By Christopher Hunt
all photos by Tim Fulton
D.J. Thornton spent most of his mile race in the front, running all alone. It seemed sort of fitting. Injury kept the Union Catholic (Scotch Plains, N.J.) senior out of all the biggest invitational miles this season.
Instead, his win in the mile Wednesday night at the Metropolitan Invitational was just his fourth race of the indoor season and his second in an open mile. Thornton, one of the top milers in New Jersey, finished in 4:18.9.
“I was trying to break 4:20,” Thornton said. “I haven’t really run the mile this season. I just wanted to get something in before states.”
Thornton, who ran 4:13.97 for 1,600 meters last spring, suffered a stress fracture in his left hip over the summer, which limited him to two cross country meets in the fall and eight weeks without running. Thornton has eased his way into the season. He led the mile from start to finish Wednesday.
“I just have to keep adjusting,” he said. “I don’t know what I can run yet. I think if I get into a race where I have some people around me I can run a lot faster.”
The only thing worse than working through an injury is doing it while Delbarton’s Pat Schellberg went on a tear, running a nation-leading 4:12.43 at the Millrose Trials Jan. 13 and then blowing open the race at Madison Square Garden to win the Millrose Games high school mile, which also included Jim Rosa and Sam Macaluso of West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
“I wanted to make Millrose coming into my senior year but I got hurt,” Thornton said. “It was great to see Pat Schellberg win. He ran great. But it also wasn’t fun for me. I know I can run with those guys.”
While Thornton spent three hours a day in the gym and the pool trying to stay fit and get healthy, he also had to watch his college prospects dwindling, although now he’s considering both Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
“Once I got hurt a lot of schools bailed,” Thornton said. “It was tough. But it was really nice to see that some schools stuck around and that’s really a credit to the coaches. It really meant a lot to me.”
In the girls 200, Paramus Catholic sophomore Myasia Jacobs earned an impressive win in 24.6. She capitalized on an off start by Michelle Brown of Seneca, who was lined up on her inside. Brown couldn’t recover.
“I had Michelle Brown in the race and she’s a good runner,” Jacobs said. “I just got out and ran for my life.”
Jacobs said she was pleased with her enough after she missed three days of training and a meet two weeks ago. The sophomore had pain in both feet because of falling arches but after she inserted orthotics given by her doctor, Jacobs said she feels fine now. Her only concern during the race was Brown, who finished second in 24.8.
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“I felt fast,” Jacobs said. “I had to look over my shoulder to see if she was there but I felt like I had it right before the finish.”
Kristen Walsh of North Rockland won the girls 800 in 2:18.3. Walsh, a junior in her first winter season, led for two laps before she dropped to third. Then Tappan Zee's Calie Kohlbrenner shot to the front. Walsh soon slipped into second and pulled even when Kohlbrenner on the final curve, then edged ahead for the win.
“I knew I had to make a move or it was going to be too late,” Walsh said. “I didn’t want to waste too much energy (fighting for the lead). I just didn’t want to lose.”
North Shore senior Matt Wefer had the same objective. But when his race went through the first 400 in 57 seconds, he decided to stay in the pack. Then when the field started to sag back in his direction he took the opportunity to take off.
“I thought someone would go with me but nobody did,” Wefer said. “I’m just getting ready for the state qualifier. I felt pretty good.”
Indian Hills (N.J.) won the boys 4x800 in 8:02.1. Corey Crawford, also of Indian Hills, won the boys long jump in 23 feet, 5.50 inches. Kevin Condal of Hasbrouck Heights (N.J.) won the boys 200 in 22.5.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
