Hightstown Girls Track Wins Valley Title

After its first two events in the biggest regular season meet of the year, the girls track team was in a big hole. But by the end of its recent meet against Nottingham, the Hightstown girls were loving life in the Valley.

Hightstown defeated Nottingham, 80.66-59.33, on May 19 to clinch the Valley Division championship. Hightstown went 3-0 in the Valley, including wins against Princeton (73-67) and Hamilton (124-16).

"We were down 17-1 after the first two events and I was thinking it might be a long day," Hightstown Coach Don Hess said. "Fortunately, our team is young, talented and it doesn't like to lose. They always fight back."

Hightstown finished strong in the final three events — the 200, 3200 and 4x400.

"It was close right up to the end," Hess said. "We started to pull away when we got the top two spots in the 200 and 3200."

The 4x400 team of Hannah Foss, Lydia Walsh, Rachel Wilson and Melissa Arrisueno won with a time of 4:13.

"That was our best time all year," Hess noted. "That's the best time we have had in several years."

In the 3200, Nikki Khandenwal placed first and Sarina Sokoloff was second. In the 200, Walsh was first and Wilson was second.

Walsh also won the 400, with Wilson placing second in that event.

Hannah Foss was also a double winner, placing first in both the 800 and 1600.

Hightstown's other winners included Aziza Ahmed (discus), Dana Obst (shot put) and Lindsay Redfern (pole vault).

"I didn't expect to win the Valley," Hess said. "The majority of our team is made up of freshmen and sophomores, who really progressed and did a great job. A lot of the credit has to go to assistant coaches Jay Hackworth and Kim Kryscnski."

Hightstown will now see what it can do as it opens action in the Central Jersey Group III meet today, Friday, and Saturday at Monmouth Regional. The top six finishers in each event will advance on to the overall Group III championships, held the following week again at Monmouth Regional.

"We have some talented girls," Hess said. "I'm definitely hoping to advance some girls to the Group III meet."