Relay team features Ritti, Greene, Schlatter, Tarr; Jamison 2nd in javelin
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinels staff
Ocean City High School’s boys 4×800 relay team became state champions over the weekend at the New Jersey Group III track and field meet at Pennsauken High School.
Red Raider teammate Brad Jamison took home a silver medal in the javelin.
The relay team, featuring Owen Ritti, Tyler Greene, Brandon Schlatter and Drew Tarr, won the race in a time of 8:00.37.
That time was nearly 6 seconds faster than second-place Morris Hills High School. The time was also 12 seconds faster than their own time from the week before when the relay team won the South Jersey Group III sectional in the event. Ritti, Greene, Schlatter and Tarr won the sectional title with a time of 8:12.72.
Ocean City head coach Matt Purdue said part of the reason the time improved is that the boys ran fewer individual events than at sectionals so they had more energy for the relay at states. Greene and Ritti ran four races at sectionals and Schlatter and Tarr ran three each. “It is tough to triple and quadruple,” Purdue said, but at sectionals teams are trying to score as many points for the team as possible, but the focus at states is more about the individual accomplishments.
Not having state meets in cross country and winter track this school year and not having a spring track season at all due to COVID-19 in 2020 made the race “all the more exciting and added a sense of gratitude for being there.”
“We thought this relay team could run 8 (minutes) flat. I think they can still run sub-8,” the coach said. “It helped having fresher legs this time around.”
Purdue said with the crowded nature of the heats, he put Ritti on the opening leg because he had experience running in traffic and in big meets. By the second lap of his 800-meter leg with some 12 teams on the track, he was able to separate himself from the crowd and take the lead. Teammates Greene, Schlatter and Tarr held onto that lead the rest of the race.
Ritti “really closed some ground on the second lap to hand off his baton in first place so we were in pretty good shape and were able to hold it for the race,” Purdue said. “The other guys held off some very good teams.” Those teams included Morris Hills, Summit, Highland and Timber Creek. “We knew we had to race really, really well. We thought we had the legs to do it, we just didn’t know if it would happen,” Purdue said.
Ritti, the only junior on the 4×800 relay, also placed sixth in the 800 meters, good enough to medal and to make it to the Meet of Champions Saturday in that event. Purdue said it wasn’t determined early in the week if Ritti would run both the 800 meters and the 4×800.
Ritti ran a time of 1:57.01. Green was 14th in 1:59.95. Domenick Wallace, a senior from Morris Hills, won the 800-meters in 1:53.77.
Ritti placed sixth in the 800-meter race with his time of 1:57.01. Domenick Wallace, a senior from Morris Hills, won the race in 1:53.77.
Ritti’s teammate, Greene, was 14th in 1:59.95.
Greene and Ritti had both qualified for the 1600 meters at the state meet, but Purdue said they all decided it would be too much to have them run that race and the others. “It’s really hard to run a 4:20-type mile and then come back and run in the 4×800 an hour or two later. Even for the best athletes your legs are pretty spent.”
Jamison 2nd in javelin
Jamison was second in the javelin with his throw of 167’1”. Kevin Ryu, a senior from Old Tappan, won the event by throwing 171’.
Jamison threw the javelin 168’9” to win the sectional title a week earlier.
“Brad had a great day,” Purdue said. “He was in the lead and then the thrower from Old Tappan just nicked him at the end. Brad threw very well. He was consistent all day. We know he can throw in the 170s and we’re hoping he can do that or above at the Meet of Champs Saturday.”
Givens 5th in triple jump
Dan Givens places fifth in the triple jump at the Group III state meet going 42’8.25”.
Highland Regional’s Floyd Whitaker won the event by jumping 47’0.25”.
Givens, a junior, also placed ninth in the long jump finals with his leap of 20’5”. Whitaker won the long jump with a distance of 23’6.5”.
Givens qualified for the Meet of Champions by medaling in the triple jump and also received a wild card spot to compete in long jump at the MOC.
Ocean City freshman Nick Layton was 12th in the pole vault, clearing 11’. Shaun Herlihy of Old Tappan won the pole vault by clearing a height of 13’6”.
Ocean City’s 4×400 relay team was 11th in the event in a time of 3:29.35. Pennsauken won the 4×400 in 3:18.36.
“The Meet of Champs is a great track and field meet,” Purdue said. “We’re always grateful to be back.”
Mustang Sims-Hackney
5th in 100 hurdles
Mainland senior Ki’yanah Sims-Hackney finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles at the Group III state meet in a time of 16.04 seconds.
Shevell Higgs, a senior from Winslow Township, won the event in 15.12 seconds.
Mustang sophomore Emma Crozier-Carole was eighth in the high jump, clearing 5’.
Junior Eva Morrison was ninth in the pole vault. She cleared 10’.
Camryn Dirkes, a junior, was 10th in the javelin finals. She threw the javelin 98’10”. Ramapo’s Lindsay Arone won the event with a distance of 125’8”.
Crozier-Carole was 15th in the long jump, going a distance of 15’5.5”.
Mainland freshman Claudia Booth was 18th in the 3200-meters. Her time was 12:15.68.
Junior Savannah Hodgens was 23rd in the 3200-meters. Her time was 12:40.63.
Junior Isabelle VandenBerg was 18th in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 17.31 seconds.
Junior Kendall Demorat was 23rd in the 400-meter hurdles finals in 1:14.23.
The Mustang girls 4×800 relay team was 12th in the event in a time of 10:20.47. The relay featured Booth, Lily Malone, Chloe Malone and Gillian Lovett.
Mustang boys at states
Mainland Regional junior Cody Pierce was fifth in the 200-meter dash finals. His time was 22.39 seconds.
Shamali White, a junior from Hamilton North-Nottingham, won the race with a time of 21.21 seconds.
Pierce also placed seventh in the 400-meters with a time of 50.05 seconds. Joshua Babe of Morris Hills, also a junior, won the race in 48.51 seconds.
Mustang Linden Wineland, a junior, was 15th in the 3200-meters with a time of 9:51.77. Matt Bogdan, a Colts Neck senior, won the 3200 in 9:21.56.
Wineland was 16th in the 1600-meters finals. His time was 4:33.27. Bogdan won the race in a time of 4:16.31.
O.C. girls at states
Red Raider Birdie Stewart was sixth in the pole vault at the state meet, clearing a height of 10’.
Ocean City senior Erin Hanlon placed eighth in the 800-meters with a time of 2:19.92 and 10th in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Her time in that event was 1:08.69.
Senior Stephanie Carey and sophomore Elaina Styer finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the triple jump at the state meet. Carey jumped 34’ and Styer jumped 33’5.75.
Senior Morgan Krier was 17th in the 100-meter hurdles. Her time was 17.21 seconds.
The girls 4×800 relay team was ninth in 10:13.24, the 4×100 relay team was 14th in 51.48 seconds and the 4×400 relay team was 20th in 4:17.31.
The 4×800 relay team featured Olivia Palmieri, Mary Lisicki, Alexa Palmieri and Hanlon.
Running the 4×100 were Nya Gilchrist, Tricia Nicoletti, Maggie Halbruner and Aila Troxel.
In the 4×400 were Stewart, Halbruner, Krier and Hanlon.