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New Jersey Weekly Roundup |
State Meet Preview/Review of Key MeetsA pair of smashing miles by Danielle Tauro of Southern Ocean and Craig Forys of Colts Neck highlighted the pre-all-group weekend of action in New Jersey and also helped to launch the "second season," which will follow this Sunday's state championship meet at Jadwin Gym in Princeton. Tauro's race came in the Millrose high school girls event last Friday as she outran the cream of the Northeast crop of milers (minus, of course, Nicole Blood of Saratoga, whose independent status this year barred her from the field). Blood's former teammate Lindsay Ferguson set the pace with Colleen Wetherbee of Dennis-Yarmouth (Mass.), Tauro laying back in third, 10-12 yards behind. With less than two laps left, pre-race favorite Aislinn Ryan of Monroe-Woodbury went past Tauro, but Danielle immediately responded and then began the final lap charge toward the leading pair, passing them just before the final turn and going on to win by five yards in 4:51.89, third fastest time in the history of the event. Only Californian Sarah Schwald and Cherri Goddard have run faster in the 1989 race. Forys was not accepted to the Millrose boys' race for lack of a suitable individual time this winter (though he had run 4:14+ in a relay) so he waited to the next day to spin off a 4:09.77 in the open mile at the New Balance Collegiate Classic at the New York Armory. He was only seventh in the race against post-collegians, but ran faster than the winner of the collegiate mile that day. Forys returned to the armory on Monday for the Varsity Classic, which really got the second season under way. But this time he chose the 800M and finished only third to Anthony LaMastro of Pope John and Mike Pachella of Wallkill Valley. This win capped quite a night for LaMastro, who had earlier led off the Lions' DMR team in 3:06.5 (after a 65-second first 400). Tauro, Forys and LaMastro have all qualified for two events at Sunday's all-group meet. Danielle may well choose the 800 over the 1600 for another go at Lauren Gregory of Morris Knolls, whom she defeated for the Gr. IV title two weeks ago. Gregory had her own moment last weekend when she finished 3rd in the high school invitation 1K in 2:54.35, breaking her own Morris County record. She also finished second in 4:57.6 in the Varsity Classic 1600 to Ashley Higginson of Colts Neck, who ran 4:54.7. Forys won the Gr. III 1600 and 3200 handily two weeks ago and the time schedule would allow him to tty this double again with the 3200 (which comes first) bringing him up against Ben Massam of Chatham who set a record of 9:12.4 at the Varsity Classic. LaMastro will have to choose between the 800 and 1600 and, after his Classic victory in the 800, he may well pick the 1600 this time. Several other all-group favorites were in action at the Classic. A.J. Bunton of West Deptford doubled the 55 and 200 in hand-times of 6.2 and 21.7. Bryant McCombs of Old Bridge, who won the AG 200 last year but didn't run it this time, took the 400 in 49.6 with Garrett Kroner of Indian Hills, the Gr. II champ, third in the 200 in 22.0. The 400 could well be the race of the day on Sunday with McCombs and Kroner matched with twins Charles and Chris Cox of Monmouth and Southern Ocean, respectively, and Corey Wright of Neptune, who all ran under 50.0 on the 10-lap track at Red Bank last Sunday in the Shore Conference meet. Missing from the race, however, will be Pat Blackie of Seton Hall, who suffered a slight leg injury after also running under 50.0 in winning the Essex County title on Saturday at Seton Hall. Ryan Manning of West Orange, co-favorite in the AG high jump with Josh Butler of Delsea, doubled that event and the long jump at the Varsity Classic at 6-6 and 23-10, best in the state this winter. Devon Purves of Haddonfield, the AG pole vault favorite, tied the meet record at 15-0 1/4, while Pierre James of Franklin, who was advanced to the AG meet after failing to place in the Gr. III meet, took the shot put at 55-6 1/2, with season leader Steve D'Arcy of Hanover Park taking the night off. James' situation requires an explanation. The rule at the group meet was that anyone not making a minimum mark on his (or her) first two tries didn't get the third shot. James' fouled his first two, lofting the ball more than 50 feet both times. He has not been under that mark in any meet this winter. So an appeal was made and, quite rightly, he was advanced. The all-group meet will also provide a rubber match for Seton Hall and Old Bridge in the 1600-meter relay. Old Bridge "won" the first one at the Millrose trials, where the teams did not run the same heat. But, at the Millrose Games, Blackie opened a big lead on the second leg and Brad Plucinski just held off McCombs in 3:29.95. There were some notable absentees at the Classic among AG favorites in the girls' events, mostly due to geography. South Jersey stars, such as four-time Gr. IV winner Nia Ali of Pleasantville, three-time Gr. III champ Krystal Cantey of Winslow Twp and Brittany Sedberry of Ocean City were all among the missing with a two-hour of more trip home facing them with school the next day. Tauro and Kristen Mahon of Notre Dame, co-favorite with Ali in Sunday's 200, had local meet obligations. In their absence, Ogechi Nwaneri of Chatham took the 55M in 6.8, Celeste Holder of Parsippany took the 400 in 57.6 (and also won the LJ at 18-10), Higginson, as noted, the 1600 and New Yorkers the 3200 and 55H. Roxbury chose to concentrate on the relays and turned in one of the fastest distance doubles in state history, winning the 3200 in 9:18.1 and the distance medley in 12:05.1 with freshman newcomer Arianna Neutts subbing for Kristen Ryan in both races. Jenn Ennis anchored the DMR in 5:02.9. East Orange, which won a close race from Camden Wilson on Friday night at the Millrose meet in 3:57.46, came back the next day to run away with the Essex County title, Raquel Vassell tripling the 55, 200 and 55H. The boys' crown went to Irvington which had a 1-2-3 finish in the 55H and a 2-3-4 in the 55 dash behind Kieron Gardiner of Bloomfield who had the fastest time on a NJ track this winter at 6.51. Christian Brothers and Jackson continued their dominance at the Shore Conferenece meet, the Colts topping Neptune, 48-38, and the Jaguars demolishing their rivals in the girls' meet with a 77-28 margin over Ocean Twp. Tauro limited herself to a leg on a winning 1600R team at this one, with the distance races going to the Jackson pair of Amanda Marino and Jen Clausen, who scored her first win of the winter in the 3200 in 11:15.83. Missing from this meet were Forys, who would have broken the three-consecutive-day rule had he competed there, and both Higginson and Briana Jackucewicz, who ran 1-3 in the Varsity Classic 1600 the next night. |
DyeStat |
John Dye - founder and editor in chief |