The Chatham boys continued the greatest season in school history by capturing its first title ever and Mount Olive, riding the dynamic duo of Natasha Redmond and Morgan Ryerson, won the girls title, and Jack Ahart of Kinnelon smashed two meet records at the Morris County Championship on Wednesday at Boonton.
Chatham is on one heck of a run this season!!!!!!
First came the dramatic victory in the 4x800 Championship of America race at the Penn Relays last month at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Then last week, the Cougars won the NJAC Large School Championship for the first time, and now Chatham is the champion of Morris County for the first time ever after defeating runner-up Delbarton, 62-51. The victory by Chatham completed a trifecta for the Cougars - county titles in all three seasons this school year (XC/indoors/outdoors)!!
How did they do it?
By cleaning up on the track!!
Chatham didn't have to score any points in the field to win as they racked up 52 of its 62 points on the track.
Chatham crushed the smoking hot 800 as expected by going 1-2-5-6!! Ryan Beegle led the way with a winning time of 1:53.09, just off the meet record of 1:53.00 set last year by Delbarton's Collin Boler. Charles Henne was second in 1:53.36, Luke Schagelin of Morris Knolls, the state leader, was third in 1:54.18.
1-2 PUNCH DELIVERS KNOCKOUT FOR MOUNT OLIVE
There aren't many teams that featured a 1-2 punch like Mount Olive juniors Morgan Ryerson and Natasha Redmond, who proved to be too much for any team to overcome as the dynamic duo had a hand in 60 of Mount Olive 78 points! Morris Hills finished second with 55.75 points. It's the first title for the Mount Olive girls since 2012.
Redmond was sensational, striking gold three times and running on the third-place 4x400 relay. She won the 100 dash in 12.22, the 200 in 25.05, and the 400 in 57.53, and anchored the 4x400 with a 56.93!
Ryerson won the 100 hurdles with a big PR of 14.46, the second fastest time in the state this season, placed second in the 400 hurdles, finished third in the long jump, and she ran on the 4x4o0!!
SIZZLING DOUBLE
The individual star of the boys meet was the Notre Dame-bound Ahart , who left a lot of smoke on the track after producing the greatest 200/400 double in meet history!
On Tuesday, Ahart ran a NJ No. 4 time and big PR of 47.93 (in an unseeded heat) to take down the meet record of 48.35 set in 2017 by Kevin Sembrat of Roxbury, and he came back on Wednesday to blast a NJ No. 5 and PR of 21.58 in the 200, shattering the meet record 21.74 that Matias Pellegrino of Morris Knolls ran in 2017.
Ahart's 47.93 and 21.58 make him the third fastest runner in Morris County history at both distances!
Only Joshua Babe of Morris Hills (21.40) and Anthony Thulin of Mount Olive have run faster in the 200 in county history. Babe and Thulin ran those times when they finished 1-2 at the NJAC Large Schools Championships last year. In the 400, only Sembrat (47.46 in 2018) and Jim Adams of Hanover Park (47.5 in 1980) have run faster in county history.
Can Ahart break both county records? I wouldn't be against him!!!
FLAIR IN THE AIR
Adannia Agbo continued her torrid season in the jumps.
The senior at Morris Hills soared 19-1.50 to win the long jump and take over the state lead, and she won the triple jump with a mark of 37-11.75. Agbo came into the meet with a PR of 39-0.50, which is No. 2 in the state this season.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Twins Collin and Brian Boler each won a race for Delbarton. Collin captured the 1,600 in 4:14.44, and Brian, who was second in te 1,600 on Tuesday, won the 3,200 on Thursday in 9:18.27.
