ROBBINSVILLE: Jiggetts runs wild at CJ I meet

RHS senior is triple winner

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Julian Jiggetts is looking to enjoy his senior year before heading to Brown University, where he will compete for the Bears men’s track and field team.
   If along the way, Jiggetts can pick up some championships in his final scholastic year, that would make his final scholastic year that much more enjoyable.
   ”One thing I wanted to do, I wanted to have a relaxed season where I did not worry too much about times and winning,” he said. “I wanted my senior year to be fun. I wanted to not worry too much about the results. I’ve been able to hit the times I want, and I’m ready to move into the Easterns with a good time and have a strong base for the spring.”
   The Robbinsville High School senior celebrated a terrific day at the Central Jersey Group I meet last Tuesday when he won the 55-meter dash and the 400 meters and anchored the second-place 4×400 relay.
   ”I was excited,” Jiggetts said. “I was glad to win for my senior year. I really wanted to go out strong. I feel like I did.”
   Jiggetts’ day began with a win in the 400 meters in 51.10, almost a half-second ahead of Metuchen’s Aaron Lewis.
   ”I went out strong for the first lap,” Jiggetts said. “From then on in, I had the lead. He was a half-second behind. I didn’t see him that much.”
   Jiggetts was the third qualifier out of the preliminaries in the 55 dash, but squeaked out the win in the finals in 6.68 seconds, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Weequahic’s Sharod Selph. The 6.68 set a new personal record, even though the 400 is his main focus.
   ”I was satisfied with the time,” Jiggetts said. “I was a little surprised with the 55. I didn’t expect to win. I’m hoping to faster for states and Meet of Champs.”
   Jiggetts was one highlight in a day of top performances by the Robbinsville track and field teams. The boys scored in every single event but were edged in the three-way race to the top. Bernards won the overall team title with 71 points, Metuchen was second with 67 and the Ravens had 64 for third.
   ”The girls team and guys team set school records for total points scored,” said Robbinsville boys coach Jon Hutchinson. “You can’t be upset. It took great efforts from Bernards and Metuchen to beat us.
   ”When you get three really competitive teams like that and they all push each other, it makes for an exciting meet,” he added. “It was cool to see the teams all watching as it came down to the last few events.”
   Craig Hunter was a double winner as well. The junior won the high jump at 6-feet-2, and won the pole vault at 14-6. Ryan Bauer was fifth in the 800, and Nick Brennan was third in the 1,600. Mike Michon was third in the 3,200. Graham Rousseau picked up a point in sixth in the 55 hurdles. Ryan Walter, Hunter, Brennan and Jiggetts ran a school-record 3:37.29 for second in the mile relay. In the shot put, Jacob Krakowski was sixth.
   ”We all ran really well,” Jiggetts said. “It was really one of the first years we came together as a solid unit. We were cheering for each other. It was nice to see the unity of the team. We all ran well. There was nothing to be desired. We put it out there. The fact that we didn’t win didn’t matter.
   ”We’re really deep this year. It just didn’t work out in the end. That’s all right for us. We were upset, but at the same time, we knew there was nothing else we could have done. We all ran PR’s. It was a nice day.”
   The Ravens girls were edged by Bernards, 88-80. The only event the girls didn’t score in was the pole vault, and that was because they did not enter a competitor in it. Myana Morris-Bullock was second and Noel Jancewicz was third in the 55 dash. Katie Koss was fourth in the 400. Morgan Michon took second in the 800. Lisa Leszcynski was fourth in the 1,600 meters, and Jackie Lazzaro was second and Julie Swift fourth in the 3,200 meters. Jancewicz was second in the 55 hurdles. The Ravens capped their running day with Michon, Koss, Leszcynski and Paris Hughes winning the 4×400 relay in 4:12.27. Jancewicz won the high jump at 5-feet-2, while Julie Challender was fifth. Morris-Bullock placed second in the shot put to round out an impressive showing.
   ”We had a great meet,” said Robbinsville girls coach Mike Walker. “It was our best sectional performance as a team. We just ran into a better team than us. We were pretty proud of how the girls performed and how they rallied around each other. We were a little disappointed at the end not to win, but proud of them.”
   The top six individuals from sectionals move on to Saturday’s Group I state meet. The top six there plus wild card entries will advance to the Feb. 25 Meet of Champions.
   ”I think we’re pretty close to our max number we’ve taken,” Walker said. “Maybe we got one more before. If it isn’t our maximum number, it’s close. That was the most points we scored.
   ”We look pretty good,” he added. “You hope everyone is ready to go. We should have a few girls at least go to Meet of Champs. The sectional meet, you plan for the team dynamics. Noel was trying to do four events. At the group meet, you go for your best and see how it plays out. We should be up there for a team. We have strong girls that are performing well.”
   Jiggetts felt good from the outset of the sectional meet.
   ”The warm-up put me in a good mood,” he said. “It’s the most relaxed I’ve been before a meet. I was ready to run.”
   Jiggetts is looking for more of the same at the Group I state meet. He’s hoping to advance to the MOC and then compete in the 400 at the Eastern States Invitational.
   ”I’m hoping to get to the Armory track and hopefully break 50,” Jiggetts said. “It’s hard to have an extremely fast time on the Toms River track. It’s flat. I’d like to break 50 by Easterns.”
   He’d also like another shot at his brother’s school record 6.64 in the 55 dash. He has only a couple of opportunities left to shoot for it in what’s been an ideal start to his senior year.
   ”I really wanted to go out and have fun, and not have it too focused,” Jiggetts said. “Junior year, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I put pressure to work hard and try to win. I still work hard, but it want it to be fun for me.”
   Jiggetts committed to run at Brown next year in November just as the indoor season was going to open. He expects to contribute to the Ivy League school in the 300, 400 or 500 indoors, and he could bump up to the 800.
   ”I can move up or down,” Jiggetts said. “They were looking heavily for 400 runners.”
   The Ravens have been pleased with the way that Jiggetts has been running this season. It has him set up for a big spring.
   ”He’s been such a catalyst and such a good leader,” Hutchinson said. “It’s his second year being a captain. He’s done an excellent job of getting the younger kids involved. He always stays after and pushes the guys to do a little extra. It shows. At the end of the season, some of our younger guys are pushing for personal bests.
   ”He’s still very hungry,” he added. “He has some good personal goals. He’s worked hard. I’m excited to see him race Saturday. One of his goals is to try to take down a state title in the 400. I’m excited to see if he can do it.”
   Hutchinson would also like to see a nice group advance to the Meet of Champions. The Ravens know they’ll get strong competition coming out of the CJ I contingent, plus the rest of the state.
   ”I think a bunch of kids have a chance to get out,” Hutchinson said. “Just looking at the seeding, Julian in the 400 and 55, he’s in that top 6. Craig in the high jump and pole vault. Guys like Michon in the 3,200. Nick Brennan is only a couple seconds away in the 1,600. If kids go out and run personal bests, they have a chance to go on. I think we’ll have a couple guys. It’s always good to have representation.”
   Julian Jiggetts is ready to do his best to represent the Ravens in his final year. It’s off to a fun start for him, and he’s looking to keep it going as the meets get bigger.
   ”There’s nothing so far out there that we can’t look forward to,” Jiggetts said. “We all have a chance to place and move on to Meet of Champs.”