The Hasbrouck Heights boys track and field team has just been snake bit when it has come to winning the team mark for its own Aviators Relays.
The three previous years have seen Heights just fall short which was the case last season when the Aviators lost by six points to Ramsey. On the other side, the Heights girls have taken all three titles.
On Friday, the Aviators finally won the team title in its own relays to go along with the Heights girls who made it four years in a row.
The relays is one of the premier relay events for Group 1 and 2 schools in North Jersey that includes more than 25 schools on each side.
Hasbrouck Heights head coach Rob Brady said that the relays are a good indicator early in the season.
And so far so good for Hasbrouck Heights.
The boys ran by the competition with the only school to score in triple digits with 110 points. The next closest school was Lyndhurst with 56. On the girls side the Lady Aviators had a tougher time as they defeated Garfield by 12 points, 63-51.
On the girls side Hasbrouck Heights only had a pair of wins in relays, but was able to fill up the score sheet with second and thirds to pump up the points.
On the boys side the Aviators took home eight first place finishes in the 400, 800 and 1600 meter relays along with the pole vault, long jump and all three throws, discus, shot put and javelin.
For relays Brady said that it shows the quality of the team from the top runner to the slowest runner. “The athletes are more involved with a team philosophy,” said Brady. “It is a true test of your depth. He or she knows the team is relying on each other and give a little more effort.”
While on the boys side every knows of Kevin Condal in the running relays and Pat Cole in the throws, Brady points to some other members of the relays that have helped give the team more points like Kevin Harris and Anthony Seidel.
“Everybody knows about Pat Cole, but you have Anthony Seidel, Chris Connors and A.J. Traina, who is in first year on the varsity,” said Brady.
And that is the case with the track relays. “With runners like Kevin Condal and Kevin Harris, you can be dominant in the sprint relays,” said Brady.
One of the underclassmen who had a big impact on Friday was junior Rebecca Fortoul. “Rebecca had a great meet and a great year,” said Brady.
While Fortoul was only part of a second place in the 6400 relay, she ran in four races including the anchor for the 3200 that helped push the Lady Aviators from 11th place when she received the baton to fifth place.
The Aviators Relays has become one of the premier relays in the area since it started in 2008. “We try to get the most Group 1 and 2 schools in North Jersey to come,” said Brady about meet that also has some of the top small schools throughout New Jersey that send a couple of relay teams like Rumson-Fair Haven.
Aviators Relay results
(Top three results for Heights)
Boys
400 Relay
1. Hasbrouck Heights, 44.6, Kevin Condal, Kevin Harris, James Fitzsimmons, Matt Galassi
800 Relay
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Kevin Condal, Kevin Harris, Lucas Sedycias, Matt Galassi, 1:33.6
1600 Relay
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Alex Quinn, Kevin Cordova, Kevin Condal, Kevin Harris, 3:33.2
3-by-400 IH
2. Hasbrouck Heights, Mike Pikowski, Mark Monohan and Kevin Cordova, 3:03.3
Sprint Medley
3. Hasbrouck Heights, Kevin Harris, Matt Galassi and Lucas Sedycias, 3:44.3
Long jump
2. Hasbrouck Heights, Roland Gamez, Thomas Hughes, Mike Pikowski, 57-feet-4-inches
Pole vault
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Ken Hesse, Luca Sedycias, Alex Sisco, 31-6
Long jump
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Ryan Moses, Alex Chukwuma, Marissa Romano, 47-10 ¾
Shot put
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Pat Cole, Anthony Seidel, Chris Connors, 140-6 ½
Discus
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Pat Cole, Anthony Seidel, A.J. Traina, 366-11
Javelin
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Chris Connors, Anthony Seidel, John D’Allesandro, 532-7
Girls
400 Relay
3. Hasbrouck Heights, Jenn Nass, Marissa Romano, Nickie Inglesby and Rayn Moses, 52.3
1600 Relay
3. Hasbrouck Heights, Jenn Nass, Marissa Romano, Nickie Inglesby and Tori McKnight, 4:19.0
6400 Relay
2. Hasbrouck Heights, Rebecca Fortoul, Missy Machtemes, Jenna DiGiacinto and Kelly Moran, 23:22
3-by-400 hurdles
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Nickie Inglesby, Jen White and Sam Bunone, 3:38.8
3-by-100 hurdles
2. Hasbrouck Heights, Nickie Inglesby, Sam Bunone, Jen White and Haleigh Machtemes, 1:10.4
Long jump
1. Hasbrouck Heights, Rayn Moses, Alex Chukwuma, Marissa Romano, 47-10 3/4