HHS track and field athletes advance to Meet of Champs

Lane, Young, O’Connor, Ksiezopolski score in Group 4

By: Rudy Brandl
   Brandon Lane knew it was just a matter of time before he’d soar to another personal record in the triple jump. He picked the perfect time to unleash his monster leap at last Saturday’s State Group 4 Championships in Egg Harbor.
   The Hillsborough High senior broke his own Somerset County record with a new personal standard in what has become his signature event. Lane reached another new milestone with a leap of 45 feet, ¾ inch to finish fifth in Group 4 and secure a spot in Wednesday night’s NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
   Three more HHS athletes scored in Group 4 and three others received wild card berths into the season’s final and most prestigious event. Sophomore Ebony Young took second in the 400 intermediate hurdles (1:03.25), senior Taryn O’Connor finished third in the shot put (44-3½) and junior Mark Ksiezopolski placed fifth in the pole vault (13-0). Seniors Tyler Szwarc (110 high hurdles, 14.95) and Ebony Jones (400 intermediates, 1:05.12) earned wild card entry to their final scholastic event. Triple jumpers Young (34-9) and Melissa Arango (34-7½) also received wild card invitations.
   Lane stole the show for all HHS athletes with his best effort on the final attempt of the competition. While the 45-0¾ leap didn’t improve his place, it gave Lane a more impressive record mark.
   "I’m really excited," Lane said. "I knew it was definitely a good one. Once I heard the mark, I was really excited. I felt like I would be able to get (45 feet) sooner or later. I was just hoping it would come as soon as possible."
   Lane has now improved his triple jumping distance by 12 feet since his freshman year. How much farther can he go?
   "I’ve come a long way and this is definitely an accomplishment that I’m enjoying," he said. "I just want to get 45 again or maybe more. I’m happy that I can participate with other great athletes. I want to make my mark as a Hillsborough athlete."
   O’Connor is just adding to her state medal collection at this point. Even after a subpar weekend in which she did not place in the discus and finished third in the shot put, O’Connor was among the favorites at last night’s big show. She was seeking her second state title and fifth M of C medal.
   "I’m mad that I didn’t throw well, but it’s good that I moved on," O’Connor said. "I’m glad that I made the Meet of Champions."
   O’Connor was at the top of her game at the CJ 4 meet, when her winning throw of 45-11 moved her to the top of the state performance list. That distance also ranks 10th all-time in New Jersey history.
   Young is on her way to building a prolific resume in her sophomore year. Last season, she qualified for the M of C as a wild card. This time, she nearly arrived in South Plainfield as a Group 4 champion in the 400 hurdles.
   Friday’s Group 4 race was up for grabs. Young felt she could have won after a fast start but didn’t like the way she cleared the final hurdle, which kept her from catching Toms River North’s Alexandra Hehn. Young finished nine-tenths of a second behind the winner.
   "I hopped in the air really high off the last hurdle and I lost time," Young said. "Maybe I could have caught her if I didn’t hop so high."
   Young was hoping to run in the 62-second range and capture a medal at the M of C. She was happy with her start in the Group 4 race but felt she ran too slowly during the middle of the race.
   "I got out pretty good, but when you run a 400 you have a grace period where you glide for a while," she said. "Maybe I was a little too slow and then she caught me."
   Young was seeded fifth and will be chasing some good competition, which also should push her to run faster. She’s been compared to former HHS star Erin Crawford, who holds the school record in the event. Young could be on her way to breaking that record in the future.
   "I’m really proud," Young said. "I feel good because I’m following behind Erin Crawford. She was a really great hurdler."
   Young didn’t have much time to prepare for the triple jump, where she and senior teammate Melissa Arango did not place but still made the M of C cut as wild cards. Young was still wiped out from the grueling hurdles race and placed ninth (34-9) in the triple jump.
   Arango had soared to second place in CJ 4 with a season-best leap of 37 feet but finished tied for 10th place (34-7½) in Group 4. Arango also placed 16th in the 100 hurdles (15.47).
   Ksiezopolski did not match his personal record of 13-6, a height he cleared in winning the Somerset County and CJ 4 titles in back-to-back championship meets. He’s still seeking the school record (14-1), a distance that surely would produce a state medal.
   Szwarc, hampered by a sore back for most of the season, earned his first outdoor Meet of Champions berth in his favorite race. Jones ran hard to gain her second trip to the Meet of Champions. She qualified as a sophomore but didn’t make the cut last spring.
   Fittingly, these fine senior athletes capped their scholastic careers against the state’s best last night.