightaway ablaze on Saturday, running state-leading times in both the 100m and 100mH. In the flat sprint, Arianna Crusoe Gaye (Nottingham, Jr.) earned her most impressive win to date, running 12.40 to edge fellow sprint stars Samya Jenkins (Lawrence, Jr.) and Leah Daniels (Ewing, Sr.) in some very fast and very exciting races — those three girls were separated by just 0.07 seconds and ran the NJ #2, #3, and #4 times this season. Jenkins’ 2nd-place performance of 12.42 was a very strong season opener, especially considering that she missed most of the indoor season with an injury. Daniels’s 3rd-place finish in 12.47 was a particularly impressive result given that she was racing alone in a different heat and has traditionally focused on the longer sprints.
Daniels was part of an Ewing sprint group that had a big day all around. In the 4x100m, Ewing’s Faith Settles, Leah Daniels, Karis Crossland, and Angel Johnson edged Rancocas Valley by 0.20 seconds to win in 49.07 — already just 0.18 seconds off their 2025 season best, which was the fastest in the CVC. In the 4x400m, Ewing’s Settles, Johnson, Daniels, and Lynsah Rejouis took 2nd in 4:15.12, sitting at NJ #19 right now. It's an event the team didn't prioritize much last year, but that could change. Hightstown (Karli Kelly, Madison Kelly, Jenna Ntori, Karina Moroz) was right behind them in 4th at 4:16.31 — just a second back even while resting one of their top 400m girls, which speaks to some impressive depth.
Girls Hurdles
In the hurdles, Angel Johnson (Ewing, So.) opened her season with a bang, putting on a dominant performance in the 100mH to win in 14.77. That huge PR earned her the NJ #1 ranking by a lot — she's the only girl in the state to break 15 seconds so far this spring. Behind Johnson, Johanna Kraft (Princeton, Fr.) finished 3rd in 15.90 to go sub-16 in just her first major 100mH race. Yona Choksi (WWP South, So.) doubled back from the 400mH to take 4th in 16.06, also a big PR. Earlier in the 400mH, Choksi fought for the win and came away with 3rd place in 1:10.14 — a 2-second PR.
Girls Distance
Princeton headlined the distance events. In the 2000m steeplechase, Eowyn Deess (Princeton, Jr.) and Phoenix Roth (Princeton, Jr.) went 1-2 with quick times, as Deess narrowly held off Roth, 7:37.35 to 7:40.84, to win her steeple debut. In the mile, Kajol Karra (Princeton, Sr.) took 2nd in 5:18.46 and Grace Hegedus (Princeton, Jr.) was right behind her in 3rd at 5:19.38 — solid season openers for both. Izzy Meth (Lawrence, Jr.) rounded out the top CVC milers with a 5th-place 5:22.75.
WWP North was the top Mercer County finisher in the DMR with a 2nd-place finish in 13:15.60, and Princeton led Mercer County schools in the 4x800m with a 9:59.10 for 2nd place as well.
Girls Throws
The girls throws were loaded with PRs across the board. In the shot put, Zoey DeSouza (Ewing, So.) took the win with a 37-4.25 — a personal best that puts her at NJ #12 and sailed 2.5 feet farther than her indoor PR from Adidas Track Nationals just two weeks earlier. Right behind her, Jayla Little (Ewing, Jr.) threw 36-5.75 for 2nd place, a 1-foot PR that slots her at NJ #18. Makayla Rondinelli (Allentown, Sr.) took 3rd in the shot with a 7-inch PR of 36-2.75, and Jaiden Bosley (Hightstown, Sr.) rounded out the top four with a 35-4.25 — an outdoor PR by nearly 3 feet and an all-conditions PR by a quarter inch.
Rondinelli also made her mark in the discus competition. She trailed heading into her final throw, then launched a 112-9 to leap from 3rd to 1st and take the win. Eva Gedrich (WWP North, Jr.) finished 3rd with a 105-10.
Gedrich then turned around and delivered one of the biggest throws of the day in the javelin. Her 111-7 for 2nd place was a 7-foot PR that not only puts her at NJ #10 but also broke the WWP North school record. Teammate Abigail Powers (WWP North, So.) wasn't far behind, throwing 107-6 for 4th — breaking 100 feet for the first time in her career. Ti'kayla Smith (Hamilton North-Nottingham, Jr.) also cleared the century mark with a 104-9 for 5th.
Girls Jumps
Anamika Sertil (WWP North, So.) had a big day in the jumps, competing well in both the high jump and long jump. In the high jump, she tied her personal best of 5-2 for 4th place. That was her first time clearing 5-2 outdoors, and she’s one of just five girls in New Jersey to get that high this spring. She then carried that momentum into the long jump, where a 15-inch PR of 16-4.5 earned her 2nd place. Faith Settles (Ewing, So.) took 3rd in the long jump with her own outdoor PR of 16-3.5.
In the triple jump, Aditi Revuri (WWP North, Jr.) took 4th with a 31-8, setting an outright PR and beating her best from winter track by 6 inches. Teammate Jada Sands (WWP North, Jr.) was 5th at 31-1.75.
Boys Sprints
Mercer County’s sprinters have started out hot this spring, and that showed in a very fast 4x100m race. Ewing’s quartet of Kha-neaf Mack Hornsby, Domonique Jones, Tristan Thompson, and Dasan Jones blasted a NJ #3 time of 43.14 for the win in an exciting finish over Rancocas Valley. That’s an impressive time at any point of the season, not just April — it would have finished the year as #2 in the county in each of the last five seasons.
Hightstown and WWP South also ran under 44 seconds, with the Rams taking 3rd in 43.80 and the Pirates taking 5th in 43.83. Those are the #11 and #13 times in the state this spring.
The 100m was a thrilling and fast showdown between Achilles Etienne (Manasquan, Sr) and Dasan Jones (Ewing, Sr.), as the two boys posted the #1 and #2 times in the state! In the end, Etienne outleaned Jones by the slightest of margins, 10.85 to 10.87. That 10.87 for Jones is an all-conditions PR. Another CVC boy to take advantage of excellent sprinting conditions was Terrance Williams (Hightstown, Sr.) who took 4th in a NJ #6 time of 11.13.
The Ewing sprinters continued on fire this meet. First, the whole 4x100m team of Mack Hornsby, Domonique Jones, Thompson, and Dasan Jones doubled back in the 4x400m to throw down a NJ #4 time of 3:24.70 for 2nd place behind Hunterdon Central. Again, that’s a time that only one Mercer County team topped all of last spring.
WWP South’s 4x400m team of Aydun Hines, Jonah Kaplan, Sean Maina, and Julius Kinsler also opened their spring by going sub-3:30 — thanks in part to senior Kinsler running a blistering split of 47.66 on the anchor leg! The Pirates’ 3rd-place time of 3:29.90 is NJ #9 right now. Hightstown also ran well and wasn’t far behind, running 3:31.92 for 4th place.
Boys Distance
One of the funnest events at this meet is the unique 2000m steeplechase, and this year’s race was both a splashing spectacle and an exciting competition. Lachlan Arnold (Princeton, So.) earned the win in his first attempt at the event, running 6:45.70. Not far behind him, Ibrahim Songu (Ewing, Sr.) held off early leader Cole Shilley (Mr. Olive, Sr.) for 2nd place, 6:53.41 to 6:57.25.
WWP North’s DMR team of Agrim Jha, Krrish Sheth, Sushanth Karri, and Shreyan Kagitala ran away with the win in 10:57.78, holding off Hunterdon Central by 8 seconds and posting the #3 time in the state.
In the mile, the pack jogged a very conservative opening 1000m, but that opened the door for some fast final laps. Mason Johnson (Hightstown, Sr.) showed off his wheels and dropped a 1:02.23 for the last 400m to take 2nd place in 4:43.84.
The boys 4x800m win went to Rancocas Valley in 8:25.89, but Steinert won the battle for 2nd place in 8:47.17. Allentown outdueled Hunterdon Central for 3rd place in 8:50.76.
Boys Hurdles
Yi-Tian Xiong (Princeton, Jr.) opened his season in excellent form, blasting a 14.88 for 2nd place in the 110mH. He put up a great challenge against Achilles Etienne (Manasquan, Sr.), finishing just 0.12 behind a boy who took 6th in the 55mH at the winter Meet of Champions last month. Xiong’s time is a wind-legal PR and puts him at NJ #4 right now.
Tyson Brown (Ewing, Jr.) wasted no time breaking 60 in the 400mH this spring, running 59.11 for finish just a half-second off the win in 2nd place. Edging closer to the 1-minute barrier was Amal Stewart (Hightstown, Sr.), who ran a big PR of 1:00.85 for 3rd place. Stewart also doubled back in the 100mH to take 4th place in 15.15 for his second PR of the day.
Boys Throws
In the discus, Eddie Del Cid (Princeton, Jr.) launched a heave of 125-6 to finish 4th, while Joseph Day (Hightstown, Jr.) was just a foot behind him with a big PR of 124-1 for 5th. In the shot put, Christian Houvig (Hightstown, Sr.) earned the 3rd-place medal with a clutch toss of 48-0 on his final throw. In the javelin, Dylan Voehl (Allentown, Sr.) uncorked a 3rd-place throw of 149-10.
The throwers also got to have some fun with their own 4x100m. Steinert’s strongmen quartet of Gabriel Pena Bak, Mohammed Sherriff, Jeff Debreus, and Anthony Moreen dominated on the track, running a school record of 48.54 to win by over 3 seconds.
Boys Jumps
Dylan Voehl (Allentown Sr.) completed a successful day of double-duty in the field by soaring to the high jump win with a clearance of 6-2, matching his personal best. He’s one of just seventeen boys in the state to clear that height this spring.
Pole vaulter Thomas Weis (Robbinsville, So.) cleared 11-0 for an all-conditions PR — topping his previous best from the indoor season — to finish 8th.
In the long jump, Jamel Cheeseborough-Williams (Hamilton West, Sr.), picked up where he left off this winter by beating his indoor PR with a 21-7 to take 2nd place. That mark puts him at NJ #9.
In the triple jump, Domario Marshall (Hamilton West, Sr.) took third with a PR of 41-4.25, while John Mastromarino (Allentown, Jr.) was just behind him his own PR of 41-1 for 4th place. It’s looking like a strong year for Mercer County’s triple jumpers. In 2025, only three boys surpassed 41’ feet all spring. Now, in the first major invitational of 2026, two boys hit that mark and another three boys came within 6 inches.