Union Catholic and WWPS set US#1’s
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By Christopher Hunt
He didn’t even know what to do with himself. Westfield’s Adam Bergo ran out from the infield, hugging and hi-fiving anyone and everyone he could find.
“I was thinking that I broke the school record, I need to hug somebody,” he said. “I needed to.”
Bergo couldn’t contain himself after clearing 7 feet to win the high jump at the 71st Eastern States championships at the New Balance Track and Field Center. Bergo’s best clearance was previously 6-8. In fact, he even struggled to clear that height before the New Jersey state meet Saturday. His height Tuesday is the second-best in the country this season.
He closed his eyes when he jumped. But he knew, almost as soon as he went airborne.
“I couldn’t tell you when I got here that this was going to happen,” the senior said. “I came in hoping to jump 6-10 or break the school record (of 6-10 1/4). Today was just the day.”
Bergo actually missed attempts at 6 feet and 6-2. He said he felt tired in the beginning of the competition. But only Bergo and Ameer Wright of Irvington (N.J.) were left after everyone else missed at 6-8. Wright hit the bar hard at 6-10 but it only wobbled and never dropped.
“When Ameer made it, I knew I had to,” he said. Bergo soared over the 7-foot bar on his first attempt and walked around clappin and nodding and smiling until he asked officials to raise bar to 7-2.
“I can’t sit down,” he said. “I’ve got to keep moving. I get too antsy.” Bergo said he won’t compete in either national meet so it was his last competition for the winter season.
The 4x200 provided the same kind of nail-biting excitement. Trenton Central led for entire race with Union Catholic trailing. Trenton’s Devon Hill took the baton first on the anchor leg with Garrett Ellis of Union Catholic in pursuit. The race seemed like a formality until Ellis erased the gap on the last curve and pulled alongside Hill on the straightaway.
“I just knew it the last couple of meters,” Ellis said. “It was all or nothing so I either got him there or never.”
Hill and Ellis crossed the finish line together and no one knew who won until someone got word from the timing booth and told Union Catholic’s team they got the win. Mike Suarez, Shariff Stubbs,, Obinna Nwafor and Ellis won in 1:28.35, the same time Trenton Central was credited with which is the fastest time in the United States this season.
“We don’t get that many chances to run the 4x200 so we really wanted to comehere and run fast,” Ellis said. “This race means a lot to us. We normally run a lot more 4x400’s so we wanted to come in and have fun.”
West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Sam Macaluso, Keith Griffith Joe Brown and Brian Leung won the distance medley relay in 10:18.76, also a national leader. WWPS spend most of the race training Warwick Valley and Shenendehowa ran each other into the ground in the front. But on the anchor leg Leung, who won the 3,200 at the New Jersey state meet in 8:59.77, kept inching close until he made a move to the front with two laps remaining.
“Coming off that 3,200, I was pretty confident in my fitness,” Leung said.
But Warwick’s Karl Schnabl and Mike Danaher of Shenendehowa as well as St. Benedict’s Brandon Jarrett had all taken shots at Leung with 150 left. But Leung still reserved enough energy to make another surge so that his 4:14 anchor-leg split gave his team the win. Jarrett run 4:11.7 on his anchor leg.
“I didn’t really go in my full out kick,” Leung said. “It was more of a graduate acceleration. But I saw I was in striking distance and I just went for it.”
Mike Abelard of Ramapo (N.Y.) started to assert himself as one of the top sprinters in the country. Abelard won the 200 meters in 21.50, the second-fastest time in the nation. He also anchors Ramapo’s 4x200, which has the fourth-fastest time in the country.
“My coach (Dan Zotter) wanted me to run 21.4 or faster,” Abelard said, adding that he also hoped to run around the same time. “I felt like I did want I wanted to do. … I was mad that we didn’t’ run the 4x200 but we’ll run in at nationals so I think we’ll be OK.”
Seton Hall junior Clayton Parros won the 400 in 48.26, the sixth-fastest time in the country. Monroe Kearns of Jackson won the 800 in 1:55.90.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
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