Athlete of the Year: The unsuspecting speedster torched the runway at Frank Jost Field and left little doubt for the fans still asking “who is that wearing rec specs and batman socks?”
The answer would be Hawthorne standout Kaitlin Salisbury, the fourth girl in state history to win the long jump and triple jump at the Meet of Champions.
But her day didn’t end in the sand pit.
Salisbury also finished fifth in the 100-meter dash to polish off one of the best all-around performances at the Meet of Champions. The junior went 18-5 in the long jump, 39-7 in the triple jump and ran the homestretch in 12.54 after running 12.36 in the trials.
Salisbury’s triple at the Meet of Champions was special. Her performance at Groups was expected but still mind-boggling.
Down in Egg Harbor, Salisbury won both horizontal jumps and the 100- and 200-meter dashes for a grand total of 40 points. Weequahic won the Group 1 team title with 47 points while Metuchen was second with 44 and Salisbury was third with 40.
The junior also picked up four gold medals at the NJIC Divisional Championships and finished her season with personal bests of 12.12 for 100 meters and 25.11 for 200 meters. Salisbury’s season-best marks in long jump and triple jump were 18-5 and 39-7, respectively, and both came at the Meet of Champions.
