BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Colts Neck’s Craig Forys leaves the field in his dust en route to winning the 1,600 at the CJGroup III championships in Tinton Falls on Friday. Below, Colts Necks’ Ashley Higginson (r) and teammate Brianna Jackucewicz get a fast start in the girls 1,600 race, won by Higginson. Justin Frick never expected to etch his name in the record book in the triple jump.
The 2005 Meet of Champions high jump winner established a meet record at last weekend’s Central Jersey Group III championships, held at Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls, Friday and Saturday. However, the record wasn’t for the high jump, but the triple jump. His huge 45-10 1/2 hop, step and jump not only won the Freehold Borough jumper the championship, but erased the old sectional record of 45-8 by Willingboro’s Brian Potter.
“I knew that there would be a lot of competition in the triple jump,” said Frick. “I was just looking to advance to the final. I wasn’t really concentrating on it [the championship].
“I’ve been so hot and cold in the triple jump hitting the board,” he added.
Frick got to the final with a jump of 45-0 1/2 inch, which had him in second place behind Marcelin Saturne, of Hamilton North, who did 45-1 1/2.
But on his final jump of the competition, Frick took the gold medal away from Saturne, and the meet record with it.
“It’s just something you feel,” said Frick. “Everything is working well. I knew it was a good jump but, I didn’t think it was 45 feet.”
It was 45-10 1/2 to be exact. When the competition began, his personal best was a Freehold Regional District record 44-4.
“That’s the third time I’ve improved my best by more than 1 foot,” he noted.
Frick added a second sectional title later that day when he won defended his high jump title, beating Colts Neck’s Evan Stivala on fewer misses. Both did 6 feet 4 inches.
Frick admitted that it was tough to concentrate on the high jump after what he had done in the triple jump.
“I was so hyped up and excited,” he said. “My steps were off.”
Colts Neck’s distance marvels Craig Forys and Ashley Higginson were also double sectional winners, sweeping the 1,600 and the 3,200.
Forys set a meet record in the 1,600, running steady fractions en route to a 4:15.12, which erased the old sectional record of 4:17.30 held by Red Bank Regional’s 1,600 state champion, Walton Kingsbery.
“That’s pretty cool,” said Forys of the meet record he wasn’t aware of before the start of the race.
In the 3,200, Forys basically had the track to himself and ran just fast enough to win, which took him 9:30.92.
That 3,200 followed his second place in the 800 behind RBR’s Tom Friscia, who repeated his win over the Cougar at the county championships, nipping him at the line, 1:55.50-1:55.65.
Teammate Brenden Krewer was fourth in that 800 (1:58.79).
Things are starting to come together for Forys as he looks down the road towards the MOC. He hadn’t raced since the Monmouth County Champion-ships, and was happy to be back in the mix and feeling good (he was slowed by an iron deficiency earlier in the season).
“It was good to get the juices going,” he noted. “We’re looking to peak in late May and June.”
Higginson noted that the sectional meet meant it was time to get serious.
“The Penn Relays seem so long ago,” she noted. “The season really starts now.”
Higginson won her 1,600 title in 4:57.2, motoring away from the field with even splits that began with a 72 first 400. She was just .10 off the meet record set by Middletown South’s Cate Guiney.
“I was surprised I got that much distance,” she said of the lead that expanded to more than five seconds.
Higginson came back to win the 3,200 with she and teammate Briana Jackucewicz both receiving the same time, 10:58.38. Jackucewicz finished fifth in the 1,600 (5:08.93).
After losing the high jump to Frick, Stivala came back to claim his first major title by winning the long jump with a personal best 22-4.
John Krewer, Evan’s twin brother, was third in both the shot put (50-1) and the discus (146-9). Kevin Kelly got off his best throw of the season in the javelin, 180-10, and was second.
Devin Moore was fifth in the pole vault for the Cougars (11-6). Freehold Borough’s Scott Harman was fourth (12-0).
Colts Neck’s boys scored 72 points and placed second to Monmouth (80).
The girls 400-meter District record fell again, with Freehold Borough’s Elise Tagatac lowering it to 57.30, edging the former holder Meryl Wimberley (57.63).
Somehow, neither Tagatac or Wimberley were in the top-seeded section of the race, but they were able to bump two runners from the final off the medal rostrum by finishing fourth and fifth overall.
“I love running with her [Wimberley],” said Tagatac, who earlier this year had set the 800-meter record, only to see it broken by Freehold Township’s Janel Parker. “I had to go out hard for the first 200. I didn’t expect to run under 58.”
Tagatac also finished fourth in the 800 (2:18.55).
Colts Neck’s girls 4×400 relay team, which made history at the Shore Conference meet by becoming the first team to break 4:00, was under that mark again, stopping the watch in 3:59.99 in second place. Wimberley anchored the squad that included Kathlyn Herrick, Julia Tomaro and Samantha Santo. Herrick took sixth in the 400 intermediate hurdles (1:07.65).
The Cougar girls got a third individual sectional title from high jumper Jessica Pagliano. The junior, who has done 5-6 this spring, needed just a 5-4 to win her first CJ title.
The Cougars finished fifth with 51 points. Hopewell Valley won the sectional title with 88 points.
Next up for the locals will be the NJSIAA State Group III Championships at South Plainfield High School on Friday and Saturday. The top six finishers in each event at the sectional move on to the Group championships.
Egg Harbor will be hosting groups I, II and IV, which takes in the rest of the Freehold District schools.
Pats’ Parker shines in Group IV
The Group IV state sectional was at Hillsborough, where Freehold Township’s Janel Parker lowered her Freehold District record in the 800, while capturing her first Central Jersey championship.
The Patriot sophomore, who is enjoying a break-out season, sliced almost half a second off her former mark running 2:13.8.
She also ran the 1,600, where she finished fourth in 5:03.5 and qualified for that event next week as well.
Howell’s Kellee Hand also qualified for both the 800 and 1,600 by finishing fourth in the 800 (2:17.5) and fifth in the 1,600 (5:03.9).
The Rebels’ Lauren Rome placed fourth in the 3,200 (11:43.9).
Out in the field, Hand’s and Rome’s teammate Brittany Naplie was second in the javelin throw (123-7).
Marlboro’s Ada Unachukwu continued her sensational freshmen season taking second in both the 100 and 200 dashes. She stopped the clock in 12.2 in the century and a 25.6 for the half-lap.
Her teammate Kristen Batts had the best of her career, 125-2, and also finished second.
The Mustangs’ Jenna Meagher was third in the pole vault (9-0).
The 28 points scored by Unachukwu, Batts and Meagher put the Mustangs in sixth place, the highest of any District team, while right behind in seventh was Howell (24).
Howell’s Jamie Leacock chipped .06 off her District record in the 400 intermediate hurdles, posting a 1:04.3 in third place. Right behind her in fourth place was her rival, Manalapan’s Kristin Andrews (1:04.4).
It was a big meet for Howell’s Ben Edwards, who took home three medals.
He was runner-up in the 400 intermediates (54.7) and was sixth in the 110’s. He also anchored the Rebels 4×400 relay team to a second place (3:23.7). David Hayes, Francisco Bueno and Jason Leacock are the other members of the team. Leacock, tied for sixth in the intermediate hurdles (56.6).
Also advancing to the Group IV state meet for the boys were: Manalapan’s Rob Andrews, third in the 800 (1:59.6); Manalapan’s Adam Hegel, fourth in the triple jump (42-9 3/4); Marlboro’s Corey West, fifth in the same event (42-7); Manalapan’s Joe Kreppein, fifth in the 3,200 (10:09.0); Freehold Township’s Sean Coyne, fourth in the 400 intermediates (56.5); Howell’s Mike Rupp, fourth in the long jump (21-1 1/2); and Manalapan’s Mike Goldwasser, sixth in the pole vault (12-6).
Also going to Egg Harbor for the girls is Freehold Township’s Charlotte Walsh, sixth in the high jump (4-10).
The top six finishers plus wild cards from this weekend’s Groups meet will qualify for the June 7 outdoor Meet of Champions at South Plainfield.