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Trenton Central High School 1978 In 1946 Trenton Central High School won a Championship of America at the Penn Relays. They took first in the 2-Mile Relay. It would be 32 years later until another TCHS squad would win a Penn Championship. When it finally happened again in 1978,, the Tornados topped their track and field predecessors with double the achievement. The 1978 team won both the 4x400 relay and the 4x800 relay at Penn. In the process they broke major records in both events. The relay roster was comprised of five young men who shared relay duties. The five were Darrell Jeffress, Aubrey McKithen, Ron Singletary, Fred Gore, and Andy Bing. Trenton's winning 4x400 at Penn included a lineup of Jeffress, McKithen, Gore and Bing. They ran 3:12.2 in the first round and 3:13.1 in the finals. The winning 4x800 lineup was Jeffress, McKithen, Gore and Singletary. They ran 7:39.5 in the first round, and 7:49.8 in the finals. Both 1st-round performances were not only meet records, but also NJ state records. For a bit of icing on the cake, the Trenton squad finished runners-up in a third race at Penn--the Distance Medley Relay. So memorable were their accomplishments at Penn that they received an enshrinement on the Penn Wall of Fame in 2022. 2022 The '78 team was co-coached by Al Jennings and Holland Moore, and later that spring the TCHS team went on to win the Group IV State Championship and the Meet of Champions team titles. Induction ceremony 2024 Back to Class of 2024

Princeton High School 1983 -- Hurdler There are some names that are simply synonymous with greatness, individuals who were so dominant that it would be difficult to conceive of this Hall of Fame without their presence. Princeton High’s Stephan Fletcher is such an athlete. Following in the footsteps of fellow Little Tiger Pete Sharpless, Fletcher was the second Mercer County boy to win two New Jersey Meet of Champions titles, capturing the 110-meter high hurdles in 1982 and 1983. That alone would have made Fletcher an easy honoree but his legacy and resume go far beyond those two glorious days as he was electric, the type of performer track fans came out to see, expecting something special every time he took the track and very rarely being disappointed. Fletcher (center) at the Eastern States Championships 1982 Fletcher was a two-time hurdles All-American as a high schooler, adding to a list that included All-State and All-Mercer honors. At a time when Mercer County could boast of multiple state level performers, he consistently faced and beat the best. He was as dominant indoors as he was outdoors, taking the Meet of Champions 55-meter hurdles title in back-to-back seasons. And by the time he was a senior, the only question left was where he ranked nationally as he earned All Big East recognition and took second at the prestigious Keebler International Prep Meet of Champs and third at the Golden West Invitational. In college he was an All Big Eight performer, taking second in the 55 hurdles, and putting the icing on a cake that had few peers in Mercer County annals. MAJOR TITLES 4x Meet of Champions Winner - 55M Hurdles Indoor (1982 & '83) - 110M Hurdles Outdoor (1982 & '83) 3x Group II State Champion - 55M Hurdles Indoor (1982 & '83) - 110M Hurdles Outdoor (1983) 3x CJ Sectional Champion - 110M Hurdles (1981, '82, '83) 3x Mercer County Champion - 55M Hurdles Indoor (1982 & '83) - 110M Hurdles Outdoor (1983) Back to Class of 2026

McCorristin High School 1983 -- Sprinter & Jumper When his school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, under the names of St. Anthony’s, McCorristin and Trenton Catholic Academy, it named its 50 best athletes ever. Thanks in large part to being a 1,000-point boys’ basketball scorer, Steve Brown was an easy choice for that list. But his many exploits on the track, as the greatest sprinter and jumper in school history, make it just as easy to honor him with a place in the Mercer County Track and Field Hall of Fame. The dominant figure on the Parochial A track scene in the early 1980s’, Brown took home seven state titles from 1981 to 1983. On the local scene, Brown battled for headlines with Princeton High’s Stephan Fletcher (they graduated the same year), earning three Mercer County titles, and a selection to first-team all county honors in the long jump as only a sophomore. But the sprints were where he was most exciting. He won double sprint gold at the 1981 state championships in his 10th grade year--taking the 100 & 200. His junior year was even more decorated. Brown swept all three sprints at the 1982 Parochial A State Meet. He claimed the 100m in 10.8, the 200 in 21.9 and the 400 in 48.7. His three gold medals were enough to put the Iron Mikes in 4th place for the team standings. During his senior year in 1983 Brown set a county mark (since toppled) of 21.3 seconds in the 200 meters. At 400 meters, he was dominant, taking state the title in 47.7 to go along with his third consecutive state 200 title which he won with a 21.5. After the '83 state meet he took victory in the 400m at the Eastern States Championships in Randalls Island New York with an even faster 47.6. Brown winning the Mercer County Championship 200m 1982 Brown followed his three years of glory on the track and basketball court (he led McCorristin to the 1982 state title) by concluding his hoops career at Rutgers University, an appropriate bookend for one of Mercer County’s best two-way athletes. MAJOR TITLES 7x Parochial A State Champion 1981 (100 & 200), 1982 (100, 200, 400), 1983 (200, 400) 3x Mercer County Champion -- 1982 (200), 1983 (200 & 400) Eastern States Champion -- 1983 (400) Back to Class of 2026

Notre Dame -- Middle Distance It is very easy to forget that before the early 1980’s there was no Parochial class in track and field in New Jersey on the state level. Once introduced, the group could have easily been renamed the Sonja Vaughan category such was the dominance and versatility of this Notre Dame High track paragon. With Vaughan leading the way, the Fighting Irish won four consecutive Parochial A state track spring titles. Was she a sprinter or middle distance runner? Essentially whatever she chose because she was that dominant. For example, at the 1985 state championships at Hub Stine Field in Plainfield, she set a group record by going 2:11.5. The mark eclipsed her mark of 2:15.1 set just the year before and in this case was a whopping 9.3 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. But Vaughan also helped Notre Dame win the 4x400 by over 10 seconds while blazing through the 200-meter championship title by a half second. In the winter, Vaughan could burn up the track in even more dominant fashion. At Princeton University’s Jadwin Gym in 1983 at the group relay championships, Vaughan helped Notre Dame to one of the most dominant team performances of the decade as the Fighting Irish won five of the eight events. Vaughn was the catalyst for three of those championships in the mile relay, two-mile relay and distance medley relay. The 1985 Meet of Champions spring track 800 winner, Vaughan remains one of the most prolific runners in Mercer County history. MAJOR TITLES Meet of Champions Winner 800m 1985 9x State Parochial Champion (Indoor) 400 1983, 800 1984. 400 & 800 1985 (Outdoor) 400 1982 & '83, 800 1984, 400 & 800 1985 4x Mercer County Champion (Indoor) 400 1983, 8001985, (Outdoor) 800m 1984 & '85 Back to Class of 2025

Hopewell Valley -- National Champions The 2005 Hopewell Valley girls’ indoor and outdoor track teams must be included in any discussion of the best Mercer County girls’ teams of the early 21st Century. Throughout that magical winter and spring, head coach Aaron Oldfield’s Bulldogs achieved a grand slam of major event victories taking the Group II indoor relays and Group II indoor state meet at Princeton University’s Jadwin Gym. Bumped up to Group III in the spring, they were Group III Central titlists before traveling down to Egg Harbor Township to capture the Group III outdoor spring title. L to R, Khan, Barrett, Sherrard, Mapp - 2005 It was a magnificent display of talent, camaraderie and depth, a team that could score on the state level in virtually every indoor and outdoor event. But for all these accomplishments there was a day that stood above the rest when the Bulldogs catapulted Mercer County back into the national track spotlight with a brilliance that could not be ignored. On March 13 at the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Prince Georges Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, Md., the 1600 meter sprint medley relay of senior Natalie Mapp and juniors Jackie Barrett, Miriam Khan and Emily Sherrard dominated the seeded heat to capture the national crown in 4:03.85, 1.99 seconds faster than the second-fastest competitor. Hopewell Valley Coach Aaron Oldfield (Center) with the 2005 National Indoor National Champion SMR. Runners (L to R) are Miriam Khan, Jackie Barrett, Natalie Mapp and Emily Sherrard At the time this mark, accomplished against 27 of the best relays in the United States, was the second-fastest indoors in New Jersey history and remains one of the most memorable victories by a Mercer County girls’ team. Hall of Fame Awards Banquet 2025 Back to Class of 2025

Steinert High School -- Coach & Meet Director There are some head coaches we remember for their excellence. If they are fortunate, they guide their programs a long time and have the opportunities to make a lasting impact. Former Steinert High track and cross country coach Doug Martin was the best of all of these: an educator that embodied long-term commitment and won incredibly often too. His impact on the Mercer County track community cannot be overstated. An employee of Hamilton Township for 39 years, Martin was a Steinert head coach for 34 (from 1972 to 2006). A coach for all seasons, Martin guided the Steinert boys through cross country, indoor track and spring track. By the time his coaching career was over, this meant nearly 1,000 career dual-meet wins and some of Mercer County’s most memorable championship teams. Mercer County XC Champions 1976 In 1987, Martin led the Spartans to the Central Group III sectional cross country title, anchored by individual winner Aaron Oldfield. The 1987 team went one step better, earning the school’s first group state cross country title. Soon thereafter Steinert was bumped up to Group IV but Martin kept on leading the Spartans to glory, taking back-to-back Central Group IV titles in 1993 and 1994. On the track in the spring of 1988, Martin's Spartan Boys went undefeated in dual meets. They also won two championship meets: The 1988 Mercer County Championship, and the school's first ever sectional title, dominating Central Jersey Group III with a 26-point margin of victory. Martin (top row far right) and his undefeated Spartan team 1988 But the legacy of Martin goes way beyond winning on the scoreboard or countless county champions and medalists. One of the most respected and respectful gentlemen in the sport, Martin spawned several of Mercer County’s most successful coaches (including Oldfield). Under Martin's leadership as Meet Director, Steinert program hosted the Mercer County Track and Cross-Country Championships at the school and Veterans Park for over 20 years, and was a vital cog in county track over four decades. Martin served as head of the history department at Steinert. He is a member of the Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2010), and he is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. The Martin Trophy is presented annually in his honor. DOUG MARTIN ACCEPTANCE SPEECH 2026 Click play to view video Back to Class of 2026

Published 5/18/26 "I didn't just run the 100 yards... I owned it!" proclaimed Gina Nelson-Holloway as she dazzled the crowd with her induction speech. And so it was for her and all the other 17 inductees honored last evening at the Mercer County Track and Field Hall of Fame's 3rd annual induction event held at Mercer Oaks--an occasion to claim ownership of some of the greatest accomplishments in county track and cross-country history. Gina Nelson Holloway addresses the gathering Over 180 attended last evenings ceremonies. There were friends, family, teammates, coaches and fans, all gathered to salute the members of the Induction Class of 2026. Hall of fame president Anthony Genovesi delivered the opening speech and board member Mary Ann Tarr led the invocation. Emcees Andre Modica and Peddie head coach Tim Brennan guided the assembly through the inductions. Barry Federovich gave the closing speech and Scott Maughn from trackmercer.com was the event photographer. This year's class contained graduates spanning the years from 1964 to 2016, with Dr. Gil Botvin--Peddie 1965--being the eldest to ever attend in-person to accept an athlete's induction. Grace Dwyer Cook--Nottingham 2016--was the youngest ever to accept induction. Cocktail Hour - Mercer Oaks Many of the honorees were firsts in Mercer history. The late Van Butler was inducted posthumously as he was the first county athlete to ever win a Meet of Champions title in 1971. Dorothea Smith was the first Trenton High School female to ever win a county championship when she took the 220 Yard crown in 1975. She was also the first Lady Tornado to win a state championship along with her teammate Nelson-Holloway when they both won gold in the sprints at the 1977 Group IV state meet. Terrence Glover 1999 graduate Terrence Glover was not only Hamilton West's first ever inductee, he also holds the distinction as being the first and only male athlete in Mercer history to reach a career total of 5 Meet of Champions titles. Peter Sharpless from Princeton High's class of 1981 was the first male athlete to ever repeat as an all-group champion when he took high jump gold in both '80 and '81. One of Lawrence High's 3 inductees, Lori Dowers was the first athlete--male or female--to repeat as county champ in the short sprints when she won the double in both 1978 and '79. She helped lead Lawrence to it's first state team title in '79. Lori Dowers Steve Brown McCorristin Legend The first female hurdler to ever win an all-group title was inducted.--TCHS's Donna Powell who won the 400 Hurdles in 1986. PHS's Stephan Fletcher was first male hurdler to ever repeat as M.O.C. hurdles winner. Robbinsville's Noel Jacewicz acceptance speech According to President Genovesi, Trenton's Poppy Sanderson who was inducted as a special contributor was first full-time trainer in county high school history. Donna Powell along with Coach Al Jennings and family. Steinert's Rich Henrie, MOC winner Discus 1982 The festivities also included the announcement of a new award to be given out by the hall of fame committee starting in spring of 2027. The award is for "county athlete of the year" and will be named The Martin Trophy in honor of Steinert's Doug Martin. Martin was inducted last evening as a coach and championship meet director whose exceptional service in the sport spanned 40 years. Doug Martin There were two scholarships awarded at the event as well. The George Wah Scholarship was awarded to Wilberforce's Laura Sallade and the Larry Ivan Scholarship was awarded to West Windsor South's Julius Kinsler. Sallade & Kinsler - Scholarship Winners Special thanks to Mercer Oaks, all the sponsors, and Aryan Hiray (Video Technician) To view more photos from this year's banquet see the gallery page here. To view detailed bios of this year's inductees or any inductees from past years, see the inductees page here. © 2026 Mercer County Track & Field Hall of Fame Back to Articles & News

The Peddie School – All-Around Champion The captain of the Peddie Track Team, Charles H Marshall won 3 gold medals at the inaugural NJSIAA State Meet in 1919. He won the 120 Yard Hurdles, Pole Vault, and Discus. He also finished 4th in the Javelin. His scoring efforts led Peddie’s team to finish runner-up to Blair in the NJ State Prep Championship Division. Marshall showing the PV form that led him to 1 of his 3 state titles in 1919 The next season at the 1920 state meet, Marshall repeated as 120 hurdles champion--breaking the meet record. He also finished 2nd in the Discus and scored 4th in 3 other events to lead Peddie’s team to another runner-up finish, this time behind champions Lawrenceville Prep. Charles was a multiple sport star at Peddie, playing on back to back state champion basketball teams, as well as playing football. After graduation he went on to play football at Brown University. An excellent scholar, he won The Wyckoff Honor Fellowship--Peddie’s highest graduation prize. Marshall (center) and the Peddie Track Team circa 1919 Go here for the Charles Marshall Photo Collection Back to Historical Class

Published 8/4/2026 In the middle of the 19th century, before organized track meets on standard oval tracks began in Mercer, there were contests of speed in the capital county. They took place in the form of foot races.. Also known as pedestrianism in those times, the contests were commonly match-races, paring off two individual runners. Runners were professionals. The usual reward for such contests were money prizes, and wagers among spectators were common. The first documented sprint races in Mercer took place in Trenton in the mid-1800s. In November of 1856, a major sprint race in Trenton between David Carr of Wrightstown NJ, and Isaac "Lancaster Ike" Schultz who hailed from Kentucky was set to be contested near the Eagle Tavern Hotel on South Broad Street. The tavern was near the site of an old horse racing track called "The Eagle Course" that had closed in 1850. The winning prize was for $1,000.00 (a sum of money worth around $30,000.00 today). The Eagle Tavern (built 1765) located at 433 S. Broad St, Trenton NJ The event was to be a return for Lancaster Ike who had competed in the city of Trenton 4 years previously in 1852. Like Lancaster Ike, David Carr too was a champion sprinter of the era and had just enjoyed a victory over a sprinter from NY. The preview of the race as reported in the NJ Herald was as follows: New Jersey Herald, Nov 15, 1856 The "New Yorker" whom Carr had beaten "some time ago" was Sewell A. Dodge. They competed over 100 yards on May 27th in Trenton. Dodge was a formidable opponent who had a personal best in the 200 Yards of 21 seconds, but Carr was faster in the 100. (Article about the race below). New York Daily Herald, May 25, 1856 Carr was busy in 1856. He had claimed additional victories that year. One was over a man named Barney, and the other The Trenton Historican Society reports was against Henry Horten, on July 1st, also in Trenton. The Ike verses Carr battle was eventually moved to December, and as the pre-race hype grew, the reports of the epic matchup spread nationally. Papers around the country previewed the showdown. Stories were printed as far away as Louisville and New Orleans. The Louisville Daily Courier, Kentucky, Nov 18, 1856 The Daily Orleanian, New Orleans Louisiana, November 27, 1856 It seemed that the city of Trenton in Mercer County NJ was the center of the sprint universe in 1856. On race day 3,000 spectators showed up to watch Lancaster Ike go head to head with Carr. Many of the onlookers made wagers on who would be the winner. Unfortunately, in an anti-climactic turn of events... the race never went off. All that remained after the letdown was a vague and ambiguous account of the cancellation by the press: New Jersey Herald Sat, Dec 06, 1856 No one will ever know what would have happened had Carr and Ike took to the line to settle which one was the faster. One can only speculate. What's for sure is the forfeit was costly to Carr. He had to pay out $250.00 to NOT put his reputation on the line. That was a heavy sum of money in the mid 19th Century. The New York Clipper, Dec 6, 1856 As for the two competitors, neither retired. They went on to take match races against other competitors in the following years. Many such match races occurred on the streets and athletic fields of Trenton. © 2026 Mercer County Track & Field Hall of Fame Back to Articles & News

Robbinsville HS track alumnus, and current Coach at Princeton HS

Trenton Central High School – State Record Holder Karl “Beaner” Horton won back-to-back NJ Class A State Championships in the 440 Yard Dash in 1923 and 1924. In the 1923 meet he set the state record with a time of 51.2 seconds, breaking the previous record by a full second. At the Championships of South Jersey in 1923 Horton won the 100 Yard Dash and the 440. At the same meet in the spring of 1924 he won the same 2 events again, and added the Long Jump to his efforts by placing 2nd. Along with running for Trenton High School, Horton ran for The Trenton Times AA Club. He set an AAU record while winning a Middle Atlantic States Track and Field Championship in 1926. In the same meet he placed 2nd in the 220 and 4th in the 100. In 1927 he won the New Jersey YMCA Championship in the 100 and 440. Horton's best ever run in the 440 came between his junior and senior years at TCHS when he hit a time of 50 4/5 seconds on July 15th of 1923 while winning the Police Day field meet at the Trenton Fair Grounds. Track and field was not the only sport where Horton excelled. He was captain of the Trenton High School Soccer Team – 1922 State Champions. He shared his nickname with his father Walter who was a professional minor league baseball player. MAJOR TITLES WON 2-TIME CLASS A STATE CHAMPION 440 YDS (1923 & 1924) 4-TIME SJ SECTIONAL CHAMPION, 100 YDS (1923 & ‘24), 440 YDS (1923 & ‘24) 2-TIME TRENTON CITY CHAMPION 440 YARDS (1923 & 1924) MIDDLE-STATES AAU CHAMPION 440 YARDS (1926) Back to Historical Class

Trenton Central High School -- Sprinter Some things in athletics we take for granted. Over the last several decades, Trenton High has had so much track and field success on the state level that one can easily believe that it has gone on forever, despite the fact that the first girls’ state group meet wasn’t held until 1973. Trenton High boys’ track success goes back over a century but this time period was the turning point for the ladies, the overdue moment when Trenton High girls finally got their chance on the track. In Year 5, Trenton got its first two Group IV state champions: Dorothea Smith(220 Yards) and her Tornado teammate Gina Nelson (100 Yards). Smith was Trenton High's first great female sprinter. She first won the 220 Yard Mercer County Championship as a sophomore in 1975. That same meet she anchored the winning 440 Yard Relay to take another gold medal. By spring of 1977 Smith had developed into one of the top-ranked high school sprinters in NJ. Her 25.8 second victory in the State Group IV 220-yard dash was close--edging out runner-up Paulette Hackett of Bridgeton (25.9) and third-place finisher Donna Auletti of Middletown South (25.9). Her clutch victory thus stood as the beginning of an era of Trenton High girls’ excellence would last for decades to come. Smith followed up this performance with a second-place finish at the Meet of Champions the following week, putting a bookend on a magical season. A 4-time Mercer County champion in her career (she not won the previously mentioned 220 & 440 Relay double in 1975, she repeated in the same two events in '77), Smith can appropriately be dubbed one of the pioneers of Trenton High girls’ track. She held the Trenton school record in the 220 until 1982 when the mark was broken by future Olympian Wenda Vereen. MAJOR TITLES NJ STATE CHAMPION GROUP IV, 220 YARDS (1977) 2x MERCER COUNTY 220 YARDS CHAMPION (1975 & '77) 2x MERCER COUNTY 440 RELAY CHAMPION (1975 & '77) Back to Class of 2026