Lawrence indoor track
By: John E. Powers
Dave O’Neal can hardly wait.
The Lawrence High School track coach is eager to see how his talented Cardinal boys and girls indoor teams gel this winter. There’s much to be optimistic about.
"The guys team is young, and there are a lot of new faces it’s kind of like a work in progress," O’Neal said. "We know what we have with the girls. We’re loaded. There’s enough depth, so we can fill just about every event with talent."
Though O’Neal is very confident about his girls, he tempers it by saying the Cardinals have yet to break through.
The season begins Jan. 4 with the Colonial Valley Conference shot put and high jump at West Windsor-Plainsboro North. The team then has a dual meet at Lawrenceville on Jan. 25. The Mercer County meet is set for Feb. 5 at Widener University.
"The fact is we haven’t done what schools like Hopewell Valley and Trenton have done," said O’Neal, whose team lost sprint standouts Paige Sims and Jackie Pirre to graduation last June. "Some of the best teams in the state happen to be in our county. We were third in the county (outdoor) and lost to Trenton in a dual meet. The girls have the potential to be good. But as talented as we are, the county is strong, very strong."
The girls will be led by talented senior sprinter Nicole McMullen, who will be participating in her first full season of indoor track after having played basketball in previous seasons. McMullen will run the 200 and 400 meters and will also be on an already-talented 4×400 team that set a school record last year without her by going 4:20.20. The outdoor team ran 4:03 with McMullen, who was fourth in the 200 in the state Group IV outdoor meet with a 57.98.
"She can’t win a state title (in the relay) by herself," O’Neal said. "We have the ability to win a championship, but it’s going to take all of them to be at their best every day."
Senior Beth Korkuch is another sprinter, who is simply an all-around athlete. She qualified for the state group meet in the shot put last year and can also high jump.
"Beth is just a very good athlete," O’Neal said.
Sophomore Tara Gillens, McMullen, Danai Lendor (200, 400 and hurdles) and Korkuch should give the Cardinals one of the best 4×400 teams in the state. Junior Kelly Watson, whose specialty is the 800, is also capable of running the hurdle events, or the 200 and 400.
"We have five girls that we can really wrap the team around," O’Neal said. "It’s a versatile group that can cover a lot of ground for us."
Three youngsters will give the Cardinals a solid presence in the distance events, as freshman Nicole Kelleher, who was 10th in the Mercer County freshman cross country championships in the fall, freshman Molly Goodell and sophomore Kristie Nakyama will cover the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Nakyama played basketball last year, while Goodell played soccer in the fall.
"Molly has shown a lot of promise," O’Neal said. "Her soccer background has her ready to run."
The shot put is an event that the Cardinals should be especially strong in. Senior Janelle Fuller, second in the Mercer County outdoor championships last spring to Hightstown’s graduated star Amanda Marshall, is back, along with senior Elise Perkins, who was third in the county, and senior Ashley Wallace. Throw in Korkuch and senior Noelle Kane, and the Cardinals have great depth. Fuller was a national qualifier last spring and is closing in on a school record. She was third in the state indoor Group III meet last winter.
"Janelle and Elise are in the elite class of the county," O’Neal said. "Ashley is a couple of rungs back, but she just competed in her first year last spring. Beth threw 35 feet last spring. Its an event we’re exceedingly deep in."
The boys don’t have the kind of depth the girls have, but individual talent is abundant. Senior Liping Chao, 14th at the group outdoor meet last spring in the javelin with a 152-4 throw, will throw the shot and also work in the sprints. Junior Andrew Santora will run the 200 and 400, the hurdles and anchor the 4×400 team. Junior Kevin Raymond, the No. 2 runner on the cross country team, played basketball in the past, but O’Neal believes he will make an impact in the distance events in the winter. Junior Pat McDowell, a transfer from Ohio, will run the 200 and 400 and is capable of moving up to the 800, O’Neal said.
"We have a lot of question marks with the boys," O’Neal said. "We have 20 kids out. We’re playing around with a lot of stuff right now, looking to see what fits where with the boys."