OCEAN CITY – The Mainland Regional High School girls track team is deep this season, with talented athletes in every event, a point driven home in last week’s meet against Ocean City and Vineland at Carey Stadium.
The Mustangs, who went undefeated at 9-0 in dual meets last year and want to do the same in 2022, topped Ocean City 110 to 30. That victory came as Red Raider Elaina Styer set a new school record in the triple jump. Mainland senior Camryn Dirkes was only about an inch behind her in the event, setting a Mainland school record, and later in the week Dirkes broke that again with an even longer triple jump of 37 feet, 6 inches, which Mainland coach Mike Colombo said puts her second in the state early in the track season.
Styer’s new school record is 36 feet, 8.75 inches. Dirkes broke the school record with a distance of 36 feet, 7.5 inches at the meet before breaking it again later in the week almost 11 inches farther.
Styer also won the long jump in 16 feet, 6.25 inches with Dirkes second and Sarah Gleason third for Ocean City.
The other highlight for Ocean City was Margaret Halbruner, who won the 400 and 200 meters.
Outside of those highlights, the Mustangs dominated every other event
Isabelle Vandenberg won the opening 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 1:09.6 and came back later to win the 100 high hurdles in 16.3 seconds. The 400 intermediate hurdles was a Mainland sweep with Gianna Lucca and Kendall DeMorat second and third. DeMorat also was second in the 100 high hurdles. Ocean City’s AnnaMaria Marczyk was third.
Emma Smith (12.8 seconds) and Paige Bonczek went 1-2 in the 100 meters for Mainland. Ocean City’s S. Cohen was third.
Mustang Savannah Hodgens won the 1600 meters in 5:40.2 with teammate Lily Malone in third. Ocean City’s Chloe Care was second.
Halbruner won the 200 meters in 2.7 seconds with teammate Mallory Gould third. Bonczek was second for Mainland.
Gillian Lovett led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 3200 meters with Hodgens second and Claudia Booth third. Lovett’s winning time was 12:35.2.
Cadence Fitzgerald, Kaitlyn Boggs and Sydney Booth were first, second and third in both the shot-put and discus. Fitzgerald’s winning shot-put was 34 feet, 8.25 inches and her winning discus throw was 93 feet, 3 inches.
Dirkes won the javelin with a throw of 111 feet, 3 inches with teammates O. Leap and Sydney Booth also both topping 100 feet in second and third.
Monica Todorov won the pole vault, clearing 8 feet, 6 inches. Teammate L. Ring was second and Skylar Cohen third for Ocean City.
The high jump pit wasn’t working so there was no score in that event.
“We’re really deep across the board and this group of girls is extremely competitive,” Colombo said. “I don’t feel like we have a hole in any event.
“They went 9-0 (in dual meets) last year and want to keep it rolling. I don’t have to say much to motivate them. They want to win. They’re tough, but they’re also really nice girls who are easy to work with. There is very little drama on our team. They cheer for each other and care for each other.”
The coach said the Mustangs are strong in the weight events with Fitzgerald leading the way. “She is our best discus thrower,” Colombo said. Adding the depth are Boggs and Sydney Booth.
In addition to the triple jump and long jump, Dirkes is the top javelin thrower for the Mustangs but two others, O. Leap and Booth, have both already thrown over 100 feet.
Another long jumper is Bonczek. Colombo calls her a “Swiss Army knife” who competes in both sprints and jumps, has already gone more than 17 feet in the long jump and will race in the 4×100 if needed.
Smith runs the 100 and 200 meters and Kasey Bretones does the 400.
Vandenberg runs both hurdle events as does DeMorat, and Gianna Lucca does the 100 hurdles and 400.
McKenna Pontari has been a nice surprise since she returned to the team after being off last year. “She’s a sprinter and a jumper,” Colombo said. “She’s a hard worker and a tough kid. All the girls are tough.”
In the 800 are Lovett, Chloe Malone and Ava McDole. The coach said Lovett also plans to run a steeplechase to challenge herself.
Senior Hodgens runs the 3200 and 1600 as does Lily Malone, and Claudia Booth also runs the distance events.
The team’s high jumpers are McDole and Caitlyn Lin. Lin is a sophomore who competes in multiple events – long jump, high jump and triple jump and also will run the 200 and join the 4×100.
Eva Morrison is the team’s leader in the pole vault, but is currently nursing a severe ankle sprain. She was sixth at the indoor track Meet of Champions in the event.
Todorov is a sophomore who just came out for track and picked up pole vaulting quickly.
The team doesn’t have many juniors this season, but does have a lot of freshmen, sophomores and seniors.
A team goal is to go undefeated again this year, win the Cape-Atlantic League and the Atlantic County meet. “Our big goal is to challenge Winslow, or whoever is in our section, to try to be the first sectional champ that Mainland has ever had,” Colombo said.
– STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
