Get UR UNION COUNTY BATONS ON!!!
The NJ Track and Field Express is making a stop at Gary Kehler Stadium in Westfield today for one of the oldest county relay meets in the state when the two-day Union County Relays celebrate its 77th anniversary.
The meet returns to Blue Devil Country for the first time since 2018. It was held at Hub Stine Field in Plainfield in 2019 when Westfield's facility underwent a huge makeover when the new track and football field were installed.
The two-day meet begins today at 4:30 p.m. and continues tomorrow (Friday) at 4:30 p.m.
Word around the track it that start time was moved back a half hour to 4:30 because Westfield coach Chris Tafelski and Meet Director Bill Kilmas needed the extra 30 minutes to finish digging a tunnel under the track to run extension cords to connect power to the infield so timing guru Tim Styler doesn't blow a gasket and charge double for his services for having to risk his life running cords over the top of the track!
Oh wait! Never mind. Just heard from a trusted source that's not true. Hey, crazier things have happened at track meets. LOL.
AP testing is the real reason for the later start.
The action on the track and in the field should be straight up fire!!! Union County is stacked with stars.
Important info here - Spectators will be allowed. Masks are required as is social distancing, so please be responsible. And there will be an entry fee
So what's the hottest race on the sked?
GET UR GIRLS SMR ON!!! This is the can't miss race of the meet. It's absolutely loaded with studs!!! My stopwatch is already shaking with anticipation. The SMR is the last race on the track today, so don't you dare leave the meet early. You will regret it!!!
In the team battles, Union Catholic has won 5 straight girls titles and 3 straight boys championships.
Will the Vikings break out the brooms again? Or will there be a new champ?
On the girls side, UC is the most balanced team, and should score in every event. If the Vikings perform up to their potential, they will be very tough to dethrone. UC features two versatile stars in A'Liyah Thomas, the indoor Meet of Champion LJ winner in 2020, and Alexandra Bonn, who leads the state in the TJ with a 37-1. UC also boasts sprint/hurdle star Ajanae Thompson, one of the state's top throwers-in Jada Mia Puryear (NJ#2 39-11 in the shot/118-10 discus), and Daniela Peralta, who owns the top throw in the county this season with a 108-8.
Sprint-strong Scotch Plains-Fanwood, led by the state's top quarter-miler, Julia Jackson, Corinne Lyght, Jenai Berry, and Grace Kennedy, will pile up lots of points on the track. They lead the state in the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400. And they should also do well in the jumps. But the key for the Raiders will be the throwing events and the vault, where UC has a big edge. SPF needs to do well in those areas to have shot at capturing its first title since 2013.
The boys meet should feature a great three-way battle between Elizabeth, Westfield, and Us deep and balanced squad looks like it has the edge on paper over Union Catholic.
The Blue Devils, searching for its first title since 2016, are led by distance ace Charlie Stock, throwers Braden Stryker, and Matt Shiners, and sprinter Charlie Garretson.
UC counters with distance stars Myles Plummer and Shane Brosnan, hurdler Nick Givan, and sprinter Connor Cooper.
Videos highlights and video interviews will be available later as well as killer pics from the award-winning photog Tom Smith.
So keep checking back to NJ MileSplit for the latest coverage.
If your new to all this, the highlights will be down below. The most recent updates will be up top.
A couple important things to know about this blog-The greater the performance, the more excited I get. So be prepared to see exclamations points. The better the performance, the more you will see!!!!!!!!! If the performance blows my mind then it will be listed in ALL CAPS AND IN BOLD. If you see something in all bold and in ALL CAPS followed by lots of exclamation points, then something ridiculous just happened!!!!!
That's how it works! NO CAP!!!!!!
Hey, good luck to everyone competing.
Get UR PR's On!!!!
HIGHLIGHTS
7:13 p.m. That's a wrap from a great Day 1 at the Union County Relays. It was so awesome to have fans at a meet again. I forgot what it was like to have so much energy at a meet!
Recap, videos, and pics coming at you soon, so be sure to check back for that. Second and final day of action is set for tomorrow at 4:30. If you can't make it to the meet, don't worry. I'll be back to keep you updated. Catch you later. Get ur Union County Relays on!!!!! final day of action is set for tomorrow at 4:30. If you can't make it to the meet, don't worry. I'll be back to keep you updated. Catch you later. Get ur Union County Relays on!!!!!
6:55 p.m.
Team Scores
BOYS
Westfield 48
Elizabeth 41.33
Union 34
Union Catholic 24
SPF 20
Gov. Livingston 16
GIRLS
Union Catholic 58
SPF 40
Westfield 35
Union 26
Gov. Livingston 12
Elizabeth 10
6:37 p.m. Union, led by David Kema's meet best 6-2, wins the boys team HJ.
6:35 p.m. Braden Stryker of Westfield throws a meet best 171-2 to lead his team to the win in the discus.
6:33 p.m. Grace Kennedy of SPF leaped a meet best ad NJ#4 18-1 1/2 to spark the Raiders to victory in the girls LJ
6:31 p.m. Jada Mia Puryear of Union Catholic unloaded a school record, NJ#2 and meet best bomb of 40-8 1/2 in the girls shot, but Westfield won the event with a combined 94-11.
6:30 p.m. GET UR CHARLIE STOCK ON!!!! The Westfield junior just lit up the track with a 1:55.4 anchor to come from about 40 meters behind to win the SMR in 3:34.26. Elizabeth was second in 3:36.12.
6:20 p.m. Boys SMR will close out the track evetns today.
6:06 p.m. UC wins the girls SMR in 4:08.12!!!! Westfield rallies for second in 4:09.62. SPF third in 4:10.22.
Soph. Kaleigh Gunsiorowski, who got the baton a few meters behind SPF, comes from behind to anchor UC to victory with a 2:17.1 carry!!
Katie Hamilton dropped a 2:13.5 for Westfield!!!
Julia Jackson went 54.8 on the 400 leg for SPF.
5:59 p.m. It's showtime!!! Seeded girls SMR about to go off!!!! Meet record is 4:03.67 by UC in 2017. Can anyone get close to that??
5:57 p.m. Shannon Hunt of GL clears a meet best 8-6 in the girls pole vault. UC wins the PV with a combined 16-0.
5:55 p.m. Tom Flanagan of Johnson unloads the top javelin throw of the meet with a 154-6. Westfield wins the event with a total of 375-11.
5:50 p.m. SMR time. 3 heats of girls
5:46 p.m. Nick Givan of UC runs just took over the state lead in the IH with a 55.27! Scotch Plains wins the event with a combined 2:59.16.
5:32 p.m. Boys 400 IH is next. 6 heats
5:31 p.m. Asydiah Pray-Brown leads the UC girls to victory with a meet best time of 1:07.71.
5:20 p.m Girls 400 hurdles are next
5:17 p.m. Elizabeth goes a NJ#2 43.29 to win the boys 4x100!! Antonio Roopchand with a big anchor for the Minutemen!
5:07 p.m. YOWZAA!!!! The girls 4x100 was smoking!!!! Union wins in a N#1 47.94!!! That's one of the fastest times in meet history! Scotch Plains gets 2nd in a NJ#2 48.39! UC is third in a NJ#3 tying 48.59.
4:50 p.m. Girls 4x100 is on deck. 3 heats
4:48: UC wins in 10:23.92!!! That's No. 2 in meet history and NJ#1 this season!!!! Westfield rallies for second in 10:34.37, edging third-place Summit (10:34.73)
UC Splits
Myles Plummer-3:04.9
Jonathan Carrion-54.1
Matt Granizo-2:06.0
Shane Brosnan-4:18.8
4:51 p.m. Shane Brosnan of UC gets the baton about 20 meters ahead of Summit as they start the anchor leg.
4:47 p.m. Yowzaa!!! Look out for Myles Plummer!!!! The junior just blasted a 3:04.9 leadoff to put UC ahead!!
4:44 p.m. Boys DMR is off
4:40 p.m. Westfield wins the girls DMR in 12:31.49
Westfield splits
Izzy Boufarah-3:41.6
Caroline Beilen-62.3
Caroline Collins-2:27.8
Samantha Salz-5:22.8
4:35 p.m. It's all Westfield in the girls DMR. The Blue Devils are way out in front on the final hand-off.
4:28 p.m. Here we go. Girls DMR is off!
4:00 p.m. Just rolled into Blue Devil Country. Sunny skies, temps in the 60's, slight breeze here. Great day for lots of PR's and some blazing baton battles!!