Falcons’ Nicholas, Temeng win Prep ‘A’ track events

Lawrenceville swept the boys and girls team titles.

By: Neil Hay
   "If there was an award for most points per kid, we would have won it."
   So said Peddie girls’ track coach Mark Gartner of his team’s 50½ point total at the state Prep A Track and Field Championships at Pingry on May 7.
   The Falcons placed third out of nine teams. Lawrenceville completed the sweep of the boys and girls team titles with 126 points, 15½ better than Pingry.
   "We had an equally good day with the girls’ team," said Gartner, who also coaches the boys’ squad. "There were a lot of personal bests."
   But not enough top six finishes to make a run at Lawrenceville. One Falcon athlete who scored well on the day was Melanie Nicholas, who won the high jump at 5-2 and added a second in the 100 high hurdles in 15.4. Nicholas also ran second leg (with Courtney Jackson, Lauren Young, and Sajdah Bilal) on the Falcons’ 4X400 relay, which took fifth in 4:21.1, some 13 seconds faster than at Penn Relays.
   Another highlight of the day was Abby Temeng’s winning javelin throw of 115-7, a new school record eclipsing Cate Efros’ 114-0 set in 2001. In other results, Janine Solujich placed sixth in the high jump (4-6), and Jackson’s 102-9 was second in the javelin.
   In the six-team Mid-Atlantic Prep League championships at Hill on Saturday, the locals took third with 85 points, trailing first place Lawrenceville (189-1/2) and Hill (111-1/2).
   Bilal, Nicholas and Temeng were all double-winners. In the 100 high hurdles Nicholas placed first overall in 15.8, with Young sixth (17.9). Nicholas also cleared 5-0 to win the high jump. Bilal’s 13.0 100 and 26.7 200 bested the field in those events. And Temeng took a pair of firsts when she won the javelin at 106 3¼ and discus at 115 6¾ on her final throw. In the latter event Temeng missed a new school record by one-quarter inch. Incidentally, Temeng was undefeated this spring in the discus, javelin, discus relay and javelin relay.
   "You don’t have a season like that very often," observed Gartner.
   In other MAPL results, Bilal, Jackson, Young and Nicholas placed second in the 4X100 relay (52.8). Jackson, Nicholas, Young and Bilal went 4:26 in the 4X400 for fourth. Nitika Dabas’ 12:35 was fifth in the 3200. Emilie Joseph threw the shot 27 2¾ for fifth place, and Jackson’s 99-4 took second place in the javelin.
   Looking back at the girls’ 2-2 dual meet record this year, Gartner said, "It was pretty much the same as the guys. It was a good season that fell short because we missed a couple of meets."
   Peddie should be formidable next year as only Temeng, Diane Pansu and team captain Nicole Castro graduate.