There was lots of smoke on the track after the fireworks in the 800-meter races produced both NJ No. 1 times at Thursday's Union County Conference Championships at Gov. Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights.
In the two-lap boys showdown in the Watchung Division race between two of the top underclassmen in the state, junior Charlie Stock of Westfield made a big surge about halfway down the final stretch on his way to winning a red hot duel with Myles Plummer of Union Catholic, stopping the clock at 1:52.42, the fastest time in the state this season! Plummer, also a junior, was second in 1:52.72, the third fastest time in the state this spring. Union Catholic junior Shane Brosnan was third in NJ# 5 1:55.34.
Those three may hookup again next week in the 800m and or the 1,600m at the Union County Championships at Hub Stine Field in Plainfield. Based off this race, and the way they have performed so far this season, they are all capable of going well under 4:15!!!
The girls Watchung Division 800m race was just as sizzling as Westfield senior Katie Hamilton smashed her own school record and took over the state lead with a winning time of 2:11.68. That's just under the 2:11.80 run by junior Camryn Wennersten of the Garden State Club, which led the state since she ran that time on May 1.
The 2:11.68 by the Duke-bound Hamilton, the 2020 Indoor Meet of Champions winner in the 1600, broke the school record of 2:12.85 that she ran to win the North Jersey, Sec. 2 Group 4 race in 2019, and led a parade of six girls under 2:20.
Hamilton, who split 65/66, was pushed by rising star Kaleigh Gunsiorowski, a sophomore at Union Catholic. Gunsiorowski, in her first track and field season ever, was second in 2:14.27, the fifth fastest time in the state this season.