MORRIS COUNTY REWIND
It was another fantastic week of track and field action around Morris County with several eye-popping results at the very entertaining and and exciting Morris Hills Relays as several athletes turned in personal bests in a meet that served as great tune-up for the Penn Relays.
Speaking of the Penn Relays, I will preview what to expect from Morris County's finest at the Penn Relays later on in this blog.
But first, let's take a look back at what happened at Gifford Field last Saturday when the Morris Hills Relays celebrated its 49th year under bright skies and ideal conditions.
MORRIS HILLS RELAYS REWIND
Keturah Orji of Mount Olive, Christian Kildal-Brandt and Paul Ehmann of Mendham, Nora May McSorley of Randolph, and the Randolph 400 hurdlers were among the stars of the meet
The Union Catholic boys and Randolph girls captured the team titles.
Orji, favored to win the triple jump at the Penn Relays later this week at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, helped her team break a Morris County record and two meet records in the horizontal jumps. Orji soared 19-4 in the girls long jump to spark Mount Olive to a meet and county record in the team long jump with a combined 50-10, and went 41-0 to lead Mount Olive to the meet record in the triple jump with a combined 104-5 ½.
The 41-0 is tops in the state this season and tied for No. 5 nationally, and the 19-4 is No. 1 in the state and tied for No. 18 nationally.
McSorley had a big day for Randolph as she helped lead her team to the girls team title, 66-47, over runner-up Mount Olive. The sophomore anchored the winning 4x800 (9:33.62) with a 2:19.7 carry, and came back with a personal best 2:15.6 on the anchor leg of the runner-up sprint medley.
Randolph's 4x800 team consisted of the same four girls who will run for Randolph in the distance medley Championship of American race at the Penn Relays this Thursday.
``We wanted to get a low time in the 4x800 and we were able to do that,'' said McSorley, who will run the 800 leg on the DMR at Penn. ``This was a good race for us to get ready for the Penn Relays.''
Also in the girls competition, Mackenzie Barry of Mendham, who will run the 3,000 at Penn, split 5:07 on the winning 4x1,600 team. Mendham also received a strong come from behind anchor leg from Sierra Tonnesen, who rallied her team to victory in the 4x200.
On the boys side, Collin McAlmont (55.96), Stephen Nalbach (56.19), and Dan Leanza (59.00) all ran personal bests to give Randolph the victory in the team intermediate hurdles in meet record 2:51.15.
The Mendham boys tuned up for their first appearance in the Penn Relays 4x800 with some very impressive victories in the 4x200 (1:30.86) and sprint medley (3:32.53), and a runner-up finish in the 4x400.
Kildal-Brandt anchored the winning 4x200, ran a 200 leg on the winning SMR, and then split a personal best 47.8 as he came from way back on the anchor leg of the 4x400 to secure second place. In the SMR, Ehmann blasted a personal best 1:55.0 on the anchor.
ROXBURY GIRLS ROLLING
The Roxbury girls, under coach Laura Schmidt, are a team on the rise!!
Schmidt checked in with this report on her impressive team.
During week 2 of the dual meet season, Roxbury upset West Morris 73-67. During week 3, Roxbury beat Morristown 84-56.
This is the biggest group of girls that we've ever had scoring points in the dual meet season.
Veterans Tiffany Larusso, Olivia Viparina, Kat Ramage, Andrea Morales, Emily Silfies, Tara Liska, Deanna Graziani, and Niki Alford are leading the charge while newcomers Kayla Bedel-Franklin, Dominique Tye, Zoe Paxos, and Liz Turinsky are having an immediate impact on our team.
At the Morris Hills Relays last Saturday, our 400 hurdle team of Deanna Graziani, Nicolle Natali, and Viparina won with a combined time of 3:29.99. Graziani, a sophomore, had the fastest time of the day at 1:06.2. As a team, we were 6th overall.
FLYING RAMS
The Morris County record in the boys three-man team long jump is on very shaky ground after what Randolph's Anthony Zarro, Greg Stickle, and Carlo Zarro did last week.
In a tri-meet against Chatham and West Morris, senior Anthony Zarro went 21-10- 3/4, junior Greg Stickle 21-3, and freshman Carlo Zarro 21-2 1/4 for a total of 64-4, which is more than the Morris County record is 63-9 1/4 by Boonton in 2010.
But to break the 3-man county long jump county it must be done in a relay meet. It seems like just matter of time before the Zarro brothers and Stickle break that record when they get the chance to compete at a relay meet.
PARSIPPANY GIRLS
Parsippany coach Walt Bleuler checked in with this report on his girls team.
``The Parsippany girls had a fine showing at the Morris Hills Relays despite not being able to run more events due to athletes being away due to spring break. The 3x400 hurdle team had their best time of the season by placing 4th in 3:31.5 with Jen Mlynar, Gabby Rachmaciej, Michele Herrera, and Nicole Herrera. The shuttle team placed 6th with their best time of 1:11.24. The team consisted of Kelly Higinbotham, Nicole Herrera, Michele Herrera, and Jen Mlynar. The 4x100 team of Selina LaDonne, Amanda Angulo. Gabby Rachmaciej, and anchored by Bria Saunders was 2nd in 52.09.
The 4x400 team placed 2nd in 4:10.2- led by Bria Saunders, Michele Herrera, and Gabby Rachmaciej,and Bria Saunders. In the newest event, the Swedish Relay, we placed 5th with Selina LaDonne. Kelly Higinbotham, Amanda Angulo, and Ally Davanzo. The javelin team placed 4th led by Kathyrn Campbell, Donna Herbst, and Elena Figueroa with a combined 272-10. The discus team had a 6th place finish with Kathyrn Campbell, Emily Fales, and Donna Herbst. The team is off to the Penn Relays hoping to bring home gold for the first time in the history of the school in the 4x400.
PENN RELAYS
One of the biggest favorites at the Penn Relays (this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia) is Keturah Orji of Mount Olive in the girls triple jump.
Orji has won just about every major triple jump title possible in her career, except the Penn Relays championship. But after placing second last year, the Georgia-bound star is not only favored to win this time, but Orji has a great shot at taking down the meet record of 43-10 set by Kimberly Williams of Vere Tech in Jamaica in 2007. Orji, a three-time national triple jump champion, has a personal best of 44-10, No. 2 all-time in U.S. history and just ¾ of an inch away from the national record.
Randolph, after a long run of success in the girls 4x800 at the Penn Relays, is running the DMR for the first time ever at Franklin Field. The Rams qualified by running 12:11.20 indoors. The lineup for Thursday's race will be Carole Harsch (1200), Margaret Thomson (400), Nora May McSorley (800), and Liz Wellman (1,600).
``We think we'd like to finish in the top four and maybe break 12. If we could do that it would awesome,'' said McSorley.
Two Morris County stars will be in action in the girls distance races on Thursday, Mackenzie Barry of Mendham in the 3-K and Kylene Cochrane of West Morris. And Halia Rosemond of Morristown-Beard
On the boys side, Mendham and Morristown are both running in the 4x800 trials at the 120th Penn Relays this Friday at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.\, and each team feels it has what it takes to advance to the 12-team Championship of America race on Saturday.
Tyler Pressl, Phil St. Jacque, Christian Kildal-Brandt, and Paul Ehmann will share the baton for Mendham, which is making its debut in the race.
When Mendham qualified for Penn by running 7:56.56 at the Eastern Championships indoors, Pressl split 1:58.1, St. Jacque 2:012, Ehmann 1;56.8, and Kildal-Brandt 2:00.5. Kildal Brandt, who will most likely be on the third leg at Penn, is capable of running 1:54 or faster.
``I really feel like we can make the final and go under 7:50,'' said Kildal-Brandt. ``I don't see why we shouldn't be able to run with the top teams. ''
Morristown, which qualified with a 7:58.01 indoors, is seeking to advance to the C of A race for the first time after numerous attempts in the past. The Colonials will go with Greg Arabagian, John Vallachi, Rudy Torres, and Sean Lyons.
To follow all the New Jersey action at the Penn Relays, go here
Good luck to everyone competing at the Penn Relays!
KEEPING TRACK
The Penn Relays isn't the only big meet going on this weekend. The 35th Randolph Relays are on tap for this Saturday at 9 a.m. For information, go here.