MHS senior dominating hurdles
By: Justin Feil
Ben Copeland might run at Michigan State next year. He might not, so the Montgomery High School hurdler isn’t taking any chances in his senior season.
"I’ve been running track for a long time," Copeland said. "This is the last time I can show what I’m made of."
Copeland started hurdling for the Montgomery Middle School team in seventh grade and has developed into one of the top competitors in the state. Wednesday, he was supposed to have a showdown in the Cougars’ final dual meet. The hype ended up being a little bigger than the race, not because Delaware Valley’s top hurdler didn’t run well, but because Copeland equaled his season best in 14.77 seconds for the 110-meter hurdles.
"There were two big races which they had coming in," said MHS head coach Zoran Milich after his boys improved to 4-2 with a 105-35 win. "Copeland got challenged but he ran 14.77 in the 110 hurdles. That was the big one coming in. That’s one of the faster times in the whole state of New Jersey. It was great race. He pulled it out in the last hurdle and a half."
Copeland breezed to a win in the 400 hurdles as well and was a part of the winning 4×400 relay as the Cougars improved to 4-2 with a 105-35 win. The MHS girls also won, 109-29. Both teams will send contingents including a special invite for Eleonora Spinazzi to run the high school 3000 to the Penn Relays.
"You always look to the big meets like Penn Relays," said Copeland, who will compete with the Cougars’ mile relay Saturday.
He is looking forward to the remainder of the year when he’ll be able to focus on lowering his bests. While he knew he wouldn’t be pushed in the intermediates Wednesday, the final dual meet afforded him one last opportunity to pushing solely for the team. He got it with one of his cleaner high hurdles races.
"I always like to look in newspapers to look at other runners to get a feel for what I was running against," Copeland said. "He wasn’t at a lot of meets I was. I knew it was going to be good and I knew it was going to be pretty close.
"My legs, they felt kind of tired after running the 400 hurdles. I’ve been having to get used to that. I didn’t hit many hurdles. I usually hit a lot of hurdles."
It’s left Copeland with quite a bruise on his trail leg, but it’s MHS opponents who have been bruised more than expected this year. MHS lost some big-meet performers to graduation, yet still could have finished 5-1 if they had a full team during one meet held over spring break.
"We’ve had a surprisingly strong year," Copeland said. "I’m proud of all our guys and how we’ve put this team together and how we’ve been running this year."
There were a number of outstanding performers on Wednesday. In the other big showdown of the meet, Montgomery’s Ryan Warner cruised to victory in the 400 meters in 50.45 seconds. John Freimark won the 800, Trevor Thomas won the 1600 and 3200, Conor Paladino won the high and triple jumps, Pat McCoy won the shot put, Mathys Mesters won the discus, and Kyle Rotter won the pole vault.
"Their one kid was hurt so they brought their other good kid down from the 800 and he couldn’t catch Warner," Milich said. "In a couple key spots, our kids did a good job. Our studs beat their studs and our throwers came through. There were some question marks. I was worried about their good kids beating our good kids. I knew we had better depth, but I was hoping if our good kids beat theirs it would be an easy day. It turned out to be."
Milich is looking for his team to continue to find the big performances when they get to the Skyland Conference Championships next Thursday. The Somerset County Championship is the following week. Copeland is looking forward to the competition when he’ll be pushed more than he was in the regular season.
"I usually really look at my time more," he said. "Running against other people really helps my time. I like looking at my own time so I know where I’m at when I go to the bigger meets and invitationals.
"All the individual ones are coming up, like conference and counties. We got all the team things out of the way. Now I need to work on myself."
Copeland took a liking to the hurdles as a middle school athlete. When his sister, Hilary, came to high school, he introduced her to the event. Wednesday, his sister won the high jump and long jump for the Cougar girls.
Ben Copeland has a few goals he’d still like to accomplish before he graduates and begins looking at the possibility of running at Michigan State. Copeland isn’t far off what the Spartans’ current intermediate hurdler can do.
"My best is 54.9 in the 400," Copeland said. "I ran a 56 one of the first meets, and I continued to drop it. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m not unhappy with it. I’ve always felt I’m better in the 400 hurdles.
"I’ve run 14.77 in the highs. If I’m fresh, I should be able (to lower it). I’ve been running highs after intermediates. I’m about a half second off from the intermediate school record. It’s kind of part of it. I’d like to drop time another second for later in the year. If a school record comes with it, it’s part of what I’m aiming at."
Beyond that, Copeland is looking to make the Meet of Champions, which is something he just missed last year. It’s a possibility for making quite an ending to his scholastic career.
"I’ve seen some of the times from last year," he said. "I’m pretty close to where they were in the Top 6."
A MOC medal would be quite a finish, or it could be quite a start if he decides to join the Spartans track and field team. It’s something that his improved times that would be competitive at Michigan State now, have forced him to consider.
"I’m thinking about it," he conceded. "I wasn’t originally planning on it. It’s a big commitment."
Just in case he doesn’t continue his career next year, Ben Copeland is making sure that his final season of track and field is his best for the MHS boys’ team. He’s off to quite a start, and the Cougars are just beginning to get into the bigger events.

