Manchester's Jada Ellis Becomes 'New Jersey's Fastest Girl'

MANCHESTER, NJ — Manchester Township senior Jada Ellis broke a Shore Conference record Saturday and earned the title of "New Jersey's Fastest Girl" as she finished her high school track and field career with a gold medal at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.

Ellis won the 100-meter dash in 11.57 seconds, setting a Shore Conference record in the process, the Asbury Park Press reported. She beat Lauren Princz of Egg Harbor Township High School by nine-hundredths of a second. Princz ran 11.66 seconds. (Watch the race in the tweet at the bottom of this article.)

Ellis is the first Shore Conference girl to win the 100 at the Meet of Champions, which pits the top finishers from the NJSIAA Group meets around the state in a final best-of-the-best track meet of the season.

She's also the first Manchester athlete to win any event at the Meet of Champions.

Ellis is headed to the University of Maryland to continue her track career and study engineering, WOBM reported. The track coach at Maryland is Andrew Valmon, a Manchester native who won Olympic gold medals in the 4x400 in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics.

The Meet of Champions pits the top three finishers in each Group championships in a final best-of-the-best track meet of the season.

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