Viking girls team specializes in winning a GMC track title

Boynton leads a plethora of heroes

By: Redd E. Patrick
   With Greater Middlesex Conference powers South Brunswick, Old Bridge and Piscataway all poised to win the prestigious Greater Middlesex Conference Track & Field Championships last Saturday with high-profile athletes and strong supporting casts, the winner was going to have to do something special.
   That something special was brought to the table by the Viking girls, who won their first GMC crown since 2003 by scoring 74 points to outdistance Old Bridge (69) and Piscataway (61).
   "All three teams were capable of winning," said coach Brian Jost, who is retiring after spending over 30 years as the girls head man. "Everything had to fall into place and they pretty much did. We had to pick and choose which athletes to put in certain events and we got some help from other schools too."
   The heroes were plenty, but the biggest highlight of the meet came in the 400 meters where senior Jessie Boynton ran the race of her life to pull of one of the state’s biggest upsets when she knocked off Asia Washington of Piscataway, 55.94 to 55.95. Washington, headed to Virginia Tech, had finished fifth at the Meet of Champions a year ago and is still regarded as a contender for state honors in that event.
   "It was a phenomenal race," said Jost. "I always stand at the 200 mark to encourage the kids and tell them to relax and things like that. When Jessie came around the final turn, she was able gain ground and catch Michelle Losey (of Piscataway). Then when I saw her gaining ground on Asia, I was like ‘holy cow,’ this is going to be close. It was really a great race by all three runners."
   Boynton wasn’t done because he also scored eight big points by finishing second in the 800 (2:23.83). Then there was Indira Morton, who scored 20 points by placing in three events with all personal bests. Morton defended her title in the javelin with a mark of 130-2, but she also placed third in the long jump at 17-½ and fourth in the shot at 35-2½.
   "That’s a lot of big points," said Jost. ""Indira, like all of the kids, really rose to the occasion."
   And how big was Stephanie McIntyre? She scored 18 points as she won the triple jump with a meet record 39-7, while placing second in the long jump at 17-3¼. McIntyre’s effort in the triple jump was the fourth longest in state history.
   "I was telling the kids about Bob Beamon, who had one big jump at the 1968 Olympics to set a world record in the long jump," said Jost. "But you never had heard from him before that or since. But Stephanie’s was certainly not a fluke because she had a series of 37, 37, 38, 39-7 and 39-6."
   Jost was also pleased with the performance of Stephanie Rodriguez, whose personal best of 1:07.96 earned her fourth place in the intermediate hurdles, which was the first event of the day.
   "That set the tone for us, it got us off to a strong start," said Jost. "Then we started doing very well in the early field events, but when Jessie won the 400, that kind of blew everyone’s mind. This is a great way for me to go out. It’s a great feeling because the kids’ performances were out of this world."
   The girls came back on Tuesday to win a dual meet, 98-42 over J.P. Stevens to improve to 5-1. Boynton won the 100 in 12.6, McIntyre won the triple jump at 37-9, Megan Behrend won the 1600 in 5:40, while Eve Mizerak captured the 400 in 1:01.1 to highlight the victory.
   The South Brunswick boys finished second to state power Old Bridge at the GMCs. The Vikings scored 55, well behind the Knights’ 134½.
   South Brunswick turned in two winners as Justin Del Piano captured the pole vault at 14-0, while Billy Ricketts won the high jump at 6-2. Del Piano barely missed at 14-6, which would have been a meet record. Del Piano also scored six points in the javelin by taking third with a mark of 172-2.
   John Viotto placed in two events, taking second in the discus with a mark of 159-1 and third in the shot at 50-0
   ""I thought we could finish second and we did," said boys coach Wilfredo Rivera. "I was happy with a lot of the performances. Obviously Justin and Billy, but Steve Sample finally broke 10 minutes in the 3200 (9:53.47) and was fifth. Kyle Wadiak had been up and down in the pole vault, but he came up with an 11-6 and tied for second and Bobby Long has had a tough season in the discus, but he had a good day and finished fifth (132-8)."
   Rivera, who has used a different lineup in the 4×400 in almost every meet this season, was pleased with his team’s fifth-place effort of 3:28.89 behind a group of Miguel Akena, Emery Greenfield, Chris Greco and Wadiak, a field event guy who anchored in 51.1.
   The Vikings improved to 6-1 on Tuesday with a 106-33 win over J.P. Stevens. The South Brunswick boys and girls will be in action on Monday at the East Coast Relays, then next Saturday at the Central Jersey Group IV Sectionals at Hillsborough.