By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
When Katie Koss came out for winter track and field, it signaled a change in her commitment level and brought a change in her performance.
Her first year of competing in the indoor season has paid off with the Robbinsville High School junior reaching her first Group II state meet. Koss earned one of the top six qualifying spots when she ran 59.38 seconds for third place in the Central Jersey Group II championships that were held Friday and Saturday in Monmouth.
”I was excited and I’m really looking forward to running states next week,” Koss said. “I was happy.
”Last year, I went to sectionals and I didn’t place. I missed it by one place. This year, I worked harder and I improved.”
Koss is one of four girls from Robbinsville to advance out of CJ II. The Ravens scored 33 points for sixth overall. The Allentown High School girls will send seven girls on from the Central Jersey Group III meet. They had 24 points, good for seventh, and only three points behind Hopewell Valley for sixth.
”We’re very pleased,” said Allentown head coach Brian Harshman. “Our girls have been very consistent throughout the year and throughout the season. To finish seventh in that section is quite an accomplishment. We had 24 points. We’re pretty pleased with that. We probably had a couple other girls that could have advanced, but we did very well.”
Robbinsville junior Noel Jancewicz won the girls high jump when she was the only Group II competitor to clear 5-feet-6.
”Noel winning the high jump, it feels like it’s been a while since she won a major meet,” said Robbinsville head coach Mike Walker. “It’s nice to see her getting on a roll.”
Jancewicz qualified in two other events. She was second in the 400 meters in 59.07 seconds and Koss was third. Jancewicz was fifth in the 100 meters in 12.91 seconds.
Myana Morris-Bullock was fourth in the girls 100-meter dash in 12.86 seconds and sixth in the girls 200 meters in 26.57 seconds. Paris Hughes made a quick recovery from flu-like symptoms earlier last week to take fifth in the girls 800 in 2:20.73.
”Paris. I’m really happy for her,” Walker said of the sophomore. “She missed a few days over the weekend and even during the week because she was out sick. With the heat coming up, we couldn’t do tough workouts. I wasn’t sure that I was going to get from her. I thought before that she was set up and was in good shape to go for a win.
”After she got sick, I was telling her, that’s still the goal, to go for the win. Secretly, I was nervous. It’s tough to do when you’re wiped out a whole week. She got through and ran a PR.”
Allentown’s Brianna Corlette was second in the 100-meter dash in 12.75 seconds and sixth in the 200 in 26.60 seconds. Karlee Corvasce was third in the javelin with 113-10.
Anne Lee was fifth in long jump at 16-feet-¼ and Roxanne Redwood was sixth with 15-9¼. Lee was fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 35-3¾. Carly DuBrosky was fifth in the 400 hurdles in 1:06.76. Corlette, Amanda Hornyak, Alyssa Sargent and DuBrosky ran a school-record 4:07.55 for fifth in the girls 4×400.
”Bri Corlette competed very well,” Harshman said. “Anne Lee is so consistent. She advanced in triple and long jump. Karlee had a personal best in the jav to finish third. She was improving. Each throw was better and better. When kids are PR’ing in the important meets, you know things are going well.”
The Redbirds are hopeful they can advance some athletes to the Meet of Champions. It will take another top-six finish or a wild card to get out of Group III.
”Bri Corlette, I know she can run faster in the 100,” Harshman said. “She was on the bubble last year of making the Meet of Champions, as was Anne Lee in the triple jump. I would say they have a decent chance at groups if they compete well to move on.
”Carly DuBrosky, she’s improving every week in the 400 hurdles. It would take a strong effort from her, but she has a chance as well. It’ll be an interesting meet. I’m hopeful. It’d be great if we have a couple people moving on to the Meet of Champions. That would be quite an accomplishment.”
Koss is starting to recognize that she has potential to go far in the track, but she never expected to be in the mix to advance to the MOC.
”I feel like if I run my best time, I have a chance of placing and making it to the Meet of Champs,” Koss said. “It would be more than I expected if I placed in states.”
The hard work on the track started earlier this year for Koss, who also plays defense for the field hockey team at Robbinsville.
”This is a breakout year for her,” Walker said. “We knew she was doing well. We knew she was running good times.
”I think it’s believing a little more. Looking at her times last year, she was around 64 for the 400. She has a twin sister, and they were the girls that were there to work out to get in shape for the field hockey. They did work, but it wasn’t like track was their thing.”
Two weeks ago, Koss won the 400 meters at the Mercer County Championships. Her recent success is making her reconsidered where her best potential for the future lies.
”This year, I came out to mainly improve my times, and so I can do better for spring track,” Koss said. “Last year, I wanted to get in shape for field hockey more.
”Overall, I am surprised, especially with spring track. I knew I’d improve, but I didn’t know how much. I plan to work harder to hopefully improve even more from this year.”
The county meet was a big stepping stone for her. Koss had broken 60 seconds in the 400 meters just once before it, and it came in a relay split, something that she discredited as an advantage from a relay.
”When she did it at counties, it was like the light bulb went off,” Walker said. “She’s not just getting ready for field hockey. She’s really a track girl.”
Koss came into the sectional meet with a new outlook after the county meet. And she again ran under 60 seconds.
”It shows that I can get that time,” Koss said. “It gives me more confidence to place.
”I was pretty confident because I knew I was ranked to place,” she added. “I was just hoping I’d do my best so I could place.”
Her sectional time was the second best of her career, and trailed only her county personal record. She’ll go into the group meet with a teammate in the same event, Jancewicz. Working out with Jancewicz has helped Koss improve. Training with her was one of the first signs that Koss was doing things differently this winter.
”Sometimes we let them pick who they work out with, and she was working out with a group that was a little quicker and more serious this winter,” Walker said. “Then the next time, she was working out with Noel’s group, and that’s as good as it gets.”
It’s helped Katie Koss continue to improve her times, and she’s hoping there’s still another week of advancement ahead of her in her breakout season.
”I hope to improve for states,” Koss said. “I feel like I can go faster.”
