Greene emerges as versatile hero

MHS senior proves big men can jump

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   The Manville High track and field team enjoyed a week off from competition, which gave head coach Tony Treonze and his athletes some time to enjoy their unexpected 3-0 start. While the Mustangs improved to 3-0 with a lopsided victory over Newark Central, their first two dual meet wins were decided by a total of three points.
   Senior Chris Greene was the difference in both meets that came down to the final event. Greene also led the way with four first places in the romp over Newark Central, but his efforts against Dayton and Oratory Prep were much more dramatic.
   Greene arrived late at the season opener vs. Dayton because he was participating in a robotics competition at Rutgers University. He missed a few events but showed up just in time to score enough points to help the Mustangs squeak out a 61-60 victory.
   The dual meet against Oratory was close all the way but Greene won it for Manville with some late heroics. Not exactly the prototypical high jumper at 220 pounds, Greene propelled himself over the bar for a personal-best of 5 feet, 2 inches to take first place and lift his team to a 62-60 triumph.
   "I just run and throw my legs up when I can get over," Greene said. "It’s unorthodox but I somehow get over. I know it’s not the right way to do it, but I get there."
   Treonze has also considered using Greene in the 100-meter dash and 110-meter high hurdles. Greene has demonstrated a versatility that’s not common among track athletes, but it’s certainly helped the Mustangs combat their lack of depth.
   "I give Greene a lot of credit," Treonze said. "He never high jumped before and he won a meet for us. He had a tremendous meet (vs. Oratory) and then he won four events against Central."
   Greene has fulfilled his role as the team’s No. 1 weight-man, consistently winning the shot put and finishing either first or second in the discus and javelin. He’s been hitting 45 feet in the shot on a regular basis, while also reaching impressive distances in the discus (120-4) and javelin (148-6).
   The Mustangs have been dominant in the weights, sweeping all 27 points against Oratory Prep and Newark Central. Greene has taken five of the six first places in those meets.
   "I’m very competitive," Greene said. "I like to win in everything. When I got second place in the discus (vs. Oratory), I know I could’ve done better."
   Greene remained extremely calm during the decisive high jump event in the Oratory meet. Members of both teams huddled around the competition area with all other events in the books. Greene chatted with teammates and friends in between jumps, waiting for his name to be called.
   After watching jumpers from both teams clear and miss as the bar went up by two inches after every round, Greene sprinted and powered himself over the bar at 4-6, 4-8, 4-10, 5-0 and 5-2 without a miss.
   "I haven’t practiced high jump since my freshman year," Greene said. "And that was just to get out of running."
   There wasn’t much need for Greene to high jump the last two years with standout Ryan Gilmore on the team. With guys like Gilmore and Franklin Andreyko no longer on the team, a versatile competitor like Greene has become extremely valuable.
   And he’s not finished yet. Don’t be surprised if Greene emerges with a gold medal in another event.
   "If I could run another event, I’d probably do the 110 hurdles," he said. "I’m big, but I can run. If I think I can do it, I’ll try to do it."