BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Brick Township’s Erin Reddan competes in the girls 3,200-meter race at the June 8 Meet of Champions in South Plainfield. Brick Township track and field record-holders Rob Mahler and Robin Daniels, who had competed in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions indoors this past winter, turned in strong second-place showings at the outdoor version last Wednesday at South Plainfield.
Mahler, who is headed to the University of Delaware on a football scholarship this fall, finished in second place in the javelin with a throw of 195 feet, 9 inches off his first attempt of the final round. It was short of his 199-0 effort, a school record for rubber-tip javelins, at the state sectionals two weekends ago.
Marion Easley of Somerville uncorked a 204-3 on his second throw of the preliminaries to prevail in the Meet of Champions. Easley also had better throws than Mahler on the same day in the Group III Central Jersey sectionals at 205 feet and his group championships at 194. Joe Martinez of Hopatcong was third at 190-4.
Daniels, meanwhile, passed her own record in the 800 meters with a 2:13.69, finishing behind only Queen of Peace’s (North Arlington) Janine Davis, who had a time of 2:07.93. Daniels had clocked a school record 2:13.95 the previous Saturday in the Group IV championships at Egg Harbor Township. She is headed to Cornell University. Lauren Gregory of Morris Knolls was third in the MOC 800 in 2:14.63.
Daniels had clocked a 2:15.9 in the state sectionals two weekends ago for the school record before re-setting it in each of her last two races.
But their seasons are not over; they are leaving on Thursday for Raleigh, N.C., to compete in the nationals that take place Friday and Saturday. Daniels will run in the school record-setting distance medley with her sister, Jackie, as well as Ashley Hessenkemper and Erin Redden, who qualified for the Meet of Champions in the 3,200, where she finished 18th in 11:37.17.
Mat Weissinger of Brick Memorial competed in the boys 3,200 in the MOC, where he finished 18th in 9:46.86.
Looking forward to this weekend, Mahler expects to put forth another big effort in North Carolina.
“I didn’t have one really big throw, but a lot of good ones [at the MOC],” said Mahler, who had made the indoors MOC as a wild card in the shot put. “I’m happy with what I did. My coach [Pete Panuska] was kind of relieved that I didn’t have a big meet letdown like last year. At least this year, I got into the Meet of Champions [after a tough day in the qualifying Group IV championships]. I’ve had a pretty good season, a lot of throws over 190.”
In fact, Mahler won the Outstanding Field Events Award in the Ocean County championships in mid-May. Now Mahler is throwing one more time as a Green Dragon in the nationals. Although he said he feels he could beat Easley if they were to meet again, Easley is not competing in the nationals.
“I know I can have a good one [throw] in the nationals,” he said.
And that would be an ideal way for Mahler to close out his storied high school career.