ROBBINSVILLE: Ravens are off to MOC

Jancewicz is winner in high jump

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   Noel Jancewicz’s standards never changed even with a slow start to her indoor track and field season.
   On Saturday, though, the Robbinsville High School junior broke through with her first big clearance at a high profile meet. Jancewicz cleared 5-feet-6 to win the Group I girls high jump.
   ”The whole season, I have kind of been disappointed,” Jancewicz said. “Once I cleared 5-6, I think it was a matter of getting it once. Once I got 5-8 in practice, I knew I had a good shot in states. Getting over that 5-6 mark does help a lot.”
   Jancewicz will be one of the favorites at the Meet of Champions that will be held this Saturday at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
   ”I feel pretty good,” she said. “I really think I could clear 5-8. My goal is to hopefully win Meet of Champs, but we’ll see what happens.”
   Jancewicz is looking at a busy Saturday. She could medal in three events, but is likely to just do two. The top six finishers in each event plus wild cards earn berths to the MOC, and Jancewicz placed fourth in the 55-meter dash and ran the third leg for the 4×400 relay that took fifth place.
   ”For the 55, to be honest, I really didn’t think I was going to place,” said Jancewicz, who ran 7.42 in the preliminaries and finals. “I was seeded eighth. I went out and tried my best, and I ended up PR’ing and getting fourth.
   ”I feel a lot stronger this year. I’ve been running better in the 400 and 55. In hurdles, I’m progressively getting better. High jump, it’s not that I’m not clearing these heights because I’m not strong enough, but my run to the bar wasn’t right. I think I’ve got it now.”
   Jancewicz helped the Ravens tie Weequahic for third place in the overall team standings in Group I. She will be joined at the MOC by six Robbinsville girls.
   ”We’re happy with how everything worked out,” said Robbinsville girls coach Mike Walker. “This is our biggest group on the girls side making it to the MOC.”
   Myana Morris-Bullock was third in the 55 in 7.38 seconds. Morgan Michon took fourth in the 800 meters in 2:21.08, and Lisa Leszcynski was fifth in the 1,600 in 5:21.74.
   ”Lisa Leszcynski exceeded her seed and ran a better time,” Walker said. “Morgan Michon ran a little faster. She was in the lead with 100 to go. She just fell off a little. The 4×4 was the biggest jump in terms of time. You don’t anticipate everyone having their best day. I was pretty happy that we performed as well as we did for pretty much all of them.”
   Michon, Katie Koss, Paris Hughes and Jancewicz ran 4:09.76 for fifth in the 4×400 relay. The Ravens have continued to see progress each year in bringing more athletes to the MOC.
   ”I think it’s just the expectations in the beginning a few years back, you didn’t have too many people who knew what it took or anyone to look up to know what it takes to be a top competitor,” Walker said. “Now the younger kids see if they work hard, it’ll pay off.
   To have three new girls on the relay, it just shows how success breeds success.”
   Only Jancewicz is back for the relay from last year’s team. And she has progressed as an athlete as well, as she has come around just in time for the MOC.
   ”It was more confidence for her,” Walker said. “Last year, I know she did a lot more work than most high jumpers would do in the fall. She carried that confidence from winter to spring. She didn’t work that much in the fall this year. This year, not only did she get her steps down this winter, but she was getting in shape and learning hurdles. We told her be patient, it would happen. She would have a good week of practice, and it wouldn’t show up in a meet. It is now. It’s been something we’ve seen, especially the last two weeks. She’s had much better, more consistent.”
   On the boys side, Craig Hunter led the boys to a third-place finish with 22 points. Hunter won the pole vault with a group record 15-feet-1 clearance. The junior also placed second in the high jump at 6-2. Julian Jiggetts was the only other Ravens boy to advance to the MOC, and he also qualified in two events. He was fifth in the 55 dash in 6.70 seconds, and fourth in the 400 meters in 50.97 seconds.
   ”I think both guys were really pleased,” said Ravens boys coach Jon Hutchinson. “They were both looking to medal in two events. Craig’s progression was crazy. He went from 13-6 to 14-0, then to 15-1. He went up a foot-1 to get the group record. He was feeling it and just went for it.
   ”Craig is excited about the high jump too. He’ll be right in the thick of it. Julian wants to go out there and break 50 in the 400. He wants to go after it and see if he can do it. This has always been his goal to get there and let loose in the 400. He went last year, and it was his first taste of it. This year, he wants to go out there and see if he can get in the top eight. Some of the top seeds, he got to see now, so he knows what to expect.”
   Jancewicz is looking forward to her chance to prove herself at the MOC. She also competed in the MOC last year and placed third – behind a pair of since graduated seniors.
   ”My main concern isn’t really to win,” Jancewicz said. “I’m always more focused on how I’m going to do in a meet. If I clear 5-8 and win, that’s great. If I clear 5-8 and lose, I’m OK with that. My main goal is to clear 5-8 and maybe 5-10.”
   Jancewicz will skip the 55 meters to focus on the high jump, which should be early in the meet. And unlike the group meet where the girls high jump is stuck in the corner, they will be at center stage on Saturday.
   ”I’m excited to see how she’ll jump in the middle,” Walker said. “She won’t have to jump with distractions. Hopefully she has a good meet.”
   Jancewicz has been waiting all season to start jumping the way she has recently. It’s raised her confidence going into the year’s biggest meets.
   ”It’s been a really slow season,” she said. “To finally get 5-6 was big. I’ve been getting 5-8, and even close to 5-10. I was hoping to come in and get 5-8, but to finally clear 5-6, it felt good. I did at one other meet. Other than that, it’s been 5-4.
   ”I guess it was my approach that was my problem. I’m having a problem speeding up at the end. Now that I’ve fixed it, I think I’ll be able to clear 5-6 and 5-8 consistently.”