Davia, Carnes, Ksiezopolski, girls’ relay win
by John Beisser, Sports Writer
Both the Hillsborough High boys and girls turned in third-place finishes in the Skyland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships last Sunday at Lehigh University.
The boys’ team had aspirations of going home with the title, but absorbed a blow when Jason Walton won the 800-meter run but was disqualified for an illegal lane change.
Hunterdon Central vaulted, literally and figuratively, to the championship as the Red Devils’ late push in the pole vault allowed them to come from behind and overtake Franklin. The Red Devils, thanks to second and third place finishes in the pole vault, totaled 82 points, followed by Franklin and Hillsborough, who had 76 and 67 points, respectively.
”Jason’s disqualification was unfortunate but it’s not that uncommon. It happens,” HHS veteran head coach Rich Refi said. “A runner must stay in lanes four, five and six until a certain point of the race and he cut in early. I didn’t see it because I was on the other side of the track with the throwers.”
Not only did the disqualification cost Hillsborough 10 points, but it also had a psychological affect on the team. Or, as Refi put it, “it took the momentum away.”
Most teams would consider a third place finish in such a talent-laden event a true milestone but in his tenure as Raider track and field coach, Refi has raised the bar so high, no pun intended, that a third place finish is no cause for celebration. Still, there were many positives that came out of the meet for Hillsborough.
Mark Ksiezopolski took first place honors in the pole vault, ahead of the Hunterdon Central duo, with a 13-6, a vault that bettered the marks of Red Devils’ Andy Morris and Nick Henderson, who each cleared 13-0. Hillsborough also placed fourth in the pole vault thanks to a 12-6 cleared by Mike Lunemann.
”My personal best is 14 feet (which is also a school-record), which I cleared in the counties but I was happy with the 13-6 and certainly happy to finish first,” Ksiezopolski said. “The Skyland Conference is much tougher than the counties. The field is so much deeper.”
Ksiezopolski is in the process of sorting out his college destination and would love to continue his track and field career on the collegiate level. He is strongly considering Monmouth and Rider, which both boast Division I programs, as well as Division III York (Pa.) College.
Matt Carnes earned first place in the shot put with a heave of 47-11.5, which narrowly edged teammate Rocco Mazzagatti, whose best throw was a 47-3.
Walton finished second in the 1,600 (4:41.8), Rob Marley was second in the 800 (2:00.7), Alex Szela was tied for third in the 400 (52.7), Alex Brown finished fifth in the 1,600 (4:55.3) and Kevin Brower was third in the 3,200 (10:08.1).
The Raiders’ 4×400 team, comprised of Szela, Marley, Walton and Brown, placed fifth with a time of 3:40.3.
On the girls’ side, Ridge took home first place honors with 64 points, followed by Franklin and Hillsborough which totaled 54 and 39 points, respectively.
The Raider girls team, like their male counterparts, also received a bad break when Ebony Young, a consistent point producer all year for the Raiders, tripped and fell in the semifinals of the 55 hurdles. Erica Reiss did turn in a fine second place finish for Hillsborough in the 55 hurdles, with a time of 8.8.
The highlight for Hillsborough was a first place performance by Angela Davia in the shot put with a throw of 35-5. Teammate Danielle Deretchin was third in the shot at 31-11.5. The Raider 4×400 team, comprised of Kelly Bloom, Carlin Dunne, Anna Spaniol and Young, finished just ahead of Voorhees for the conference title in a time of 4:09.2.
Other scorers for the HHS girls included Robyn Paterno (5th, 12:10.3) and Nicole Rittman (6th, 12:10.7) in the 3,200 and Reiss in the 55 dash (5th, 7.5).
”We competed well on both the boys and girls sides,” Refi said. “We came in thinking we could win it all with the boys. Indoor track can be crazy. It’s tough to predict.”