By: Justin Feil
Princeton High’s Alison Crowley has already put herself among the superior athletes in Mercer County, and she is now among the elite in Central Jersey.
Crowley won the Central Jersey Group III triple jump at Monmouth High School Saturday, finishing ahead of teammates Emily Blackman, who was second, and Claire Marchetta, who was sixth. Crowley also finished third in the 100 hurdles, ran a personal record in the 200 and ran a 61.1 lead-off leg for the mile relay.
"I was real proud of her," said PHS head coach Andre Bridgett. "I was proud of most of the girls. She had an outstanding meet. It was great to see everything come together. I’m confident that she can run faster and jump farther."
Following in the hop, skipping and jumping footsteps of departed senior Razwel Reed, the Princeton triple jump trio is hoping to reach the Meet of Champions.
"Both Emily and Alison have had better jumps than that," said Bridgett. "I truly believe that both of them can make it out. It’s set up kind of weird though."
The Little Tigers won’t compete against the other Group III triple jumpers from around the state. Like the pole vault, they’ll take on those who advanced from the other Central Jersey group meets, from Groups I, II and IV.
"I think we’ll fair pretty well," Bridgett said. "There are a couple things we can work on. They’re novices to it. We had one practice session each week when I allowed them six jumps. They had 12 total jumps coming in.
"It was funny," he added. "I didn’t think they were enthusiastic about doing it initially. It took a while for them to learn the rhythm. Now they’re getting it."
