Heights Track, Field Athletes Head to State Meet of Champions

A pair of Hasbrouck Heights seniors are going out in a blaze of glory in the final days of the spring sports season.

At last weekend's Group 1 meet, Chris Connors and Alex Sisco won the shot put and pole vault contests. In addition junior Irene Cedano made it a complete sweep for Heights in the shot put event.

The trio led a group of nine Hasbrouck Heights athletes who are now heading to Old Bridge on Thursday for the State Meet of Champions.

Team wise the boys teams finished fourth with 38 points, with only Mountain Lakes, Woodbury and Penns Grove ahead of them. The Lady Aviators finished 14th with 13 points.

Cedano upped her game in the group meet by improving on her throw. The junior won the Group 1 North state sectional with a top throw of 35-feet-4.75-inches on Memorial Day weekend. A week later Cedano almost improved her distance by winning the event with a throw of 37-feet-3. Cedano out threw her nearest competitor, Newark Tech's Essence Underwood by almost a foot.

Sisco, who will be attending the Air Force Academy in the fall, set a personal best at the group meet and it did not take long for him to reach it. Actually, the rest of the Group 1 pole vaulters might have just gone home. Sisco vaulted his personal record  of 13-feet-6 and it came early. "I had a good feeling," said Sisco about starting his first vault which was the 13-feet-6.

The senior pole vaults took fifth place in the BMOC with a vault of 13 feet and his goal this week is either 14-feet-6 or even 15-feet.

For Connors his throw at the Group 1 meet was not a personal best that came at the Bergen County Meet of Champions a few days before the group meet with a throw of 56-feet-2.50 which won the meet and reached his goal.

"My goal (at the start of the season) was to go out there and win the BMOC," said Connors.

At the Group 1 meet his top throw was not as far, but it still won the meet - 55-feet-9.

And for the SMOC he would like to break the school record of 57-feet-3 which was set by Pat Cole two years ago.

After the three athletes won gold at the group meet, junior Anthony Seidel collected the best next results with a second in the javelin (183-feet-1) and third in the discus (148-feet-2)

Girls

400 Hurdles

16. Jenna DiGiacinto, 1:11.12

100 Meter Dash

15. Rayn Moses, 13.15

1,600 Meter Run

6. Rebecca Fortoul, 5:25.65

Discus

8. Irene Cedano, 93-feet-9

Triple Jump

6. Rayn Moses, 36-feet-1.75

Javelin

7. Nina Messery, 109-feet-3

3200 Meter Run

13.  Rebecca Fortoul, 12:26.77

1,600 Meter Relay

13. HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, Kristine Dugay, Daniella Macera, Victoria McKnight and Jenna DiGiacinto, 4:16.50

Shot Put

1. Irene Cedano,  37-feet-3

Pole Vault

6. Danielle Cannici, 9-feet

7. Kristen Delcalzo, 8-feet-6

Boys

Long Jump

5. Roland Gamez, 20-feet-11.75

13. Mike Pikowski, 19-feet

Shot Put

1. Chris Connors, 55-feet-9

6. AJ Traina, 47-feet-3

9. Anthony Seidel, 45-feet-6

High Jump

8. Roland Gamez, 6-feet

Pole Vault

1. Alex Sisco, 13-feet-6

110 Meter Hurdles

15. Mike Pikowski, 16.49 

16. Roland Gamez, 16.51

1,600 Meter Relay

13 HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, Mark Monohan, Mark Palermo, Richard Rodriguez and Alex Sisco, 3:36.45

Discus

3. Anthony Seidel, 148-feet-2

Triple Jump

8. Roland Gamez, 43-feet-8

Javelin

2. Anthony Seidel, 183-feet-1