- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,140
- Reaction score
- 59
Who is the best boys track & field athlete from North Jersey?
Let the debate begin.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities.
These are our selections for the boys track and field athletes who defined North Jersey. The players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standout players at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights at the collegiate and professional levels.
We even saved a spot for you to write-in a candidate that we may have overlooked or that you feel strongly about.
Brown took the Penn Relays by storm in his junior year when he ran an amazing 45.9 400 split to boost the Knights into the Championship of America 4-x-400 on a wet windy day. During his remarkable high school career, he won the State Meet of Champions in the 200 outdoors in 2005 and the 400 indoors the same year. He still holds the Passaic County records in the 200, 400 and 400 hurdles and set a National record at the time indoors at 600 meters.
When Byrne transferred from Bergen Catholic to Paramus Catholic in the fall of 1975 it made front page news. He was after all the greatest high school miler in the US at the time (although he lost to neighbor Roger Jones of Ramsey at the 1977 Golden West). He won the Millrose Games mile twice and nearly won it three times establishing a record that stood for 40 years. He won the SMOC in cross-country in 1975, the indoor boys mile the same year and skipped the SMOC in 1977 to run the Golden West meet. He still ranks in the top 20 in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 races outdoors and holds the indoor 1,600/mile record. He ran at Georgetown.
Dawkins was one of the greatest sprinters in state history and was the first North Jersey boy to go back to back in the State Meet of Champions 100 in 1994 and 1995. He also won the indoor 55 meters and outdoor 200 meters in 1995 and was favored to win both sprinters in 1996 when he suffered a knee injury that ended his sprinting career. He still holds the Bergen County record in the 100 and played football at Penn State before dying much too young in 2020.
He was such a good cross-country runner, that the nickname for the Garret Mountain course he dominated for two years was “Mo Hill”. He won back-to-back State Meet of Champions cross-country crowns in 2002-2003, back-to-back indoor SMOC 3,200 titles in 2003 and 2004 and back-to-back outdoor titles in 2003 and 2004. He holds the Passaic County and North Jersey records at 3,200 meters. He was age-ineligible as a senior but went to be an All-American at Iona College.
One of two athletes still in competition, Pash won State Meet of Champions titles in four consecutive track seasons, winning the 2024 indoor 3,200, the 2024 outdoor 1,600, and 2025 indoor and outdoor 3,200 meter runs. He also won four golds in consecutive sectional champions leading the Maroons to titles. He set the Bergen County 1,600 record as a junior and lowered it with a 4:03.02 mile time as senior. He won several All-American honors individually and in relays and just finished his freshman year at North Carolina.
Pemberton could do nearly everything. He was a State Meet of Champions winner in the high jump in 1993 and just missed a second title in the long jump the same year. He held the Bergen County record in the 110 high hurdles for 31 years and still ranks second, shares the Bergen County record in the high jump, is third all-time in the long jump and was the state triple jumper record holder for 15 years, still ranking second in Bergen County history. He won the National championship in the pentathlon in 1992 and 1993. He ran at Tennessee and at the University of Houston he won SEVEN conference championships in the same year.
Peppers might be better known for his football exploits both at Michigan and during his still active 10 year professional career, but his track achievements are almost as special. After beind part of a state championship track team at Bosco in 2010, he transferred to Paramus Catholic and became the first New Jersey boy to go back-to-back at the State Meet of Champions in both the 100 and 200 meters. He still holds the Bergen County record at 200 meters and ranks sixth on the all-time 100 list.
Phipps was a pretty good jumper his first two years in high school but exploded as a junior and senior into one of North Jersey’s all-time best. He placed in the top three in consecutive years at the SMOC long jump and still ranks in the top 15 of the all-time Bergen list. But it’s his triple jumping that puts him on the list. He set the state record by jumping 50-5 to win the Bergen Meet of Champions in 2008 and also won SMOC that year, while finishing second at the National Scholastic meet. He went to win All-American honors four times at the University of Nebraska.
Shue is the other active athlete on this list, and his throwing career was without question North Jersey’s greatest, even though he only threw in the spring. He was the only back-to-back North Jersey State Meet of Champions discus winner and the only four year SMOC medalist in the shot put in North Jersey history. He also won a National championship in the discus. But the most impressive number for the Bergen County shot put and discus recordholder, he has 19 of the top 20 discus performances and 11 of the top 20 shot put performances im Bergen history. He’s in the process of transferring from the University of Texas.
The first time Zuidema appeared in the pages of the Record/NorthJersey.com was as an eighth grader winning a National under 14 javelin championship. By the time he graduated he amassed a pair of State Meet of Champions titles, a National championship and the top 13 throws in Bergen County history. Sixteen years later, his Bergen record still stands, he’s third on the all-time state list and he still holds the American record in the Under 18 category. He went on reach All-American honors at the University of South Carolina despite significant elbow issues.
Continue reading...
Let the debate begin.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. Alongside that national recognition, the USA TODAY Network will spotlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities.
These are our selections for the boys track and field athletes who defined North Jersey. The players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standout players at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights at the collegiate and professional levels.
We even saved a spot for you to write-in a candidate that we may have overlooked or that you feel strongly about.
Shaquan Brown, Kennedy (Class of 2006)
Brown took the Penn Relays by storm in his junior year when he ran an amazing 45.9 400 split to boost the Knights into the Championship of America 4-x-400 on a wet windy day. During his remarkable high school career, he won the State Meet of Champions in the 200 outdoors in 2005 and the 400 indoors the same year. He still holds the Passaic County records in the 200, 400 and 400 hurdles and set a National record at the time indoors at 600 meters.
Kevin Byrne, Bergen Catholic/Paramus Catholic (Class of 1977)
When Byrne transferred from Bergen Catholic to Paramus Catholic in the fall of 1975 it made front page news. He was after all the greatest high school miler in the US at the time (although he lost to neighbor Roger Jones of Ramsey at the 1977 Golden West). He won the Millrose Games mile twice and nearly won it three times establishing a record that stood for 40 years. He won the SMOC in cross-country in 1975, the indoor boys mile the same year and skipped the SMOC in 1977 to run the Golden West meet. He still ranks in the top 20 in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 races outdoors and holds the indoor 1,600/mile record. He ran at Georgetown.
Joe Dawkins, Hackensack (Class of 1996)
Dawkins was one of the greatest sprinters in state history and was the first North Jersey boy to go back to back in the State Meet of Champions 100 in 1994 and 1995. He also won the indoor 55 meters and outdoor 200 meters in 1995 and was favored to win both sprinters in 1996 when he suffered a knee injury that ended his sprinting career. He still holds the Bergen County record in the 100 and played football at Penn State before dying much too young in 2020.
Mohamed Khadraoui, Kennedy (Class of 2005)
He was such a good cross-country runner, that the nickname for the Garret Mountain course he dominated for two years was “Mo Hill”. He won back-to-back State Meet of Champions cross-country crowns in 2002-2003, back-to-back indoor SMOC 3,200 titles in 2003 and 2004 and back-to-back outdoor titles in 2003 and 2004. He holds the Passaic County and North Jersey records at 3,200 meters. He was age-ineligible as a senior but went to be an All-American at Iona College.
Luke Pash, Ridgewood (Class of 2025)
One of two athletes still in competition, Pash won State Meet of Champions titles in four consecutive track seasons, winning the 2024 indoor 3,200, the 2024 outdoor 1,600, and 2025 indoor and outdoor 3,200 meter runs. He also won four golds in consecutive sectional champions leading the Maroons to titles. He set the Bergen County 1,600 record as a junior and lowered it with a 4:03.02 mile time as senior. He won several All-American honors individually and in relays and just finished his freshman year at North Carolina.
Darius Pemberton, Hackensack (Class of 1993)
Pemberton could do nearly everything. He was a State Meet of Champions winner in the high jump in 1993 and just missed a second title in the long jump the same year. He held the Bergen County record in the 110 high hurdles for 31 years and still ranks second, shares the Bergen County record in the high jump, is third all-time in the long jump and was the state triple jumper record holder for 15 years, still ranking second in Bergen County history. He won the National championship in the pentathlon in 1992 and 1993. He ran at Tennessee and at the University of Houston he won SEVEN conference championships in the same year.
Jabrill Peppers, Don Bosco/Paramus Catholic (Class of 2013)
Peppers might be better known for his football exploits both at Michigan and during his still active 10 year professional career, but his track achievements are almost as special. After beind part of a state championship track team at Bosco in 2010, he transferred to Paramus Catholic and became the first New Jersey boy to go back-to-back at the State Meet of Champions in both the 100 and 200 meters. He still holds the Bergen County record at 200 meters and ranks sixth on the all-time 100 list.
Chris Phipps, Lodi (Class of 2008)
Phipps was a pretty good jumper his first two years in high school but exploded as a junior and senior into one of North Jersey’s all-time best. He placed in the top three in consecutive years at the SMOC long jump and still ranks in the top 15 of the all-time Bergen list. But it’s his triple jumping that puts him on the list. He set the state record by jumping 50-5 to win the Bergen Meet of Champions in 2008 and also won SMOC that year, while finishing second at the National Scholastic meet. He went to win All-American honors four times at the University of Nebraska.
Benji Shue, Bergen Catholic (Class of 2025)
Shue is the other active athlete on this list, and his throwing career was without question North Jersey’s greatest, even though he only threw in the spring. He was the only back-to-back North Jersey State Meet of Champions discus winner and the only four year SMOC medalist in the shot put in North Jersey history. He also won a National championship in the discus. But the most impressive number for the Bergen County shot put and discus recordholder, he has 19 of the top 20 discus performances and 11 of the top 20 shot put performances im Bergen history. He’s in the process of transferring from the University of Texas.
Kaleb Zuidema, Midland Park (Class of 2011)
The first time Zuidema appeared in the pages of the Record/NorthJersey.com was as an eighth grader winning a National under 14 javelin championship. By the time he graduated he amassed a pair of State Meet of Champions titles, a National championship and the top 13 throws in Bergen County history. Sixteen years later, his Bergen record still stands, he’s third on the all-time state list and he still holds the American record in the Under 18 category. He went on reach All-American honors at the University of South Carolina despite significant elbow issues.
Vote!
Continue reading...
