log in

Outdoor Track

Alexis Merola of Roxbury claimed top honors in the pole vault at the Morris County Track Championships on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

Merola raises bar at Morris Championships

BOONTON _ Repeating as pole vault champion at the Morris County Girls Track Championships was hardly a breeze for Alexis Merola. Merola, a Roxbury High School senior, had to not only mind her form and focus but she had to have the utmost patience. The bar kept falling, oddly enough, as she tried to clear 11 feet, 1 inch. The officials kept replacing it but the wind blew and sent it to the mat three times before she made it over. The next height - 11-6 - required more fortitude on Merola's part as the crossbar dropped off the standards at…
Mendham first at Morris track meet

Mendham first at Morris track meet

BOONTON _ Second in the shot put after a rocky start, which included a foul, Mendham's Melissa Aymil retained a positive outlook and went all out in the finals. The foul, Aymil said, shook her up but she knew she had nothing to lose. Aymil, a junior, regrouped prior to the finals and, on her first attempt, heaved the shot the winning distance - 41 feet, 6 inches - to help the Minutemen garner their first Morris County Track and Field championship on Wednesday, May 26 at Boonton High School. "Going into the county championships I knew that not only…

First Morris Relays title for Chatham

CHATHAM _ It was a little less than two months before the start of spring track practice and Chatham's female runners were intent on getting in a sufficient workout. They spent their winter afternoons in the parking lot at the middle school, as Ella Spina said, "zig zagging through puddles." After a major storm barreled through New Jersey on Feb. 1 and 2, dumping 30.7 inches of snow, the Cougars' sprinters legs - and minds - were beyond restless so they brought out the shovels and took action. Sophia Lally, a senior co-captain, and several of her teammates cleared the…
Abby Loveys of Randolph and Julia Trethaway of West Morris embrace after a tight race in the 3,200 meters at the Morris County Track Championships.

Loveys shatters 36-year-old record

BOONTON _ For the entire 3,200 at the Morris County Track Championship, Julia Trethaway was right behind Randolph's Abby Loveys. Trethaway, of West Morris, pushed Loveys, staying right with her. She didn't let her pull away. At the conclusion of the race, which ended with a state-record-time of 10:10.24 for Loveys, Trethaway remained close, hugging the Rams star over and over again. Trethaway and Loveys did a did a double high five then clasped hands after crossing the finish line. They embraced, stepped back before hugging again. "I'm hugging a state recordholder," Trethaway said to Loveys. In Loveys opinion, the…

Kneppel wins three events; Rams are top team

BOONTON _ Butler's Rebecca Kneppel never objected to being labeled "the fast girl." Everyone always noticed Kneppel's speed when she played soccer and basketball. However, there was little else, she said, that made her a consistent asset on the field and court. "I had OK skills," she said. "Nothing notable." So, Kneppel played one year of basketball in high school and dropped it. She took part in soccer as a freshman and sophomore then left it behind, too. The latter is exactly what Kneppel does on the track: Leave everyone behind. Kneppel, a junior, turned in a superb showing at…
Rams vault to Morris Relays record, title

Rams vault to Morris Relays record, title

RANDOLPH _ Paige Zangara, Michelle Lu and Jordyn Kranis, Randolph's pole vaulters, have spent considerable time calculating numbers and figuring out how to better their jumps. Zangara and Kranis have nearly every class together in the morning and have been chatting about the possibility of setting a record at the Morris County Relays. Zangara and Lu meet up in ceramics class and the talk quickly turns to track. On Wednesday, May 2, the Rams trio proved that their incessant chatter wasn't idle when they established a Morris County pole vault record by combining for 29 feet. Randolph, which took first…
Mtn. Lakes dominant at section meet

Mtn. Lakes dominant at section meet

MADISON _ A meet record fell and several athletes garnered gold with first-place finishes when Mountain Lakes captured its second consecutive sectional title. Although senior Maggie Smith came in second in her event, the pole vault, at the North Jersey Section 2, Group II meet, her performance was just as significant. Smith, who began competing in pole vault last year, cleared 9 feet to set a school record. "It's so nice to have the school record," Smith said. "It's great. I give a lot of credit to my pole vault coach (Jim Murmane). I'm graduating but, with him still around, it'll be broken soon. He's…
Randolph's Brooke Olson is in the lead midway through the 3,200 at the Morris County Track and Field Championships.

Rams gain another title

BOONTON _ The outcome of the meet was already determined when the 3,200 meters commenced at the Morris County Track and Field Championships. No team would be able to catch Randolph, which had established a substantial lead on the first day of competition. The Rams, of course, still had an interest in the event because junior Brooke Olson was hoping to repeat. Olson, in front the entire race, collapsed 100 meters from the finish line yet got to her feet to salvage sixth place and another point for Randolph, the 2017 champion with 92 points, 40 more than runner-up Mountain…
Pequannock's Irene Park won the pole vault on the first day of competition at the 2017 Morris County Track Championships.

Park takes gold on first day of MCC

BOONTON _ Afraid of heights and not at all fond of roller coasters, Irene Park made the unusual decision to join the track team and specialize in the pole vault. "I wanted to face my fears," said Park, the Pequannock sophomore who finished first by clearing 10 feet on the first day of the Morris County Track and Field Championships at Boonton High School on May 16. "I decided to commit to pole vault and I couldn't let anything restrict me." The 15-year-old Park initially found pole vaulting to be scary. It reminded her of roller coasters which made her…
Meghan O'Malley, a sophomore, competed in four events for Randolph, which won the Morris County Relays for the seventh time in 10 years.

Randolph dominates Morris Relays

RANDOLPH _ Each and every time Jordyn Kranis saw her coach, Len Pietrewicz, in the days leading up to the Morris County Relays, he was sure to point out her bad habit. Kranis, it seems, kept rolling into the start on the shuttle hurdles. The Randolph junior needed to pay better attention to the starter's gun and not move too early. On Thursday, May 4, Kranis led off the event to perfection, helping the Rams finish first in that event. Randolph also took gold in seven other events and it resulted in yet another Morris County Relays title. The Rams, who claimed…
 facebook.com/soarNJ