Whippany Park’s Dunbar saved the best for last

Nickolette Dunbar thought her best shot put attempt of the season "was a horrible throw." At least, until it landed.

Dunbar threw 51 feet, 2.75 inches on her last opportunity at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. She broke the New Jersey, MOC and Morris County records, and won the gold medal.

But when the metal ball left her hand, Dunbar "didn't even look at it." The crowd told a very different story from the one in her head.

Dunbar had surpassed even her own high expectations.

The 2015 All Daily Record Girls Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Dunbar was undefeated in all shot put competitions. She won MOC gold both outdoors and indoors. She broke the Penn Relays Championship of America record (50-8) to win that prestigious meet as well.

"That was a really big accomplishment," said Dunbar, a soft-spoken, 5-foot-10 junior at Whippany Park.

"I knew going into it I had a lot of competition, and I wasn't expecting it. I knew it was going to be hard. At Meet of Champs, I wasn't expecting to throw 51, and I don't think anyone else was either. That just made me really excited."

Dunbar set NJAC Small-School meet records in both the shot put and discus. She had the top marks in both throws at Morris County Relays. She broke the Morris County Championships record while winning that shot put title.

Dunbar won the shot put and discus at North 2 Group II and the overall Group II meet.

Dunbar is scheduled to compete at New Balance Nationals in Greensboro, N.C., this weekend. She's also heading to USA Track & Field's World Youth Trials in Lisle, Ill., at the end of June.

"She stepped up at the biggest meets of her life, and she won," Whippany Park coach Brad Callahan said. "That's what separates her. When the pressure was on at the two biggest meets, she still pulled through. … It's been like a different person this year. She walks around taller, with a little bit of swag, that confidence about her."

On the road

Sports has always been a way for all three of the Dunbar children – son Karmichael and elder daughter Mickel, both now at Louisiana-Lafayette, and Nickolette – to fit into their communities through the family's many moves. Nickolette was born in Louisiana, but also lived in Oklahoma, Chicago, Baton Rouge, La., and Minnesota – going to four elementary schools in four years – as Karl Dunbar pursued his coaching career in college and professional football.

Mickel Dunbar grew up playing softball, and Karl recalled Nickolette "spent time in the outfield chasing butterflies." The sisters also played basketball. Nickolette first tried shot put as a seventh grader at Hidden Oaks Middle School in Prior Lake, Minn., after giving up softball. She took to the event immediately, throwing 35 feet in her first season and 40 feet before the family relocated to New Jersey as Karl Dunbar became the Jets' defensive line coach.

Though Nickolette broke the New Jersey freshman shot put record, her true potential didn't emerge until this winter. With Mickel off to college, Nickolette chose to give up basketball, which she'd played as a freshman and sophomore, to try indoor track – and she had also learned the spin technique with a little help from fellow Whippany resident and former MOC shot put champ Nick Vena.

"My mom always tells me I was born to do the shot put, because I'm really strong and I'm big," Dunbar said. "My family's athletic, and I have big thighs to help me get through the circle and throw the shot put. … (The spin) gave me more power, because I know from the glide I wasn't really getting much. Learning the spin, I'd heard so much can go wrong, and I believe that. But my hand speed is really good, so that backs me up if my spin's not that good."

The family's competitive spirit blossomed in Nickolette during the indoor season, as she realized she had national and even international potential. She even surpassed her father's best throw from high school, about 49 feet. He hadn't told her his personal best until afterward, confessing, "She done got me. It was great to see." Winning a shot put bet with her dad earned a Nickolette car for her 17th birthday on Easter Sunday, and she now proudly drives a black Nissan Rogue.

"That's when I saw the light click on," said Karl Dunbar, the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills, who gets text updates from his wife Pamela during all of their daughter's meets.

"The best girl would throw 32, and she'd throw 47, 48. She's just trying to compete against herself. That's what I enjoy, seeing her flip that switch and become self-motivated."

Except, perhaps, first thing in the morning.

Karl Dunbar said, "We can tell it's a good day because she wakes up singing." But Nickolette, an alto in the Whippany Park choir, admitted that rarely happens.

During the season, Dunbar woke up early twice a week for physical therapy, and also visited a chiropractor for treatment on days when Whippany Park had meets. She practiced with the Wildcats after school, and also had extra training with Thrower Nation, and strength and conditioning at Lifetime Fitness.

Homework and extra tutoring got squeezed in before school, with "maybe a 20-minute nap" in between practices.

"I try to focus on one thing at a time, instead of trying to do everything at once," Dunbar said. "I tend to get in my head. Last year, that was a big problem of mine. Now that I'm more relaxed and calm, that has helped me a lot."

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

Top Morris County Girls Performances

100 meters: Camille Carter (Morristown) 12.59 — May 12-13 at Morris County Championships

200 meters: Gina Dello Russo (Whippany Park) 25.79 — May 12-13 at Morris County Championships

400 meters: Alexis Smith (Roxbury) 57.92 — May 29-30 at Groups

800 meters: Micaela Poggi (Mount Olive) 2:15.22 — May 29-30 at Groups

1,600 meters: Sierra Castaneda (West Morris) 4:53.66 — May 29-30 at Groups

3,200 meters: Sierra Castaneda (West Morris) 10:34.92 — June 3 at Meet of Champions

100-meter hurdles: Elly Scherer (Randolph) 14.56 — May 29-30 at Groups

Intermediate hurdles: Marlo Wehrer (Pequannock) 1:02.2 — May 29-30 at Groups

4x100: Randolph (Jessie Pasquale, Kayla Park, Aimee Mehta, Elly Scherer) 50.29 — May 22-23 at Sectionals

4x400: Randolph (Josefine Loeken, Nora May McSorley, Stephanie Robinson, Liz Lansing) 3:59.77 — May 22-23 at Sectionals

4x800: Randolph (Nora May McSorley, Margaret Thomson, Carole Harsch, Liz Lansing) 9:27.05 — April 11 at Cougar Classic

High jump: Kristen Hall (Whippany Park), Leah Wis (Montville) and Jen McGrogan (Pequannock) 5-4

Long jump: Lainie Seijas (Mountain Lakes) and Chino Anukwuem (Hanover Park) 18-7.75

Triple jump: Tymia Joseph (Morris Knolls) 37-11 — May 5-6 at NJAC Championships

Pole vault: Julia Mszanski (Mendham) 11-6 — May 29-30 at Groups

Shot put: Nickolette Dunbar (Whippany Park) 51-2.75 — June 3 at Meet of Champions

Discus: Nickolette Dunbar (Whippany Park) 138-9 — May 1-2 at Morris County Relays

Javelin: Kathryn Campbell (Parsippany) 120-8 — May 12-13 at Morris County Championships