Lady Golden Eagles Finish Up Stellar Track and Field Season

The Central Regional’s girls outdoor track and field team has not had a season like this one in more than a decade.

The Lady Golden Eagles went unbeaten in Shore Conference B South and finished fourth in the Shore Conference championships and fourth in the Ocean County championships and Ocean County relays with a deep, talented cast led by junior hurdler Samantha Jensen.

Jensen is going after personal glory in the NJSIAA Group III Central Jersey sectionals at Egg Harbor Township this weekend.  A year ago, she was second in the 100 hurdles at the sectionals.

"She’s been doing really well in the hurdles (400 intermediate and 100 high hurdles) and we’re putting her in four events this time, including the 200 and 100," said coach Mark Haug.

Jensen has not run the 200 much, but with the way she has been performing, Haug said he would not be surprised to see her advance into the Group III championships the following weekend in all four events.

She understands the pressure to perform. Despite missing much of the indoor season with a broken leg suffered in soccer season, Jensen quickly recouped at the end for a third place finish in the 55 meter hurdles in :08.40 at the Meet of Champions

She also competed in the 55 dash and ran a respectable :08.2 for 17th place. She won the 100 hurdles at the Shore Conference meet in :14.37 and was third in the 400 hurdles in :53.7.

Haug said his runners’ times "are dropping significantly."

He hopes his 4x400 relay team that he just put together with freshman Liz Kroon, juniors Alli DeSantis and Kristine Buhagiar and senior Essence Clyburn performs the way he hopes they do. Jensen ran anchor on that relay that clocked a third place 4:04.88 in the Shore Conference championships, but is focused now on her own individual performance. In that meet, Buhagiar, Clyburn and DeSantis ran the first three legs.

"Usually we run Sam Jensen in the relays but this year we want to move as many people as we can (into different individual events)," Haug said.

Senior Kelly Smith, who will be competing for New Jersey Institute of Technology’s program later this year, could create some ripples in the high jump if she can go above her typical 5-feet measure, which put her in a four-way tie for sixth place in the Shore Conference championships.

Juniors Ashley Bernath and Liz McGowan were 1-2 in the triple jump at the indoor sectionals. But McGowan has missed most of the season when she badly injured her hand while working. Bernath hit 26 feet, 11 inches and McGowan was five inches behind in the sectionals.

McGowan is sorely missed by Haug and his team. But he remains optimistic, although there are no entries in the pole vault and shot put. McGowan was ninth in the Group III championships indoors in the pole vault and was runner-up in that event and the high jump in the sectionals.

"We can realistically win four events and that would be really big," said Haug. "I’m hoping to qualify someone (for the Group III championships in 11 events)."

Clyburn surpassed 17 feet in the long jump in a dual meet.