Winter track: Highlights from the Group 2 and 3 sectionals
Demarest and River Dell have dominated the North 1, group 2 sectionals for the last decade. Between them they have won 17 of the boys and girls 18 titles awarded since 2015 with only the 2020 Lakeland boys breaking up the streak. (There was no 2021 meet because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Saturday at the Bennett Center in Toms River, the Demarest boys and River Dell girls continued their domination with each team winning its third straight title.
Morris Knolls easily repeated in group 3 boys as Morris County schools swept the top five team slots, while Mount Olive did the same in the girls, holding off Northern Highlands for the second straight year, this time by a 54-43 score, buoyed by two individual wins apiece by stars Natasha Redmond and Morgan Ryerson, who also ran ran two of the four legs on the winning relay.
Northern Highlands junior Luke Adami won the group 3 boys high jump and Tenafly junior Alan Villavicencio the group 3 pole vault, while Kara Langbaum of Wayne Hills won a thrilling 1,600 race from state contender Ivory Piskula of Morris Hills, Brianna Potaki of Ramapo ran away with the 3,200 title and Highlander senior Allie Courtney scored 18 points in the three distance races for the top girls performances.
North Jersey teams won just two events in the North 2, group 2 sectionals, as Leonia's Jaden Marchan won the 400 in the boys meet and Lyndhurst's Julia Tozduman became the first North Jersey girl over 5-4 this season in winning the high jump.
Here's a closer look at the North 1, group 2 meets:
Demarest boys shake off adversity and takes advantage of some breaks
It wasn't your typical Demarest victory despite the apparent ease of a 72 1/2-40 1/2 win over Old Tappan that was clinched before the last two events. The Norsemen got shut out in two usually strong events, the shot put and the 55 hurdles, and their top athlete, junior Liam Paneque, won the high jump but came up short in his two other events.
"Our shot putters weren't able to throw indoors because the top kids are all recovering from football injuries that will keep them out until the spring,'' said coach Mike Theuerkauf. "Liam is our best hurdler and he's the best long and triple jumper in the state but for some reason the NJSIAA can't figure out how to include those events in a track meet.''
"He slipped in his hurdles trial because no one is allowed to use blocks until the final and he got a bad start in the 55,'' said Theuerkauf. "So we knew we had to get some points from less usual sources.''
Eighteen of those came from a totally unexpected 1-2 finish from seniors Ron Rozenthal and Matthew Sands in the pole vault and 10 more came from the 2-5 finish from Luke Davis and Enrico Parrella in the 800.
Rozenthal, who finished seventh last year with a then personal best 10 feet, had not even cleared that height in two previous meets this winter.
Saturday, after makes at 9-0 and 9-6, he missed twice at 10-0 before clearing the bar and then made four clearances at consecutive personal best heights of 10-6 (second attempt), 11-0 (second); 11-6 (first) and 12-0 (second) to earn the victory,
Sands cleared a season's best of 11-0 for second, as the Norsemen took advantage of the absence of two of the best vaulters in the state, Pascack Hills seniors Ben Mandler and Michaal Dao, who have cleared 14-6 and 13-6 respectively, earlier in the season. Mandler has a stress fracture and Dao, a severe ankle sprain that will keep them out until spring.
"I feel really bad for the Hills kids, but our kids really answered the call and stepped up,'' said Theuerkauf. "To have four personal bests on the same like Ron is simply unheard of and Matt always comes through when we need him.''
Theuerkauf also spotlighted junior distance runner Yahel Raviv, who went from a 10:48 personal best in the 3,200 before last Monday's Varsity Classic to a 10:33 at the aforementioned meet to a sterling 10:13.10 to take third place and earn six points in the sectional race.
"He was a diamond in the rough during cross-country and he's adding more polish with every race.''
Junior Adam Kaufman got the Norsemen off on the right foot when he ran down Old Tappan star Goran Saric to win the opening event, the 400 meters to give Demarest a lead they never lost. Paneque won the high jump and Parella took fourth in the 1,600, before the pole vault results came in. The 2-5 finish in the 800, coupled with Kaufman's fourth in the 55 put the meet out of reach. The 4-x-400 relay team of Demarest with Kaufman, Parrella, Ivan Timochko and Davis put the finishing touches on the title with a fourth event win.
Allen's second straight triple pulls River Dell girls to a third straight title
In contrast, River Dell's girls followed the same formula that propelled them to the previous two sectional titles. Send out one of North Jersey's all-time great performers as often as you can and get her as much help as possible.
Saturday, Allen became the second athlete in New Jersey history to win the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 at the same sectional meet in consecutive years to lead the Golden Hawks to a 68-46 win over Old Tappan. In the three winter track sectionals she was able to compete in (There was no 2021 indoor track season), she earned eight gold medals out of a possible nine in the three longest races in high school track and field. Her only loss was to state record holder Angelina Perez in the 2022 3,200 but she came back immediately after to run a leg on the Golden Hawks 4-x-400 relay team that clinched that championship over Demarest.
'her presence in a race inspires me to run faster,'' said River Dell senior teammate Isabella Gabay, who scored a pair of winter personal bests in third place finishes in both the 1,600 and 3,200. "It's a big motivator to me.''
The last lap of the last race of the triple was textbook Allen, both as a runner but also as a great teammate and motivation on the track. She controlled the race at just about 12 minute pace, very comfortable for someone who has run nearly 75 seconds faster (in her unbelievable outdoor State Meet of Champions win in her freshman year), allowing Gabay to stay in the lead pack with Passaic County champ Ciara Clinton of West Milford and Ashley Crane of Sparta both of whom had personal bests significantly better than Gabay's.
Allen looked back just before she entered the final turn and Gabay was ready.
"I saw it as a sign to stay as close to her possible when she put on the kick, and I closed as quickly as I possibly could,'' said Gabay, who passed Clinton and nearly caught Crane en route to a 12:00.51 clocking, about two seconds behind Allen.
The two then shared an emotional hug and then went to celebrate the title with the rest of their teammates.
"We knew where our points were coming, and our freshman (Samiya Bovell) got us going with a third place finish in the 400,'' said Urso. "Christina and Izzy went 1-3 in the 1,600 and Grace (McQueeney) did Grace things, staying clean in the high jump through five feet in a meet where all six medalists made 5-0. That got us eight mores points.''
River Dell got blanked in the 55 hurdles and shot, a rarity for the Golden Hawks, and Old Tappan pulled closer off a 1-2-3 sweep in the pole vault, but Allen won the 800 handily before Morgan Levine took second in the 55 as Old Tappan's top sprinter false started in the final as the top seed.
"During the break (for the group 3 3,200s and 4-x-400 relays, Urso told me we needed two points from the 3,200 to ensure we'd win the meet even if OT won the relay and he asked me if I wanted to run the 3,200,'' said Allen. "I said if it means the meet I can do that.''
River Dell then earned a fourth place finish in the relay, anchored by Christina's freshman sister Sam. "Running with her made things a lot more fun this season,'' said Christina.
Kurtz's big double highlights great individual efforts
The sprint medley relay is one of the most interesting races on the track and field program. It requires speed, strength and some endurance as the legs are 400 meters, 200 meters, 200 meters and 800 meters with the anchor running more than half of the elapsed time of the race.
That anchor leg can turn good runners into stars.
The latest star created by the event is Pascack Valley senior Patrick Kurtz.
He showed how good he could be during an excellent cross-country season that saw him win the group 2 sectional title and earn all-North Jersey honors.
But it was a sizzling 1:54.00 anchor by Kurtz that nearly gave the Panthers an upset victory over Ridgewood and its anchor star, Luke Pash at the Bergen County Relays boosted Kurtz into the spotlight for the first time. And he hasn't shied from it.
Earlier last week, he won the Varsity Classic 800 at the Armory Track Center in a state leading 1:54.51 and brought his 1,600 PR down five seconds to 4:23.20. Saturday he dominated both races, running 1:58.39 and 4:29.24 on the much slower Toms River oval.
"I feel confident every time I step on the track,'' said Kurtz, who broke two minutes outdoors last spring but didn't figure to run sub-1:55 until the spring. "I've added mileage and I keep feeling that I'm improving every day.''
Working out with sophomore Marcus Koshy every day isn't hurting either. Koshy's win in the group 2 3,200 helped the Panthers to a surprise third place finish in the meet.
Other standouts in the boys 2 meet were Tavi Victoria of Passaic Valley (55 hurdles), teammate Karim Elsaadany (55) and Jack Small of Old Tappan (shot put).
Luke Adami of Northern Highlands won the group 3 high jump with a personal best of 6 feet and Alan Villavicencio of Tenafly continued his breakout season in the pole vault by winning his second meet of the week, after becoming the Tigers first 14 foot vaulter in more than 50 years in winning the Varsity Classic.
Among the girls, Abby Dennis of Old Tappan won the 55 hurdles handily with a season's best and seems ready to retain her group 2 state title. Siena Kannenberg of Mahwah repeated in the 400, and Kailey Attali of Demarest impressed in winning the 55 after running a personal best in a second place finish to Dennis in the hurdles. Brooke Wichmann of Westwood PR'd in winning that very competitive high jump at 5-2. It's the only girls meet in the state where all six medalists made at least five feet. Jamie Kim (11-6), Allie Tuite (11-0) and Salome Sanchez (10-6) all cleared personal bests in the Old Tappan sweep of the vault, Chloe Brijbag of West Milford threw a personal best 34-10 3/4 to win the group 2 shot.
Summaries
North 1
Boys
Group 2
TEAM SCORES: Demarest (DEM) 72 1/2, Old Tappan (OT) 40 1/2, Passaic Valley (PASSV) 39, Pascack Valley (PV) 36, River Dell (RD) 18, West Milford (WM) 17, Lakeland (LAKE) 14, Jefferson 12, Lodi (LO) 11, Sparta and Montville 10, Mahwah (MAH) 9, Dwight Morrow (DM) 8, Pascack Hills (PH) 6, Indian Hills (IH) 5, Dumont (DUM) and Ramsey (RAM) 1.
55: 1. Karim Elsaadany (PASSV), 6.61; 2. Saundrae Palmer Jr. (DM), 6.65; 3. Noah Traverso (WM), 6.65; 4. Adam Kaufman (DEM), 6.80; 5. Ivan Larcier (LO), 6.82; 6. Jack Monolucas (LO), 6.88.
400: 1. Adam Kaufman (DEM), 51.33; 2. Goran Saric (OT), 51.56; 3. Noah Traverso (WM), 51.96; 4. Tavi Victoria (PASSV), 52.61; 5. Brian Pizzaro (PASSV), 53.05; 6. Anthony DiFiore (PH), 53.14.
800: 1. Patrick Kurtz (PV), 1:58.39; 2. Luke Davis (DEM), 1:59.80; 3. Liam Schwabik (RD), 2:00.62; 4. Basell Dahhan (PASSV), 2:04.06; 5. Enrico Parrella (DEM), 2:06.03.
1,600: 1, Patrick Kurtz (PV), 4:29.24; 3. Marcus Koshy (PV), 4:34.70; 4. Enrico Parrella (DEM), 4:36.19.
3,200: 1. Marcus Koshy (PV), 10:06.65; 3. Yahel Raviv (DEM), 10:13.10; 5. Benjamin Johnson (OT), 10:13.51; 6. Nico Tucci (IH), 10:21.79.
55 HH: 1. Tavi Victoria (PASSV), 7.91; 2. Kyle Keyes (LAKE), 8.06; 3. Joseph Perriello (MAH), 8.31; 4. Maximus Daniels (IH), 8.43; 5. Eric Adoni (MAH), 8.59; 6. Jake Urso (DUM), 8.62.
Shot put: 1. Jack Small (OT), 53-5 1/4; 3. Brody McCormack (LAKE), 47-2 1/2; 4. Goran Saric (OT), 47-1 1/4; 5. Ryan Iacavone (RD), 47-0 3/4; 6. Bradley Weiner (RAM), 46-6 1/4.
High jump: 1. Liam Paneque (DEM), 6-4; 2. Jack Monolucas (LO), 5-10; 3. Dinesh Doobay (RD), 5-8; 4. Julian Pierre (WM) and Brian Pizzaro (PASSV), 5-8; 6. Anand Vaghasia (OT) and Baxter Clark (DEM), 5-8.
Pole vault: 1. Ron Rozenthal (DEM), 12-0; 2. Matthew Sands (DEM), 11-0; 3. Joon Daniel Park (OT), 11-0; 4. Ben Malone (PH), 10-6; 5. Goran Saric (OT), 10-6; 6. Michael Ciongoli (MAH), 10-6.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Demarest, 3:34.08; 2. Old Tappan, 3:36.03; 3. Passaic Valley, 3:37.03; 4. River Dell, 3:38.02; 5. West Milford, 3:40.94; 6. Pascack Hills, 3:41.29.
Group 3
TEAM SCORES: Morris Knolls (MK) 78, Roxbury (ROX) 48, Mount Olive 39, Morris Hills 28, Randolph (RAN) 25, Wayne Hills (WH) 16, Bergenfield (BER) and Tenafly (TEN) 15, Northern Highlands (NH) 13, Teaneck (TNK) 10, Fort Lee (FL) 9, Ramapo (RPO) 8, Paramus (PAR) 4, Wayne Valley 2.
55: 1. Shayne Spiteri (ROX), 6.60; 5. Ryan Fernandes (PAR), 6.83; 6. Joshua Williams (TNK), 6.84.
400: 1. Luke Schagelin (MK), 49.63; 4. Brendan Carroll (WH), 52.14; 5. Michael Forde (TEN), 52.40
800: 1. Luke Schagelin (MK), 1;56.27; 2. Ryan Welch (RPO), 2:00.73; 5. Michael Forde (TEN), 2:02.96.
1,600: 1. Kennan Byers (RAN), 4:26.21; 6. Jimmy Hernandez (BERG), 4:34.78.
3,200: 1. Jared Weiss (ROX), 9:40.45; 2. Joshua Tejada (TNK), 9:43.06; 3. Jimmy Hernandez (BER), 9:49.32.
55 HH: 1. Elijah Bastos (MK), 7.84; 3. Logan Ntansah (WH), 8.26; 5. Cruz Cannariato (NH), 8.34; 6. Amadou Traore (FL), 8.39.
Shot put: 1. Cooper Sunberg (ROX), 44-9 1/4; 2. Arsham Bayrami (FL), 44-8 3/4; 4. Julio Rosa (BERG), 42-5 1/2; 5. Seamus Gallagher (PAR), 41-10.
High jump: 1. Luke Adami (NH), 6-0; 6. Lawrence Day (TNK), 5-6.
Pole vault: 1, Alan Villavicencio (TEN), 13-0; 6. Sam Irizarry (TEN), 11-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Morris Knolls, 3:30.01; 3. Wayne Hills, 3:34.61; 4. Bergenfield, 3:35.05; 5. Wayne Valley, 3:19.14; 6. Northern Highlands, 3:39.20.
Girls
Group 2
TEAM SCORES: River Dell (RD) 68, Old Tappan (OT) 46, Sparta 31, Ramsey (RAM) 30, Demarest (DEM) 25, Lakeland (LAKE) 22, Mahwah (MAH) 20, West Milford (WM) 16, Westwood (WEST) 14, Montville and Dumont (DUM) 12, Pascack Valley (PV) 5, Vernon and Passaic Valley 4, Pascack Hills (PH) 1.
55: 1. Kailey Attali (DEM), 7.48; 2. Morgan Levine (RD), 7.54; 3. Jenna Monaco (DUM), 7.61; 5. Harley Taylor (MAH), 7.65; 6. Madeline Wu (PV), 7.66.
400: 1. Siena Kannenberg (MAH), 1:00.17; 2. Julia Costa (RAM), 1:01.07; 3. Samiya Bovell (RD), 1:01.49; 5. Alexa Goll (LAKE), 1:02.13; 6. Harley Taylor (MAH), 1:02.14.
800: 1. Christina Allen (RD), 2:23.88; 3. Catherine Wiley (LAKE), 2:27.74; 4. Sophee Estrems (DEM), 2:28.38; 5. Kate Marie Monaco (RAM), 2:28.96; 6. Emme Fermin (OT), 2:28.99.
1,600: 1. Christina Allen (RD), 5:17.78; 3. Isabella Gabay (RD), 5:26.08; 4. Anna Lynch (RAM), 5:26.59; 5. Katie Rubin (RAMS), 5:26.66; 6. Ciara Clinton (WM), 5:27.54.
3,200: 1. Christina Allen (RD), 11:58.25; 3. Isabella Gabay (RD), 12:00.51; 4. Ciara Clinton (WM), 12:01.61; 5. Anna Lynch (RAM), 12:10.18.
55 HH: 1. Abby Dennis (OT), 8.31; 2. Kailey Attali (DEM), 8.57; 3. Jaelynn Vivanco (LAKE), 9.09; 4. Brooke Wichmann (WEST), 9.10; 5. Jenna Monaco (DUM), 9.17; 6. Maura Alden (PH), 9.73.
Shot put: 1. Chloe Brjibag (WM), 34-10 3/4; 2. Isabella Andriulli (LAKE), 34-9; 3. Callia Nickels (MAH) 34-0 1/4; 4. Alia Moreira (PV), 32-3 3/4; 5. Maya Mikay (DEM), 32-3 3/4; 6. Delia Mannion (RAM), 31-6.
High jump: 1. Brooke Wichmann (WEST), 5-2; 2. Grace McQueeney (RD), 5-0; t3. Caroline Ognibene (OT), 5-0; 5. Mackenzie Beazley (PASSV), 5-0; 6. Madison Freideman (WM), 5-0.
Pole vault: 1. Jamie Kim (OT), 11-6; 2. Allie Tuite (OT), 11-0; 3. Salome Sanchez (OT), 10-6; 4. Jenna Monaco (DUM), 10-6; 5. Adrianna Graziano (RAM), 9-0; 6. Kayla Sanchez (DEM), 8-6.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Ramsey, 4:12.86; 3. Old Tappan, 4:17.21; 4. River Dell, 4:18.13; 5. Passaic Valley, 4:19.77; 6. Mahwah, 4:22.02.
Group 3
TEAM SCORES: Mount Olive (MO) 54, Northern Highlands (NH) 43, Morris Knolls (MK) and Morris Hills (MH) 40, Wayne Hills (WH) and Roxbury (ROX) 27 1/2, Ramapo (RPO) 25, Wayne Valley (WV) 17, Randolph 14, Tenafly (TEN) 10, Fort Lee (FL) 6, Cliffside Park (CP) 4, Paramus (P) 2.
55: 1. Natasha Redmond (MO), 7.13; 2. Alyssa Chan (WH), 7.56; 4. Lauren Albino (RPO), 7.60; 5. Jordan Myers (PAR), 7.65.
400: 1. Natasha Redmond (MO), 58.78; 4. Sara Paul (WV), 1:00.98; 6. Ava Maher (WV), 1:01.32.
800: 1. Ivory Piskula (MH), 2:17.28; 2. Bridget Cannon (RPO), 2:19.40; 4. Allie Courtney (NH), 2:23.15; 5. Kara Langbaum (WH), 2:23.30.
1,600: 1. Kara Langbaum (WH), 5:15.24; 3. Allie Courtney (NH),5:16.48; 6. Autumn Ritter (NH), 5:19.63.
3,200: 1. Brianna Potaki (RPO), 11:25.44; 2. Allie Courtney (NH), 11:44.76; 3. Autumn Ritter (NH), 11:44.87.
55 HH: 1. Morgan Ryerson (MO), 8.17; 3. Leila Shamash (NH), 8.85; 4. Kaitlyn Shelley (CP), 9.09; 5. Ava Maher (WV), 9.17; 6. Kelsey Bennett (NH), 9.27.
Shot put: 1. Gretchen King (MK), 35-11 1/2; 3. Elizabeth Dankwa (WH), 32-5 1/2; 6. Olivia Galambos (WH), 30-7 3/4.
High jump: 1. Morgan Ryerson (MO), 5-0; 4. Ava Maher (TNK), 4-10; 5. Mia Callahan (TEN), 4-8; t6. Christina Chen (WH), 4-6.
Pole vault: 1. Shreya Sathiyan (MH), 12-0; 2. Hyrsa Kostara (TEN), 10-0; 3. Olivia Pisinski (FL), 9-6; 6. Shayna Braver (RPO), 8-6.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Mount Olive, 4:10.57; 2. Northern Highlands, 4:12.19; 3. Wayne Valley, 4:12.73; 5. Ramapo, 4:16.18.
North 2
Boys
Group 2
NORTH JERSEY MEDALISTS
TEAM SCORES: Bernards 71, Voorhees 45, Hillside and West Morris Central 26, Mendham 25, Madison 24, Rutherford (RU) 20, Caldwell 18, Ridgefield Park (RP) 13, Leonia (LEO) 10, Lyndhurst (LYN) and Hackettstown 8, West Essex 6, Gov. Livingston 5, Parsippany Hills 4, Newark Collegiate Academy 1.
55: 2. Marco Bozza-Caballero (RU), 6.66; 3. Marco Feliciano (RP), 6.69.
400: 1. Jaden Marchan (LEO), 52.19.
55 HH: 3. James Alati, (RU), 8.13; 5. Anthony Santana, (LYN), 8.59.
High jump: 3. Anthony Santana (LYN), 5-6.
Pole vault: 3. Eliot Ramos (RP), 12-0.
4-x-400 relay: 3. Rutherford, 3:41.44.
Girls
Group 2
TEAM SCORES: Mendham 64, Voothees 40, Madison 29, Hillside 26, Rutherford (RU) 22, Parsippany Hills 19, Hackettstown 18, Bernards and Parsippany 16, Lyndhurst ((LYN) 15, West Morris Central 14 1/2, Science Park 14, Caldwell 6, Ridgefield (RP) 4, Central 2 1/2, Gov. Livingston 1.
55: 6. Julia Tozduman (LY), 7.82.
800: 3. Poppie Bimson (RU), 2:26.76.
Shot put: 4. Nikolena Iacono (LYN), 29-3.
High jump: 1. Julia Tozduman (LYN), 5-4; 4. Juliette Sing (RU), 4-8.
Pole vault: 3. Raena Forte (RU), 7-6; 4. Mianna Almonte (RP), 6-6.
4-x-400 relay: 3. Rutherford, 4:20.19.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Winter track: Highlights from the Group 2 and 3 sectionals
