McKinley, Kondorossy earn second-place finishes in Group III
By: Justin Feil
Sammy Howell figured her first year of track and field would end Friday at the Group IV state championships in Egg Harbor.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South freshman was one of three girls to clear 5-feet to tie for fourth and move on to the Meet of Champions to be held in South Plainfield on Wednesday. The Top 6 from each event from each group make the MOC, plus the next six best finishers from all groups make it as wild cards.
"When I realized I actually made it, I was so excited," said Howell, who has recovered from a broken leg suffered a year ago in travel soccer. "I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t really expect to have my track season last so long. I told my mom, after this weekend track season is over. Then I had to call and tell her it was going to go a couple more days. It’s pretty amazing."
Howell isn’t the only Packet-area athlete excited about extending her season to a first MOC. None of the Packet-area athletes to qualify for the MOC has ever made it before in the spring track and field season.
Pirates’ teammate Lauren LaDolcetta finished fifth in triple jump with a best of 33-11¼, and Joe Ennis will represent the Pirate boys team after qualifying with a sixth-place finish in the 3200 in 9:30.03 Saturday, the day after being 22nd in the mile.
"Today, he stuck with it," Smith said Saturday. "He went 4:42 for the first mile and 4:48 for the second one, so he ran both faster than he did the mile (Friday). His last lap was 65 (seconds). It was a good comeback. It was a 15-second PR."
Eleonora Spinazzi had a similar turnaround in the Group III meet, also at Egg Harbor. The Montgomery High junior will make her first trip to the MOC after bouncing back from Friday’s disappointing 18th-place finish in the mile to come in fifth in the 3200 Saturday.
"I was sick on Friday, I had a fever in the morning, and when I came to the race I was mentally out of it," said Spinazzi of her mile. "It was raining, but we practice all the time in the rain and I knew I could run it. I just did not have it. The first thing I said to my coach was I don’t want to run the 2-mile."
Spinazzi broke from her usual pre-race preparations, but decided to run the 3200 Saturday. She produced a new school record 11:07.36.
"I figured I’d just give it my best shot and see what I could do," she said. "With three laps to go, I saw I could do it. I just went for it.
"It’s incredible," she added of reaching the MOC in track for the first time. "It was my goal for the season. I was hoping to qualify in the mile."
Another MOC track first-timer is Casey Hartnett, who finished third in the 100 meters in 12.78 Friday. Hartnett qualified for four events in the Group III meet last year, but did not move on to the MOC. This year, she competed in three group events and qualified in two. She made the 200 as a wild card.
"It feels really good," Hartnett said of her automatic berth in the 100. "I’m really happy. I was seeded about 10th, so I wasn’t sure I’d make it.
"I felt more confident this year. I figured I had a pretty good chance to place, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up."
On the MHS boys’ side, both Chris Kondorossy and Brad Forbes lived up to their high hopes for the Group III meet. Both will move on to the MOC, Kondorossy after finishing second in the shot put and Forbes after finishing fourth in the 400 and fifth in the 200 meters.
"I had a very good chance to win," Kondorossy said. "I didn’t throw as well as I should have. But I made it to the Meet of Champions. On a good day, I could have won that. If I have a good day on Wednesday, I’m looking to place Top 6.
"I had a feeling going into it, I should be the Top 1 or 2 in Group III. If anything it’s a letdown to throw as bad as I did. It’s a little under average for what I’ve been throwing."
Kondorossy is hoping to make up for it Wednesday in what he hopes will be better conditions. The shot circle was a puddle Friday night. The Richmond-bound senior is hoping to save his best for last.
"That would be the best-case scenario," said Kondorossy, who has a personal record of 55-11. "If I PR, I should do pretty OK."
Three others that lived up to their MOC expectations were Princeton High’s Libby Bliss, Natalie Gengel and Tom McKinley.
Bliss was fourth in the 400. McKinley was second in the boys’ Group III pole vault with a best of 13-6. Gengel was fourth in the girls’ pole vault after clearing 11-feet.
"Thomas looked like himself," Woodside said. "It was the first time since he hurt his shoulder that he looked like his dominant old self. I have every reason to believe he’ll be able to get 14 feet at least Wednesday. He had a really good meet. It was great to see him jumping like that.
"Natalie got fourth," he added. "The top three jumpers in the state are in Group III. Those four are the best four in the entire state."
West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s Joey Mastrangelo, Jerome Leslie and Jade Phame all competed at the Group III meet, but none of them advanced. Phame, who competed in the girls’ high jump, and Leslie, who qualified in the triple jump, have a chance to return next year while Mastrangelo graduates.
"I’m impressed Jerome made it there," said North boys’ coach Mike Jackson. "He’s going to come back next year and explode. He has the talent and explosiveness to be a blue-chip college recruit. For him to come out and earn a bid to groups, was a sign of his maturity. I’m disappointed for Joey, not in him. I believe he could win the state outright."
Only a select few will have that chance Wednesday, and those from the Packet-area are looking forward to their very first trip. Monday, several got late word that their season also extends to Wednesday with wild-card entries.
WW-P South’s Stuart Adams, Matt Barbarasch, Brian Soltau and Sifiso Takirambudde earned a wild-card bid in the 4×400. Montgomery’s Amanda Herrmann, who also eclipsed her old school record in the 3200, will take another crack at it Wednesday while Ryan Warner reached the MOC in the 400.