HHS GIRLS’ TRACK PREVIEW
By: Rudy Brandl
It’s hard to believe, but the Hillsborough High girls’ track and field team actually feels like it has something to prove this spring.
Although the HHS girls have won their share of meets over the years, they’re coming off a hard-luck winter campaign. While the Raiders set their usual share of school records and won a bunch of national medals, they didn’t win a major meet title. This has left the Hillsborough girls with a big chip on their shoulder.
"We have a great team and we didn’t win, but that’s fuel for spring track," senior Lauren Kloss said. "We’re going to do awesome. We have so much ammunition."
"We’ll be hungry," HHS girls’ head coach Rich Refi added. "As good as we were (during the winter), we didn’t do what we wanted to do. There’s something left to accomplish."
Kloss and senior teammate Erin Crawford provide one of the area’s most potent 1-2 punches. Both standout athletes can excel in a wide range of events, from the 400 and 800 to hurdles and jumps. Crawford had a somewhat disappointing indoor campaign, so she’ll be gunning to reclaim her state-level status in the next few months.
"I didn’t have the winter season I wanted to have so I have a lot of motivation for the spring," said Crawford, who missed a state title in the 400 hurdles by a fraction of a second last June. "I’m really excited for it."
Crawford and Kloss lead a balanced team with solid representation from all four classes. Fellow seniors Caitlin Kosec (hurdles, relay, triple jump), Katie King (400, 800) and Maureen Bartholomew (shot put, discus) return for their final scholastic campaign.
Jenizah Melendez returns as one of the more versatile athletes, with a range that includes the throwing, jumping and hurdling events. Ashley Uniszkiewicz is back as a the team’s No. 1 distance runner. Fellow juniors Kaitlyn Adams (400, 800), Nicole Humphrey (jumps, hurdles, sprints), Jess Tsai (800, 1,600) and Courtney Siegel (throws) will also contribute.
The sophomore class consists of Eileen Cafferty (distance, pole vault, relay), Ingrid Mellor (distance), Nikki Rothbaum (triple jump, hurdles), Eleni Tzovolos (throws), Lauren Van Cleef (distance) and Yaneisha Warrick (sprints).
Freshman Allison Marcsisin had a big indoor season in the 1,600 and could be a star of the future. Fellow freshmen Kaitlyn Meyer and Kelda Nelson are on the rise in distance racing, while Natasha Chappell (sprints), Robin Friedman (pole vault, triple jump), Colleen Maloney (javelin) and Casandra Steel (distance) will also look to contribute.
Refi, all business as usual, wouldn’t look too far ahead. While he’s confident the team will perform up to the program’s lofty standards, he didn’t’ want to offer any predictions.
"I think we have everything covered," Refi said. "We’ll just go into every meet and do the best we can. It’s very early. It’s hard to get excited before you’ve done anything."
The Raiders, who opened their dual meet season at home against Phillipsburg on Tuesday, will compete in the Skyland Conference Relays at Hunterdon Central on Saturday.