Group Championships FAQ, fixture information, order of events and how to progress

Sectionals are complete and successful athletes and teams are preparing to compete for state titles at this weekend’s group championships.

New Jersey’s best will be in attendance and competing hard in one of six group meets taking place Friday and Saturday. The stakes couldn’t be higher as a state title and a spot at the Meet of Champions are on the line.

Before the action begins, NJ.com has everything you need to know, from meeting locations to the order of events and more. We’ll also have previews of each group title race later in the week.

Find below all the information you will need to prepare for this weekend’s group championship matches.

What are Group Championships?

The group championships are the second round of the track and field playoffs and the quest to crown an individual state champion in all 18 events across six groups. Teams and individuals enter this stage after sections.

Between boys and girls, there will be 12 group meets (6 per gender) across two sites, meaning we will see 6 boys teams and 6 girls teams crowned state champions this weekend.

When and where will these meetings take place?

This year’s group championships will feature three venues with two groups competing at each venue. Groups 1, 4 will travel to Franklin High School, Groups 2 and 3 will be at Delsea High School and the non-public groups will compete at Stockton College. The competitions will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Friday June 7 and at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday June 8.

How to qualify for the Meet of Champions?

The top two finishers in each of the 15 individual events will automatically qualify for the Meet of Champions at Franklin High School on June 14. Additionally, the top 18 finishers in each event (excluding the top two automatic bids), regardless of the venue they competed at. will also be eligible.

For events where athletes must progress and participate in a final flight or series, wildcards will only be chosen from athletes who participated in these finals.

What is the order of events for these meetings?

For all running events, boys will run first. Small schools will operate first, followed by large schools.

Current events – Friday

• 4×400
• 4×100
• 800
• 100 – tests
• 400 hurdles
• 100 – finals
• 3,200

Running Events – Saturday

• 400
• 110 hurdles – events
• 100 hurdles – events
• 4×800
• 100 hurdles – finals
• 110 hurdles – finals
• 4×800
• 200
• 1,600
• 4×400

Field Events – Friday

• Girls Shot put (Small schools then Large schools)
• Javelin Girls (Grandes Ecoles then Petites écoles)
• Discus Boys (Petites Écoles then Grandes Écoles)
• Girls Long jump (Grandes écoles then Petites écoles)
• Boys Triple jump (Petites Ecoles then Grandes écoles)
• High jump Boys (Petite Écoles and Grandes Écoles at the same time on 2 different sites)
• Pole vault Girls (Petite Écoles and Grandes Écoles at the same time on 2 different sites)

Field Events – Saturday

• Boys Shot put (Small schools then Large schools)
• Javelin Boys (Grandes Ecoles then Petites écoles)
• Discus girls (Small schools then large schools)
• Boys Long jump (Small schools then Large schools)
• Girls Triple jump (Grandes Ecoles then Petites écoles)
• Girls’ high jump (small schools and large schools at the same time on 2 different sites)
• Boys pole vault (Petite Écoles and Grandes Écoles at the same time on 2 different sites)

How to buy tickets for the group championships?

The NJSIAA will sell tickets online for each competition held, which must be purchased online and in advance. If you are attending a group championship competition on Friday and Saturday, you must purchase a ticket for each day. Here is the link to the NJSIAA tickets webpage.

Bakari Tice can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on @BakariTice.

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