USA Today Taps Region Athletes

The USA Today All-USA selections for high school track and field — produced by Fred Baer — have been released and a number of folks in the Armory region (loosely defined as N.Y., N.J. and some of the Northeast Corridor) have been honored.

Among the eight boys' stars are Edward Cheserek (St. Benedict's Prep: Newark, N.J.), Jermaine Collier (Trenton Central: Trenton, N.J.), Najee Glass (St. Peter's Prep: Jersey City, N.J.), Sam Mattis (East Brunswick: East Brunswick, N.J.), Joe Rosa (West Windsor-Plainsboro North: Plainsboro, N.J.), Nick Vena (Morristown: Morristown, N.J.), Zavon Watkins (Liverpool: Liverpool, N.Y.) and Kaleb Zuidema (Midland Park: Midland Park, N.J.).

Area athletes on the girls' All-USA squad are Mary Cain (Bronxville: Bronxville, N.Y.), Aisling Cuffe (Cornwall Central: New Windsor, N.Y.), Precious Holmes (Hillhouse: New Haven, Conn.), Myasia Jacobs (Paramus Catholic: Paramus, N.J.), Leah Nugent (Abington: Abington, Pa.) and Ajee Wilson (Neptune: Neptune, N.J.).

All 14 of the athletes were ranked among the nation's top 10 in at least one event.

Cuffe, who is headed to Stanford, broke the national high school in the two-mile run at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., going sub-10 in 9:54.22.

Vena, the Virginia-bound shot putter, was the nation's leader in the shot during the outdoor season (75-10 1/4). But he was not a one-shot wonder. Vena uncorked several dozen 70-foot throws during his amazing career, which included four wins at the Penn Relays.

Rosa, headed to Stanford with his twin brother Jim, ran a 4:07.66 at the Dream Mile in New York, but is even better at longer jaunts, posting the third-best time in the nation in the two-mile (8:54.46). Zuidema, ranked fourth nationally in the javelin (220-10), is headed to South Carolina while Nugent — the nation's top 400-meter hurdler (57.72) — joins the Hokies of Virginia Tech.

The rest of the group returns to high school this fall, each with the capability of being a national leader. Actually, Neptune's Wilson is already a world leader, after claiming victory in the 800-meter run at the IAAF World Youth Championships in France as she broke Joetta Clark's N.J. state record (2:02.64). It might seem too farfetched that she'd be pushed locally, but Cain ran a 2:03 split on a 4x8 relay last year... as a freshman!

Two young Jerseyans promise to supply a lot of breaking news this year. Glass ran 46.43 for 400 meters in the spring, third in the U.S., while junior-to-be Cheserek is drawing lots of attention. Could he be the next high schooler to go sub-four? He ran a 4:03.29 at the Dream Mile.

Watkins has long been a star, who enters his senior year having already broken 1:50 for 800 meters (1:49.70) and he has been particularly fond of showcasing his ability at The Armory. Holmes is the top talent in Connecticut, running the fifth-swiftest 400-meter dash in the country (53.16) last year as a sophomore.

Also back are three remaining Jersey athletes — Collier, one of the land's top 400-meter hurdlers; Mattis, a 200-foot discus thrower; and Jacobs, one of the top 10 sprinters in the U.S.