Jozefczyk shines at Big North indoor championships by Paul Schwartz of The Record
NEW YORK — New faces played major roles on the first day of the Big North divisional indoor track and field championships at the Armory Track Center on Sunday morning. But it was an old, familiar face that had the brightest smile and perhaps the biggest role in one of the eight team championships awarded.
Meghan Jozefczyk, the Passaic County cross-country champion as a sophomore, had never approached those heights in the intervening 2 ½ years because of various health and other problems, but sparkled for Clifton, winning the 3,200 and taking second in the 1,600 with major personal bests to lead the Mustangs to their first Liberty division girls since 2013, 155-143⅔, over three-time defending champion Passaic Tech.
Passaic Tech’s boys won their seventh straight Liberty title by 47 points over Clifton, Northern Highlands its fifth straight Freedom girls title over Ridgewood, 165-139, and Paramus Catholic its third straight United girls title, 79-68, over IHA and Wayne Hills took its second straight Independence girls title, 116-107, over Fair Lawn.
Ridgewood (Freedom boys), Bergen Catholic (United boys) and Wayne Valley (Independence boys) also won titles by margins of 56 to 93 points.
But it was Jozefczyk’s heroics that captured much of the attention, especially on the girls side.
The Clifton senior looked sensational in breaking away from longtime rival Sarah Shannon early in the meet, running a 30-second personal best in the 3,200 (11:45.59), the fastest indoor time by a Mustang girl in 28 years. The win put a smile on her face that would not fade even after Shannon came back to nip her at the finish line in the 1,600 three hours later.
“Even in that race she had a big PR,” said Clifton coach Mike Rogers. “Nothing’s been easy for her. She’s been hurt, she’s been sick, other things have happened in her life over the last few years. It’s hard not to cheer for her if you know what she’s been through.”
“Today we didn’t even talk as a team about winning the meet, just focusing on our own performances and getting PR’s,” said Rogers. “And all of our kids stepped up and got them.”
There were several spectacular performances on the boys side. Bergen Catholic sophomore Rahmir Johnson, disappointed in a tight third-place finish in the 55 despite a personal best (and New Jersey No. 7) 6.58, came back and ran the second-fastest indoor 200 in Bergen County history (and New Jersey No. 1) , a sizzling 22.12.
Kennedy senior Jason Thobourne qualified for the Penn Relays by clearing 6-7, breaking a 25-year-old school record in the process and winning the Liberty high jump. BC sophomore Jayse Bradley won the United high jump in a meet record 6-4, in just his second meet, beating defending state outdoor champ Javon Turner of Paramus Catholic. Don Bosco’s Joe Erskine set United records in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
On the girls side, Northern Highlands got scoring performances from 21 different individuals and Julia Healy continued her breakout season with a win in the Freedom 400 and four medals in all.
West Milford’s Kalleen Rose Ozanic, in her first year of indoor track, won the 55, high jump and long jump in the Independence division and just missed a fourth gold by 1¼” in the triple jump.
Distance stars Olympia Martin and Billy Byrne of Ridgewood (Freedom), Taylor Domico of Wayne Hills (Independence) and Mackenzie Hughes of Holy Angels (United) were all outstanding in scoring 1,600-3,200 doubles.
Big North Track and Field
at The Armory Track Center
Boys
FREEDOM
Team Scoring
Ridgewood (RW) 164, Indian Hills (IH) 90, Northern Highlands (NH) 71 1/2, Ramapo (RM) 44 1/2, Hackensack (H) 36, Paramus (P) 25.
55: 1. Kobi Grant (RW), 6.74; 2. Anthony Lorenc (IH), 6.89; 3. Greg Fuerte (P), 7.00.
55 HH: 1. Dan Monchek (NH), 8.11; 2. Brendan Holleran (NH), 8.23; 3. Tim Kim (P), 8.37.
200: 1. Grant (RW), 23.25; 2. Lorenc (IH), 24.16; 3. Mike Petrazzuolo (RM), 24.23.
400: 1.Lorenc (IH), 52.41; 2. Petrazzuolo (RM), 52.65; 3. Zack Stadulis (RW), 53.14.
800: 1. Will Baginski (RW), 2:11.15; 2. James Hughes (NH), 2:11.48; 3. Dylan Pappas (IH), 2:12.56.
1,600: 1. Billy Byrne (RW), 4:27.64; 2. Steven Fiumefreddo (IH), 4:31.32; 3. Derek Barney (IH), 4:32.41.
3,200: 1. Byrne (RW), 9:45.86; 2. Barney (IH), 9:48.30; 3. Sid Wagh (RW), 9:53.88.
Shot put: 1. Camal Brown (H), 47-7; 2. Austin Englehardt (RW), 46-4 1/2; 3. Matt Connor (RM), 44-5.
High jump: 1. Tim DeLorenzo (NH), 6-2 (ties record); 2. Ray Harada (RW), 5-10; 3. Dan Romero (RW), 5-20.
Long jump: 1. Andrew Achirem (H), 20-3 1/4; 2. Harada (RW), 19-6 1/2; 3. Ed Han (NH), 19-6 1/2.
Triple jump: 1. Romero (RW), 41-3 1/4; 2. Max Bartlik (RW), 41-0 3/4; 3. Monchek (NH), 40-10 1/4.
Pole vault: 1. Fuerte (P), 13-6; 2. Ryan Vimba (RW), 13-0; 3. Danny Schecter (RW), 12-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Indian Hills, 3:36.08; 2. Ramapo, 3:39.29; 3. Ridgewood, 3:43.56.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Indian Hills, 8:19.61 (record, old record, 8:30.7 by Ridgewood, 2015); 2. Ridgewood, 8:24.14; 3. Ramapo, 8:52.03.
INDEPENDENCE
Team Scoring
Wayne valley (WV) 131, Passaic Valley (PV) 75, Fair Lawn (FL) 59, Lakeland (L) 56, Wayne Hills (WH) 51, West Milford (WM) 26.
55: 1. Shaheem Maple (WV), 6.84; 2. Kyle Gonzalez (L), 6.93; 3. Fernando Flores (PV), 6.98.
55 HH: 1. Gonzalez (L), 8.15; 2. Erick Alvarez (PV), 8.16; 3. Mylez Frazier (WH), 8.53.
200: 1. Maple (WV), 23.43; 2. Flores (PV), 23.87; 3. Aesh Patel (WV), 24.20.
400: 1. Flores (PV), 52.89; 2. Nick Malloy (WV), 54.50; 3. Shawn Mageean (WM), 54.52.
800: 1. Andrew Lucchessi (WV), 2:10.56; 2. Ranay Yadav (WV), 2:11.70; 3. Patrick Tuohey (FL), 2:13.51.
1,600: 1. Joe Zisa (WH), 4:45.57; 2. Jonathan Marcus (FL), 4:49.85; 3. Tuohey (FL), 4:57.11.
3,200: 1. Marcus (FL), 10:11.82; 2. Zisa (WH), 10:17.94; 3. Bryant O’Donohoe (WH), 10:49.31.
Shot put: 1. Jakob Pluta (WV), 46-4; 2. Tyler Fenske (WV), 44-2; 3. Shane Connelly (WV), 41-4.
High jump: 1. Alvarez (PV), 5-10; 2. Omar Sousan (PV), 5-4.
Long jump: 1. Michael Festa (PV), 19-10 1/2; 2. Hasan Klingen (L), 18-10 1/2; 3. Ceasar Dominguez (WH), 18-10.
Triple jump: 1. Maple (WV), 40-6 1/2; 2. Gonzalez (L), 37-0 1/2; 3. Mageean (WM), 36-7.
Pole vault: 1. Patrick Emolo (WV), 10-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Wayne Valley, 3:39.56; 2. Passaic Valley, 3:55.92; 3. West Milford, 3:59.72.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Fair Lawn, 8:59.50; 2. Wayne Valley, 8:59.74; 3. West Milford, 9:37.34.
LIBERTY
Team Scoring
Passaic Tech (PCT) 151, Clifton (CL) 104, Kennedy (K) 98, Bergen Tech (BT) 37, Passaic (PS) 25, Eastside (E) 16.
55: 1. Christian Silfa (PCT), 6.90; 2. Jamiel Moss (E), 6.91; 3. Ryjamer Rouse (K), 7.02.
55 HH: 1. Shayne Coley (PCT), 8.15; 2. Corey Powell (PCT), 8.32; 3. T’Shawn Jennings (BT), 8.49.
200: 1. Joshwah Leonard (CL), 23.82; 2. Zion Hand (PCT), 23.87; 3. Silfa (PCT), 24.35.
400: 1. Leonard (CL), 52.36; 2. Hand (PCT), 53.70; 3. Jackson Burnett (PCT), 54.20.
800: 1. Kevin Heredia (CL), 2:00.68; 2. Jason Rodriguez (PCT), 2:06.14; 3. Burnett (PCT), 2:09.92.
1,600: 1. Rodriguez (PCT), 4:41.81; 2. Anthony DiIorio (BT), 4:51.93; 3. Carlos Polanco (CL), 4:54.31.
3,200: 1. DiIorio (BT), 10:06.67; 2. Joel Garcia (PS), 10:10.16; 3. Yash Prajapati (CL), 10:18.93.
Shot put: 1. Ahzir McGuire (PCT), 46-6; 2. Luis Zorrilla (CL), 45-8 1/2; 3. Abraham Ramirez (K), 45-0.
High jump: 1. Jason Thobourne (K), 6-7 (record, old record, 6-2 by three others); 2. Ronniel Johnson (K), 6-2; 3. Powell (PCT), 5-8.
Long jump: 1. Thobourne (K), 21-3; 2. Shane Swaby (K), 20-0 1/2; 3. Powell (PCT), 19-9.
Triple jump: 1. Coley (PCT), 45-11 1/2 (record, old record, 45-5 1/4 by Rahmir McCray (PCT), 2011); 2. Thobourne (K), 43-5; 3. Johnson (K), 42-11.
Pole vault: 1. tie between Johnson (K) and Jordan Laceste (CL), 11-6 (record, old record by three vaulters); 3. Takashi Yuasa (CL), 10-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Clifton, 3:35.68; 2. Passaic Tech, 3:38.34; 3. Kennedy, 3:41.09.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Clifton, 8:57.12; 2. Passaic, 8:58.81; 3. Passaic Tech, 9:46.02.
UNITED
Team Scoring
Bergen Catholic (BC) 161, Don Bosco (DB) 68, Paramus Catholic (PC) 43, St. Joseph (SJR) 7, DePaul 1.
55: 1. Javon Turner (PC), 6.57; 2. Jahmel Johnson (BC), 6.57; 3. Rahmir Johnson (BC), 6.58.
55 HH: 1. Ryan Dunkel (BC), 8.33; 2. Kevin DeLoughry (BC), 8.56; 3. Zaair Talmadge (DB), 9.10.
200: 1. Rahmir Johnson (BC), 22.12 (record, old record, 22.2 by Kyle Ellerson (BC), 2015); 2. Turner (PC), 22.79; 3. Jahmel Johnson (BC), 23.19.
400: 1. DeLoughry (BC), 52.99; 2. Justin Greenberg (BC), 54.22; 3. Jarrett Minien (PC), 54.56.
800: 1. Braedon Fiume (BC), 2:01.64; 2. Bilal Rabah (BC), 2:02.45; 3. Jun Omiya (DB), 2:03.84.
1,600: 1. Joe Erskine (DB), 4:23.26 (record, old record, 4:23.5 by Kyle Levermore (DB), 2014); 2. Caleb Shaia (BC), 4:24.95; 3. Justin Tuohey (DB), 4:36.62.
3,200: 1. Erskine (DB), 9:44.69 (record, old record, 9:49.5 by Erskine, 2016); 2. Tuohey (DB), 9:47.84; 3. Peter Theuerkauf (BC), 9:55.68.
Shot put: 1. Michal Hyland (BC), 43-0;2 . Dean Williamson (BC), 41-10; 3. Zavier Wildy (DB), 41-3.
High jump: 1. Jayse Bradley (BC), 6-4 (record, old record, 6-2 by Turner (PC), 2016); 2. Turner (PC), 6-0; 3. Rahmir Johnson (BC), 5-6.
Long jump: 1. Rahmir Johnson (BC), 20-4 1/2; 2. Zaiir Talmadge (DB), 20-4 1/2; 3. Aeneas DiCosmo (BC), 19-9.
Triple jump: 1. Talmadge (DB), 41-3 1/2; 2. Jevontae Jean-Baptiste (BC), 40-9 3/4; 3. DiCosmo (BC), 39-3 1/2.
Pole vault: 1. tie between Luke Berninger (SJR) and Jorge Mascaro (BC), 10-0; 3. John Minelli (BC), 9-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Paramus Catholic, 3:42.72; 2. Bergen Catholic, 3:47.84.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Bergen Catholic, 8:44.38; 2. Don Bosco, 8:47.55; 3. Paramus Catholic, 9:40.29.
Girls
FREEDOM
Team Scoring
Northern Highlands (NH) 165, Ridgewood (RW) 139, Paramus (P) 42, Ramapo (RM) 38, Indian Hills (IH) 28, Hackensack (H) 17.
55: 1. Olivia Florio (NH), 7.54; 2. Katherine Muccio (RW), 7.55; 3. Morgan Florio (NH), 7.72.
55 HH: 1. Morgan Valente (NH), 9.30; 2. Nicole Lester (RW), 9.55; 3. Virginia Morley (RW), 9.68.
200: 1. O. Florio (NH), 26.41; 2. Muccio (RW), 26.52; 3. Julia Healy (NH), 26.72.
400: 1. Healy (NH), 59.48; 2. Grace Smiechowski (NH), 1:00.11; 3. Stephanie Behrens (RM), 1:01.20.
800: 1. Meghan Adams (RW), 2:27.87; 2. Paige Wilderotter (NH), 2:29.55; 3. Evelyn Kotch (RW), 2:32.10.
1,600: 1. Olympia Martin (RW), 5:23.38; 2. Wilderotter (NH), 5:29.93; 3. Cassie Keyes (RW), 5:31.63.
3,200: 1. Martin (RW), 11:31.85; 2. Daisy Liljegren (NH), 11:33.52; 3. Corinne Barney (IH), 11:41.03.
Shot put:1. Lexi Uzoaru (RW), 37-10 1/2; 2. Mackenzie Carroll (H), 28-0; 3. Katharine Spence (NH), 27-10 1/2.
High jump: 1. Alyssa Veenhof (RW), 4-10; 2. Jessica Chu (NH), 4-8; 3. Ami Kur (P), 4-8.
Long jump: 1. Jackie Helm (P), 16-0; 2. Valente (NH), 15-3 1/2; 3. Kaur (P), 15-2 3/4.
Triple jump: 1. Amanda Katz (RM), 35-2; 2. Healy (NH), 35-1 1/4; 3. Helm (P), 32-11 1/2.
Pole vault: 1. Lester (RW), 10-6; 2. Maxine Earl (RW), 10-0; 3. Helm (P), 10-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Northern Highlands, 4:08.20; 2. Ridgewood, 4:13.49; 3. Ramapo, 4:20.50.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Indian Hills, 10:06.15; 2. Northern Highlands, 10:33.45; 3. Ridgewood, 10:36.14.
INDEPENDENCE
Team Scoring
Wayne Hills (WH) 116, Fair Lawn (FL) 107, Wayne Valley (WV) 89, Lakeland (L) 58, West Milford (WM) 42, Passaic Valley (PV) 16.
55: 1. Kalleen Rose Ozanic (WM), 7.82; 2. Gabriela Manjarrez (FL), 8.02; 3. Jessica Ippolito (FL), 8.08.
55 HH: 1. Meghan Corso (WV), 9.02 (record, old record, 9.04 by Corso, 2016); 2. Samantha Sklar (WH), 9.68; 3. Grace Yost (L), 9.84.
200: 1. Lisa Kestelboym (FL), 27.79; 2. Corso (WV), 27.97; 3. Riley Brennan (WH), 28.76.
400: 1. Sklar (WH), 1:01.94 (record, old record, 1:02.5 by Danielle Pinelli (FL), 2013); 2. Britney DelMundo (FL), 1:02.45; 3. Grace Olaya (WV), 1:04.77.
800: 1. Emily Becker (WH), 2:29.76; 2. Kelly DiChristina (WV), 2:32.24; 3. Linnea Gilligan (L), 2:36.08.
1,600: 1. Taylor Domico (WH), 5:36.99; 2. Samantha Biss (L), 5:40.38; 3. Kristin McAtee (WV), 5:46.95.
3,200: 1. Domico (WH), 11:39.40; 2. McAtee (WV), 12:10.03; 3. Shea Brennan (WH), 12:18.06.
Shot put: 1. Alexandra Zorrilla (PV), 30-11 1/2; 2. Lindsay Williams (FL), 30-1; 3. Jen Westervelt (WV), 29-9.
High jump: 1. Ozanic (WM), 4-8; 2. Kaitlyn Rehberger (WH), 4-6; 3. Dezire Tulipano (WH), 4-4.
Long jump: 1. Ozanic (WM), 16-0 1/2; 2. DelMundo (FL), 15-10 3/4; 3. Ippolito (FL), 15-4 1/2.
Triple jump: 1. Del Mundo (FL), 34-1 1/4 (record, old record, 34-0 by Jessica Cusick (WV), 2014); 2. Ozanic (WM), 34-0 1/2; 3. Tulipano (WH), 32-10 1/2.
Pole vault: 1. Lilly Brown (L), 11-6; 2. Ippolito (FL), 11-0; 3. Rachel Bussanich (WV), 9-0.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Fair Lawn, 4:17.74 (record, old record, 4:19.2 by Wayne Valley, 2014); 2. Wayne Hills, 4:20.93; 3. Wayne Valley, 4:27.54.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Lakeland, 10:18.36 (record, old record, 10:23.2 by Lakeland, 2016); 2. Wayne Hills, 10:46.23; 3. Fair Lawn, 10:52.90.
LIBERTY
Team Scoring
Clifton (CL) 155, Passaic Tech (PCT) 143 2/3, Kennedy (K), 56 1/3, Bergen Tech (BT), 50, Eastside (E) 15, Passaic (PS) 7.
55: 1. Rikayvia Palmer (PCT), 7.81; 2. Antoinette Muir (CL), 7.86; 3. Abbey Gale Brooks (E), 7.94.
55 HH: 1. Alenys Morales (CL), 8.94; 2. Palmer (PCT), 9.12; 3. Leilanie Hinton (PCT), 9.41.
200: 1. Morales (CL), 27.27; 2. Palmer (PCT), 27.93; 3. Akilah Williamson (K), 28.00.
400: 1. Brianna Morrison (CL), 1:03.14; 2. Ruanna Small (BT), 1:03.90; 3. Melany Then (PCT), 1:05.44.
800: 1. Carly Spinnler (PCT), 2:26.63; 2. Destiny Calo (PCT), 2:34.09; 3. Sarah Adams (CL), 2:34.95.
1,600: 1. Sarah Shannon (PCT), 5:38.66; 2. Meghan Jozefczyk (CL), 5:38.99; 3. Mollie Slanina (CL), 5:47.46.
3,200: 1. Jozefczyk (CL), 11:45.59; 2. Shannon (PCT), 11:52.97; 3. Slanina (CL), 12:05.21.
Shot put: 1. Carmen Ramirez (PCT), 35-7; 2. Azariah Johnson (PCT), 35-7; 3. Janel Gonzalez (PCT), 34-9.
High jump: 1. Tyra Douglas (CL), 4-10; 2. Tenaja Morales (PCT), 4-10; 3. Morrison (CL), 4-8.
Long jump: 1. Morales (CL), 15-8 3/4; 2. Benae Johnson (K), 15-0 1/2; 3. Kinga Dabek (BT), 15-0 1/4.
Triple jump: 1. B. Johnson (K), 33-5 1/2; 2. Williamson (K), 33-0 1/2; 3. Dabek (BT), 32-4 1/2.
Pole vault: 1. tie between Morrison (CL) and Sydney Shannon (PCT), 9-0; 3. tie between Lilana Meyer (BT) and Sarah Kusher (CL), 7-6.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Clifton, 4:25.97; 2. Bergen Tech, 4:32.61; 3. Kennedy, 4:44.32.
4-x-800 relay: 1. Clifton, 10:31.24 (record, old record, 10:36.9 by Bergen Tech, 2013); 2. Passaic Tech, 10:47.48; 3. Bergen Tech, 11:45.19.
UNITED
Team Scoring
Paramus Catholic (PC) 79, IHA 68, Holy Angels (HA) 62 1/2, DePaul (D) 6 1/2.
55: 1. Christian Rasnake (IHA), 7.55; 2. Maris Rodriguez (HA), 7.68; 2. Kendall Austin (D), 7.75.
55 HH: 1. Isabelle Dely (PC), 8.81 (record set by Dely at 8.73 in trials); 2. Rasnake (IHA), 8.82; 3. Olivia Dubois (IHA), 9.76.
200: 1. Faith Sutton (PC), 26.53; 2. Rodriguez (HA), 26.81; 3. Rasnake (IHA), 26.84.
400: 1. Sutton (PC), 1:00.56; 2. Fiona Ralph (IHA), 1:03.91; 3. Kiyara Santos (PC), 1:05.74.
800: 1. Tara Lyons (HA), 2:24.15; 2. Ralph (IHA), 2:28.77; 3. Christina Maretzo (PC), 2:30.20.
1,600: 1. Mackenzie Hughes (HA), 5:29.19; 2. Giavanna Tabbachino (IHA), 5:37.63; 3. Victoria Sheldon (IHA), 5:38.95.
3,200: 1. Hughes (HA), 11:39.44; 2. Tabbachino (IHA), 11;45.19; 3. Ashley Linares (PC), 12:05.26.
Shot put: 1. Brianna Hayes (PC), 34-9; 2. Anya Skae (HA), 34-7 1/2; 3. Cara Czvekus (HA), 34-0.
High jump: 1. Tiffany Bautista (PC), 5-0; 2. Dely (PC), 5-0; 3. Samantha Fellowes (HA), 4-10.
Long jump: 1. Sutton (PC), 17-3 1/4; 2. Bautista (PC), 16-9 1/4; 3. Dely (PC), 15-11 1/2.
Triple jump: 1. Bautista (PC), 36-1 1/4; 2. Sutton (PC), 34-0 3/4; 3. Dely (PC), 33-4 3/4.
Pole vault: 1. Caroline McGann (HA), 10-6 (record, old record, 10-0 by Julie Weismiller (IHA), 2015); 2. Dubois (IHA), 7-6; 3. tie between Vanessa Quinn (HA), Jennifer McGann (HA) and Bailey Devaney (IHA), 6-6.
4-x-400 relay: 1. Holy Angels, 4:24.84; 2. Paramus Catholic, 4:25.25; 3. IHA, 4:29.82.
4-x-800 relay: 1. IHA, 11:00.57; 2. Holy Angels, 11:36.90; 3. DePaul, 11:51.02.