By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The chance to extend their track and field season was motivation enough for the scores of local girls at sectionals.
The records and gold medals were just the bonus to a big showing by Packet-area girls, which will advance 21 girls plus two relays to the group championships this weekend. The top six finishers from each event advance.
”I feel great,” said West Windsor-Plainsboro South senior Emily Mauro, who won the Group IV girls 400 and 800 meter races. “The 8 was a shocker. The 4, I was hoping that I would be able to hang on and take the last 100. The 8 was a shock. I really didn’t think that would happen.”
Mauro set a pair of school records at the CJ IV meet in Hillsborough. She was one of two area double winners. Princeton High School’s Rebekka Vuojolainen captured the triple jump and pole vault at the Group III meet at Monmouth Regional. Vuojolainen won the pole vault at 9-6, the triple jump at 35-10¾ and was sixth in the long jump to qualify in three events.
Mauro ran 56.82 seconds to win the 400 meters, and came back the next day to win the 800 meters in 2:14.29. She also ran on the Pirates’ fifth-place 4×400, and plans to run all three at the Group IV meet.
”I feel good about all three events,” Mauro said. “I’m really confident in the whole team to pull through. Under pressure, that’s what we’re good at. Usually we can persevere and pull through. I’m feeling good in both events. Hopefully I can do my best and get out.”
Mauro’s teammate, Caroline Kellner, won the 3,200 meters in 10:52.58 and was second in the 1,600 meters in 5:05.17.
”I felt really good,” Kellner said. “It was pretty hot, but I just said to myself, I’m not going to let it get to me and it was a fun race.
”I’m extremely happy. It’s definitely a big confidence booster that I could go out and do that. I’m very happy with the time. That’s my fastest 3,200 of spring track.”
Other Pirate girls to advance are Ashleigh Delemos, who was third in both the 100 and 200 meters, and Michelle Gao, who tied for fourth in the pole vault at 9-6. WW-P South was fifth in the 4×400 in 4:01.93. WW-P South finished second with 63 points, just three behind South Brunswick.
”I’m still proud,” Mauro said. “First would have been great. You have to give credit to South Brunswick. After that 4×4, that’s amazing. They deserve it. I’m happy for them. We could have killed it in some other events, but I’m proud of everyone and we all ran well.”
Montgomery’s Fiona Paladino is working her way back from injury and won the Group IV high jump at 5-feet-6. WW-P South’s Paige Brown was second. Paladino also placed third in the long jump at 17-10, though she equaled the distance of the second-place finisher.
”I felt pretty good about it,” Paladino said of the high jump. “It’s my fourth time winning it so I kind of expected it. It was an average day. I only jumped 5-6. I know there will be more competition next week.
”I know that it’s in me, and I’m looking to 6-feet by the end of the season,” she said. “I just have to have the right time to do it.”
Paladino’s teammate, Addy Sonaike, captured the triple jump at 39-6½, one inch higher than rival Ellie Ewere of Hillsborough. Sonaike just missed her personal record.
”It feels great to win obviously,” Sonaike said. “I wish I had done better in my other events, but I made up for it in the triple jump.”
Sonaike had jumped 39-feet before Ewere passed her with a jump of 39-6½. Sonaike’s final jump won her the meet and kept her season going.
”It’s a little extra pressure, but it’s easier to jump when you’re not under too much pressure,” Sonaike said. “I try to keep calm and stay in control.”
Jessica Lee of Montgomery was fourth in the triple jump, while Erin Norris advanced by placing fourth in the javelin. Montgomery placed sixth with 34 points.
”It was the last meet of the season for a lot of people,” Sonaike said. “A lot of people gave it their best. We always try our hardest every meet.”
The WW-P North girls placed fourth with 63 points in a tightly packed group. The top four teams were separated by only 11 points.
”We were actually really excited,” said Knights junior Christina LiPuma. “We sort of wanted to win it. This year, we have more depth than we’ve ever had before.”
The Knights were particularly strong in the hurdles. LiPuma won the 400 hurdles in 1:04.39 and was fourth in the 400 meters. Marilyn Allen was second in the 400 hurdles in 1:04.90.
”We get the points for our team,” said LiPuma, who was second in the 400 hurdles last year. “That’s how we keep getting better. We compete with each other. We like running 3×400 hurdles together.”
It was the first gold medal for LiPuma, and it was a new personal best.
”We’ve been working really hard,” LiPuma said. “Our workouts have been getting faster. It was about time. I PR’d by almost a second. That was big for me. I kept running the same time over and over. It was a little frustrating. I’d never broken 65.”
Pati Dziekonska won the 100 hurdles in 14.94 seconds, just two-hundredths ahead Allen.
”Our trials felt really good,” Dziekonska said. “It made me feel really confident. When the finals came around, me and Marilyn were right next to each other. That’s the way it usually is.
”We were really neck and neck,” added Dziekonska, who was also fourth in the long jump with her first time over 16-feet. “I had a feeling we’d be first and second. She was right there with me.”
The trio of North hurdlers have helped make each other better. Dziekonska is a freshman who has made a quick impact.
”I had someone to really train with and be really serious with,” Dziekonska said. “I also had someone to look at and see how she’s doing things and same with her for me. During some of the other races, it would be her winning and then it would be me winning. It’s good to have someone there to push me further in practice and in meets.”
WW-P North’s Simone Counts came in third in the 1,600 meters and fourth in the 800. Rebecca Jin was sixth in the pole vault. The WW-P North girls were second in the 4×400 relay to cap a big day for the team.
”We’re a young team,” Dziekonska said. “We could really improve on that and next year, we could definitely win.”
Led by Vuojolainen’s double gold meet, Princeton placed fifth with 51½ points. Vuojolainen wasn’t their individual winner. Elyssa Gensib won the 3,200 meters in 11:20.84 and was fourth in the 1,600 meters.
”I knew I had beaten most of them before and I should be able to do it again,” Gensib said. “My goal was to get in front of them and make the gap bigger and bigger so they couldn’t catch up. It ended up happening. I was really happy.”
PHS’ Michelle Bazile qualified for the Group III state meet in two events after tying for fifth in the shot put and placing sixth in the discus. Mary Kennedy-Moore placed fourth in pole vault. Madeline Lea was fourth in the triple jump. Jenna Cody was fourth and Amelia Whaley was fifth in the 3,200 as the Little Tigers advanced three in the same event to the state Group III meet.
”We were really excited because my coach told us he couldn’t remember the last time that Princeton put in three girls in one event,” Gensib said. “Before the race, when we talked about it earlier in the week, he was really excited. He knew we had good chances of moving onto the next meet.”

