Owls track teams celebrate their homecoming

The April 21st quad-meet (read The Mirror's game-day report HERE - Ed.) puts a dubious local sports streak to rest: it had been nearly five years since Highland Park High School last hosted a Middlesex County track & field event.

“It’s exciting . . [In recent years] we’ve had a lot of great track athletes and teams but nobody knows about them because they didn't see them,” says HPHS girls track head coach Keith Roig about the renovations to formerly dilapidated Jay Dakelman Field.

The restored track, along with HPHS Athletic Director Craig Girvan's investments in high jump pits, discus circle, and new hurdles, will be a “big plus for track this year," Roig said. "It will be nice to showcase [the program] to young kids and parents."

Roig, who has been with the program for 12 years, kept the same four-man coaching structure from last season. Chris Ruckdeschel focuses on sprinters and hurdlers; Eric Davis coaches distance; and Derek Nobles mentors the throwers (discus, shot put and javelin). Roig specializes in teaching jumpers and sprinters. Camaraderie and intra-squad inspiration have helped H.P. improve on a daily basis.

“I think it worked out very well,” Roig says of the co-ed coaching arrangement. “Last year, we warmed up as a team and didn’t separate boys and girls. It’s a big message to send to the team and a good one . . . We found when it came time for meets, we had a lot of kids doing well in technique events, we were hitting spots early by teaching them the skills.”

“Just like in any other sport, your teammates can bring out the best in you,” Roig said. “There’s a push to do better. I’ve always noticed that good groups of athletes come in bunches. That’s a part of the group mentality as a pack that you push each other indirectly to excel.”

The Owls are coming off a successful 2010 season in which the boys distance runners set new standards and the girls 4 X 100 relay team placed fifth in the county at the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament through a 53-second time.

A major change in the Middlesex County track landscape occurred during the offseason. H.P.’s Blue Division expanded with the arrival of Timothy Christian and Wardlaw-Hartridge to the conference. Powerhouse Metuchen and Spotswood stepped up to the GMC White Division, while Colonia moves down to the Blue.

“It gives us a really good chance to place in the top three," Roig said of the shuffle. "I think we could win it all with a really outstanding season.”

Youth captains the girls’ program, with sophomore all-around athlete Dierra Doyle and junior hurdler Liza Stone leading the way. The boys’ skippers are two seniors, in distance runner Zach Chen and sprinter Evan Farmer. On both the girls and boys sides, the distance teams are a common strength when evaluating the lineup.

“On the girls, we have Mande Younge (a junior, with sophomores) Charlotte Feingold, newcomer Grace Chong, and Sylvia Marks. All of them could be around a 6-minute mile. We haven’t had a great 4 X 800 or 4 X 1600 relay team, but this year we have it.”

While the balance of the girls’ team is a main storyline, Doyle is the top returning performer after posting surreal results in her freshman Central Jersey Group 1 tournament: second in the 200 meters, shot put and triple jump.

"It’s a fun challenge coaching someone like her,” Roig said. “She really made a name for herself in states. She’s so fast, has upper-body and core strength and is so talented that I could put her in almost every event to get us points.”

When it comes to depth in the boys’ lineup beyond Chen and Farmer, senior Dan Brown’s versatility will fill spots in various events. Distance runners in senior Sam Lobel and junior Pat Thieringer join senior sprinter Dimitrius Stoupas and talented freshman Harry Landis (who ran the county’s best 400 meters as an eighth grader) in rounding out the team anchors.

Bringing the Highland Park Relays back to the high school’s athletic complex may still be a few years away. But Roig feels “collectively, we have all the ability to be a real track town.”

“We have a lot of talent in terms of track athletes here. If we can keep getting more talented kids to come out, we can someday make a run at Central Jersey Group 1 and consistently challenge bigger schools in relays like we did last year.”