By: Paul Schwartz – Record Sports Department
North Jersey athletes won 14 golds at the North 2 sectional meets this weekend
In the boys Group 1 meet at Ridge, Adam Khriss of Secaucus, Sirish Modhagala of North Arlington and Greg Anderson of Becton all scored impressive double wins, earning wins on each day of the two-day meet.
Anderson, who will play football at Monmouth, recorded his second consecutive double in the shot and discus, throwing 47-0 ¼ in the shot and 151-3 in the discus for easy wins.
The Connecticut-bound Khriss, who missed last year’s sectional meet with an injury, recorded wins in the 110 high hurdles in 15.64 seconds, just edging Becton junior Stephen Henke, who ran a personal best 15.65, after winning the 400 hurdles easily in 56.64 over teammate Oscar Martinez (59.68). Khriss also took second in the 400 in a personal best 50.42 seconds.
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Modhagala, who was third in both races last year, improved his time to 4:35.69 in the 1,600 to win a tight battle with Christian Cadmus of New Providence and then ran away with the 3,200 in the hot Saturday sun, winning by seven seconds in 10:35.72.
Other top finishes included Patrick Fischetti of North Arlington (2nd, javelin, 139-10), Ming Liang Ling of Secaucus (3rd, 800, 2:03.48), Salomon Son of Palisades Park (3rd, pole vault, 9 feet) and Hunter Pein of Secaucus (3rd, javelin, 137-7).
Secaucus finished third as a team with 54 points, North Arlington sixth with 35 ½ and Becton seventh with 35.
Jasleen Nanda of Palisades Park enjoyed a splendid meet in the girls competition, becoming the first Tiger girl to win the high jump in 19 years, taking the event with a personal best of 5-1 and also 4th in the 400 and 6th in the 800.
She was the only area girl to win in Group 1 but Lisa Squeo and Briella Novella of Becton were second in the javelin and shot put, respectively, with Squeo losing by an inch after her 100-2 throw.
At the Group 2 meet at Middletown North, the girls won most of the titles, five in all. And Ridgefield Park senior Whitney Bailey-Hicks might have been the athlete of the meet. She won the 100 high hurdles in a personal best 15.10 and took the long jump at 17-9 ¾. She was second in the triple jump at 35-2 losing by two inches and was third in the 100 in 12.69.
Defending Group 2 state champ Jenna Rogers cleared 5-8 to win the high jump with Rutherford teammate Nyabwija Kanefu second at 5 feet. Giulia Pezzola of Lyndhurst led the Golden Bears to third place with 48 points, winning the 800 in 2:23.98 while the Fort Lee team of Kaylin Fernandez, Kaiya Ho, Kendall Caballero and Joanne Samuel-Olagunjo gave the Bridgewomen their first track sectional in any event since 2001 by edging for the 4-x-400 title in 4:12.57.
Top finishes included Susane Morozewicz of Lyndhurst (2nd, 400, 60.50), Des’Ree Watson of Lodi (2nd, shot, 34-11) and Donna Gibson of Lodi (3rd, discus, 103-9).
Max Greenwood gave Rutherford its first pole vault champ since 1979 when he cleared 13 feet to win the title, while Ramon Bermudez of Lodi jumped a personal best 45-4 to lead a 1-2-3-4-5 sweep for North Jersey in the triple jump.
Other top finishes were Cameron Shaw of Ridgefield park (2nd in 100 (11.06 and 200 (22.64); Manny Montoya of Fort Lee (3rd, high hurdles, 15.14); Carlos Pepin of Lodi (3rd, high jump, 6-2, 2nd triple jump, 44-4), Eugene Kim of Rutherford 92nd, long jump, 21-11 ½); Teslim Olunlade of Lyndhurst (3rd, triple jump, 43-0 ¼). Chris Bouchard of Ridgefield Park (3rd, shot, 44-5 ½). Christian Jusino of Garfield (3rd, discus, 133-2) and Huasly Paredes of Fort Lee (2nd, javelin, 160-2).
