Barnes Delayed in Chase for Meet of Champions' Gold

Dark clouds were building for a couple of hours Thursday as athletes endured brutal heat at the 43rd annual Meet of Champions Track and Field Championships at Old Bridge's Lombardi Field.

By the time West Orange senior Nia Barnes got going in the javelin, it was pretty clear rain wasn't far off and with it thunder and lightning. Wind had already arrived, playing havoc with where and how far the silver spear landed.  Barnes got two throws in before the javelin throwers and everybody else was told to head for the safety of the nearby Carl Sandburg Middle School. 

"I had a feeling we were done for the day," said Barnes, who is the top seed in the event after finishing second in the meet last year to Marlboro's Elaina Mezzasalma.

On the track, theatrics were being played out as New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association officials decided to call off the 3,200-meter run with just one lap remaining because of the threat from above that got worse as the night went on.

The runners in the 3,200, the javelin throwers and youngsters in six other events will return to Lombardi Field Monday night for the completion of the event. The meet resumes at 6 p.m.

Barnes will return as West Orange High’s lone individual. She also will return as the leader in the javelin with one more throw in the seeded flight before the final round. She threw 117 feet with her first throw, and then took the lead with a throw of 141 feet on her second.

"She's in a good place," said West Orange coach Joe Picataggio. "The wind was holding up everything she threw."

This is the second time this season she has been affected by a storm. The Penn Relays Carnival javelin April 30 was delayed because of a similar storm. Barnes finished sixth.

Her best throw of 154-5 came May 27 at the North 1 Group IV championships. That is the 10th best throw in the United States this spring, according to Track and Field News.

Paramus Catholic’s Jaime Klein has the top throw in the state this year at 155, ninth best in the country.

"Right now whatever helps me win (at the Meet of Champions) is what I'd like to do," said Barnes, who finished second at the MOC last year with a throw of 144-1.

Barnes is ranked 10th in the nation with a throw of 154-5, according to the latest rankings by Track and Field News. 

Paramus’ Catholic senior Jaime Klein, the Non-Public A champ threw 155 feet at the Bergen County Meet of Champions May 31, but is seeded third in the MOC behind Barnes and Haddonfield junior Katie Johnson. Junior Avione Allgood of Legacy High in North Las Vegas has the top throw in the country this spring at 176.

West Orange juniors Dexter Valley and Jared Mason will return to run on the 4x400 relay with senior James Cham and sophomore Karl Cajuste. Valley and Mason both had disappointing finishes in their specialties in the 400 and 800-meters respectively and didn't medal.  Valley won the state Group IV title in the 400 a week ago Saturday, while Mason was runner-up in the 800.

"Jared really never got going," said Picataggio. "He fell to last place and the kids ahead of him were flying. Dexter got behind by five or eight meters and tried to make it up, but he had nothing left. But Jared and Dex can redeem themselves in the 4x4. We're going to stack that relay."

The girls 4x100 set a school record as juniors Onisha Henry, Adrienne Hassel and Chantoll Gauntlett and freshman Aliya Barnes – Nia's sister – combined to run  50.06.