This spring we hope to provide more track and field coverage than ever before with much of it to appear on this blog on a weekly basis.
I’m joined this spring by Dave Meisel, who did such a great job with the swimming beat this winter and by a Record newcomer, Bob Shwalb, not a newspaper newcomer and someone who has had experience in many sports including track and field. We’re going to try and stick to a regular blogging schedule, in addition to the usual Friday notebook and rankings and of course, as much or more major meet coverage as we have had in the past.
My blog — By the Numbers will be more of a historical reference, trying to put into perspective the times, distances and heights recorded by North Jersey’s finest track and field athletes. It’ll usually run late Monday (Passover Seder interfered this week).
Dave and Bob will try and blog Wednesdays, with Dave providing a deeper look at our top 25s and Bob filling in some of the holes we’ve missed, although all three of us will work together to get as much content to track fans as we can.
We hope you enjoy it.
Now, let’s start this week by looking at the remarkable Jack Yockers Bergen County Relays last weekend — A weekend that saw more than 75 additions to the all-time Bergen County Relay Bests and at least 38 school records. There was even a Bergen County record set — Twice!
The weather was sensational, the facility unmatched in North Jersey and the athletes rose to the occasion.
Here’s a closer look, event by event:
BOYS
4-x-100: Paramus Catholic’s sprint relay teams are most than Jabrill Peppers as junior Abdul Neblett, soph Kristian Bautista and freshman Alijah Jackson proved by opening up a wide margin before the All-American football star (and double state track champion) got the stick. PC went on to run 42.2, fastest ever at the Bergen Relays and third fastest overall in Bergen history. If the weather and stickwork is good enough on Friday, April 25, the Paladins should contend for a spot in the Penn Relays Championship of America 4-x-100.
Other ranking performances in the event: (* designates school record)Â St. Joseph Regional, 42.9, (#13 all-time)*
River Dell, 43.6 (tie-35th)*
Ridgewood, 43.7 (tie 42nd)*
Old Tappan, 43.9 (tie 50th).
4-x-200: Paramus Catholic again led the way here, running 1:29.50 (tie 17th all-time)
Ridgewood, 1:30.4 (tie 36th)
River Dell, 1:31.2 (tie 46th)*
4-x-1,600: A spectacular day with 11 teams breaking 19 minutes led by Don Bosco’s 17:58.2 (13th all-time) despite the worst baton pass in the event’s history, which probably cost the Ironmen, 10 seconds and five spots on the list.
Also: Bergen Catholic, 18:05.1 (21st). Not a school record but the fastest BC team since 1979. The Crusaders ran six of the top 20 all-time times in the 1970s and the team of Dan Lynch, Mike Sondej, Matt Morano, Tom Selvaggi brought back the echoes of Crusader greatness. And three return next spring.
Indian Hills 18:09.7 (30th)*
Ridgewood, 18:15.1 (42nd)
Sprint medley: Bergen County provided six of the top 11 800 runners in the state this winter and it showed here with a host of talented anchors leading to a reshuffle of the event’s standings.
Old Tappan, 3:31.1 (21st)*
Ridgewood, 3:31.9 (tie 23rd)
Don Bosco, 3:33,4 (tie 30th)
Ramsey, 3:34.9 (45th): Fastest by the Rams since the Roger Jones anchored team ran 3:31.9 for yards (slightly longer) back in 1977.
Distance medley: Another impressive trio of performances that currently all sit in the top 20 nationally this year in the event.
Don Bosco, 10:19.6 (15th) : Particularly impressive with only one member who ran on the Bergen County record setting indoor DMR — anchor Kyle Levermore. Kudos to Bobby Gonzalez (1,200), Adam Ramos (400) and Tim Alcide (800) for a terrific performance. Kyle — you’re pretty good too! 
Demarest, 10:24.2 (24th)*
Old Tappan, 10:25.1 (26th)*
3-x-400 IH: Old Tappan, 2:51.7 (10th)*
High jump: Ridgefield Park, 17-8 (tie 10th)*; Ramapo, 17-6 (tie 22nd)*
Long jump: Ramsey, 60-9 1/2 (tie 24th); Englewood, 60-9 1/2 (tie 24th); Paramus Catholic, 60-9 (28th).
Triple jump: A slew of great performances here and the individual with the best day isn’t even on any of the five teams that cracked the top 33.
Englewood, 129-8 1/2 (6th); Ridgewood, 127-5 1/2 (11th)*; Ramapo, 127-5 1/4 (12th)*; Ramsey, 124-10 1/2 (29th)*; Bogota, 124-0 1/2 (33rd)*
Pole vault: Four of the top 12 teams in Bergen history competed this weekend. Old Tappan (37-0) came up just short of the 37-6 they flew at the Season Opener and one of Demarest’s three vaulters no heighted so the Norsemen couldn’t improve on the 36-0 performance of the week before.
But both Ridgewood and Ridgefield Park* went 37-6 to tie 5th all-time but fell short of the 41-year-old mark set by Pascack Valley in 1973 of 38-6 that has never been matched.
GIRLS
4-x-100: Some very nice running here led by Hackensack’s talented quartet of seniors Naomi Clarke and Re’ona Pettway and juniors Amber Redmond and Dana Lynch which ran 49.0 (10th).
Also: Paramus Catholic, 49.3 (18th); Northern Highlands, 50.6 (tie 41st)*; Teaneck, 50.8 (tie 45th).
4-x-200: Hackensack, 1:44.8 (tie 11th)*; Paramus Catholic, 1:46.1 (32nd); Northern Highlands, 1:46.8 (tie 37th)*; River Dell, 1:47.4 (tie 43rd)*; Teaneck, 1:47.6 (tie 47th).
4-x-800: Ramapo, 9:28.8 (13th)*; Tenafly, 9:32.6 (19th)*; Holy Angels, 9:47.3 (40th).
4-x-1,600: Five of the top 30 all-time performances here.
IHA, 21:45.6 (11th); Holy Angels, 22:04.9 (22nd); Ridgewood, 22:05.3 (23rd); Ramapo, 22:07.2 (27th); Northern Highlands, 22:08.0 (tie 29th).
Distance medley: Holy Angels, 12:34.5 (24th)*; Indian Hills, 12:40.9 (32nd); IHA, 12:45.0 (38th).
Shuttle hurdles: Demarest, 67.8 (tie 30th); Tenafly, 68.3 (tie 42nd)*; Old Tappan, 68.4 (tie 44th).
3-x-400 IH: Northern Highlands, 3:21.9)* with sophs Amanda Pook and Hilary McElwain and freshman Clare Nam, Oh, my!!!!! The county record is 3:14.90 set in 2007 by Ridgewood.
Also: River Dell, 3:25.3 (16th); Demarest, 3:29.8 (44th).
Shot put: Demarest, 102-1 1/4 (9th); Westwood, 100-3 (tie 17th); Teaneck, 95-6 (tie 50th).
Discus: Teaneck, 294-9 (21st); Demarest, 285-10 (35th)
Javelin: Ridgefield Park, 300-6 (31st). ALERT!!!! The lists (for boys and girls javelin will be revised to reflect the change to the rubber-tipped javelin in New Jersey in 2001.)
Long jump: Obviously the highlight of the girls meet Saturday. Anticipation was high that the second oldest girls relay record, 49-0 by Tenafly in 1979 would fall after River Dell had jumped 48-9 1/2 in less than ideal conditions on April 5.
Early Saturday morning, soph Erin Hughes jumped 15-6, junior Noreen Byrne 16-6 and Marina Reilly a personal best 17-2 3/4 and the record was gone at last with River Dell’s 49-2 3/4 performance.
Then Paramus Catholic stepped onto the runway. Soph Alexis Trott jumped a personal best 15-7 3/4, junior Rosemary Menyhart 16-6 1/2 and then Tatiyanna Sanders soared to a personal outdoor best of 18-10 1/2, moving her to fourth all-time in Bergen history with the furthest jump since 1997. The PC total of 51-0 3/4, was a remarkable 22 inches further than the great River Dell performance. It’s possible that the new mark could last for another 35 years. But don’t count out Hughes, Byrne and Reilly next year.
Also: Old Tappan, 47-7 1/2 (12th)*; IHA, 46-9 1/4 (27th); Ridgewood, 46-5 1/4 (33rd).
Triple jump: River Dell and Paramus Catholic did battle again here and this time the Golden Hawks prevailed, with a total of 105-7 3/4, second all-time and 14 inches from the two-year-old county record held by Mahwah.
Also: Paramus Catholic, 103-5 1/4 (6th); Mahwah, 98-8 1/4 (40th); Ridgewood, 98-6 1/4 (43rd); Northern Highlands, 98-5 1/4 (44th)*; Cresskill, 98-1 1/2 (49th); IHA, 98-0 1/4.
Individually, there weren’t a lot of additions to the top 100 lists with only the field events and 400 hurdles involved and only three jumps and throws for the top performers instead of the usual six.
BOYS
Javelin: Jamal Locke, Ridgewood, 170-3 (68th)
Triple jump: Jairus Paul, Mahwah, 47-6 1/4 (13th). Paul, just a junior, had a huge PR (more than two feet) and also led long jumpers with a leap of 21-6. He’s played basketball in the winter in the past but told me Saturday that it’s likely he’ll do track next season. His jump is just 1 1/4 inches from the state lead and broke a 37-year-old school record of 45-11 set by Sam Bowens.
And while he was disappointed with his jump of 45-1 1/4, two feet from his indoor best, Ramapo’s Jason Katz did set an outdoor school record, breaking the old mark of 44-9 3/4 set by Len Corn in 1965, before Katz’s FATHER was born. Jason, also a junior, ranks 56th in Bergen history but should climb quickly.
Two other underclassmen also entered the top 100, as soph Maurice West of Englewood jumped 44-10 (tie 69th) and junior Mike Pepper of Ramsey jumped 44-7 (tie 89th).
Pole vault: Bergen indoor record holder Luke Annichiarico of Old Tappan had an outdoor best of 14-6 to tie for 12th all-time and Spencer Llerandi of Ridgewood and Sam Siegel of Demarest joined a 46-way tie for 52nd with clearances of 13-6.
GIRLS
400 hurdles: sophomore Amanda Pook of Northern Highlands ran 65.0 (tie 68th).
Shot put: A good start for one of the deeper events in Bergen County. Indoor state champ Cheyenne Bellerand of Emerson is still struggling some with the outdoor shot but the super-soph class enjoyed a great opening day. Jessica Molina of Westwood threw 40-2 1/2 (18th); Amarys Berry of Hackensack set an outdoor school record of 38-9 1/4 (37th) and Nikolia Kanaris of Demarest threw 36-11 1/4 (75th).
Triple jump: Noreen Byrne, River Dell, 37-0 3/4 (30th).
Long jump: Tatiyanna Sanders, Paramus Catholic, 18-10 1/2 (4th); Marina Reilly, River Dell, 17-2 3/4 (86th).
In all quite a weekend.
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