Hopewell Valley outdoor track
By: John E. Powers
The Penn Relays experience for the Hopewell Valley Central High School track program could have been better. But, all things considered, the Bulldog boys and girls will take their performances at Philadelphia’s Franklin Field and hope to build on them.
The record-breaking 4×400 team of senior Natalie Mapp and juniors Miriam Khan, Jackie Barrett and Emily Sherrard didn’t run because of injuries. Sherrard and Khan have both been battling leg injuries.
"It wasn’t quite the weekend we had hoped for, and I think they were disappointed," Hopewell coach Mike Hammill said. "But they also know it’s a long season. They would rather reach their goals at the end of the season instead of the middle of it."
The Bulldogs settled for a win in their 4×100 heat, where Sherrard, Barrett, Kristen Volpe and Mapp ran a solid time of 50.74 seconds. Hopewell Valley’s time was the second-fastest Mercer County time, behind only Trenton, which turned in a time of 50.15, but was good for only third place in its heat.
The 4×400 team ran 3:55.9 indoors this winter, the fastest in the state, and could have been pushed to a time of 3 minutes, 50 seconds.
"It was unfortunate, because we have a special group of kids," Hammill said. "But we’re trying to be patient. We started in March and end in June. We just tried to back it off a notch. Hopefully Emily and Miriam can get back to form."
Sherrard had also qualified for the mile at Penn, but didn’t run.
"We have to look at the big picture," Hammill said.
Junior Meredith Rutledge threw 36-6 meters, or 118 feet, in the javelin.
The boys earned a third-place finish in their 4×400 heat behind a solid anchor from senior Odeani McBean, who went 50.0 seconds. He was joined by freshman Brandon Thompson and seniors Kevin DeLuca and Jared Henry. The 4×400 team of McBean, Thompson, Henry and senior Dan Petty went 3:36.
Both teams will compete in this week’s Bernards Invitational in Somerset County at Bernards High School.
The teams returned to dual meet action Tuesday. The girls improved to 6-0 by thumping West Windsor-Plainsboro North 78-62. Mapp swept the sprints, winning the 100-meter dash in 12.4, the 200 in 26.4 and the 400 in 1:01.3. Sophomore Meg Fitzpatrick won the mile (5:21.2), and freshman Anna Weingart won the 3,200 in 12:45.