Lawrence indoor track
By: Jim Green
After standing in the shadows of former Lawrence High School indoor track and field stars Devin Picott and Cierra Phillips last year, junior Janelle Fuller finally made her own mark Sunday.
Fuller’s throw of 36-8 was good for third place at the Group III Championships at Princeton University’s Jadwin Gymnasium. The third-place finish advances her to the Meet of Champions, which will be held Feb. 27 at Jadwin, as the top six finishers in each event move on the state finals.
She finished behind Colonial Valley Conference rival Amanda Marshall of Hightstown who won with a throw of 40-0 ¾ and Lakewood’s Deanne Hahn (37-6 ¾).
"It’s definitely great for her to take third place," Lawrence coach Dave O’Neal said. "That’s right where we expected her to finish. We knew Amanda from Hightstown is the leader in the state and the county leader."
O’Neal believes moving on to the state championships will help with Fuller’s continued growth as an athlete.
"It’s very promising for Janelle," he said. "It was very good for her to be a front-runner and establish a name for herself.
"She was definitely excited about it. She’s taken more of a leadership role with the throwing team, picking up where Devin left off."
Fuller will get another shot at Marshall during the Mercer County Championships on Feb. 9 at Widener University in Pennsylvania.
"She knows she’s got a long way to go," O’Neal said. "It’s not going to come easy. She’s focused on pushing Amanda. She doesn’t want to hand her a free ride to a county championship."
But both coach and athlete understand that Marshall is the clear favorite heading into that match-up.
"She knows Amanda’s a senior," O’Neal said. "She’s been throwing for a while. It’s a good, friendly competition. We look forward to that competition."
Fuller’s third-place finish accounted for all six of Lawrence’s team points, as the Cardinals placed 18th in Group III.
Senior Paige Sims was 14th in the 200-meter dash (27.86) and 20th in the 400 (1:03.97), sophomore Danai Lendor was 29th in the 200 (28.73), senior Jackie Pirre was 46th in the 400 (1:07.89), and junior Elise Perkins was 13th in the shot put at 32-2 ½.
"It’s kind of hard to be at your best in that meet," O’Neal said. "We’re more focused on the county meet in a couple of weeks."
Sophomore Erica Buher had a strong showing in the 55, placing 25th in the preliminary round with a personal best time of 8.07.
"For her, that was outstanding," O’Neal said. "She dropped almost two-tenths off what she usually runs. That was a pleasant surprise. That’s a good sign. It puts her not quite at that elite tier, but that next tier down."
On the boys side, senior Hezekiah McRae was 17th in the preliminary round of the 55 (6.99), 27th in the 200 (24.42) and 62nd in the 400 (59.27), and senior Brian Scott was 60th in the 400 (59.21) and 46th in the 55 hurdles (9.39). Sophomore Andrew Santora was 57th in the 55 hurdles (10.22).
O’Neal is particularly pleased with the continued progression of McRae.
"Every time out, he’s slowly working his way to the elite level," O’Neal said. "He’s not quite there yet, but he keeps making strides.
"At this point, the talent’s there. It’s just a couple of technical things he’s not following through on yet. He should be right there at the county meet."
NOTES: Last season, Picott finished fifth in the shot put (36-8 ¼) at the Group III championships. Fuller, then a sophomore, placed 31st at 28-9 ½.

