Junior takes shot put in Pirates county triumph
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Mariame Fadiga’s second trip to the Mercer County Championships ended with firsts everywhere.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South junior was first in the girls shot put, her first county gold to help the Pirates to their first indoor team championship since 2004. Fadiga’s 10 points helped the Pirates dethrone six-time defending champion Hopewell Valley.
”We have a really strong team this year and we’re really competitive with Hopewell Valley especially,” Fadiga said. “I feel like we’re more bonded as team. We’re always cheering each other on. I thought we were going to win it.”
Fadiga also felt good about her chances in the shot put, where her toughest competition came from herself. She threw 38-8 to win by nearly three feet.
”Since freshman year, I’ve been wanting to win the counties,” Fadiga said. “I’ve been throwing 36-37 feet since freshman year. I wanted to throw 39. I shortened myself by a foot, so I was a little disappointed.”
But she was happy to be out there again after missing last year’s winter season due to having kidney surgery. Without their top shot putter, the Pirates were sixth, three spots lower than they would have been if she had been able to throw her usual in the shot put.
Fadiga was part of an overwhelming performance by the Pirates, who scored 102 points to Hopewell’s 60.
”On the girls side, the only event we didn’t score in was the pole vault,” said Pirates head coach Todd Smith. “That was one of the things. We have a lot of depth in most of the events and we were able to cover them, which is the name of the game if you want to win a team title.”
Princeton High was sixth with 23 points and WW-P North finished eighth with 11 points. The Pirates won five events.
”It meant a lot to us,” Fadiga said. “Running in the snow and with the runners working out on the track. They’ve been working hard and we’ve been working hard in the gym with Coach Smith. It showed that our work paid off.”
Emily Mauro was named the Most Valuable Performer after winning the 400, the only girl under 1 minute in 59.86 seconds, She was fifth in the 200 in which the Pirates earned big points with a third from Ashleigh Delemos third an sixth from Dahlia Amade. Mauro also ran on the Pirates’ winning 4×400 relay.Caroline Kellner won the 1,600 in 5:12.24, Pirate teammate Ingrid Simon was third in 5:19.82 and PHS’ Jenna Cody was sixth. Kellner won the 3,200 in 11:15.86. PHS’ Amelia Whaley was fourth and South’s Nicole Crossey was sixth.
Delemos was second in the 55 hurdles in 8.62 seconds and second in the 55 dash in 7.32 seconds. South’s Paige Brown was fourth in the 55 hurdles, North’s Whitney Brown was fifth and North’s Christina LiPuma was sixth. PHS’ Bryell Wheeler was third in the 55 dash.
Simon was second in the 800 in 2:23.12, North’s Simone Counts was fourth, PHS’ Maggie Sowa was fifth and South’s May Chang was sixth. South’s Brown was third in the high jump. Maya Inzemtseva of South was fifth and the Pirates’ Lyasia Carter was sixth. Christina LiPuma was fourth in the 400 for WW-P North. Princeton’s Rebekka Vuojolainen won the pole vault at 9-feet-6.
”On the track, we were doing really well,” Fadiga said. “It kind of pumped me up to do well for our team. I always feel like someone is depending on me to do really well, so I always try my best.”
WW-P South needs her to balance out a team that has a lot of sprinting and distance running strength. They were scheduled to be tested again at the Central Jersey Group III meet Thursday.
”We only have one other thrower,” Smith noted. “She had such a great spring last year. She’s already surpassed that with a PR of 39-3. With the bigger meets to come, we’re hoping she’ll get amped up with the good competition and the crowd.
”She’s a pretty good competitor. She shows up. She has a real good positive attitude. We’re hoping she’ll do well.”
Fadiga has been scoring well since she was a freshman for the Pirates. A former softball player, Fadiga never intended to do track and field.
”I was doing basketball, and one of the parents said I should do track,” Fadiga said. “The first practice, they said the sprinters and hurdlers were going to run a mile and a half. So I went with the throwers.”
Fadiga devotes more of her athletic energies to her other sport, volleyball, and this fall she helped the Pirate girls team to unprecedented success with their first trip to the state final. She recorded a new career-best 40 blocks.
”I do put more time into volleyball, but I like them equally,” Fadiga said. “In volleyball, I’m more intense. I’m more laid back in track.”
Fadiga s hoping to experience similar success in track, where she is aiming for a 40-foot throw. In the spring, she will also add the javelin. She missed out on a trip to last year’s Meet of Champions, but it looking forward to her chance to advance in indoor states.
”I’ll have to focus more,” Fadiga said. “I know there are some girls that throw 43 feet. I have to keep my head up. I could get second or third. As long as I can help my team out, I’ll be happy.”
Mariame Fadiga enjoyed both a strong personal and team performance Monday in a day of firsts for her and the WW-P South girls track and field team.
”If you win Mercer County, that’s harder than winning the sectionals,” Smith said. “You have to go through teams like Trenton and Hopewell. The county meets are often times more competitive than sectionals. If you win Mercer County, that’s a special thing and both teams were able to pull that off.”