New Jersey Weekly Roundup
Thursday, April 26, 2006 By Ed Grant
Individual rather team success is likely to be the story for New Jersey schools at the Penn Relays this weekend with three events taking the spotlight: the boys' 3,000-meter run, the girls' mile and the girls' 400-meter hurdles.
The 3K could turn into a private party for the Garden State contingent which is led by Craig Forys of Colts Neck, Ben Massam of Chatham and Jeff Perrella of Westfield. Forys placed second this winter in the Nike Invitational two mile at Landover, in the process setting a state indoor record for the shorter distance. Massam has already run 9:16.17 for 3200 this spring and Perrella has had a 4:15.6 1600-meter relay leg.
Danielle Tauro of Southern Ocean seems a shoo-in for the girls' mile title with her closest rivals all busy anchoring their teams in the preceding distance medley on Thursday. Tauro, who won the Millrose Mile this winter is looking to complete the hat trick in the event this year, winning at Penn and then at the outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. (She anchored a distance medley victory at Landover.)
Krystal Cantey of Winslow Twp took the outdoor national 400-meter hurdle title last spring with a state record of 56.85, but has done little hard running this spring after suffering a leg injury late in the indoor season. If she is not in top form, Leslie Njoku of McNair Academic of Jersey City may be an able reserve after running 1:00.09 last spring.
The state's top relay hope is Roxbury in the girls' distance medley. The Gaels set a state record at the Nationals indoors, but will have a tough time with favored Suffern of New York, which won that one with plenty to spare. There is also the defending Warwick Valley, N.Y.. team which is still anchored by Aislinn Ryan.
Ocean City, which finished fourth a year ago without Brittany Sedberry, is also in the field, but has only run the event once this year, a modest 12:24.8 at the opening Buena Relays on April 1. Sedberry and Renee Tomlin, who anchored the 2005 team and later chased Tauro to the state all-group 1600-meter title in 4:49.11 may be the best 1200/1600 combine in the race, but the Red Raiders could be hurt in the shorter legs.
Colts Neck and Pope John could have given New Jersey two more strong entries, but the Cougars have chosen to wait till next year and enter their distance stars, Ashley Higginson and Briana Jackucewicz, in the individual 3K, where they will be a major factor. Pope John has chosen the 3200R since its indoor 1200 leadoff girl, Lauren Bariexca, is still serving a 30-day penalty (her third of the year) for transferring last fall from West Morris. The Lions will also be a potent force next year with its entire team back.
East Orange put itself in the picture for the girls' 1600-meter final when it scored an impressive 3:52.97 win over Boys and Girls at the New York Relays last Saturday at Icahn Stadium. The conditions, to say the least, were not the best, with most New Jersey meets canceling events in the face of the rain, wind and cold. For example, Camden Wilson, the No. 2 team in the state indoors, went home early from the Raider Relays at Hillsboro after setting meet records of 49.4 and 1:03.9 in the 400R and shuttle hurdles. Camden, the state's top 400R team was almost two seconds off its season best of 48.0 at the Woodbury Relays where they cancelled the closing sprint medley and 1600-meter relay in the four-division meet.
Some of the state's top sprint teams simply didn't show up at all at the Willingboro Relays. among the absentees were the Irvington 400-meter relay team which has run 42.0 this spring, the Franklin girls, who were going to run for the first time all year with its two stars, Toneisha Friday and Symone O'Connor, together.in the 400R and 1600R, and the Piscataway girls in those same events.
Old Bridge, which ran 3:18.38 for the 1600 indoors, has yet to make an all-out effort in the event outdoors, being very careful with the condition of its anchor, Bryant McCombs, who has been bothered year by a minor leg injury. Paterson Kennedy, which made the boys; 1600-meter final last year, has its entire team back, but most of them are also nursing injuries, with star anchorman Shaquan Brown, still suffering pain from a winter shoulder operation though he has posted a couple of sub-50.0 anchor legs under wraps and has run 54.4 in the intermediate hurdles.
Despite last weekend's awful weather, there were a couple of noteworthy marks in longer events. At the Woodbury Relays, Msgr. Donovan's sophomore-dominated DMR team set a meet record of 12:36.3, indicating it will have to be reckoned with next year. And, at the rain-shortened Rebel Relays in Howell, Freehold Twp had a 9:37.5 in the 3200-meter relay.
The state's largest meet last weekend, the Bergen County Relays, was a two-day affair and Friday's weather allowed for some decent marks. Teaneck's girls had a record 1:45.0 in the A division. The Teaneck boys ran 3:37.5 in the SMR and Ridgewood topped Northern Highlands in the 6400R in 18:01.4. The Highlanders came back to win the 3200R in 8:09.7 and the 1600R in 3:28.8, both anchored by Ben Diestel.
Ridgewood won a tough team battle from Don Bosco in the boys' A division, 106 1/4-99 1/4 even though its Penn-entered DMR (with a lightened lineup) lost that event to the Ironmen. But Shenise Halsey of Old Tappan almost personally prevented a Maroon sweep, defeating the girls, 93-87, as she led wins in the SHR (1:05.2), HJR (5-5 1/4) and TJ (36-7). River Dell did doubled the B title, Ramsey's boys and Pascack Hills' girls split honors in C and Hasbrouck Heights and Waldwick did the same in D.
The Woodbury titles were tainted by the early closing but, for the record, the boys' titles were awarded to Winslow Twp in Gr. IV, Kingway in Gr. III, Holy Cross and Deptford in Gr. II and Penns Grove in Gr. I, with Cherry Hill East, Okacrest, Msgr Donovan and Palmyra the counterpart winners in the girls' action.
Atlantic City's weight duo of Kim Warren and indoor all-group SP champ Mercedes Hicks had a great meet with Warren winning both the SP and DT (where she is a Penn entry) at 41-10 1/2 and 143-7 and Hicks hitting 40-2 1/2 for second in the SP and 128-5 for third in the discus behind Jen Frank of Delsea who threw 138-11.