Trotters, Bland star at county track championships
RBR girls repeat
as Katy Trotter
sets meet records
By tim morris
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY Long Branch freshman Courtney Rodaso competes in the 100-meter dash at the county championships on May 7.

If Red Bank Regional’s girls were going to win the Monmouth County Track and Field Championship, it was going to take a team effort.

Head coach Geoff Harrison decided against maximizing Amanda and Katy Trotter and relying on the rest of the team to step up. The result was another championship for the Buc girls (69-57 over Middletown South) and a fitting swan song for the Trotters, who made their final county championship one to remember.

Katy Trotter was named the Meet’s Most Outstanding Track Performer at the two-day meet (May 7 and 8) after setting a pair of meet records at Holmdel High School.

First, she broke her own record for the 800 meters with a sizzling 2:12.4 that took seconds off her 2002 record of 2:14.35.

CHRIS KELLY Ocean Township freshman Tiffany Grant competes in the 100-meter dash at the Monmouth County Championships at Holmdel High School on May 7.

Then, later in the day, she came back to win the 3,200 as both she and her sister Amanda were under the 1999 meet record 10:52.66 set by Howell’s Lindsey Gallo, now a star at the University of Michigan.

After a pedestrian (for them) 5:29 opening 1,600, the Trotters turned it up, running negative splits for the race with Katy posting a 10:44.4 and Amanda 10:44.8. It was Katy’s first 3,200 of the year and a personal best.

Ocean’s Erin Enderly chased the Trotters for the first 1,600, but fell off their pace over the second half of the race and took third in 11:16.4.

It was three years ago at the county championships where the Trotters first exploded on the track and field scene, and they found the time to do a little reminiscing last week.

CHRIS KELLY Ocean’s Abo Kaygisiz competes in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the Monmouth County Championships at Holmdel High School on May 7.

"It’s been a great four years," said Katy. "I’ve had a great time. We owe it all to our coach [Geoff Harrison]. He knows so much about the sport."

Amanda Trotter ran about as relaxed a sub-5:00 1,600 as you’ll see. She waited until the third lap to break the field and then cruised home in 4:58.2.

While the Trotters were in a reflective mood, teammate Christina Nelson, a freshman, was establishing herself as their heir apparent. Nelson, who played a key role in Red Bank’s Penn Relays Distance Medley win last month, showed what she can do on her own. She was pulled along to a third place in the 1,600 by Amanda, posting a 5:12.2, and in the 800 she chased Katy to the tune of a 2:19.9 and a fourth place. Nelson’s points helped the Bucs keep distance between themselves and Middletown South.

Laura Orsini came through for RBR with third place in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (1:07.9), and Aloma Bailey was sixth in the 400 meters (1:01.0).

The sprinters picked up a second place in the 1,600-meter relay (4:07.7) and Courtney Ayres’ third place in the pole vault (8-6) was big.

Ocean Township’s Tiffany Grant has emerged as one of the top sprinters in this, her freshman season. She collected the first of what could be many county titles last week, winning the 200 meters in 26.1. She was third in the 100-meter dash (12.9) and was second to Holmdel’s Grace Pan in the long jump, 16-8 1/2 to 16-2.

With Enderly also taking a fourth in the 1,600 (5:12.4), she and Grant helped Ocean finish fourth in the team competition with 34 points.

Bland wins 100-200 double

for Green Wave

One can only imagine what Long Branch practices must be like. In Mike Bland and Tunell Polk, the Green Wave has the county’s two fastest runners, and they hold nothing back. If it’s a race to the practice field, each wants to be first.

"We push each other every day," said Polk. "It makes you run harder."

Bland commented that having a teammate like Polk to work out with every day has "raised the level" for both.

One thing they have learned from banging heads every day is that there is little difference between them.

"You can never really tell when we race who is going to win," said Bland. "It comes down to who has it at the end."

For 90 meters, Polk looked like he had the victory in the 100-meter dash, but as Bland pointed out, when he and Polk race, it comes down to who has it at the end, and on this day, it was Bland. He was able to catch his teammate with a closing burst and nipped him on the line to win in 10.9 with Polk clocked at 11.0.

"It’s been a long time since Long Branch went one-two in something," Bland said right after the race."

Playing catch-up is nothing new for Bland, who is known more for his finishes than his starts.

"The best part of the race for me is the second 50 meters," said Bland. "Strength plays a bigger roll for me. At 60 to 70 meters my strength takes over."

Bland said weight training and training workouts of 6x150, 6x100 and 3x200 have helped him.

There is also something else that the junior sprinter has gong for him.

"I hate losing," he said. "It’s not my thing."

Bland would come back later and win the 200 meters, beating 400 champion Erison Hurtault and 400 runner-up Earl Gray, who had run just minutes before.

"I saw the 400 runners walking over, and they looked a little tired," said Bland. "I thought I could take them on the turn."Bland built his lead on the turn and again relied on his strength to carry him to the win. His 22.2 was clear of Hurtault’s 22.6.

Bland would run on Long Branch’s 1,600-meter relay team that finished third (3:26.8) and was selected as the Meet’s Most Outstanding Track Performer. Bland helped the Green Wave finish third in the team competition with 44 points behind only Christian Brothers Academy (80) and Matawan (57).

Monmouth Regional’s Michael Rucker led a one-two Golden Falcon finish in the 110-meter high hurdles. Rucker was clean over all of the hurdles en route to a 14.5. Teammate Barry Bostick clocked 14.7. The other area athlete to claim a county championship was Rumson-Fair Haven high jumper Dwayne Reevey, whose 6-4 topped the field.

Red Bank Catholic didn’t have an individual winner, but had three runner-ups and tied for sixth place (30).

James McCarthy was out-kicked in the 1,600 by CBA’s Will Melofchik (4:23.4-4:24.2) while in the 3,200 Conrad Laskowski suffered the same fate to Melofchik (9:21.7-9:24.9), with teammate Matt Piccarello in third (9:30.2). Donald Brown was edged by Marlboro’s Tom Zubulake in the long jump 21-0 1/4 to 21-0.

Joe Kingsbery had a pair of third places in the 800 (1:58.4) and 1,600 (4:25.2) for the Buc boys, helping them finish eighth (21),

Today and tomorrow, Monmouth County track and field athletes will be going up against Ocean County at the Shore Conference Championships at Neptune High School.