Winter track: A look at the top North Jersey performances from the winter break

Someone should explain to River Dell's Christina Allen that running distance races in indoor track isn't as easy as she made it look on Dec. 28

The talented sophomore, who of course, never got to run indoors during last winter's abbreviated winter season made her debut by scoring a pair of stunning victories at the Coach Glynn Holiday Classic at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island.

First she ran 11:23.11 in the 3,200 meters to defeat Remy Dubac of Clifton in a battle of two of the top cross-country runners in the state. In the process, Allen moved into the top 50 all-time in Bergen County for the event and left only former all-state star Shannon Goria ahead of her on the all-time River Dell list. Dubac lowered her indoor personal best to 11:29.50, 14th best in Passaic County history and trailing only older sister Mia (now a freshman at Temple) on the Clifton list.

Then about 90 minutes later, she ran the fastest 1,000 meter race among New Jersey runners this year and the fastest by any North Jersey runner in five years, running a speedy 2:57.71, breaking Goria's school record of 2:58.9. Allen's time is ninth fastest all-time in Bergen County.

"It was a lot of fun,'' said Allen, who won the outdoor State Meet of Champions 3,200 last June in a memorable come-from-behind victory. "But the 3,200 felt like it went on forever because each lap of an outdoor track (400 meters) is like two indoors (200 meters). It feels so long.''

Allen, who was forced to miss the State Meet of Champions in cross-country, ran well the following week at the Eastbay Northeast Regionals, finishing fourth among New Jersey runners and ahead of Dubac, who had been fifth at SMOC. But the end of the cross-country season left her dissatisfied and she got right back to work, in of all places -- the River Dell weight room.

"I lifted a lot last year and it went well and I starting lifting again,'' said Allen. "I started doing squats and core stuff. Then in training I concentrated more on swinging my arms and I found that the problems I had with my arms in the fall had gone away.''

The 1,000 was the race of the day at the meet, with Leanna Johnston of IHA (3:03.88) and Brianna Braver of Ramapo (3:05.60) running times within the top 40 in Bergen County history. Dubac also doubled back and her 3:12.57 clocking for fifth in the race is 14th in Passaic history.

Multi-talented Munson off to a quick start

Westwood senior Connor Munson is used to doing lots of events at a track meet. After all, he was an all-American last spring in the decathlon, finishing fifth in the Outdoor Nationals at Heyward Field in Eugene, Oregon with a score of 6,563 points, third best in New Jersey state history.

Indoors he cracked the top 20 of the all-time Bergen pentathlon list with 3,237 points in a low key meet in Virginia in December and is after the one-day county record of 3,604 scored by Mike Stanfield of Garfield in 1999.

But at the Glynn meet, he settled for three wins in three events, including indoor personal bests in the pole vault (14-6, tied for 12th in Bergen history) and 55 hurdles (7.84 in trials, 35th all-time) and added a win in the high jump with a clearance of six feet.

"I think the only difference is I have to compartmentalize even more when everything goes off at the same time instead of one event followed by the next event as in the multis,'' said Munson, who is close to making his college decision. "And if you struggle in an event you have more time to get over it in a multi than if you're doing more than one individual event at a time.''

That caused a minor hiccup at the pole vault. But Munson was so elated after back-to-back personal bests in the hurdles and a win over hurdle rival Max Weinberg of River Dell, that his early miss at his opening height of 13 feet didn't faze him.

"That typically doesn't happen but I adjusted my standards and I didn't miss again until my first two jumps at 14-6,'' said Munson. "I was more than happy with my hurdles races because I hadn't run a 55 in a long time and I wasn't expecting my time to be as fast as it was.''

Harmer one to watch in the distances

One of the top distance runners in North Jersey has never run a high school cross-country race.

Hawthorne hasn't had a cross-country team in decades, so Jayson Harmer spent most falls playing football, even though he's always known that his long-term future was on the track.

But before his senior year Harmer stopped playing football and began working with the Garden State Track Club, doing workouts and getting his mileage up to 50 miles a week in preparation for spring and winter track.

"I knew it was the right decision for me,'' said Harmer, who was sixth in the state Group 2 1,600 race outdoors last spring and qualified for the State Meet of Champions. "I would practice at Hawthorne and Bergen Community College with the team and run by myself three days a week.''

His work paid off with an impressive 800-1,600 double win at the Ed Church Invitational held at the Armory Track Center in New York City on Dec. 30.

He lowered his own Hawthorne indoor school record by nearly eight seconds, running 4:28.54 and then set a school mark in the 800 at 2:03.35, beating all-North Jersey cross-country star Evan Morrow of Hasbrouck Heights in each race.

"I have some big goals this year,'' said Harmer, whose college decision appears to be between Lehigh, Bucknell and Monmouth. "I love running against (all-state star) Jacob Heredia (of Clifton) and I'm looking forward to racing against him at counties and states and maybe even beating him.''

Here's a deeper look at top North Jersey performers and performances from a busy Winter Break.

Ed Church Invitational

Dec. 30, Armory Track Center, New York City

BOYS

North Jersey winners: Jayson Harmer, Hawthorne (800, 2:03.35; 1,600,, 4:28.54); Zach Madison, Northern Highlands (high jump, 6-0; long jump, 19-9); Ian Kearney, Northern Highlands (pole vault, 11-6); Taiyi Huang, Fort Lee (triple jump, 40-5 1/2).

Other top North Jersey performers: Dean Park, Fort Lee (3rd, 55, 6.69); Adrian King, Hackensack (4th, 55 HH, 8.59); Dhylan MacLaren, Northern Highlands (3rd, 400, 53.70); Evan Morrow, Hasbrouck Heights (2nd, 800, 2:04.55; 2nd, 1,600, 4:33.23); Ryan Leocata, NV/Old Tappan (3rd, 800, 2:09.72); Kevin Campen, Hasbrouck Heights (2nd, shot put, 43-6 1/4); Bryan Formisano, Hasbrouck Heights (3rd, shot put, 42-7 1/4); Noah Colette, Paramus Catholic (2nd, triple jump, 40-5 1/2).

GIRLS

North Jersey winners: Gina Rubio, Paramus Catholic (55, 7.58); Fiona Carter, Paramus Catholic (55 HH, 8.69 (8.52 in trials), long jump, 17-7 1/4); Molly Bennett, Northern Highlands (400, 59.27); Hasbrouck Heights 4-x-400 relay (4:29.27); Selah Dungey, (Hackensack), Newark Academy (high jump, 5-2); Alexandra Manetovic, Fort Lee (triple jump, 35-2).

Other top North Jersey performers: Belle Bennett, Northern Highlands (2nd, 55, 7.74 (7.73 in trials); 3rd, 55 HH, 9.13); Essence-Jade Springer, Paramus Catholic (2nd, 55 HH, 8.93; 2nd, long jump, 15-11 1/2; 2nd, triple jump, 33-7 3/4); Hailey Pataki, Northern Highlands (2nd, 400, 1:03.68); Isabella Drezek, Hasbrouck Heights (2nd, 1,600, 5:33.75); Allison Courtney, Northern Highlands (3rd, 1,500, 5:40.36); Brooke Freschi, Hasbrouck Heights (3rd, high jump, 5-0); Manetovic (4th, high jump, 5-0); Talia Hutchinson, Ridgewood (2nd, pole vault, 9-6); Jamie Kim, NV/Old Tappan (3rd, pole vault, 9-0)

Coach Glynn Holiday Carnival

Dec. 28, Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, Staten Island, NY

GIRLS

North Jersey winners: Alysia Spencer, Ridgewood (55, 7.61; 200, 26.19); Christina Allen, River Dell (1,000, 2:57.71; 3,200, 11:23.11); Maegan Feeney, IHA (55 HH, 9.19; long jump, 16-2 3/4); Ramapo 4-x-400 relay (4:13.10); 4-x-800 relay (10:06.84); Gaea DePass, Hasbrouck Heights (high jump, 4-10); Talia Hutchinson, Ridgewood (pole vault, 10-0); Emily Turschmann (triple jump, 33-10 1/4), Ciara Brown, Hackensack (shot put, 35-9).

Other top North Jersey performers: Izzie Anzaldo, Ramapo (3rd, 400, 1:02.17); Carli Griffin, Ramapo (2nd, 600, 1:42.14); Julia Wowkun, Ramapo (3rd, 600,1:42.86); Leanna Johnston, IHA (2nd, 1,000, 3:03.88); Brianna Braver, Ramapo (3rd, 1,000, 3:05.60); Remy Dubac, Clifton (2nd, 3,200, 11:29.50); Natalie Jackson, Ramapo (2nd, 55 HH, 9.26); Hannah Brodsky, Ridgewood (3rd, 55 HH, 9.35); Ramapo 4-x-200 relay (2nd, 1:51.62); Megan Napolitano, Hasbrouck Heights (3rd, pole vault, 9-0); Olivia Grace, Ridgewood (2nd, long jump, 16-2 1/2), Alexandra Cahill, Ramapo (2nd, triple jump, 33-9 3/4).

BOYS

North Jersey winners: Alex Kislenko, Fair Lawn (55, 6.70); Jacob Heredia, Clifton (3,200, 9:39.75); Connor Munson, Westwood (55 HH, 7.89 (7.84 in trials; high jump, 6-0; pole vault, 14-6).

Other top North Jersey performers: Souleymane Fall, Bergenfield (2nd, 55, 6.70 (6.66 in trials); 2nd, 200, 22.68); Kislenko (3rd, 200 23.16); Lucas Barrales, Ridgewood (3rd, 400, 52.89); Thomas DiVincent, Ramapo (3rd, 600, 1:27.06); Ryan Pena, Wayne Valley (4th, 600, 1:27.39; 6th, 1,000, 2:41.44); Evan Morrow, Hasbrouck Heights (5th, 3,200, 9:59.16); Max Weinberg, River Dell (3rd, 55 HH, 7.97; 2nd, long jump, 19-11); Bergenfield 4-x-200 relay (2nd, 1:35.76); Ridgewood 4-x-200 relay (3rd, 1:36.28); Luke Gnospelius, Ridgewood (2nd, pole vault, 13-0); Christian Grant, Clifton (3rd, long jump, 19-6 1/4); Dyllon Fokouh-Mensah, Bergenfield (5th, long jump, 19-1); Marvelous Bassey, Dwight Morrow (2nd, triple jump, 40-7 3/4); Tanner Christie, West Milford (3rd, shot put, 46-0).

Paul Schwartz Invitational

Dec. 23, Rockland CC, Monsey, N.Y.

BOYS

North Jersey winners: Alex Kislenko, Fair Lawn (55, 6.7); Nathan Storz, Emerson (55 HH, 8.7; triple jump, 42-4 3/4); Michael Lustberg, Fair Lawn (800, 2:08.8); Ryan Pena, Wayne Valley (1,000, 2:47.3); Passaic Tech 4-x-200 relay (1:40.4); 4-x-400 relay (3:45.8); 4-x-800 relay (9:56.8); Jason Ballen, Midland Park (shot put, 45-7 1/4); Connor Harrison, Park Ridge (high jump, 5-9); Ryan Balsam, Emerson (pole vault, 11-0); Ryan Van Es, Wayne Valley (long jump, 19-4).

GIRLS

North Jersey winners: Briana Fasoli, Passaic Tech (55, 7.9; 55 HH, 9.5); Kayla Carrino, Lyndhurst (800, 2:39.4); Cali Marck, Emerson (1,000, 3:31.4); Saddle Brook 4-x-800 relay (11:06.4); Passaic Tech 4-x-200 relay (1:58.7); 4-x-400 relay (4:26.3); Erin Karaway, Emerson (shot put, 32-4 1/2); Gaea DePass, Hasbrouck Heights (high jump, 4-9); Megan Napolitano, Hasbrouck Heights (pole vault, 7-6); Samiya Brown, Passaic Tech (long jump, 15-5 1/4); Paige McGuire, Hasbrouck Heights (triple jump, 31-10 3/4).

Other top North Jersey performers: Dior Holliday, Manchester (2nd, 55, 7.9); Izzy Grzybowski, Passaic Tech (2nd, shot put), 31-7 1/2).

The annual event moved from the unavailable Rothman Center to Rockland CC and Nathan Storz of Emerson and Briana Fasoli of Passaic Tech scored impressive doubles in their season openers.

Spike Shoe

Dec. 20, Armory Track Center

GIRLS

North Jersey winners: Fiona Carter, Paramus Catholic (55 HH, 8.66 (8.55 prelims);long jump, 17-4 1/2)); Hasbrouck Heights 4-x-200 relay (1:54.74); 4-x-400 relay (4:28.26); Norina Khanzada, Tenafly (high jump, 5-2); Alexa Cawood, Holy Angels (pole vault, 10-0); Alex Manetovic, Fort Lee (triple jump, 34-5 1/2).

Other top North Jersey performers: Gina Rubio, Paramus Catholic (3rd, 200, 26.61); Kara Langbaum, Wayne Hills (2nd, 800, 2:27.42); Danielle Tilp, Cresskill (3rd, 800, 2:27.47); Leanna Johnston, IHA (2nd, 1,600, 5:15.45); Maegan Feeney, IHA (2nd, 55 HH, 9.17); Carli Sorvino, Emerson (3rd, 55 HH, 9.20); Manetovic (2nd, high jump, 5-0); Gaea DePass (3rd, high jump, 5-0); Talia Hutchinson, Ridgewood (2nd, pole vault, 10-0); Grace McQueeney, River Dell (2nd, long jump, 16-6); Emily Turschmann, River Dell (2nd, triple jump, 33-9 3/4).

BOYS

North Jersey winners: Max Weinberg, River Dell (55 HH, 7.85); Fort Lee 4-x-200 relay (1:35.60); Bergen Tech 4-x-400 relay (3:39.43); Zach Madison, Northern Highlands (high jump, 6-0); Luke Gnospelius, Ridgewood (pole vault, 13-0); Tyson Lowe, Fort Lee (long jump, 22-1); Noah Collete, Paramus Catholic (triple jump, 41-5 1/2).

Other top North Jersey performers: Dean Park, Fort Lee (2nd, 55, 6.71); Kenny Uchida, Tenafly (3rd, 55, 6.74; 3rd, long jump, 21-4); Dylan Decambre, Bergen Tech (2nd, 1,600, 4:36.49); River Dell 4-x-200 (3rd, 1:36.48); Taiyi Huang, Fort Lee, 39-4 1/2 (2nd, triple jump).

The area's first indoor meet of the season, like so many early season events, suffered from late entry withdrawals due to COVID issues. Weinberg moved to 38th on the all-time Bergen County 55 hurdles list and set a school record in the event. Lowe's big long jump broke the 2006 school record of Val Terebizh (22-0) and makes him the 30th Bergen boy over 22 feet indoors and rank second in New Jersey in the early going.

Gina Rubio cracked the Bergen top 50 in the 200, while Johnston's 1,600 is just outside the top 50. Carter had the first of several big nights in the early season, moving into 27th in Bergen history in both the long jump and 55 hurdles, while Langbaum sits just outside the Passaic County top 25 in the 800 in her first indoor race.

Other results

Kinnelon junior Jack Ahart led the qualifiers in the 55 meter dash at the Dick DeShriver Invitational at Drew University running 6.66 and finished second in the finals at 6.70 on Dec. 22. Eli Gately of Kinnelon was fifth in 4:43.38, followed by Younes Abada of Secaucus in 4:43.59. Kinnelon was third in the 4-x-800 in 9:03.70. Ryan Hur of Kinnelon won the high jump at 5-8. Ella Corigliano of Kinnelon was third in the girls high jump.

Bergen Catholic was fourth in the 4-x-400 relay at the Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival on Dec. 27, running 3:36.76 and was third in the distance medley (11:23.98).

Gately was third in 800 (2:10.09) at the Christa Racine Invitational on Dec. 28 at Drew. Kinnelon was second in the boys distance medley (4:02.41) and Rutherford was fifth (4:19.10). Ella Bagnuolo of Rutherford was fourth in the girls 55 (8.17) and second in the 55 hurdles (9.83).

Tenafly junior Norina Khanzada won the high jump at 4-10 and was third in the 55 hurdles (9.47) at the Len Pietrewicz Invitational at Drew University on Dec. 30. Sophie Cheesman was third in the 1,600 meters in 5:50.86

Also on Dec. 30, Ava Maher of Wayne Valley won the girls high jump, Mia Dennison of West Milford won the girls shot put, Luke Parker of Eastern Christian won the boys high jump and Tanner Christie of West Milford threw a personal best 49-4 to win the shot put at the first Wayne Valley high jump/shot put meet.

Paul Schwartz covers high school track and field for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.

Email: schwartzp@northjersey.com

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Winter track: A look at the top performances from the winter break