Morristown's Murphy, Kinnelon's Ahart golden at NJSIAA Track and Field Meet of Champions
SOMERSET — Aaliyah Murphy was choking back tears as she walked away from the finish line of the 400-meter hurdles. The first to wrap the Morristown junior up in a hug was her teammate and fellow hurdler, Jason Meza. Other coaches and teammates followed, showering Murphy with congratulations.
Murphy won the NJSIAA Meet of Champions 400 hurdles title. That was the No. 1 goal on the list she'd been keeping on her phone since before the season started. But after hearing her time, 1:01.57, Murphy wrinkled her nose and frowned.
But then the smile returned.
"No wonder why I'm not that tired. I feel it but I don't feel it," said Murphy, who will run the same event at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia on Friday. "Honestly, I'm shocked. I don't know how to feel right now."
Murphy is the first Morristown girl to win a MOC title, and it came on her 17th birthday.
She had expected a more consistent push from her competitors, and was hoping to break a minute for the first time. She had run 1:00.39, the top time in New Jersey this spring, to win Group 4 on June 10.
That was another of Murphy's goals.
The first to greet Meza after he placed sixth in the 400 hurdles, Murphy has one more goal for the spring: to compete at nationals.
"It's a blessing, honestly," she said. "I came into the season with very much doubt. Keeping my mental straight was very important to being able to meet every goal I set for myself."
'Poetic ending' for Kinnelon's Ahart
Jack Ahart began to seriously focus on winning a Meet of Champions title after the indoor season. His junior spring had come to a disappointing end, after he pulled his hamstring running the 100 meters at Group 1.
Heading into the MOC, Ahart said, "I'm going for the 400, nothing less." He met his goal on Thursday, stopping the clock in 47.19 seconds.
Ahart looked across the track to where his family and friends cheered.
"I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of executing," said Ahart, who signed a National Letter of Intent with Notre Dame.
"It's definitely a poetic ending for sure. Last year, things didn't go as planned, to redeem myself and come back on this revenge tour, it means a lot. To represent Group 1, and more importantly my school and my town, that's what I'm most proud of."
He pulled the front of his green jersey out, adding, "Kinnelon Colts forever."
Simply the (personal) best
■ Natasha Redmond said she "sneaked my way into the 100 meters" at the MOC. She emerged in second place with a personal-best and school-record 11.99, her first time breaking 12 seconds. Redmond, a Mount Olive junior, also placed third in the 200 (24.92).
"I was very happy about it," said Redmond, who will be running the 100 and 200 at NBON on Saturday. "I wanted to go out and do my best, and I blew my expectations out of the water."
■ Morris Hills senior Adannia Agbo placed second in the triple jump with a personal-best 39-3.75. She also was sixth in the long jump.
■ Morris Knolls junior Luke Schagelin "wasn't mad" about finishing second to Union senior Gabriel Rodriquez in the 800 meters. But his final time, 1:53.46, wasn't a PR and that was disappointing. But they'll meet again on Sunday in the same NBON heat.
■ Chatham senior Ted Joel cleared a school-record 14-6 to place third in the pole vault.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ Track and field: Meet of Champions
