Considering the track meet South Brunswick High School was competing at this past weekend, just being there was a great accomplishment. Of course, winning an event and setting some records is even more of an accomplishment.
While competing at the New Balance Indoor Nationals at the New York Armory, Cayla Del Piano won the Emerging Mile on Friday in a time of 5:01.59.
"The time broke not only our indoor school record, but also the indoor Middlesex County record," South Brunswick Coach Stefan Moorhead said.
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"She was in the middle of the pack for the first half of the race and then broke away from the field with about 500 meters to go. She ran a very fast final two laps and looked great doing it. We knew she was capable of that kind of performance so it was nice to see her go out do it."
Del Piano was also part of two very successful South Brunswick relay teams.
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On Saturday, the sprint medley team of Rachel Johnson, Jane Baker, Alicia Osley and Del Piano placed fourth in a time of 4:07.95. Del Piano had a personal best of 2:16 in the 800 to anchor the team.
"Since they were in the top-6, they earned medals and All-American honors," Moorhead noted. "This was the first time in school history we have had a relay team earn All-American distinction. We have had only individuals do that before, and not very often.
"Their time also shattered the indoor school record by six seconds. The girls were obviously very excited by their accomplishment. It was definitely the highlight of the weekend to see them accepting their awards on the infield. They worked very hard throughout the season, and this was a great reward for all that work."
On Sunday the 4x400 team of Baker, Joy Spriggs, Del Piano and Osley finished 15th in a time of 3:56.73. Their time broke the Middlesex County indoor record, previously held by Piscataway.
"The goal going into the race was to break that record, so it was fun to see them accomplish that," Moorhead said. "It was our last race of the weekend so they definitely ended the meet and the indoor season in style.
"In that race Joy Spriggs' second leg time (58.9) was a big break-through for her, and helped push us to the record."
Mariah Browne made the finals of the long jump on Saturday with a jump of 18' -4.25". She finished eighth.
"She struggled a bit to find her rhythm, so finishing eighth at Nationals in that situation is nothing to be upset about," Moorhead said. "She will only do better outdoors when there will be more long jump competitions."
Derek Forthun competed well in the pentathlon. He ended up 17th.
"The experience he gained competing in a multi-event competition will help him in the future," Moorhead said. "His highest scores were in the 1000 and the high jump. The 1000 was a bit of a surprise, since he didn't do much running during the season, mostly just jumping."
Dominick Padovano competed in the shot put. His best effort was 53' 1".
"It was not quite his best, but that doesn't take away from his great season, or the accomplishment of qualifying for Nationals," Moorhead said.
The same could be said of all South Brunswick qualifiers. Being there really was an accomplishment. But if you can add a medal or a record, all the better.
