Young seeded third in triple jump
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
Ebony Young is hoping the third time is the charm.
The Hillsborough High senior track and field star arrived at Wednesday’s NJSIAA Meet of Champions seeking a state title. Young is making her third trip to the state’s most prestigious track and field event and was one of the favorites to capture gold in the triple jump. She also qualified in the 400 hurdles but opted to scratch that event to save her energy and concentrate on going for her best performance and a state championship.
”I’m going to focus on triple jump,” said Young, who finished third in the event at last year’s M of C. “I think it will be good for me to focus on one thing.”
Young posted her fastest time in the 400 hurdles and longest triple jump of the 2009 season at last weekend’s State Group 4 Championships in Egg Harbor. She finished fourth in the 400 hurdles (1:02.86) and placed second in the triple jump (39-0) to qualify for the Meet of Champs in both events.
Although she’s gotten faster in the 400 hurdles in recent weeks, Young hasn’t been close to the sizzling times posted by Union’s Ugonna Ndu, who is the only girl in the state to go under a minute and is more than a full second faster than anyone else. Young and Marlboro’s Ada Unachukwu have gone back-and-forth in the triple jump this winter and spring and always finish in a close battle.
”We always jump the same thing,” Young said. “If I have a bad jump, she has a bad jump. When I jump 38, she jumps 38. We’re always around the same.”
Unachukwu has edged Young in the sectional and state meets the past two weeks. She won the Central Jersey Group 4 title on her final jump and hit 39-8 on her second attempt of the finals (fifth of six tries overall) to win the State Group 4 crown.
Young was fourth entering the finals but moved up to second place with a 39-0 on the second round of the finals. She tried to answer Unachukwu’s 39-8 in the last round but hit 38-9.
”My butt landed in the sand, so that took a couple of inches off it,” said Young, who also finished 11th in the long jump (16-6) earlier in the day.
Two Hillsborough throwers will join Young and make their first appearance at the Meet of Champions. Senior javelin thrower Chris Tillotson and junior discus thrower Danielle Deretchin needed some late heroics to place in the top six and qualify for the M of C.
Tillotson, who earlier this season set the school rubber tip javelin record (175-11), uncorked his longest throw since then last Saturday. Tillotson qualified for the finals but was in eighth place until his last throw. Since only the top six receive a medal and move on to the Meet of Champs, Tillotson knew he had to launch one.
”I was thinking I can’t go out like this,” Tillotson said. “I knew I could throw better. I just put it all out there.”
Tillotson admitted that his powerful left arm was tired by the last round of the finals. He summoned all his energy, adrenaline and maturity to get the job done.
”I’m just happy I kept my composure on that last throw,” Tillotson said. “I didn’t let it get in my head. It was really competitive and that made me throw better.”
Tillotson had a number in mind for his one and only trip to the Meet of Champs. He’d love to break his own record and possibly hit 180 feet.
”I’m just excited to go throw against the best in the state,” he said. “I’m just going for a p-r (personal record). I really want to hit 180 and I’ll see how far that takes me.”
Deretchin also needed a big final throw to keep her season alive. She fouled on her first two attempts of the flight round and stayed in the competition with a 106-footer, which placed her eighth in the finals. Things didn’t get much better early in the finals but she finally launched a good throw (114-10) to finish fourth.
”I was just thinking I had to do this,” said Deretchin, who hit 120-1 to take second in the CJ 4 meet the previous weekend. “It’s not something I haven’t done consistently throughout the season. I just took a breath and threw it out there. It felt like the best throw I had all day.”
Deretchin is hoping to get back into 120-foot territory and maybe beyond at the Meet of Champs. She’s proud to be representing her school at the biggest meet of the year.
”It’s amazing,” said Deretchin, who also placed 17th in the Group 4 shot put (34-6¾). “Just to be considered one of the top high school athletes at a school like Hillsborough makes you feel like so much more. I just want to do my best.”
Several other HHS athletes competed in the State Group 4 meet last weekend but did not qualify for the Meet of Champs. Junior Ashley Smolinka, who captured a medal and set a school record in the 3,200 at last year’s M of C, finished 10th in the 1,600 in a time of 5:10.52.
The fine career of senior distance standout Jordan Magath ended in the 3,200 meters. Magath, the Skyland Conference champ who was chasing the school record, came up short and finished 13th in a time of 9:43.48.
Three Raiders finished 17th in their events sophomore Miranda Reinson in the pole vault (9-6), sophomore Cody Watts in the javelin (145-10) and junior Anthony D’Ovidio in the pole vault (11-6). Junior Matt Millemann was 14th in the 110 high hurdles (15.49).
Most of Hillsborough’s Group 4 competitors were underclassmen who will get another chance to qualify for the Meet of Champions. Young, the only member of this year’s qualifying trio with prior M of C experience, was hoping to go out with a bang.
”This is going to be my last meet and my goal is to do the best I can,” Young said. “If I happen to win, that would be awesome. I just want to represent Hillsborough and do it for my coaches. They’ve done so much for me. I just want to show them how thankful I am.”