BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
CHRIS KELLY staff Brick Memorial’s Andrew Brodeur, shown here racing at the recent Lion Invitational in Middletown, looked as fast as ever on Saturday as he won the 3,200-meter title at the Ocean County Championships in Neptune. NEPTUNE – Shortly after winning the 3,200-meter run in 9:24.12 in the Ocean County track and field championships on Saturday, Andrew Brodeur was on the cell phone making a call to Amherst, Mass., to his buddy – Matt Weissinger.
Brodeur had just broken Weissinger’s school record by nearly three seconds, even though he admitted, “I didn’t think I was going that fast. I ran a 9:44 in the Lion Invitational and it was pretty painful.”
Nearby was Matt’s sister, Melany, catching the drift of the conversation with her brother, who is a student at the University of Massachusetts.
“I’ll call him later,” said Melany with a laugh. She’d also had news to tell – a third-place finish in the girls 3,200 race with an 11:37 time that was 21 seconds better than her previous best time when she finished third in the Lion Invitational at Middletown North last month in 11:58.
But then she reflected proudly on her surge from fifth place to third midway through the race and held on from there.
“I never know how I’ll feel,” said Weissinger, echoing the sentiments before the race by her coach, Jessica Jones. “My stomach was bothering me but once I was out there, I was all right. I was running in the 12s [minutes] at the start [of the season] and 11:50s in one or two races lately but did not expect it this time.”
“I was definitely impressed,” said Jones. “She ran a really solid race and felt good out there. It’s definitely not what I expected. She did a great job.”
It was part of a solid day enjoyed by both teams as the boys finished in seventh place with 30 points, with an added boost from Greg Hunecke’s first-place finish in the javelin, and the girls placing eighth with 18, with Kristine Perrine notching a pair of third-place finishes in the 1,600 meters (5:17) and the 800 (2:16, which was off her school record 2:14.68 time set last year in her fourth-place finish at the NJSIAA groups meet).
Brodeur, who was claiming his second 3,200 title in three years (he missed last spring with an injury), a few days earlier was second to Kris Carle in the 1,600 in a school record 4:20.75, just an eyelash’s .18 of a second behind the Jackson runner. But on Saturday, Brodeur began moving firmly from third place going into the second mile, and took the lead at the final quarter-mile that he held by a few strides down the stretch without ever looking in serious trouble. Brodeur clocked a 59.7 split in the final quarter-mile. Carle was nearly six seconds behind.
“I wanted to see how the first mile went and then run a negative split,” said Brodeur, a junior. “Usually, Karl likes to get rid of me in the second mile and get way ahead of me.”
Brick Memorial coach Brian Decker said Brodeur ran “a great race. We had a game plan of setting back and relaxing on the first mile and then the guys would start to fall back to him as he’d move up on their shoulders and pick up the pace.”
Hunecke, meanwhile, won the javelin with a throw of 169 feet that was 12 feet better than his previous best at the Lions Invitational at Middletown North last month, and sophomore Bill Brunner finished fifth in the shot put with a personal best throw of 48 feet 8 inches. For both, it was on their second throw of the day.
“I knew a couple of kids were in the 150s but my throw was effortless,” said Hunecke, who was 6 feet ahead of the runner-up. “I got my hips into it. I thought it [javelin] slipped right out of my hand.”
He said a strong headwind behind him had no effect.
“It’s just mental,” said Hunecke.
“It’s consistency. He came to win,” said Brick Memorial assistant Paul Roebuck, who coaches throwers.
“This is the most competitive we’ve been at the county level,” said Decker. “Even though some guys did not win, they ran PBs [personal bests]. I see improvements in us being competitive.”
The team will not compete in the Shore Conference championships this weekend and instead focus on the East Coast Relays in Morristown on Monday before embarking on the NJSIAA sectionals at Hillsborough next weekend. The girls will compete in the Shore Conference meet, however.
Decker said Hunecke with sophomore Sean Yuninger, who has thrown 135 feet, could make for a solid javelin tandem in the East Coast Relays.
As for Brunner, he comes from a good gene pool as his dad of the same name has been an expert on throwing events as a coach for the past 30 years, most recently with the Brick Township’s girls team. But there was suspenseful moments for young Brunner as he spent an hour awaiting the final results. His dad, meanwhile, was coaching nationally ranked discus thrower Deanna Hahn while keeping in touch with his family on the cell phone at the shot put area to pass on instruction to his son.
“t was crazy for him; he was going nuts,” said young Brunner with a smile. “I felt really warmed up. I felt like today was a good day for me.”
Brunner was the only sophomore in the finals.
“I was very happy,” said the elder Brunner. “His technique is coming along. I could see him throwing 52 or 53 feet as a junior and he’s on course to throw 56 to 58 feet by his senior year if he does a lot of [weight] lifting, continues to work hard and keeps it up.”
That’s not bad for someone who was the second best shot putter on his team at the start of the season.
“My dad worked with me and I started to step it up,” said young Brunner. “He just improved my speed a lot. I’m more mentally prepared.”
Perrine, meanwhile, is looking to get back into the Meet of Champions in her signature 800-meter event, where she finished ninth in 2:15.48 at the MOC last spring. She’ll run it in the Shore Conference championships on Saturday along with the 1,600, which she did not run last year at that meet.
“I feel like I’m getting stronger, much better than previous meets,” said Perrine, a junior. “I had shin splints but it feels a lot better. The key in the Shore Conference meet is going to be my starts. I have to get out well.”
But experience in big meets is a confidence-builder for Perrine.
Also for Brick Memorial, two high jumpers fared well with a best leap of 5-8 John Vaguerio, who set a freshman record with his jump. Rich Dalatri set a sophomore school record with his measure.