By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
OLD BRIDGE — Noel Jancewicz emerged as a medalist for the second straight season at the Meet of Champions, this time from among the largest contingent from Robbinsville to ever compete in New Jersey’s biggest track and field meet.
The sophomore cleared 5-feet-6, the same height as the second-place finishers, but had to settle for fifth on misses Thursday in Old Bridge.
”Coming into it, I felt better,” Jancewicz said. “At states, I did 5-2, and that was a real disappointment. I was not expecting that. I really wanted 5-6 today and I got that, but I had a miss at 5-foot, which is what really hurt me. I think I could have gotten second without it.”
She placed fourth last year, also with a jump of 5-6. Jancewicz had a shot at 5-8 Thursday, but didn’t feel like she had her best attempts at it.
”There were a lot of people that cleared 5-6 this year,” Jancewicz said. “There weren’t as many that cleared it last year so there was more competition this year. I was hoping to clear 5-8. I didn’t, but it happens.”
Jancewicz also qualified for the MOC in long jump, but elected to focus on high jump with both events taking place at the same time. There will be more big meets in her future, and Jancewicz is motivated to move up in the standings.
”I’m happy with the year,” she said. “Penn Relays, I got 5-9¼, which was amazing. And sectionals, I got 5-8, which was good.
”By the end of winter, I’m really hoping to jump 5-8 consistently if I can. Hopefully by the end of spring, I can jump 5-10. I really want to get 5-8 as much as I can.”
Craig Hunter also had to choose what to focus on at the MOC, and the sophomore put his energy into the boys pole vault, where he tied for ninth place at 14-feet, the same height as the fifth-place finishers, who had fewer misses.
”It was an amazing field this year,” Hunter said. “There were 14 people that cleared 14-feet. You’re not going to see that anywhere else. It’s great competition. It’s just unfortunate that the weather didn’t give us what we needed.”
Things were fine for much of the competition, until the bar got to a really challenging height. Hunter was looking for a new personal-record 14-6 Thursday when winds that would eventually bring a thunderstorm blew in.
”It was a good day up until this came,” Hunter said. “I was taking my 14-6 jumps, and on my first jump, the wind just gusts in my face. It was just unfortunate that the wind started to pick up when we went.
”It was a pretty clean day for me,” he added. “Fourteen (feet) and 13-6 happened on my second jumps, and 13 was on my first. I was just adjusting to new poles, new weights, all that kind of stuff.”
Despite not getting 14-6, Hunter can be encouraged by the way that he competed in the MOC atmosphere. He’d already had quite a year.
”Being relaxed helps,” he said. “Early in the season, I was getting frustrated because I wasn’t really getting any new heights. I was struggling. Throughout the middle of the season, I started to relax more. I came into championship season with 13-feet at sectionals, a little upset about that. I kept relaxing and at states I got the 14-feet I was looking for all season. Then here I just repeated it here so I know it wasn’t a fluke.”
Like Jancewicz, Hunter has two more years to build on his season. His MOC performance capped a breakthrough year for him.
”The season was amazing,” Hunter said. “I came into the season with a PR of 11-6. I came out with a PR of 14. That’s a two-and-a-half feet PR. To go up that much as an amateur, to go from the amateur to the elite level, it’s a great feeling. I am going to work over the summer through the fall, and I’m going to try to progress that even more so I can come back in the winter strong.”
Brian O’Toole finished 13th overall in the boys 3,200 meters in 9:41.85, just off the senior’s best time from the Group I meet. Roberto Guiducci, a junior, ran 9:49.86 for 19th place.
Julian Jiggetts placed 14th in the boys 400 meters in a new personal-record 49.46, the junior’s first time under 50 seconds in the open 400. McLean Lipschutz finished 20th in the boys javelin. The junior threw 162-2. John Michael Kuna competed in the boys high jump in his senior year.
Freshman Paris Hughes placed 21st in the girls 800 meters in her first trip to the MOC. She ran 2:23.98. Lisa Leszcynski placed 22nd in the girls 1,600 meters. The junior ran 5:27.20.
Sophomore sprinter Myana Morris-Bullock ran 12.71 for 24th in the girls 100 meters. Meagan Lesniak closed her outstanding career at the MOC by finishing 29th in the girls 3,200 meters in 12:04.31.
