shore AC athletes and alumni do big things at usa indoor nationals at albuquerque!!

  As Shore AC "alumna" Ajee' Wilson was racing to the 11th - yes the 11th! - Senior
National title of her magnificent track career - and she's still just 25 years old - a parade
of Shore AC Varsity Team athletes was doing big things at the USA National
Indoor Track and Field Championships, the nationally-televised event (NBC and NBCSN)
at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 14 and 15.

 Ms. Wilson - the special pride of Neptune, NJ - and all of Shore AC, too - easily
vanquished her top rivals in the women's 800-meter final in 2:01.98.  Even in ABQ's 5,000-foot
altitude, it seemed a breeze - a week after she'd lowered her American indoor record to 1:58.29 at the
Armory in NYC at the 113th edition of the NYRR Millrose Games.

 Kaela Edwards was a not-close second in 2:02.41 and Monmouth University graduate
Allie Wilson - the former Shore AC intern now running for the Atlanta Track Club - claimed
third in 2:02.99, a major breakthrough into the National ranks.

 From 2,000 miles away, we again cheered the great high jumping of Shore AC Varsity Team
star Amina Smith, the University of Maryland grad now training with SAC superb jumps mentor
Mike Pascuzzo.   Only American record-holder/ World Outdoor medalist Vashti Cunningham, the
winner at 1.97 meters/ 6-5 1/2 could outleap our Amina, who went over the bar at 1.90 / 6-2 3/4 for
yet another National medal in her great career.

 Shore AC veteran Brandon Roulhac once again proved he could triple jump with the very best
as he came through with a 16.49/ 54-1 1/4 hop-step-jump to claim sixth place, just 0.62 back of winner
Donald Scott.

 Placing ninth in the women 's 3000-meter racewalk at 15:03.53 was Shore AC stalwart Chelsea Conway.

 Making his debut as a Shore AC representative on the National scene was star shot putter Corey Martin,
the former multi-IC4A champion for Monmouth University.   In a brilliant competition that saw Olympic champion
Ryan Crouser bomb it out to 22.60/ 74-1 3/4, number two mark on the all-time indoor list,
Murphy ranked 15th on the star-studded list with a toss of 18.93 /62- 1 3/4,

 Also in the SP was SAC invitee Josh Awotunde, fifth-placer at 20.15-66-1 1/2.

The women's weight throw saw UCLA junior Alyssa Wilson's big breakthrough, all the way up to
second place with a superb throw of 22.80/ 74-9 3/4.  The former Donovan Catholic HS of Toms River super star
also placed 10th in the SP at 16.65- 54-7 1/2.  

Brianna Stratz, Allie Wilson's Monmouth U. teammate and still her teammate (with Atlanta Track Club) ran third 
in her 800 heat at 2:09.80 and did not advance. 

Indoor Nationals notes:  This meet was held at Staten Island's Ocean Breeze in 2019 and was originally slated to return
there in 2020, only to see it moved away - for reasons never fully announced - and off to New Mexico...And with no
World Indoor Championships to aspire to - the World meet, booked for Nanjing, China, was cancelled after the
Coronavirus outbreak - this became a major focus for many heading into the Olympic Year 2020 outdoor season.