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Young grabs double gold and breaks a meet record; IHA runs US #12 4x800 (9:29.7)
Clayton (HJ) and Leroy (PV) tie meet marks
By JIM LAMBERT
 Ebony Young (photo left in the 4 x 400 by John Nepolitan) was tired and her legs were throbbing. But that didn’t stop the senior at Hillsborough NJ from turning in a great all-round performance at the Metropolitan Invitational.
Young was all over New York’s New Balance Track & Field Center, hurdling, jumping and running back as she hustled back and fourth between all of her events.
``I wasn’t sure if my legs would hold up,’’ said Young.
But they held up long enough for her to break a meet record and walk over the awards table to pick up two gold medals. Young’s night started off with three attempts in the triple jump. She then ran three rounds of the 55 hurdles, capped by a victory in 8.6. Then she returned to the triple jump runway for the finals, landing a meet record 38-4 on her second attempt. After that, Young added a third-place finish in the long jump (16-9), and capped her memorable performance with a 60.5 leg on the sixth-place 4x400 relay team.
In the triple jump, Young edged defending champion and Ada Unachukwu of Marlboro (37-10 ¾), who set the meet mark of 37-11 ¼ last year. Unachukwu signed with Michigan today. ``I am surprised because all the back and forth was very tough on me and I’ve had a knee issue (tendinitis),’’ said Young, who has a personal indoor best in the TJ of 38-7. ``My legs were so sore. I wasn’t sure I could as much as I did, but things turned out pretty good.’’
Things also turned out pretty good for Sarah Pagano (photo below by John Nepolitan) of Immaculate Heart NJ and her 4x800 team, and for Sydnie Leroy of Port Jervis (NY), Janelle Clayton of Suffern NY, and Megan Patrignelli of Monroe-Woodbury NY.
Leroy and Clayton each tied meet records. Leroy match her personal best in the pole vault by clearing 12-0, and Clayton made 5-6 in the high jump. Patrignelli ran 2:14.4 to narrowly miss the meet record in the 800 of 2:14.1
The Syracuse-bound Pagano came from way back on the fnal lap to win the 1,600 in 5:08.9,  and ran a 2:24.5 second leg to help her team win the 4x800 in a US #12 9:29.7. In the 1,600, the Syracuse-bound Pagano used a 36.8 final 200 to make up a 15 meter deficit and overtake Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck to win the 1,600 in 5:08.9. Jackucewicz, who grabbed the lead with a big push with three laps to go, was second in 5:10.6. ``I was trying not to let her get such a big lead, but she did start to pull away on the second to last lap,’’ said Pagano. ``I just told myself that I had to go with everything I had on that last lap. I wasn’t sure if I could get her, but I had something left.’’
In the 4x800, IHA led five teams under 9:50. IHA received splits of 2:19.5 from Michelle McCourt, 2:24.5 from Pagano, 2:26.2 from Mary Kaye Duff and 2:19 from anchor Julie Sinkovitz. Also in the 4x800, Marlboro NJ was second in a school record and Penn Relay qualifying 9:36.5, #18 in the US this season. Marlboro, which slashed 10 seconds off its school record, received splits of 2:19 from senior Lauren Pietrosh, 2:28 from junior Jen Vatreno, 2:29 from freshman Rachel Weinberger, and 2:20 from senior Brittany Pietrosh, Lauren’s twin.
In the 4x400, Pope John made it a sweep (it also won the boys’ 4x400) by running 4:07.3. The baton was handled by sophomore Amanda Banas (63.3), junior Ashley Taylor (61.2), sophomore Kelsey Steele (62.5), and rising freshman star Devin Smith (60.4).
South Brunswick NJ also had a very impressive meet. It won the 4x200 in 1:45.6, took third in the 4x800 in a Middlesex County record 9:43.0, and finished second in the 4x400 in 4:07.6. Junior Sophia Ginez anchored the South Brunswick 4x800 in 2:17.6 as it broke the Middlesex County record of 9:43.34 set by Old Bridge in 2002
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