Whippany Park’s Dunbar shatters records, wins gold at MOC
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – Nickolette Dunbar thought she might have lost the NJSIAA Meet of Champions shot put.
Donovan Catholic sophomore Alyssa Wilson had just thrown a huge personal best on her final attempt, overtaking Dunbar. But Dunbar didn’t wither. Instead, she said, “I just got mad.”
Dunbar responded with a personal best of her own, a final mark of 51 feet, 23/4 inches. That broke the MOC, New Jersey and Morris County records.
It is No. 2 nationwide among high school girls this year, according to Milesplit.com.
It was also the first time Dunbar had broken 50 feet since the Penn Relays, when she had claimed the state and county marks.
“I can’t believe it,” said Dunbar, a Whippany Park junior. “I was just trying to hit 50 again. I knew I needed to get my chest up, go through fast and throw it as hard as I can, get my arm over the board. … I’m just so happy.”
As Dunbar’s 8.8-pound metal ball thudded into the dirt, she received an ovation — and quite a few gasps — from the crowd.
Nickolette’s mother, Pamela Dunbar, teared up behind her sunglasses. Her father, Buffalo Bills defensive line coach Karl Dunbar, couldn’t get away from team activities to attend the MOC and didn’t immediately know about the result. Pamela Dunbar had been texting her husband, while trying to maintain a calm and encouraging exterior for their daughter.
Nickolette Dunbar also placed seventh in the discus on Wednesday.
“You can’t write a better script if you’re making a movie,” Whippany Park coach Brad Callahan said. “The last throw, a girl comes out of nowhere and beats you. She fought back. … That’s something we’ll talk about years from now. People dream about those moments, and she got to live it.”
Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/