MHS Athletes Excel Against State's Best

OLD BRIDGE – Despite severe weather this week, ranging from 100-plus degree temperatures to torrential downpours that actually cancelled events, two MHS students held their own in a competition of the best high school track and field athletes in the state.

Senior Erik Moutenot and junior Carolyn Edler who competed at the SMOC, the State Meet of Champions in Old Bridge, where the best-of-the-best in New Jersey come to battle.

All Moutenot wanted to do was get one of those medals for the top eight spots in the 400 meter hurdles.

Despite the heat, the T-Birds hurdler ran a 54.49, about .05 behind seventh place finisher, Brandon Hill of Willingboro – just sneaking in to meet his goal.

The Mahwah senior was seeded fourth with a time of 54.40, but that did not diminish his feelings about getting a medal.

"This is what I wanted," said Moutenot. "I just came down here to place."

Moutenot was trying to break the school record set in 1980 at 53.6, but he will take his best time that came at the Bergen Meet of Champions with a time of 53.99.

"That would have been crazy to break a school record that has stood for 31 years," he said.

Moutenot will be running at the The College of New Jersey, which he picked because “it was not too close and not too far," from Mahwah. He also looked at colleges like Marist, Monmouth and Rider.

For Edler it was a tough day at the SMOC, despite tying for 12th against the best pole vaulters in the state with a leap of 10-feet-6-inches.

“This season she was very focused and doesn't want to lose," said Mahwah coach Rob Pasek. "That's a great quality to have and she does not want to disappoint me."

A couple of weeks ago the T-Birds junior had tied the school record of 11 feet.

Edler was looking to get to 11-feet-6-inches, but fell short for a school that has a long tradition of quality pole vaulters. "She really works hard and worked very hard to get here," said Pasek who added that the bar will be set even higher for her during her senior season.

Since some events were cancelled due to weather conditions later in the day Thursday, Mahwah sophomore Gena Pickett will compete in the rescheduled triple jump Monday. Pickett was the 16th seed coming into the event, with a mark of 35-feet-8.25.