Team swept major track and field titles
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High girls have won their fair share of track and field meets over the past six years, but they never enjoyed a perfect run all the way through the Central Jersey Group 4 Championships until this season.
Veteran head coach Rich Refi, who’s been at the helm during the team’s current reign, was hard-pressed to compare the 2003 squad with other great ones of the past. Refi wouldn’t make any grand declarations in terms of overall talent, but he called this year’s team his gutsiest ever on several occasions.
The Raiders simply found ways to win meets, producing points in almost every event. The team’s impressive record speaks for itself.
In 2003, the HHS girls ran the table in the Delaware Division en route to their sixth straight undefeated record, swept both Skyland Conference and Somerset County meets, threw in an exciting team title at the Randolph Relays and captured the CJ 4 crown with stunning dominance.
"They’re good competitors and we got points from all over," Refi said. "I don’t think it’s fair to compare. They all pulled together. When someone had a bad meet, somebody else picked it up."
Seniors Erin Crawford and Lauren Kloss were the team’s headline performers, but the veteran stars certainly didn’t do it on their own. Kloss suffered a hamstring injury at the Penn Relays and never returned to peak form, so her contributions were relegated to one or two events during the championship season. The Raiders actually won their first CJ 4 title since 1999 despite a rare off weekend from Crawford, regarded as one of the state’s finest all-around athletes.
Crawford actually endured a bumpy ride in the final three weeks of the season. She won the triple jump crown in CJ 4 but fell short in her other events but the team still blasted Trenton by 21 points. The bus to Egg Harbor arrived late and left Crawford flustered at the start of the State Group 4 Championships, which may have cost her in the 400 hurdles and triple jump. Without proper warm-up time, Crawford finished second in both events and returned to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on a championship mission.
The Meet of Champs brought more heartache and disappointment for the classy Hillsborough star. Crawford was two hurdles and some 50 meters away from her first state gold medal when a shocking fall on the ninth barrier left her in the middle of the track and unable to finish the race. She still had enough courage and fire to return to the triple jump competition and compete in the 100 hurdles. Crawford left the meet with a silver medal in the triple jump, her fourth second-place medal in the last two years.
"I think I’ve accomplished a lot," Crawford said after taking some time to deal with the disappointment and focus on the larger picture. "I’ve become so diverse and I’ve been able to do a lot of different things. I’ve had a lot of fun these last few years."
The emergence of freshman phenom Allison Marcsisin continued to propel the team to greater heights. It also pushed junior Ashley Uniszkiewicz, the star of the girls’ cross country team, to improve her distance event times.
"Just having somebody out there to run with me and to push me was great," Uniszkiewicz said. "I never had anybody to run with and we really helped each other. It’s such a great team."
Marcsisin and Uniszkiewicz became one of the state’s most vaunted 1-2 distance duos. They combined for a whopping 32 points at the CJ 4 meet, with Marcsisin winning her first sectional crown in the 3,200. While she and Uniszkiewicz strolled around the track for eight laps to win easily on Saturday afternoon, Marcsisin’s Friday jaunt in the 1,600 was even more impressive. Although she finished second to Hunterdon Central All-American Casey Nelson, Marcsisin clocked an HHS freshman record time of 5:06.5 that had folks believing she might break five minutes in her first year on the track.
"Winning Central Jersey Group 4 boosts our confidence so much," said Marcsisin, who finished 10th in the 1,600 at the Meet of Champs. "There were so many great meets, but that was the most fun."
Despite the team’s impressive record, things weren’t always easy. The Raiders had to deal with the usual array of injuries and illness, not to mention the worst spring weather in recent memory. There was always somebody there to make that key contribution to put the Raiders over the top.
"Under the circumstances, we did everything we could do," Refi said. "We had kids hurt, kids sick and things weren’t looking good for a while. They were able to pull together and do everything they could do. It’s a tough bunch of kids."
Versatile junior Jenizah Melendez continued to shine in several events. Melendez led a resurgent javelin crew and was also the team’s top shot putter and long jumper. It wasn’t unusual for Melendez to chip in points in four events at a big meet. She qualified for the M of C in the javelin and long jump after placing in four events, including the triple jump, in the team’s sectional title triumph.
"It was great," Melendez said. "We think we have a really good team. Even though we lost seniors last year, the people who were here before all got better. It will be hard next year, but we’ll all rise to the occasion."
Anyone who thinks the Raiders won’t be potent in 2004 only needs to scan the roster of returning athletes. Crawford was the only senior to appear at the Meet of Champs. Fellow seniors Kloss, Caitlin Kosec and Katie King all made big contributions during the season but fell short of qualifying for the big show.
Marcsisin, Uniszkiewicz, Melendez and freshman pole vaulter Robin Friedman joined Crawford at the Meet of Champs. Other underclassmen who made a major impact on this year’s fabulous team include juniors Nicole Humphrey, Courtney Siegel and Jess Tsai, sophomore Eileen Cafferty and freshman Colleen Maloney.
"Our team has come so far," Crawford said. "Every year, people think we’re going to have to regroup. I know next year, they’re going to be fine."