Union County Relays History, Records, and Preview

The Union County Track and Field Relay Championships will be coming to Westfield's Gary Kehler Stadium on Thursday and Friday, May 3rd and 4th. This will be the Diamond Anniversary for the meet which began seventy-five years ago and is the longest-running relay meet in the state. According to long-time meet director, Bill Klimas, this meet will provide drama on the boys side and record challenges from the girls.

Union Catholic is the defending champion in both the boys' and girls' divisions. The boys will be trying to gain their 7th team title while the girls are looking to earn their 4th consecutive crown. Elizabeth, with their twenty-two titles, leads in the boys' team championships and Plainfield leads the girls' team totals with ten.

Despite the graduation of Sydney McLaughlin (now at the University of Kentucky), the Vikings seem ready to continue their winning ways and are likely to score in every event. Coming off their impressive performances at the recent Penn Relays, the girls' team will be tough to stop. They will be led by talented Amaya Chadwick who is back after suffering an injury-plagued winter season. While it is unlikely that they will run at full strength in every event, Coach McCabe may try to outdo last year's performances when his teams put five meet records in the books including a state record in the 4x200.

On the boys' side, Union Catholic seems the odds-on favorite to start another run of successive titles that was snapped at five by Westfield's Blue Devils in 2016. They are deep in each event and will have to use that depth to offset challenges by Scotch Plains, Rahway, and Westfield. It will be tough to predict which race will be the most competitive with great matchups in each of them. Scotch Plains has come on strongly in the hurdles and sprints. Westfield, Rahway and Union Catholic should battle it out in the distance and middle distance events. Look for Cranford to put in a solid performance in whatever event Joshua Cadet is entered.

The meet will also spotlight several indoor state champions from last season: Vanessa Vanriele from Governor Livingston in the 800 and Kaira Brown from Kent Place in the 400. Both girls will keep their relays in or near the front in each of their appearances. Gabriel Nash from Elizabeth, (the boys 55m champion) will provide an edge as the Minutemen look to take home a sprint championship. Westfield's Spencer Weigand, a medal winner at the state meet, will be a big part of his team's efforts to win the 4x800, sprint medley and distance medley.

In the jumping events, Connor Reilly (U.C) and Lauren Safi (Governor Livingston) who were both medal winners at the indoor state championships will compete in the pole vault along with Cheney Price from New Providence. The weight events feature Brandon Patterson and Kyle Lipscomb who will battle it out in the shot put. Both men put the shot over 50 feet this winter.

This will be another premier Union County Championship much like it has been over the past 74 years. The action begins on Thursday and Friday at 4 P.M.

Girls Meet Records

EVENTRECORDYEAR SCHOOL
4X100
:47.72
2017 UNION CATHOLIC
4X200
1:37.53
2017 UNION CATHOLIC
4X4003:51.482012 UNION CATHOLIC
4X8009:23.072015 UNION CATHOLIC
4X160021:47.592015 UNION CATHOLIC
DISTANCE MEDLEY
12:27.812016 NEW PROVIDENCE
SPRINT MEDLEY
4:03.67
2017 UNION CATHOLIC
SHUTTLE HURDLES
:59.462017 UNION CATHOLIC
INTERMEDIATE HURDLES 3 3:11.22003 ROSELLE
LONG JUMP 2 36' 1 1/2"1983 RAHWAY
LONG JUMP 3 50' 6 1/2"1997 PLAINFIELD
HIGH JUMP 2 10' 6"2016 UNION CATHOLIC
HIGH JUMP 3 15'2"2016 UNION CATHOLIC
SHOT PUT 2 99' 3/4"1993 PLAINFIELD
SHOT PUT 3 111' 11"2003 ELIZABETH
DISCUS 2 227' 6"1993 PLAINFIELD
DISCUS 3 334' 6"2003 ELIZABETH
JAVELIN 2 230' 4"2001 RAHWAY
JAVELIN 3 357' 11"2003 ELIZABETH
POLE VAULT220'6"'2016 GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON
TRIPLE JUMP3110'2012 CRANFORD

Boys Meet Records

EVENTRECORD YEAR SCHOOL
4X100
:42.0 / 42.07
2001 / 09 PLAINFIELD
4X200
1:26.5
1998 PLAINFIELD
4X400
3:17.1
1998 PLAINFIELD
4X8007:49.162012 UNION CATHOLIC
4X1760YDS (4MR)
17:53.81972 ROSELLE CATHOLIC
4X1600
18:07.02012 WESTFIELD
DISTANCE MEDLEY
10:20.61981 WESTFIELD
SPRINT MEDLEY
3:27.68
2012 UNION CATHOLIC
SHUTTLE HURDLES
:57.7
2000 LINDEN
INTERMEDIATE HURDLES 3 2:47.952012 UNION CATHOLIC
SHOT PUT 3 162' 7 3/4"1973 UNION
SHOT PUT 4216'10"1973 UNION
DISCUS 3 462' 4"1978 SCOTCH PLAINS
JAVELIN 3 557' 5"1978 SCOTCH PLAINS
HIGH JUMP 3 19' 7"1976 PLAINFIELD
LONG JUMP 3 65' 7 1/2"1985 RAHWAY
POLE VAULT 3 38' 0"1988 WESTFIELD
POLE VAULT 2 27' 0"2004 WESTFIELD
TRIPLE JUMP3132' 41/2"2016 ELIZABETH