PHS sophomore an improved jumper
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Maia Hauschild is no fan of distance running, at least not when she’s the one running, but she is hoping the strength gained from cross country will pay off in the track and field seasons.
The Princeton High School multi-event athlete has began her sophomore season in promising fashion. She long jumped more than 17-feet in her season opener, and she is hoping to duplicate the feat when she teams with fellow sophomore Natalie Loughran at the state Group III relays on Saturday.
”I think the indoor season has gotten off to a great start,” Hauschild said. “I think a lot of the work that members of the team have put in in the offseason has contributed to our successes. A lot of the members of the girls team ran cross country in the fall.
”A kind of a mantra is to run cross country to develop grit in the fall so we can be strong in the winter and fast in the spring. That’s shown in our early meets.”
The Little Tigers are optimistic that they can do well on Saturday. Hauschild is coming off tweaking her leg Monday night, but had jumped 16-feet-8½ to win the long jump at the Jan. 7 PHS State Relay Warmup meet at Jadwin Gym against Allentown, Hopewell Valley, Hunterdon Central and Notre Dame. Loughran, who has also jumped 17-feet, was just behind at 16-3. Michelle Bazile won the girls shot put with a 38-foot throw.
On the boys side, Jacob Rist, Joe Gray, Anders Berg and Conor Donohue won the distance medley in 10:57. Gray and Donohue came back to team with Brandon Yao and David Flatscher for second in the sprint medley in 3:50.
”We feel pretty good,” said PHS head coach Ben Samara. “Guys are progressing at the rate we expect them to. We’re not blowing the doors off the early season, but we’re confident in our training plan for distance and sprints. We think by the spring everyone will be where they need to be.”
Hauschild feels confident in the chances for her and Loughran. They are already setting bests without being deep into their full training.
”Natalie and I are super excited about that,” Hauschild said. “17 was our baseline for the winter. That we both jumped it so early in the season, we’re excited for what’s to come. We were in the weight room every day lifting. It’s cool to see all that hard work has paid off. Coming into the next meets, we’re excited to put more work in and see what we can do.”
The work began in the fall with a season that Hauschild wouldn’t have seen herself signing up for before.
”Cross country is not always the most enjoyable thing for us sprinters and jumpers who are used to running 100s instead of 5ks,” she said. “We see the benefits when we come out for winter and spring. We’re ready because of all the work we put in during the fall.”
Hauschild is back in her element with the start of track. She got her original start in track and field while a sixth grader at Cranbury Middle School. In middle school, it was high jump that was her primary event, but she found her favorite as she got into high school.
”I didn’t try long jump until a Princeton University camp I went to before my freshman year,” Hauschild said. “I was still high jumping last year in winter track. I was improving at a much faster rate in long jump, so we decided to leave that (high jump) behind.”
Hauschild is a versatile athlete capable of scoring in any number of events like the 200, 400 and triple jump. Long jump, though, has emerged as her top field event.
”Long jump has always been a favorite of mine ever since I tried it for the first time,” she said. “I love the physical aspect of long jump and it requires so much mental strength too. And I enjoy running the 400. It’s the perfect distance for me. It’s not too short or too long. It also requires a lot of mental strength too.”
The Little Tigers have been impressed with the rapid development of their long jumpers. Samara has seen both Hauschild and Loughran emerge.
”Maia and Natalie have been coming along great,” Samara said. “We’re where we wanted to be at the end of the season now. They’re already over 17-feet. They won the Lavino Relays. That was our one medal on the girls side. They both jumped 17-1.”
What has impressed PHS is how much farther they have been able to jump in a relatively short period of time and without an incredible amount of technical training yet.
”Maia started out and the first time she jumped, she jumped 14-2,” Samara said. “Then by the end of the season, she was in the 16s. Then first meet this year, she popped out 17. She did cross country to build her base. Her big jumps are off her summer training. Once we get that speed and explosiveness back, she’s going to go flying.
”Natalie, she had shin problems all year and she kind of went on the back burner. It was trying to get her healthy. Then she comes out indoors and jumps 17 feet too. Both are sophomores, so there’s a pretty bright future in that event.”
Both can contribute greatly for a PHS team that is looking to get stronger with every month. The girls are hoping to have everyone healthy by the end of the indoor season, and the boys are looking to make some waves beginning with the group relays Saturday.
”In state relays, the DMR for the boys, I think that’s our feature event,” Samara said. “Joe has done a great job transitioning from a 200/400 guy to a 400/800 guy. He’s really versatile for us. We have the same four doubling back for the 4x, but they’re excited to do it. Jacob Rist looks so strong on the track. He looks like he’s ready for a big performance. Anders Berg and Connor Donohue are so consistent.
”I love that relay team and I’m excited for it. I think we can do well there. That’d be a big boost or our guys in the championship meets and going into the spring.”
The girls have a chance to place in the sprint medley as well as the long jump relay. Hauschild is looking forward to seeing the whole team in action in a big meet environment.
”I’m super excited about the team that came out for winter track,” she said. “I can definitely see that the work ethic of the team coming in. From the first day of practice, I could tell people are really committed to the sport, especially the newcomers. They’re coming to practice every day and giving it their all. I’m excited to see what they can do.
”It’s good too that the team is very close. When people are running there’s so much energy in the gym. Everyone’s out there cheering for whoever is racing. That’s an important component of the team as well.”