Wiseman jumps to CJ III glory twice

PHS junior from Cranbury wins long and triple jump

By: Bob Nuse
   Libby Bliss and Cranbury’s Megan Wiseman were quite thrilled to win individual events at the Central Jersey Group III meet this past weekend at Monmouth Regional.
   But they were just as happy with the overall success of their Princeton High girls’ track team, which finished second overall and sent several athletes on to the state Group III meet.
   "We finished second, which was just an incredible weekend for our team," said Bliss, who won the 800-meter run. "After the 4×4 relay we were counting up our points and we thought that Ocean had beaten us. Then we realized we needed to add in the points from Friday and we did that and finished second."
   In addition to the first place from Bliss, the Little Tigers also received a pair of first place finishes from Wiseman, who captured the long jump and the triple jump. She won the long jump by eight inches with an effort of 17-feet, 11¾-inches. She won the triple jump by three inches with an effort of 35-11¼.
   "Last year I won with the high jump and I just moved on in the triple jump," said Wiseman, a junior. "I knew going into this year there were a lot of girls who had been doing better, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had been fouling a lot, so I was afraid of doing that again in this meet and then I would not be able to move on.
   "But I actually did not foul at all in the meet. So it was a pretty good day for me with that."
   It was a pretty good day all around for the Little Tigers, who also saw several others advance to this Saturday’s Group III meet at South Plainfield. In addition to the wins from Wiseman and Bliss, who was also fourth in the 400 meters, Kelly Curtis was third in the high jump and third in the long jump. Hannah Davis was sixth in the 400 hurdles and Nicolette Gengel was sixth in the pole vault, while the 4×400 relay team of Bliss, Ashidaya Patterson, Molly Johnson and Davis was second.
   "So many people think that track is not a team sport, but when it comes down to it, all the people who place contribute to the team success," Wiseman said. "We had a real good day as a team."
   Wiseman was the big winner, earning a pair of first places. And right now she’s locked in on succeeding in her jumping events.
   "I had been doing some sprints during the season, but right now I am trying to focus on the jumping," she said. "Those are my bread and butter events. I know the competition is going to be tough as we move on. We checked the paper (on Sunday) and it looks like I’ll be the top seed in the long jump. But there are a lot of people jumping around 17-feet, so it will be a good competition."
   Bliss expects to have some tough competition in the 800 as well. And she’ll approach the race the same way she her other recent races, by doing whatever she needs to do to win on that day.
   "I have really changed the way I approach the races," said Bliss, a senior. "It’s very different than I had run the race in the past. I used to lay back, almost stalking the leaders and kick it out at the end to catch them. But I decided that as a senior and an experienced 800 runner, I couldn’t sit back and let other people dictate the pace. So now I try to get off the line quick at the gun and set the pace myself. Sometimes it feels a little scary because I don’t always know what is behind me and who is coming up on me."
   No one caught Bliss this time, which helped the Little Tigers have a meet that exceeded their expectations.
   "We had a great day," Bliss said. "Megan Wiseman won two events and had big points for the team. And we scored in other events, like the long jump, the high jump and the pole vault. I’m very proud of our team. The sophomores and juniors have really taken it upon themselves to establish themselves as a part of the team and score points. I’m very proud of them."
   Princeton’s 55 points trailed only Hopewell Valley in CJ III. West Windsor-Plainsboro North was ninth with 21 points.