Record-Setting Group Championship For Mendham Track Stars

What a difference a week makes.

Two weeks ago, the West Morris Mendham Girls and Boys track and field teams competed in unusually cold and bitter conditions. Just one week later in the Group 3 Championships held in South Plainfield this past weekend, the athletes were dealing with near 90 degree temperatures and bright, unyielding sun. 

At the end of the long weekend of competition, the boys team finished the event in fourth place with 80 points and the girls in sixth place with 52 points. These group championship performances from the Minutemen are school records, based on the online NJSIAA records dating back to 1996.

Contributing to the record-amount of points in the competition were:

Boys:

• Cory Pressl (400m Hurdles)
• Tom Pavarini (1600m Run)
• John Obiedzinski (Discus)
• Stephon Cole & Adam Mszanski (Triple Jump)
• Spenser Clouse & Malcom Montilus (High Jump)
• Christian Kildal-Brandt & Tom Pavarini (800m Run)
• Paul Ehmann & Justin Naselli (3200 Run)
• Sam Curtis, Dylan Heraghty, Christian Kildal-Brandt, and Patrick Carney (4x100m Relay)
• Matt Flanagan (Shot Put)
• Connor Hess & John Stanton (Javelin Throw)
• Spenser Clouse (Long Jump)
• Stephon Cole (Pole Vault)

Girls:

• Regan Kolakowski (1600 Run & 3200 Run)
• Abby Seel (3200 Run)
• Laura Papili, Sierra Tonnesen, Audrey O’Neill & Maggie Wadley (4x100m Relay)

Advancing to the NJ State Finals which is called the “Meet of Champions” are several West Morris Mendham Athletes who all finished in the top six of these events:

Boys:

• 4x400m Relay: Team of Dylan Heraghty, Malcom Montilus, Patrick Carney, and Christian Kildal-Brandt.
• 4x800m Relay: Team of Tom Pavarini, Paul Ehmann, Tyler Pressl, Christian Kildal-Brandt
• Pole Vault: Adam Mszanski

Girls:

• 1600m run: Abby Seel & Mackenzie Barry
• 3200m run: Mackenzie Barry
• 400m Hurdles: Laura Papili
• Pole Vault: Julia Mszanski

The Meet of Champions will pit the Minutemen against the best of the best from all groups throughout the entire state and will be the final state-level event of the spring 2013 season, capping off a record-setting season for both the boys and girls teams.

Several athletes from Mendham will also be competing in the National Track and Field Championships held in Greensboro, NC later this month.