Hunter first in pole vault
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
OLD BRIDGE — The trio that’s been best for the Robbinsville High School track and field program all season came through in their final New Jersey meet.
At the Meet of Champions on Monday, Craig Hunter won the boys pole vault with a clearance of 15-feet, McLean Lipschutz finished second in the boys javelin with a throw of 188-2, and Noel Jancewicz took fifth in the girls high jump when she jumped 5-6. Julian Jiggetts placed 17th in the boys 200 meters.
Allentown High School’s Alec Townsend medaled as well with an eighth-place tie in the boys pole vault with a clearance of 13-6. Anne Lee represented the Redbird program well when the junior took 19th in the girls triple jump at 36-1½.
Hunter became the first outdoor MOC winner for Robbinsville. The junior won by six inches over Point Pleasant Boro’s Skylar Johnson.
”It was a lot of work,” Hunter said, “and I put in work all year.”
Hunter jumped 14-feet for ninth place at last year’s MOC, and just missed out on a medal. He won the Indoor Meet of Champions this year and now added a second gold.
”It’s our first one ever for spring, so it’s awesome,” said Robbinsville boys coach Jon Hutchinson. “It’s a really great feeling to see him back up what he did in the winter. It’s cool to have it happen again.
”He works hard, he puts in the time and the effort, and it pays off. I’m glad to see that someone who works that hard and puts in that much time, he gets that reward.”
Hunter needed three jumps at 14-6 Monday, but once he cleared it with ease, he also cleared 15-feet quickly before missing on three attempts at 15-6.
”The biggest thing about today is nerves,” Hunter said. “You can take the best vaulters that have vaulted in a high school competition, and if you put them in this meet, I had butterflies in my stomach. I never have butterflies. It’s such a competitive meet. Everybody from the state, you know that they’re the best of the best. You’re going directly against them.
”It’s not like you can look at milesplit and say, there’s their PR and there’s their PR. It’s head-to-head competition, and today there were a lot of good vaulters that I saw struggling. I was struggling. Everybody was struggling today. I definitely didn’t have my most technically sound performance ever. I missed 14-6 twice, I almost got out at 14-6 if I didn’t pull it together for my third jump.”
Faced with the prospect of finishing third or fourth if he had missed at 14-6, Hunter came through with a huge clearance. He chalked it up to experience.
”That’s the one thing I have for me,” Hunter said. “I’ve been doing this for so long that I can pull it together. I say, what do I need to do this jump? It might not be the prettiest jump. It might not be my PR, but I can pull it together enough to get the jump where it needs to be in order to clear it. That’s why I think I got it today.
”I got 15 because I’ve been in this situation, this is my fourth Meet of Champions, I know the feeling and I know how to funnel it into something positive.”
Hunter has jumped in front of tens of thousands at Penn Relays, and in big pressure meets like the Eastern Invitational and nationals.
”I got to the big meets and I started to lock in,” Hunter said. “I’ve jumped 15-feet every single meet. I’m locked in now, and I feel like that’s going to continue if not get better as we keep going. There are a lot of nerves going into these meets. It does help. It’s how well you can control them and how well you can come out of it that’s really going to determine how you can compete the rest of your career, for me hopefully into college.”
Hunter doesn’t have too long to celebrate his state win. He will look to take another step Friday when he competes at the outdoor nationals. He will compete in the championship division, where the starting height is 14-8.
”It’s going to be something where I test myself for next year,” Hunter said. “That’s the way I’m looking at it. It’s a test for next year.
”It’s a different environment, but I’m ready to face the environment because I’m eventually going to need to when I go again next year.”
Lipschutz also will compete at nationals. The senior is preparing to take the next step to the college level. He will throw javelin for Monmouth next year and comes off a silver-medal performance at his final MOC.
”I feel really good,” Lipschutz said. “I really was just aiming on improving my marks and staying consistent, getting ready for nationals and eventually making that transition into college. As far as the competition, it was stacked with 180s and 170s. It’s good to get to Meet of Champs and compete with these kids and have them push you.”
A year ago, Lipschutz placed 20th and threw just 162-2 at the MOC.
”Last year, I was trying to enjoy it because it was my first year here,” he said. “I was trying to absorb everything. I think this year, it’s my last meet wearing an ‘R.’ This year has been very enjoyable.”
Lipschutz added to the enjoyment with another consistent throw. He went in looking for throws over 180-feet and came through for a medal. He’s developed into a more consistent thrower over the last year.
”Understanding the concept of javelin, it has to become an obsession to learn the technique,” he explained. “If you have terrible technique, you can’t throw it. I know kids that are 6-3, 250, complete muscle, and they try to throw it and only throw it 50 feet. I’m about 160. I’m a little guy. It’s about having the mindset and having the right attitude.”
Lipschutz finished three inches ahead of third place. Only Parsippany’s Stephen Burke threw farther Monday. Lipschutz produced his top throw on his first attempt of the day.
”Javelin is funny,” he said. “When you hit it, you know immediately. That first throw, it clicked it and it was right there. I didn’t follow through all the way, but that was a very good throw. I felt it.
”Everyone wasn’t having an awesome day, you could tell on their faces. But overall, I felt comfortable. I knew I was going to get in the finals after that first throw. I was just having fun at this point.”
He’s hoping the fun continues at nationals with another consistent showing as he looks to make the jump to college.
”Ultimately, I know I need to go and train harder,” Lipschutz said. “I’ll do that at Monmouth with the great coaching there. I’m really comfortable at the big meets. I don’t really get antsy. The best competition, Stephen Burk, I threw against him in April and I threw against him last week at states. It wasn’t like I was going in there worrying about this kid. I knew what he could throw. He’s a great competitor and great thrower and hopefully I’ll see him in college. It was just enjoying the experience.”
Jancewicz, who is also competing at nationals this weekend, came through with another MOC medal. She had to settle for fifth place on misses, though she jumped the same height as the fourth-place finisher.
”Coming into the meet, I felt good because I was having good practices,” Jancewicz said. “My steps were working out, things were going good. Things felt a little off today when I actually got to the competition. I was missing at 5-4. I was almost knocked out of the competition at 5-4. Luckily, I got that on my last attempt.
”If I didn’t clear 5-4, I don’t even know what I would do. I’m happy I’m clearing 5-6 basically every meet. I know I can get that now. I just really wanted 5-8.”
The top three finishers all cleared 5-8. Jancewicz narrowly brushed the bar down on her final attempt.
”My attempts at 5-8 were pretty good,” she said. “I feel pretty good going into nationals. I hope I can get 5-8 at least. My last attempt, I thought I had it, but I just tapped it with my legs and unfortunately the bar went down.”
With the high jump competition going long, she didn’t have a chance to run for a new personal record in the 400 meters, but she’s looking forward to testing her fitness at nationals.
”I’m going to nationals for heptathlon and high jump,” Jancewicz said. “I am pretty excited about the heptathlon because the two events they added from the pentathlon, which I’ve done too, are javelin, which I’m pretty strong in, and the 200, which is OK for me too. I’m excited. Hopefully I’ll do well.”
Townsend’s 13-feet-6 clearance equaled his best, and earned the lone medal for Allentown this year.
”It was great,” Townsend said. “I came in here feeling pretty good, but I just wish I could have gotten that 14. I thought I was going to get it. I was very close.”
Townsend, a senior, was making his first appearance at the outdoor MOC. He didn’t act like a MOC rookie, but he did feel like one.
”I thought by this point in the season, I wouldn’t be nervous at all,” Townsend said. “I was nervous until I cleared opening height on my first attempt. From there, I didn’t feel that bad. There wasn’t as much pressure because there weren’t as many kids left after opening height. I figured I’d be set.”
Townsend is hoping there are more opportunities to pole vault in college, but he leaves high school knowing that he’s come a long way over the last two years. His progress earned him his first trip to the MOC this year, and a medal to top it off.
”Beginning of this year, that’s when I started to believe I might get a medal this year,” he said. “My other years, I didn’t think so at all. I just did it because pole vaulting was fun, not because I thought I was going to win at it. Now it’s just I want to win. That’s more fun than just getting out there. I love pole vaulting and I don’t want to give it up.”

