 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Lambert's State Meet of Champs Re-caps
Girls Recap - Boys Recap
NJ Girls Meet of Champions was one of the best ever
BY JIM LAMBERT
With four meet records broken and another tied, US #1 performances from Jill Smith of Southern in the 1,600 and Dominique Booker of Montclair Immaculate in the 55 dash, Saturday’s 31st Girls NJ Meet of Champions will go down as one of the greatest ever.
Here is a recap of what happened in each event at the Bennett Center in Toms River:
55 dash - Junior Dominique Booker of Montclair Immaculate regained the US #1 spot with her sizzling win in 6.92, taking down the meet record of 6.93 set last year by Ogechi Nwaneri of Chatham. Booker is now tied for No. 5 in NJ history.
400 - US #1 quarter miler Nijgia Snapp of Oakcrest (55.33) shot by Amber Allen of Passaic Tech with 150 meters left and held off a hard charging Michelle Brown of Seneca to win her second straight title in 55.74, leading three girls under 56 seconds for the first time in meet history. Brown is second in a US #4 55.88 and Allen third in a US #5 55.95.
800 - Freshman phenom Ajee’ Wilson of Neptune burned a 62.2 first 400 to open a huge gap and brought it home in a meet record 2:10.45. The broke the meet record of 2:11. , her own state freshman record, the Monmouth County record and is No. 3 in the US this season and No, 5 in NJ history.
1,600 - Senior Jill Smith of Southern became the second girl to win three straight 1,600-meter titles when she ran a US #1 4:48.53. Running the final indoor 1,600 of her high school career, the Michigan-bound Smith ripped a 2:19.5 final 800 on her way to a meet record 4:48.23. Smith joined Cathy Feeney of Wayne Valley (1988-90) as the only three-time 1,600 winners in the 31 year history of the girls meet.
3,200 - In a race featuring 10 runners under 11 minutes, Lanie Thompson of Voorhees won her fifth M of C title, all in consecutive seasons, by using a late kick to fight off surprising challenger Angela Rugino of Toms River North as the two runners ran a US #2 and US #3 times of 10:39.39 and 10:39.71. Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck was third in a US #4 10:41.35, and Chelsea Ley of Kingsway took fourth in 10:43.10.
55 hurdles - Briana Feldhaus of Randolph had been stuck on 8.30 in the hurdles for two years, running that time last year and again this season. She picked the perfect time to finally break through that barrier as she won her first M of C title when the senior ran a US #9 8.12 to finish first.
High jump - Emily Kianka tweaked her ankle, but not before the junior notched a big first for Hopewell Valley. Kianka took gold in the high jump to give the successful program its first indoor title at the Meet of Champions. Kianka and second-place finisher Samantha Yeats of Voorhees both cleared 5-6, but Kianka made it over the height on her first attempt while Yeats needed two jumps. Kianka then rolled her left ankle on her first shot at 5-8, causing her to miss on her last two tries at that height. But luckily for her, Yeats missed on all three of her attempts to give Hopewell Valley, winner of a state-record-tying six indoor Group 2 titles, its first M of C winner. Kianka came into the event as the favorite after posting the state’s best jump of 5-7½ while winning the Group 2 title last week. She seemed to thrive on the pressure, not missing on any jump until going for 5-8.
Shot put - After having to throw from a standing position the week before at the state Group 4 meet because of a sore groin, NJ #1 thrower Shannon Watt of Jackson was back to spinning , and after a 42-6 ¼, found herself winning.
Pole vault - Chrissy Finkel of Montville was on the brink of being eliminated from a chance to win twice, but refused to let it happen. She came it at 11-0 and made that height on her third and final try to stay alive. Then, faced with the losing to Nicole Pompei on misses, Finkel came through in the clutch again, making 12-6 on heer final attempt to win the title and tie the meet record.
4x400 - Camden broke the final girls meet record by winning the 4x400 relay in a US #9 3:55.08, No. 22 in state history.That broke the mark of 3:55.24 set in 1998 by a Montclair team that featured All-American’s Mikele and MeLisa Barber and Aleah Williams. Mikele Barber was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. Camden used the foursome of Shaquanda Gainey (58.2), Jamie Jones (59.1), Assante Johnson (58.7) and Victoria Clark (58.7).
NJ Boys Meet of Champions had its share of memorable moments
Nick Vena’s meet record bomb, Morris Hills distance double and James Brown’s meet record tying dash highlighted the 41st Boys NJ Meet of Champions.
Here is a look at what took place in each event at the Bennett Center in Toms River on Saturday.
55 dash - James Brown of Glassboro burned a NJ #1 6.38 to win the 55 dash and equal the meet record set last year by Damier Johnson of Long Branch. Brown, the first M of C winner from Glassboro, knocked off favored Damiere Byrd of Timber Creek, third in 6.48. Byrd came into the race as the state leader with a 6.39, the state sophomore record. Stephon Knox of Plainfield was second in 6.45.
400 - There weren’t very many people giving Andrew Burt a chance to win. Burt wasn’t one of them. With the nation’s No. 1 400 runner at the time, defending champion Clayton Parros of Seton Hall Prep (47.58), absent from the meet with a slightly strained hamstring, Isaiah Gill of Plainfield, the M of C 400 winner in the spring, became the overwhelming favorite to win. But Burt, a senior at Lacey, took control of the two-lapper right away, hitting the 200 mark in front of the field in a blistering 22.8. Ryan Spadola of Freehold Township and then Gill both made charges at Burt, but he refused to give up the lead and crossed first in 49.33, No. 14 in the nation this season. Burt is the first boy from Lacey to win an M of C track title. Gill was second in 49.54 and Spadola third in 49.65. ``I believed all along that I had a chance to win,’’ said Burt, the Group 3 champion last week in 50.04. ``The time I ran last week, I just ran to win. I knew I had a lot more in me.’’
800 - Xavier Fraction kept his race intentions quiet all week as he debated between running the 800 and 1,600. When he finally made up his mind, the senior at Washington came up with a sensational performance, capturing he four lapper in a US # 3 1:54.82. Tivo Rivera of Kingsway was second in 1:55.16 as he lowered his own state sophomore record. Lucas Clyne of Morris Hills was third in a persona best 1:55.45.
1,600/3,200 - Right after Liam Tansey of Morris Hills crossed the line to win the 1,600 in a 4:11.95, No. 9 in state history, No. 2 in meet history and No. 8 in the nation this season, his teammate, Sean Pohorence, got an adrenalin rush. ``Seeing Liam do that inspired me so much,’’ said Pohorence. ``We train together everyday, so to see him do that made me believe that I could do it as well.’’ Just about 24 minutes after Tansey’s sensational performance, Pohorence did what many didn’t think was possible when he made a huge surge with 300 meters left and kept pushing it all the way across the line, stopping the clock in 9:08.55, No. 3 in the nation this season and No. 20 in state history. Tansey and Pohorence are the third set of teammates to win the 1,600 and 3,200 at the same M of C. Pohorence’s time was a drop of 15 seconds off his previous personal best. The 3,200 was billed as a showdown between Doug Smith of Gill St. Bernard’s, who had the state’s fastest time this season of 9:16.50 and was second last year in 9:01.86, and sophomore star Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North. But after Smith faded over the last 800, winding up ninth in 9:26.11, Rosa and Pohorence waged a two-man battle over the final three laps. Rosa was controlling the pace until Pohorence exploded to the front with a lap and half remaining to win. Rosa was second in 9:13.30. Pohorence said it was hard at first to convince himself that he could win. ``You look at how much faster some guys have run than I have and it’s hard sometimes to see how you can go out there and drop your time down to what they’ve run to give yourself a chance,’’ said Pohorence. ``But my coach (Sean Robinson) made me believe and put together a great race plan and then Liam winning really motivated me.’’ Robinson said the plan was stick near the front and make it a 600 meter race anad then let your will take over. ``I told these guys on Tuesday that there wasn’t anyone out there that thought they could both do this except me and them,’’ said Morris Hills coach Sean Robinson. ``I knew they were ready for this.’’ Tansey chose the 1,600 over the 800 because he felt a race with Jim Rosa, Joe’s twin, would be a classic duel. He was right. After a 2:08 first 800 with Rosa out front, Tansey went to the gas with about 220 meters left to pull away from the win. For Tansey, who ran the final 400 in 60.1, the 4:11.95 is a big personal best, while Rosa’s runner-up time of 4:13.12 broke the state sophomore record of 4:15.5 for the mile run by Kevin Byrne of Bergen Catholic in 1975. Before yesterday, Morris Hills hadn’t had a M of C winner since Fred Bronner won the 800 in 1985. Tansey’s 4:11.95 is the second fastest time in meet history, trailing only the 4:06.6 mile that Vince Cartier of Scotch Plains-Fanwood ran in 1972, which stood as the national indoor record until 1976. ``To win personally is a great accomplishment,’’ said Tansey. ``But I am more happy for our program to do what we did today. ``It was just amazing.’’
Boys 55 hurdles - Josh Evans and Rolston Braithwaite crossed the finish line and immediately looked over at eachother. ``Who won,’’ Trenton’s Braithwaite motioned over to Evans with his arms in the air. Evans, a senior at Irvington, responded by throwing his arms up as well. ``It was impossible to tell,’’ said Evans, headed to National Champion Florida on a football scholarship. About five minutes after the race, it was Evans that received the good news that he emerged victorious by the slimmest of margins, US#3 7.40 to US#4 7.41, personal bests for both. Evans was ecstatic with the news as he avoided a third straight M of C runner-up finish over the barriers. He was second last spring and last winter. ``It feels so good to finally get one of these,’’ said Evans. ``It’s like being on top of the world as far as high school track goes.’’ Evans is Irvington’s first M of C winner since Dwayne Brake won the 800 in 1982 (1:56.5).
High jump - Alex Smith of Rumson said he prefers going first in the later stages of an event. That is, if he's successful on his first attempt. Smith led off the the bids to clear 6-8 and made it, then watched as the two remaining competitors missed on all three of their attempts, to become the first Meet of Champions winner from Rumson in school history. ``If you make it on your first try, you can really ice the field,’’ said Smith, headed to Lehigh University next fall. ``It doubles the pressure. If you miss it, it gives them a comfort level.’’ Smith, Glenn Scheideler of Randolph and Kyle Soden of Hanover Park all jumped over 6-6 to set themselves up as the final three competitors. Scheideler ended up in second and Soden, third.
Smith kept a string alive for Monmouth County, which has now gone seven straight years with at least one boys winner at the M of C.
Shot put - For a while it looked like the only thing Nick Vena might break was a light. But then on his final attempt in the shot put, Vena, the sophomore throwing sensation from Morristown, unloaded a 67-7 to break the meet record of 67-3 set in 1998 by Kevin DiGiorgio of Bayonne, which stood as the state record until Vena hit 67-8 ¼ in December, the No. 3 throw in the nation this season. Prior to his meet record bomb, Vena’s best throw of the meet was a 65-6, but after two sector fouls in the finals, he put it all together on his last try. ``I was throwing to the left too much, so on that last one I moved over a little to my left to see if that would help, and I was able to keep it in (bounds),’’ said Vena. While his 67-7 sent a buzz through the crowd, there was even more talk about one of his warm-up tosses that hit one of the lights that hangs down from the ceiling of the Bennett Center bubble, probably about 35 to 40 feet above the ground, putting a dent in the light fixture and causing fans to gasp. ``It (the light) kind of got in the way,’’ said Vena, who has a list of objects that he’s broken from his throws in the Morristown gym during practice. Vena’s 67-7 was his third straight meet over 67 feet.
Pole vault - Just when it seemed as if both pole vaulters had nothing left, Greg Kelley of Toms River North proved otherwise. After more than four hours of competition, Kelley finally beat out Greg Hoffman of Park Ridge in a jump-off to capture the M of C title. After both made 15-0 and were tied on misses as well, Kelley cleared 14-6 in a jump-off to clinch the title. Both made 15-0, the top jump in the state this season, on their last attempt. Hoffman grazed the bar but it stayed up. Then neither made it over on three attempts at 15-6 and both appeared to be tired. When the bar went back down in the jump-off, both missed on all three attempts at 15-3 and it looked as if 14-6 wouldn't be low enough. In fact, Park Ridge coach Andy Washnik and Toms River North coach Bob Amos were discussing the possibility of calling it a draw just as Kelley hit his winning jump.
4x400 relay - Rahway hadn’t won a 4x400 at the M of C since it captured that race at the outdoor meet in 1979. But the all-senior lineup of Russell Jenkins (51.7), Ricky Draughn (49.8), Chris Brown (51.2) and Whyte (50.2) held off Columbia of Maplewood and Timber Creek of Sicklerville broke that drought by crossing first in 3:23.02. Timber Creek, the top seed, settled for second in 3:23.42 and Columbia was third in 3:23.47.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
