McLaughlins share limelight for UC

State Meet Highlights

 
The New Jersey Meet of Champions has become one of the premier meets in the nation because of its star power. A week after the Groups are settled, the NJSIAA's MOC come to Frank Jost Field in South Plainfield. New Jersey is one of the few states that runs 400-meter hurdles and that's a good thing because Taylor and Sydney McLaughlin live there.

Top Performances:
 

- Senior Taylor McLaughin of Union Catholic, one of the most successful relay runners in state history, helped his team to another 4x400 relay title with a big anchor leg for a winning time of 3:15.46. He also won the 400 hurdles in 51.93.

 
- Sophomore Sydney McLaughlin, one of the sensational members of the Girls Class of 2017, won her second straight MOC title in her signature event, the 400-meter hurdles, with 57.39 seconds. She would go on to win gold at the World Youth Championships. She also helped push UC to the 4x400 relay title with 3:44.20, an event the team would go on to win at NBNO.

- Junior Nickolette Dunbar from Whippany became the all-time New Jersey record holder in the shot put and threw 51-2.75 to win the MOC title.

 
- Junior Kaitlin Salisbury from Hawthorne was a double winner in the horizontal jumps. She flew 18-5 to win the long jump and 39-7 to take the triple jump.

- Selena Thorne from Franklin cleared 5-8 to win the high jump.

 
- Sophomore Briana Gess of Haddonfield won her second consecutive 1,600 meters title with 4:48.05 to beat a talented field. Eleven girls broke five minutes.

- Junior Grace Dwyer from Hamilton North won the 3,200 meters with 10:21.46.

- Sophomore Rey Rivera from Old Bridge ran an impressive time of 1:50.82 to win the 800 meters. He also helped his team take the 4x800 relay title with 7:42.34 and the same group ended up national champions at NBNO.

- Sophomore Drake Anzano of Christian Brothers Academy won the 1,600 meters titles with 4:11.36.

- Alyssa Wilson, a sophomore, threw 150-6 to lead a 1-2 finish for Donovan in the discus. Teammate Jade Cunningham threw 138-6.

 
- Neptune's girls ran 47.61 to win the 4x100 relay.

 
- Charlie Volker of Rumson Fair Haven won the boys 100 meters in 10.81. He was just 13th in the 200.

- Sterling Pierce of Rancocas Valley won the boys 200 in 21.79. He finished second in the 100.

- Saint Jacob Diodonet of West Milford won the boys 400 in 48.23.

- Eric Bethea of Piscataway won the long jump with 23-4.25 and also the triple jump with 49-11.25.

- Winslow Township senior Edwin Alston won the 110 hurdles in 13.90.  

- Haisha Bisiolu, a senior from Union, swept the MOC sprint races with 12.04 in the 100 meters and 24.30 in the 200. Bisiolu won 33 country championships, including relays.

- Emile Cowan of Columbia, a senior, won the 400 meters title with 54.26 seconds.

- Junior Amari Onque-Shabazz of Union Catholic won the 800 meters in 2:10.03 as nine girls broke 2:15.

- Marquese Bell of Bridgeton, a sophomore, won a tiebreaker in the high jump after he and Devin Bradham of Williamstown both cleared 6-10.

- Junior Luke Grodeska from St. Rose threw 60-1 to win the shot put title.

- Ryan Gebhardt from Wallkill Valley threw 206-6 to win the javelin.

- Miguel Jimenez-Vergara from Notre Dame won four of the five wheelchair events and placed second in the sixth.

Top Competition:

The boys 3,200 meters was exceptional as six runners went under 9:07. Up front, Luke Petela of Haddon Township took the victory with 8:58.32. Nikhil Pulimood of West Windsor-Plainsboro South (9:00.86) and junior Blaise Ferro of CBA (9:03.32) were second and third. Leland Jones of Summit (9:04.76), Sean Macpherson from Sterling (9:05.12) and Conor Murphy from Allentown (9:06.38) also had very good days. A year earlier 9:08 won the race.