PHS duo capture long jump at Lavino Relays
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
One of Dana Sahli’s worst long jump marks turned into one of the biggest in the history of Princeton High School girls’ track and field.
Sahli’s final attempt after two fouls gave her and Megan Wiseman the Little Tigers’ first Lavino Relays gold medal in recent history. More than that, it made it official that Wiseman’s 18-feet, 3-inch leap would be recorded.
”Even though my jump was horrible,” Sahli said, “Megan wouldn’t have qualified for Penn Relays or Nationals without it. I didn’t know that the day of the meet. I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.
”I found out on Monday when our coach was having a team meeting and told me. I was completely shocked. I was pretty upset that I didn’t have a good jump. I found that out and didn’t care. I would have felt horrible if her jump didn’t count.”
PHS — and Wiseman in particular — would have received no mark had Sahli not recorded an official jump. She moved her starting mark back, took off well behind the board and got down a jump of 14-4. Combined with Wiseman, it gave the Little Tigers the second-best jump in meet history, 32-7, behind only last year’s 32-11½ by South Brunswick. South Brunswick was second Saturday, six inches behind PHS.
”I was so happy,” Wiseman said. “Her jump let us win. She sacrificed a lot to get a mark out there. She was concentrating to get a mark out there. I think that shows a lot on her part.”
It is only fitting that the friends were happy for each other. The two have been friends and workout partners since Wiseman moved to Cranbury as a sophomore and joined Sahli, also a Cranbury resident, for long jump practices.
”Dana, when she came out as a freshman, right away took to Megan,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk. “It’s not just Megan. That whole jumps crew, when Kelly Curtis was there, they have something special. They worked well together, but they’re also willing to push each other hard. That continues to show with Dana and Megan together.”
Added Wiseman: “With that friendship and team bonding comes trust. That’s what he tries to put on us. Everyone on our team is pretty trusting. Distance trusts the sprinters. Sprinters trust jumpers. I trusted she’d pull through and get that jump in. I knew she had it in her.”
Sahli, a junior now, was a Group III spring qualifier in the long jump as a freshman before being injured last year. Projected to be PHS’ top high jumper this spring, she was a reluctant long jumper at first.
”In middle school, I also did track at Cranbury,” she said. “Everybody said I should try it, but I just refused for a while to do it. Now I love it. It’s my favorite event.
”I think I started in eighth grade. Once I started doing it, I got into it and really started to like it.”
Wiseman, who is in her senior year, seems to have been born to long jump, but even she has improved greatly since coming to Princeton. She is among the top jumpers in the country, something that she finds hard to believe.
”I was really shocked,” Wiseman said. “I guess I surprise myself. I’m always pushing myself to do more. I only see people ahead of me. I don’t look down. I remember being a freshman and jumping 16 feet, so I know how hard it is (to improve). I know I have a lot to work on. I know girls in college are jumping 19 or 20 feet. I know girls in Jersey are jumping 19.
”It was kind of shocking to find out I was 10th. I thought maybe in the state, but not in the country. It is still early in the season so I’m sure it’ll change.”
Maybe Wiseman can move up. After all, it was the first competition of the winter season for her and Sahli. Wiseman was just a half-inch shy of her personal best.
”We’ve been working on basic form,” Wiseman said. “Usually I’m very inconsistent on the runway. We’ve just been doing a bunch of basic training with the sprinters. We didn’t get to practice the day before because of the snow. Dana and I were both very nervous. She hadn’t practiced at all and I had practiced twice. For both of us to get a jump out there was surprising. It was kind of cool.
”I think it just shows how hard our team is working,” she added. “It gives us motivation that we can do this. It wasn’t my best. It wasn’t Dana’s best. It’s motivation for the rest of our team to know people are stepping up and what they need to do to be successful at that point. It shows that we are doing the right thing and everyone can succeed with the same training. “
A big emphasis with Wiseman is helping to make her more consistent with her sprint before take-off. The first eight weeks of the winter season have been used to hone that step, while the Little Tigers want to ensure that Sahli has the strength to contribute in several jumping events this spring.
Both hope Saturday’s win is just a start to a big track and field season that will continue in the spring. They also competed in the high jump relay, a new event for Wiseman, but one in which Sahli could help earn points for the Little Tigers this spring. She recently cleared 5-feet for the first time.
”I want to try to get 5-2 in the high jump,” she said. ‘My coach said 5-2 qualifies for Northeasterns. I’m pretty sure I could get that.”
Wiseman will take aim at the 19-feet mark. Sahli is hoping she is there to witness the leap.
”She just really excites me about it,” Sahli said. “Seeing her jump makes me want to jump so much farther and work so much harder. After Saturday, she’s ranked 10th in the nation.
”I’m going to miss her in the sense she’s so good. And we get along so well. We’re always fooling around and having such a good time.”
Sahli may not have been at her best, but with little practice, she turned in a clutch performance that will help Wiseman compete in some of the biggest meets later in the year.
”Dana could have gone into that third jump and said, what if I don’t make a big jump?’” Smirk said. “Instead, she said, I’m going to make sure I get a distance. Dana sacrificed. That’s definitely not our normal game plan. If you’re fouling, it doesn’t mean you just stop jumping. She made a good call. That’s a real mature forward-thinking call. We trust our athletes to make those decisions. She made a great one.”