Mustangs excelled at MVC meet
By: Rudy Brandl
Mike Knitowski epitomized the growth and excitement of the Manville High track and field team this spring.
The junior jumping sensation became a force in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, hitting milestone marks in all three events. He reached six feet in the high jump, 20 feet in the long jump and broke his own school record by hitting 40 feet in the triple jump.
Knitowski had a fabulous season, winning two titles at both the Mountain Valley Conference and Central Jersey Group 1 meets and nearly qualifying for the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. He led the Mustangs in scoring during the dual-meet season as well.
But it’s more than just Knitowski that has MHS head coach Michelle Mongillo looking forward to her team’s future. Only two athletes are graduating from a boys’ team that posted a 5-5 record in dual meets and finished fourth at the MVC meet with 48 points.
"We’re looking forward to next season," Mongillo said. "We did so well this year and we have high hopes for next year with so many people coming back."
Dual meets can be boring, but the Mustangs found themselves in quite a few nail-biters this spring. Several meets were decided by five points or fewer and the Mustangs came out on top in most of them. Tight victories over Middlesex (67-64) and David Brearley (65-64) in the final week of the regular season clinched a .500 record.
"The depth made a big difference," Mongillo said. "We remind them all the time that we can’t just get first place. We need to pull through and get those second and third places."
Mongillo also credited assistant coach Pat Gorbatuk, a former three-sport athlete at Manville, for helping her keep things running smoothly. It’s not always easy to manage two teams at a track meet, but Gorbatuk made sure all events were covered.
"He’s been so instrumental in getting the team to where it is," Mongillo said. "Pat does a great job."
Several Mustangs contributed during the regular season. Knitowski went undefeated in the high jump and usually prevailed in the long jump and triple jump. Senior Rafal Brozyna emerged as a winning sprinter and hurdler and sophomore Sasa Todorovic led the way in the distance events. This trio gave the Mustangs a solid presence in the sprints, distance races and jumps.
Sophomore Lukasz Bogdanowicz showed steady improvement in the hurdles and won both the 110 high and 400 intermediate races in the team’s one-point triumph over Brearley. Junior Jack Calvo shaved seconds off his 800-meter times all spring and finished fourth at the MVC meet.
Other athletes who contributed to the team’s exciting regular season included juniors Leo Rodriguez, Mark Manderski, Matt Golen, Jason Pfoutz, Roland Yakobchuk and David Le, sophomore Matt Kita and freshmen Danny Pierrot, Wayne Snell and Matt Zangara.
Mongillo felt the conference meet was a major highlight for her boys. It was the first time the Mustangs excelled against a field of many teams and athletes in a big meet atmosphere.
Knitowski captured gold in the triple jump (39-11¼) and high jump (5-6) and took a silver in the long jump (20-3½) to account for 28 points. Knitowski improved upon all three of those marks later in the month as he continued to peak.
Four of his teammates combined to score 20 points in five events. Brozyna took third in the high jump (5-4), Calvo was fourth in the 800 (2:12.8) and Todorovic placed fifth in the 1,600 (4:56.2) and third in the 3,200 (10:43.2). Manderski, the team’s top thrower, hit a personal best (38-4) to finish fifth in the shot put.
"There were a lot of high points at the conference meet," Mongillo said. "Everyone did so well, even the girls. We’re very proud of them. They really did step up."
Knitowski wasn’t satisfied with his three MVC medals. He got hotter with the weather in late May and had a huge weekend in the CJ 1 Championships at Hillsborough.
The Manville standout won the long jump title in dramatic style, hitting a personal-best mark of 20-8 on his final attempt to earn his second gold medal. Knitowski also prevailed in the high jump (5-10) and finished fifth in the triple jump (39-6½) for 22 points.
Knitowski made the trip to Egg Harbor for the State Group 1 meet and came agonizingly close to qualifying for the Meet of Champions. He missed the cut for the finals by ¼ inch but still cleared 40 feet for the first time and broke his own MHS record with a mark of 40-5¾ to finish 10th in Group 1.
The hardest part of the weekend for Knitowski was missing the long jump because of a Saturday conflict with the SAT. Knitowski’s winning distance of the previous weekend (20-8) would have been good enough to win Group 1 and get him to the Meet of Champs, but he wasn’t able to compete. Nevertheless, Knitowski had a great season.
"My goal was to get six, 20 and 40," Knitowski said, referring to the number of feet in his three jumping marks. "I want to do better next year. I just need the competition."
Knitowski and his mates will get plenty competition when the Mustangs move to the Skyland Conference next year. Mongillo is confident her ever-expanding group of athletes will be ready.
"We were getting better and I’m sad that the season is over," she said. "Hopefully, the kids will stay in condition to get ready for next track season. We’re really looking forward to next season. Just seeing the kids run, jump and throw makes us excited."