​SHORE AC ATHLETES LIGHT IT UPAT THOMAS EDISON PARK MEET

BY ELLIOTT DENMAN


EDISON, NJ - They were small in number but they produced an array of large results.

In a meet at Thomas Edison Park, named for the man who lit up the world, they really lit it up, too.

That's the story of the Shore AC varsity team quartet - Je'von Hutchison, Chidi Okezie, Brandon Jones and Larry Ramirez - who represented the
club with major distinction at the fifth annual Garden State Track Club Twilight Meet on Saturday evening, May 25, at the
Thomas Edison Park track and field facility in Middlesex County.

Okezie and Hutchison clocked two of the best times in club history in claiming their triumphs.

Okezie dashed off with the 200-meter title in 20.81 seconds with Hutchison fourth in 21.37.

But Hutchison had already run off with the 400 crown in an outstanding 46.28.  This was one more major highlight to Hutchison's brilliant spring season. He'd anchored Team USA to a big win in the 
4x400 USA vs the World relay at the Penn Relays and is just back from his appearance with Team USA at the World Relay Championships in
Yokohama, Japan.

Jones claimed the triple jump title by a large margin with a performance of 51 feet, 3 1/2 inches / 15.63 meters.    He completed his successful day with a

a 21.92 win in his section of the 200, good for sixth-place over-all.   Looking ahead, this 2016 Olympian for Belize will be a top candidate for August's Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

Ramirez, rounding into top form, ran one of his best-ever 800-meter races and his quickest of

the 2019 season with his strong fourth place in 1:52.00.  This was a race won by Derek Holdsworth in 1:49.70 with the fast-closing 
Ramirez just 0.51 out of second. 

The Masters Mile saw Shore AC's Brad Barket take second place in 5:01.84 back of winner Phil Reilly's 4:53.56.  Barket, now an outstanding professional
photographer, had been a brilliant scholastic runner in his days at The Peddie School, Hightstown.  He now looks forward - along with a long list of other
outstanding athletes - to a return performance at The Peddie School for the 33rd annual NJ International Meet, hosted by Shore AC,
on Saturday, July 6.

The open 1500 meters went to John Dove in 3:55.85 as Princeton University varsity athlete Drake Anzano of Toms River ran 4:01.18 in
third place.