ALLENTOWN: DuBrosky looking to advance to MOC

AHS junior among track and field athletes to medal at sectionals

By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
   If Carly DuBrosky can achieve her only goal for a second straight week, the Allentown High School junior will extend her indoor track and field season farther than ever.
   DuBrosky’s 8.92 school-record clocking earned her second place in the 55-meter hurdles in the Central Jersey Group II girls indoor track and field meet last week and a trip to the Group II state championships.
   ”My only goal was to break 9 because it had avoided me for so long,” DuBrosky said.
   This week, her only goal is to keep the season going.
   ”I’m just looking to get in that top six so I can move on to the Meet of Champs,” she said. “I haven’t been there so I’m hoping to move on.”
   DuBrosky is one of three Allentown athletes to advance to the Group II state meet by virtue of top-six finishes at sectionals. Heather Murphy, a senior, ran 12:12.18 for sixth place in the girls 3,200 meters.
   ”Heather ran her best time indoors or outdoors. I was real pleased,” said AHS girls coach Ray Britton. “I think she was ranked 11th or 12th and of the girls that showed up, she was eighth. She ran an awesome race with great strategy. She likes to go out hard. We talked about staying in the midpack and holding back and then going later. She had a lot more left than usual.”
   Mike Fritskey also advanced. The junior cleared 11-feet for a third-place tie, and is ready to represent a boys team that has progressed nicely through the winter.
   ”We set school records at the DMR and the 4×8, and we had a new school record in the 3,200 from Mike Diecidue, who ran 10:28.85,” said AHS boys coach Brian Harshman. “It’s encouraging. We had a sophomore who ran very well at sectionals, Connor Murphy. He ran 4:46 and 10:47. That was very encouraging. Diecidue, who ran very well at the Mercer County meet, couldn’t run at sectionals because he got strep throat.
   ”We looked at indoors as getting ready for outdoors. Even with that not real focus on achieving top performances, we still did well.”
   Robbinsville High School’s boys team was led by Craig Hunter, who had a hand in every point scored by the Ravens. The senior won the pole vault in a sectional record 15-feet-6, took sixth in the 55 dash in 6.85 seconds and helped the 4×400 relay place fourth. Nicholas Brennan, Zach Michon and David Haftel move on with Hunter in the relay.
   The Ravens girls got another big day from Noel Jancewicz. She won the high jump at 5-feet-2, ran a season-best 58.23 for first in the 400 meters, was third in the 55 dash in 7.45 seconds and anchored the winning 4×400 relay of Kaitlyn Koss, Kelly Koss and Paris Hughes in 4:10.79.
   ”She’s not taking as many jumps,” said Robbinsville girls coach Mike Walker. “We’ve been focusing on the events that will prepare her for the pentathlon and heptathlon outdoors. The 400, it’s the event we knew she could run that fast and now she’s believing it. I think she’s ahead of the game. It’s going to be great to see it all come together when she gets a chance. The high jump, and the 4×4, I’m excited to see how fast they can go.
   ”She works hard. Every now and then, she gets to show it off. The county meet was incredible and then sectionals, she’s in a good place right now. We just hope it keeps going.”
   Kaitlyn Koss was second in the 400 meters. Hughes was fifth in the 800 meters. Andin Fosam was fourth and Myana Morris-Bullock was fifth in the girls shot put. The Ravens came tantalizingly close to the overall team title. They were two points behind Rumson-Fair Haven and one point behind Holmdel in the standings.
   ”It’s not something you want to dwell on,” Walker said. “Overall, the girls were happy with their performance. They went out and did their best. Rumson-Fair Haven and Holmdel performed a little better. We’re happy to move on.”
   DuBrosky is happy to have the chance to continue to improve with her best event. This winter, the approach to her training has been different.
   ”There’s been a lot more time spent on the hurdles,” DuBrosky said. “We try to do it twice to three times per week. In the past years, it hasn’t been like that. It’s helped me work on my form and keep going.”
   The payoff came in the sectionals. DuBrosky was only five-hundredths of a second out of first place.
   ”Carly has been doing a lot of hurdle work and it’s paid off,” Britton said. “I want to work on her start this week. I think she’ll need a really good start. She’s extremely versatile. She can be in a quarter(-mile). She’s been on so many record-breaking teams, it’s not even funny.”
   As happy as DuBrosky is with her individual success, she was just as satisfied with the relay’s advancement. It may be her second favorite event.
   ”I like running the 4×4,” she said. “I like the idea of being on a team.”
   DuBrosky was on the AHS soccer team in the fall, but has returned to make an impact in track again in the indoor season. She placed fifth in the hurdles in last year’s sectional, but her season ended with the group meet. Her sole focus this week is trying to make the MOC fore the first time, and it will take a race like her sectional.
   ”I definitely felt it could be a lot faster,” DuBrosky said of her hurdles. “I wasn’t really happy with that race. I definitely think I can go faster.
   ”That’ll definitely help me with having a girl that I’ll be neck and neck with,” she added. “It’ll help me push a little harder.”