2004 Scotch Plains Girls Outdoor Track Review

Credit Scotch Plains Girls Track Coach Jeff Koegel for his prescience. Despitestarting the outdoor season with a miniscule squad of 25, Koegel warnedopponents.“We always make the best out of what we have, so don't count us out,” he said.Koegel could point to his razor thin squad of six cross-country runners, whichhad gone 9-1 and won the conference championship and a slightly larger indoortrack team thathad finished second in the Union County Relays and set numerous school record.Continuing the theme, the Outdoor Track team was again able to gettremendous production out of their small squad of talented girls Probably the top achievement was at the Union County Championships where theRaiders finished second only to Elizabeth, whose team got 90% of its scoringform the talented Cintron sisters. A big reason for the strong finish was theshocking victory of freshman Amanda Bobyack in the long jump, which was almostcertainly the pleasant surprise of the season. Bobyack wasn’t even on the radarscreen of potential long jumpers when the season started but she won theconference meet and a week later beat her personal best by over a foot to winagainst a competitive field. Junior triple jumper Michelle Regg, junior 400runner Aja Bundy, junior 3200 runner Mary Shashaty and sophomore pole vaulterKate Zaleski were also key contributors.Another accomplishment was the four by 800 relay team, which smashed the schoolrecord by 20 seconds in qualifying for the Penn Relays. Freshman Kim Appezzatowas the leading half miler until injuries shortened her season. junior distancerunner Laura Harrison, Shashaty and the versatile Bundy completed the relay. ”Hopefully, we will make it back next year, and won't be as nervous now that wehave this year under our belts ,” said Koegel.Records came often for Shashaty who started her year before school startedwith a first place finish in the Fanwood Contact We Care 5K in August. Shashatybattled injuries near the end of the track season. “This was her first year ofrunning all three seasons, which is a difficult thing to adjust to. Generally,I see the most improvement during the second full year of running,” saidKoegel.. Among her school records were the 3200 where she qualified for thestate finals.The team also finished second in the conference behind powerful Westfield andits squad of over 100 athletes, which also handed the Raiders their only dual meet loss in three contests. The lack of athletes frustrates Koegel. Increasingthe team would take a rule change and a different attitude among athletes.“If you are on an athletic team at Westfield, you are exempt from your phys.Ed.requirement for the duration of the season. This is probably a good reason whythey have so many people. I would like to see something like that instituted here ,” said Koegel.“I think the phys. ed. exemption would get our numbers up, and we'd be bound toget a number of athletes that way who would be able to contribute, but wouldnot have otherwise come out for the team. Not everyone agrees with doingthat.”Koegel also points to the large number of girls who are limiting themselves toonly competing in their best sport. “I think it's ridiculous that so few peopledo three seasons of high school sports. Out of all of the Iron Raiders (peoplewho have lettered in threesports in the same year) and Raider Tri-Athletes (participated in threeseasons, may have lettered in up to two of them), the predominance are involved for at leastone season in the cross-country and/or track and field programs. A greatnumber of the most successful athletes to have passed through this school havebeen track stars,” said Koegel. “ Track is the one sport that is guaranteed to make you a better athlete for other sports. Why would someone not want to take advantage ofthat?” Koegel added using Essence Carson of Paterson Eastside, an all statebasketball player as a role model .“ Here is one of the best basketball players in the state. She ran track thisseason as a way to make herself a better athlete. She won the Group IV longjump championship, and was victorious in the 400 at the Meet of Champions. This was her first year running track. That's something for the one-sportathletes to consider ,” noted Koegel..The team should only get better next year as every runner who scored points was an underclassmen. Better and Koegel hopes bigger next year.