Notebook: Girls bring it at Eastern States

Running like a girl now carries new meaning locally after South Jersey's showing at the Eastern States Championships Tuesday.

Of the total 16 events for each gender at the tristate meet, South Jersey girls captured seven, including three relays, while also setting three meet records. On the xy side, a couple guys also mined New York for some gold, each setting a meet record.

Ladies first

Even with her bid to repeat her 2007 win in the Meet of Champions' 55-meter dash dashed last Saturday, Eastern sophomore English Gardner still had her win at last year's Eastern States to defend.

With the MoC winner, Chatham senior Ogechi Nwaneri, disqualifying herself by false starting in the semi finals of the 55, Gardner's chief competition became Immaculate Conception sophomore Dominique Booker, who had edged Gardner (3rd, 7.02) for silver at the MoC.

But Gardner wouldn't be denied redemption, barreling to the finish in a victorious personal-best 6.92 for her second Eastern States title in the 55. Booker took second in 6.99 and Deptford junior Audrey Wilson placed fourth in a season-best 7.12.

Oh Snapp

Oakcrest junior Nijgia Snapp had no such titles to defend, but an impressive win in the 400 at last Saturday's Meet of Champions brought the bulls-eye, making her one of the favorites Tuesday.

"I've been saying for a long time I wanted to win something at the Meet of Champs," Snapp said. "That's basically what I told my coach and she's been giving me a lot of hard workouts and getting me emotionally and physically ready for the race."

Originally slated to run the 800 at Eastern States, a decision made after narrowly missing the national qualifying mark of 2:18 by running a 2:18.01 on a flat (slower) track at sectionals, coach Kim Nath spoke with meet organizers – those interested in stacking their races with the best talent – and made the switch without a hitch Sunday night.

Too confined to warm up in the busy New York Armory, Snapp, accompanied by Nath, headed outside in the cold rain and ran 15 to 20 minutes along the sleek streets of New York City.

Snapp, a cross-country runner in the fall, ended up catching more than a cold Tuesday. Boxed in after a quick 200 meters, Snapp broke out, ripping past one runner and outsprinting New Rochelle senior Elizabeth Mott on the homestretch to win in a meet record 54.91, fourth best time in the nation. The win makes Snapp 4-for-4 in open 400s this season.
"I go into each race with a set plan, but it never unfolds like I think it will," Snapp said.

2 Fast 4 U

The Lenape relay of seniors Brianna Beddall, Miya Johnson, Moira Cunningham and sophomore Caitlin Orr had a South Jersey-best time in the 4x800 heading into Eastern States action Tuesday.

But the girls needed to do better than their previous best of 9:31.30 to even place in the top four Tuesday and, girl, did they.
The relay set a meet record with the nation's eighth fastest time this season, 9:11.94, for an eight-second win. The super sophs at Seneca, Michelle Brown, Mary Bohi, Nicole McGrainer and Lyndsy Horn placed seventh in 9:36.42.

Jump around

Known for jumping high over bars and hurdles, Lenape senior Lindsey Walsh proved to be perfectly capable of jumping long at Eastern States, taking first in the long jump in 18-5.75, a quarter inch farther than runner-up Ridge's Josefine Kvist.
Last Saturday at the Meet of Champions, Walsh, caught in a three-man "jump off" in the high jump, escaped for the win by clearing 5-6, making her undefeated against state opponents in the event.

Walsh tied for second with three others in the high jump Tuesday by clearing 5-4. John B. Stevens senior Yasmin Parks won with a 5-6.

Sharp hurdles

Woodrow Wilson senior Samantha Sharper made up for a disappointing performance at states to win the 55 hurdles at the Meet of Champions last Saturday, then in a personal-best 8.09.

"Then" because Sharper, on Tuesday at Eastern States, ran a meet record 8.01, eighth fastest time in the country. Summit senior Susan Scavone crossed the line next in 8.36.

Take two

The Camden relay of juniors Assante Johnson and Jamie Jones and seniors Miriam Boyd and Kamice Smalls never ran the 4x200 as fast as they did in the prelims Tuesday at Eastern States, winning the close race in 1:42.39, already a South Jersey best, to become, um, first in line at the finals.

There, the Panthers found another gear, becoming the first of four teams to finish under 1:42 in 1:41.19. Danbury was second in 1:41.36.

For the Mill

Millville owned South Jersey's best 4x400 time before Tuesday and held onto that honor even with Camden clawing.

Millville's squad of sophomore Nyrae Newman, senior Alyssa Barrow, and the fastest female twins in the state, juniors Brooke Kott and Britney Kott, burned up the 200-meter track a total of eight times in a meet record 3:54.82, fifth fastest in the nation.

Camden's Boyd, Smalls, Jones and junior Shaquanda Gainey finished second in 3:56.52, the country's seventh fastest.

He is Batdorf

After the first week of his only season of indoor track, West Deptford senior Dan Batdorf has never lost a game of pole vault.

On bad days on bad legs, Batdorf still found some way to squeak over a height insurmountable to the rest. Batdorf did that last Saturday against the best vaulters in the state – and then, to challenge himself, raised the bar once more to a personal-best 15-6.

The only thing that fell, besides Batdorf, was the meet record. The championship gives Batdorf two in as many seasons.

Unlike the MoC, Batdorf needed a vault of 15-6 to beat two 15-foot jumpers Tuesday at Eastern States and did so, setting another meet record.

Two Fast
The success Haddonfield's Boo Vitez has had as a sophomore in both cross country and track can be dizzying to fathom. Now just imagine how Vitez felt Tuesday, circling the New York Armory's track more than 16 times to win the 2 Mile in a meet-record 9:34.38.

It's a personal-best time as in, but when converted to the more conventional 3,200-meter race, gives Vitez about a 9:30.98, second to only Shawnee sophomore David Forward.

Holy Cow

The week leading up to the Meet of Champions, Holy Cross had already accomplished what no other Non-Parochial school had done since 1980 – sweep state championships with both their boys' and girls' teams.

The boys' team, led by Renaissance man Mike Sheehan, held off Bishop Eustace (51) to capture the Non-Parochial B title with 65 points. Scoring 51 points in a win was the girls' team.

Sheehan helped score 32 points by winning the 1,600 (4:26.02), the 4x400 alongside senior Terrence Osborne, freshman Justin Ramsey and junior Rich Fisher, taking second to Bishop Eustace senior Brian Laskowski (2:00.10) in the 800 (2:01.44) and fourth in the 3,200 (10:07.09).

"He was so psyched coming up to the state championship," coach Ed Battaglia said. "He wanted the team to win. He wanted to do everything. He knew he was running four races, in fact, he told me he was running all four. That's Mike."

Seniors Ayana Davis (8.91) and Rose Johnson (9.01) went 1,2 in the 55 hurdles. Johnson also took first in the high jump (4-10).

The drop down to Non-Parochial B helped the teams' chances, sure, but Battaglia and fellow co-coach Jim Younglove said the kids still had to earn it. To ease any anxiety days leading up to the big meet, Battaglia scratched practice for a coed game of volleyball.

"I think that helped the enthusiasm get going," Battaglia said. "No pressure. Let's just have fun."

Oh Snapp! No she didn't! (Yes she did)

Photos Courtesy of Scott Anderson
TOMS RIVER -- If nothing else, Saturday's performance at the NJSIAA Meet of Championships showed that Oakcrest junior Nijgia Snapp could sprint better than she could bowl.

Arriving at the Bennett Center promptly for the original start of the state's final meet – but five hours too early for the snow-delayed start that had been rescheduled Thursday -- Snapp and the rest of the Oakcrest crew had to make use of their false start.

"We were going to go to the mall," coach Kim Nath said," but I thought staying at the mall for four-to-five hours would not be good mentally for somebody's who's running one of the biggest races of her life."

The obvious alternative then, decided Nath, was a couple hours of bowling mixed in with a few sessions of Dance Dance Revolution, a combination that proved to be the perfect warm up for Snapp.

The first of five champions from South Jersey Saturday, Snapp won the 400 in record fashion, breaking the 1998 meet mark of 55.45 in 55.19.

"We didn't do anything hardcore," Nath said. "It was just to take our minds off of the meet."

The junior credits her personal-best time, far from her 60-second performances of yesteryear, to a year-round training regimen that involves running track during the summer and cross country in the fall.

Whether it be sprinting on the track or jogging around her neighborhood, the Group 4 state champ said she hasn't taken a day off this year.

"The more long-distance running I do, the easier the 400 gets," said Snapp, who said she will compete at the Eastern States Championships at the New York Armory Tuesday. "It helps me with my endurance and mentally it helps you."

Snapp took the lead from Passaic Tech sophomore Amber Allen (55.74) after 100 meters and lengthened it with a killer kick. But not until the finish could she relax, she said.

"I was confident but there's a lot of good girls in my race so I couldn't be overconfident," said Snapp, the top seed. "I knew I had to go out harder today."

To win the high jump, on the other hand, Lenape senior Lindsey Walsh knew, after three failed attempts at clearing 5-6, the height that won her the Group 4 state title last week, one successful jump would be enough to escape the three-man jump off with the MoC title.

And coach Gerald Richardson knew Walsh had it in her to do so.

"She's the No.1 high jumper in the state, she was seeded first," coach Gerald Richardson said. "It was hers to lose."

After false starting in the 55 hurdles at last year's start championship, an automatic disqualification, Woodrow Wilson senior Samantha Sharper made her MoC debut a memorable one.

Sporting a hair color that matched the Lady Tigers' orange-and-black colors, Sharper bobbed over and blazed past the five hurdles in a victorious 8.09, a personal best.

Sharper was seeded third after clipping a hurdle last week but didn't let the unusual start rattle her.

"It really doesn't matter where I'm seeded," Sharper said. "Only the outcome matters. I blocked everybody else out and I just focused. Then it was just me and the time."

Eastern sophomore Eastern Gardner bettered her winning time in the 55-meter dash of last year with a 7.03, but so did Chatnam's Ogechi Nwaeri (6.93) and Immaculate Montclair's Dominique Booker (6.98), giving Gardner a bronze. Camden junior Assante Johnson placed fifth in 7.27.

The Winslow Township boys' 4x400 didn't run at the MoC last year despite qualifying for it, but the senior squad of Davis McNeil, Barry Cephas, Darin Washington and Gerald Stephens-Holland don't look back on the coach's decision with anger.

"Our best time was only like a 3:28," said Washington, the third leg. "We weren't good enough."

With a year under them, the seniors proved they belonged to be not just in the race, but in the front of it.

After placing third in the 400, Cephas, the second leg, took the baton and then the lead over the relays Camden (2nd, 3:24.64), Pleasantville (3rd, 3:24.83) and Highland (4th, 3:25.82). Washington and McNeil widened the gap to the 3:24.32 win, short of their personal best.

"We knew we could win it," Washington said. "Like today, everybody had a bad day. On a good day, nobody could see us."

West Deptford pole vaulter Dan Batdorf was the other South Jersey winner on the boys' side, clearing a personal-best 15-6 for a meet record and a one-foot victory.

Ocean City's John Oberg of 2006 and Governor Livingston's Anthony Abitante in 2005 previously shared the meet mark of 14-6.

National bests were set by two North Jersey athletes – Morristown shot putter Nick Vena, a freshman, with a hurl of 66-0.75 and West Windsor-Plainsboro South senior Brian Leung with a 3,200 of 8:59.77, a meet record.

Racing behind the back-and-forth blur of Leung and Gill Saint Bernard junior Doug Smith (9:01.86), the two fastest 3,200 runners in the nation, Shawnee sophomore David Forward fared well, placing fifth in a personal-best 9:28.34, one of the 14 runners to break 9:40.

"A lot of states don't have that [level of state talent]," Forward said. "That really pushes you each week … It kind of sets the tone for the whole state."

Ocean city senior Ryan Birchmeier, the Group 3 state champ in the 1,600, used a slow start to his advantage, conserving enough power to boost him from sixth place to second in the last 300 meters to finish in a personal-best 4:20.51.

Camden senior Matt Marshall, who anchored the Panthers' runner-up 4x400, placed third in the 55 hurdles in 7.53.