Jackson Braddock of Southern Regional blasted one of the fastest times in NJ history and shattered the meet record when he dropped an 8:54.02 to win the 3,200-meter run at the Music City Distance Carnival on Saturday night at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.
And Miranda Lorsbach, a rising junior, of Kent Place also pounded out a huge PR by running 10:49.06 to finish 12th in the girls 3200m, nearly 15 seconds faster than her previous best of 11:03.79 that she ran to place ninth at the Meet of Champions last March.
Braddock, who won the State Group 4 XC title and was a finalist in the National XC Team Championships in Portland as a junior last year, moved into the No. 10 spot on NJ's all-time list with his 8:54.02. Braddock is the 24th runner in state history to crack nine minutes. Eleven of the 24 have come since 2010.
Braddock took down the meet record of 8:55.27 that Kashon Harrison of Kirtland High in New Mexico ran last year, and Braddock's 8:54.02 is No. 2 in Ocean County history behind the 8:53.36 two-mile that Devin Hart of Point Pleasant Boro ran at the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington in 2019. Hart's 8:53.36 converts to 8:50.27 for 3200.
Braddock's 8:54.02 was a massive PR ,and more than three seconds faster than runner-up Izaiah Steury of Angola High in Indiana, who chopped 18 seconds off his PR with his 8:57.17. Braddock's previous best was the 9:06.86 he ran to place fourth at the indoor Meet of Champions on March 8 at Ocean Breeze, which was the last real race he ran.
But Braddock's performance shouldn't come as big surprise to anyone after he showed how fit he was when he threw down an 8:58.3 3200m time trial this past June.
Braddock, who would have been a big favorite to win the NJ XC Meet of Champions this season, ran a Holmdel Park PR of 15:49 when he won the Group 4 title last fall, and he was sixth at the MOCs in 15:50, and 29th in 15:37 at the Team National XC Championships last December in Portland, Oregon.
Braddock's 8:54.02 puts him in some fast company.
Check out all the studs in this updated NJ all-time outdoor 3200m list.
NJ'S ALL-TIME 3200-METER OUTDOOR LIST, INCLUDING CONVERTED 2-MILE TIMES
8:41.02-Joe Rosa, West Windsor North, 2011 (converted from 8:44.06)
8:41.49-Craig Forys, Colts Neck, 2007 (converted from 8:44.53)
8:46.08-Jeramy Elkaim, Livingston, 2010
8:48.38-Jim Rosa, West Windsor North, 2011 (converted from 8:51.46)
8:48.91-Buck Logan, Bernards, 1979 (converted from 8:52.0-hand time)
8:50.27-Devin Hart, Point Pleasant Boro, 2019 (converted from 8:53.36)
8:50.64-Mohamed Khadraoui, Paterson Kennedy, 2004 (converted from 8:53.74)
8:50.90-Mike Keogh, Essex Catholic, 1970 (converted from 8:54.0-hand time).
8:52.02-Edward Cheserek, St. Benedict's Prep, 2013 (converted from 8:55.12)
8:54.02-Jackson Braddock, Southern Regional, 2020