Hightstown duo excels in Group III girls’ track

By: Sean Moylan
   Hightstown track and field star Tara Miluszewski didn’t just win the javelin event at the All-Group III State Championship meet at South Plainfield this past weekend, it wasn’t even remotely close.
   Miluszewski earned the gold medal with a 132-foot throw. The next closest competitor was Blair Hassell, who placed second with a 117′ 6" throw.
   "She (Miluszewski) blew out Group III. and now she’s the state champion in Group III," said Hightstown High girls’ varsity track and field coach Don Hess this past Friday night. "She looked real smooth. I think she’s ready for the Meet of Champs."
   Miluszewski would go on to win the javelin event at the MoC (Meet of Champions) on Wednesday (check the other story). This season, she won a Central Jersey Group III title, an All-Group III title and the MoC title in the javelin. And she won a few Mercer County titles in that event too. So it’s pretty safe to say that Miluszewski is the best javelin thrower in the state of New Jersey. She’s also a pretty good discus thrower. Miluszewski took 13th place in that event with a 103′ 2" throw at the All-Group III meet.
   Meanwhile, Hightstown’s Jessica Haughton won a silver medal in the high jump at the All-Group III Championships last Friday.
   "She (Haughton) cleared 5′ 4" and one other girl (Sara Allen) cleared 5′ 4"," said Hess. "That was a tremendous jump by her. She could have easily been a Group III Champion."
   Only a week before, Haughton had won a Group III Central Jersey Sectional title in the high jump. With Miluszewski and J-Haugh’s heroics this past weekend, Hightstown was able to score 18 points and take 10th place in Group III as a team.
   In Saturday’s shot put event at the All-Group III Championships, Hightstown junior Jackie Jack made a stellar 34′ 4 ½" throw to place 8th overall. Meanwhile Hightstown’s Cori Davis, who is also a junior, placed 16th in the long jump with a leap of 15′ 7".
   Hess is very proud of the many accomplishments Davis achieved this season, including her 103.5 points.
   "The coaching staff chipped in and bought a plaque for her," said Hess, who along with his coaches, selected Davis as the team’s "most improved athlete." But while Hightstown will have Miluszewski, Davis and Jack back again next season, it will miss Haughton in ways that can’t be measured with sheer numbers or statistics.
   "She’s always been the mainstay of our program the past four years," said Hess, who always looked on in awe as Haughton scored countless points in the jumping and hurdle events during that time. "We won four Valley Championships in a row mainly because of her (and others like Miluszewski, Davis, Jack, Kayla, Reddington, Yaa Genfi and Michelle Yaeggy)."
   Hess gives his assistant Shannon Smith much of the credit for helping to make this year’s team a great one. And of course, Hess is a phenomenal track coach himself, who pays more attention to detail than any coach in the CVC. And as for Miluszewski and Haughton, it’s a 1-2 punch that will live on forever in Hightstown folklore.