Boys Review -- Girls Review As New Jersey’s track and field teams make their final preparations for the state championships, the big question remains as it has all winter: how will the new facility at Bennett Center in Toms River fare as a replacement for Jadwin Gym. There is no question about the quality of the track; performances at the many meets held there since it opened a month ago provide enough evidence on that score. The queries center on whether it will be able to handle the number of people, athletes and spectators, particularly at the Gr. I and II sessions where the boys and girls divisions will be held together.
Boys
As far as the competition is concerned, the big mystery on the boys’ side is the condition of Colts Neck’s Craig Forys, who doubled the 1600 and 3200 in last winter’s all-group meet. Craig won both events in his “dress rehearsal” at the Shore Conference last weekend, but without any serious competition, which he will certainly get this weekend and next.
Looking to the team titles, it would seem that Trenton may be the only relay winner to repeat this time around. The Tornadoes look to have three gold medals in their pocket, Devon Bond in the HJ, Tykeen Fulton in the HH and the 1600-meter relay team, all of whom won there events in the Mercer County meet last Sunday. It could also get extra points in the 55, 400, HH and HJ.
Notre Dame, the Gr. III relay winner, has one advantage in that its main rivals, Camden, Willingboro and Irvington will be cutting each other up in the sprints and hurdles. A strong 1600 performance from Luke Fischer and Gigi Gibilisco---also Mercer County winners----plus Gigi’s expected first or second in the 800, might be just enough for the Irish, backed by some points in the 1600R.
Monmouth fell short in the Gr. II relays, won by Rahway, but is probably the favorite this time over Pleasantville which skipped what would probably have been at easy win in the baton event. The Cox twins, who led their team to the Shore Conference title last Saturday, will score heavily in the 55 and 400 and will also likely spur a relay victory.
Roselle and Union Catholic went 1-2 in the Gr. I relays, but Pope John has beefed up its lineup since then and will probably dominate the distances with Andrew Hanko of Trinity passing up the meet because he cannot compete in the AG affair, it being on Sunday, and Brian Guterl of UC a very doubtful starter. The Lions can expect solid points from Chris Thomas in the high jump and Theo Lusardi in the shot put.
Forys would be a natural pick to repeat his 2006 double in the all-group meet on Feb. 25 if he were in normal condition. He has run 4:16.92 for the mile and that is the best in the state this year, but he ran this on a much faster track than the one (Madison Square Garden) where Kyle Soloff of Morris Hills ran his 4:17.99 at the Millrose Games. And Craig has not come close to the 3200s authored by Doug Smith of Gill-St. Bernard’s and several other potential rivals.
One of the most interesting AG races should be the 800 matching outdoor champ Jason Apwah of Roxbury, Maxwell Bruno of Indian Hills and Gibilisco, all of whom have been under 1:55 this winter. The 55 and 400 are simply wide open while the HH look like a three-way battle among Fulton, outdoor intermediate hurdles champ Manny Mayers of Lakewood and Mike Cuppari of Hanover Park.
Bond is naturally the favorite in the high jump, but will be pressed by Qaadir Tutor of West Orange, while the shot put is another free-for-all currently headed by Vinnie Elardo of Lacey and Steve D’Arcy of Hanover Park. Elardo took the state lead in the event with a 58-8 at the Shore meet.
The PV has, as usual, had a minimum of exposure this winter, but the multi-talented Greg Stripe of Mahwah---a future decathlon star-- is a clear favorite with a couple of 14-6 vaults to his credit.
Camden, of course, heads the 1600R as it has all winter with Trenton---which has four boys under 51.0 in individual races---and Irvington---with three in that category---its main rivals.
Girls
In the girls division, it is probable that three of the four relay team winners will repeat this weekend. Southern Ocean in Gr. IV, Hopewell Valley in Gr. II and Pope John in Gr. I all have the individual talent to back up the team strength which carried them to victory a month ago.
The sole exception is Gr. III where Ridge and Kingsway tied for the relay crown. Ridge would be a strong contender if Josefine Kvist was in the same form as she was a year ago. And a spike wound suffered by Nicol Traynor at the Skyland meet could hurt her effectiveness. But Roxbury seems to have too much distance strength, with Ariann Neutts, Lauren Penney and Ashley Cromartie likely to total 30 points or more, for the others to counter in any case.
Unlike a year ago, when individual stars dominated the group meet, no single athlete is likely to prevail this time. Leslie Njoku of McNair Academic could well win three events in Gr. I, but Pope John is so powerful that her points would hardly be enough. The Lions. Led by Tara Heigis, Lauren Bariexca and Emily Carrollo, are likely to top the 60 mark.
Hopewell Valley is the more vulnerable of the other two, but was given a big boost by the victories scored in the Mercer County meet by Nicole Ferrara in the 55M and Sarah Gustafson in the 800. Clare Buck and Megan Fitzpatrick should contribute anywhere from 15 to 20 points in the distance races and Julie Alexander will score well in the 400.
Racquel Vassell of East Orange could give her team up to 30 points in Gr. IV, but Tauro and Smith will probably top 40 between them individually and Southern will get PV points from Ashley Furlong, as well as from its strong 1600R team, led by the two distance stars.
Defending AG 55M champ Ogechi Nwaneri of Chatham returned to action at the Varsity Classic, running only the 200, and will have to be an underdog to the new freshman star English Gardner of Eastern who has lived up to all expectations this winter, her latest exploits being a 7.07/25.25 double at the South Jersey Invitational last week. Georgina Nembhard of Ocean Twp, Shavon Greaves of Lakewood and, possibly Vassell, will also be in the picture.
Kristen Mahon of Notre Dame, last year’s 400M AG winner, is in top form, ready for whatever challenge Njoku may present. Leslie has run faster individually this winter, but that was at the NY Armory where Kristen had a sub-56 anchor leg in January. Colgate winner Symone O’Connor of Franklin is the dark horse.
Danielle Tauro will win whatever she runs and, in the AG meet, may well choose to divide honors with Smith, one running the 800, the other the 1600 and then combining for a maximum relay effort. This will leave the 3200 to defender Ashley Higginson of Colts Neck with South Jersey stars Theresa Cattuna of Cherry Hill East and Amanda Goetschius of Delsea her closest rivals.
Vassell is likely to choose the 55H for her AG effort with Briana Barlow of New Brunswick, Colgate runner-up, her major competition.
The HJ is a wide open event with half a dozen girls having a shot at the AG gold. The field includes the 2-3 finishers from last year, Bianca Stewart of Columbia and Lataya Dixon of North Edison. Samantha Brady of Jackson heads the PV field after her 11-9 at the Shore Conference meet, followed by Natalie Parkes of Hunterdon Central.
The SP has two 47-footers going head-to-head, Taryn O’Connor of Hillsboro and Deanne Hahn of Brick. Only two 1600R teams are under 4:00 going into the state meet, East Orange and Pope John, but that will change in the AG race when more teams out their full effort into the race.
Smith actually outscored Tauro in the 60 ∏-54 win over Jackson at the Shore Conference meet. She won the 400 handily in 58.16 and ran second to Danielle in easy 1-2 finishes in the 800 and 1600. Both ran on the 1600 team which sewed up te victory in 4:03.85. Charles Cox doubled the 55 and 400 in Monmouth’s 46-37 defeat of Colts Neck in the boys; meet, running 6.61 and 49.36. Forys doubled in 4:26.19 and 9:29.79 with Kris Carle of Jackson absent. Mayers won the 55H in 7.47, second-best time of the winter.
Trenton and Hopewell Valley both topped the 90-point mark in their victories at the Mercer meet. Fulton doubled the 200 and high hurdles for the Tornadoes at 22.50 and 7.55, while Tom Hellstern of Princeton took the state 55M lead at 6.41. Mahon doubled the 200 and 400 in the girls’ meet at 26.05 and 57.44, while kid sister Megan took the PV at 10-3. |
