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HIGH SCHOOL

Record-setting MOC for Morris athletes

Jane Havsy
@dailyrecordspts

SOUTH PLAINFIELD – Isaiah Turner has a tendency to get intimidated as the high jump bar rises. But at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, "it was a different story."

Turner, a Morris Hills senior, cleared 6-foot-6 on his final attempt on Wednesday. He tied for fifth overall, raised his personal best, and tied the school record set by John Demby in 1975.

Aaron King, a former Scarlet Knights jumper turned assistant coach, reminded Turner, "This may be your final time in the high jump."

Said Turner, "That stuck to me. I took a deep breath, and took care of it. It felt really good, I'm not going to lie."

Tymia Joseph of Morris Knolls "was just trying to get my name out there" at the MOC. She finished third in the long jump (18-3). Also a hurdler, Joseph had been working on sprinting on the runway and her landings, during the NJSIAA series.

"I got the sprint, the pop, the landing," Joseph said. I put it all together."

West Morris junior Sierra Castaneda was fifth (10:34.92), and Olivia Viparina of Roxbury sixth in the 3,200. Castaneda, who led the first mile, dropped nine seconds and broke her own school record, while Viparina had a 12-second PR (10:40.1).

Pequannock senior Marlo Wehrer and Hanover Park junior Anna Lazur placed seventh and eighth in the 400-meter hurdles, four days after going 1-2 in Group II. Randolph junior Elly Scherer was seventh in the 100 hurdles.

Montville junior Leah Wis cleared 5-4 to tie for fifth in the high jump. Whippany Park junior Kristen Hall tied for seventh at 5-2. Morristown-Beard senior Halia Rosemond, Whippany Park junior Nickolette Dunbar, and Wis were sixth, seventh and eighth in the discus.

Stephen Machak of Pequannock, a wheelchair athlete, finished second in the 1,600, third in the 400 and 800, and fourth in the 100.

The Morris Hills boys 4x800 finished eighth.

David Vargas broke the Randolph shot put record with a personal-best final throw of 56-1.25, finishing seventh. The thought of ending his track career propelled Vargas, a Rams senior, who thought, "This is probably my final throw" before the 55-3 to get into the final round – and again before the record-setting blast.

"It was something I needed to do," Vargas said. "My coach (Mike Lyons) told me, 'This is your last throw. You have nothing to lose.' Everything was placed perfectly. I had all my technique down. I had all my strength back since wrestling season. I went in and launched it."

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/