Winter Track
By: Steve Feitl
The Hopewell Valley girls winter track team had a good Super Bowl Sunday.
While they very well may have been New England Patriot fans, the reason for their positive experience hit a little closer to home.
The Lady Bulldogs had another successful showing this time at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions that took place at Jadwin Gym at Princeton University on Sunday.
"Overall it was a very nice day for us," head coach Aaron Oldfield said.
The girls had strong times in several events against the state’s best.
Jessica Pall took fourth in the 800. While Oldfield was not surprised by Pall’s high finish, he was still happy to see it.
Teammate Kate Willever finished ninth in the same race. Despite being a junior, this is Willever’s first season on the winter track team and Oldfield said the transition to winter track is a difficult one.
Therefore, her ninth-place finish was very positive in his eyes.
"It was not the time she wanted, but she got some great experience out there," Oldfield said.
Natalie Jones placed in two races, taking 15th in the 1,600 and 18th in the 3,200.
Freshman Natalie Mapp also took 18th in the 55-meter dash. Oldfield credited Mapp with running a great leg in the 4×400 relay as well.
The team of Pall, Willever, Kristen Mapp and Natalie Mapp took eighth in the event, and set a new HVCHS record in the process.
Even with the MOC behind them, there are still quite a few events remaining for the Lady Bulldogs this winter track season.
This week, they will travel to the Armory in New York for the New Jersey Metro Invitational. They will return to the same venue Monday for the Ridgewood Classic.
There is also the Lawrenceville Invitational prior to the big event of the season the Eastern States Invitational on Feb. 25.
Oldfield said many of his girls have already qualified, but a few will need to turn in some good times in the upcoming meets to get there.
But he didn’t expect the girls to become complacent anyway.
"It’s always our goal to improve our times," he said.