All Daily Record: Stickle continued to develop in senior season

Greg Stickle liked his athletic life exactly the way it was.

The Randolph senior was a tight end and safety in the fall and a midfielder on the lacrosse team in the spring. But Stickle’s life changed when he suffered a concussion in a football game against Delbarton in 2013.

Stickle also heard the words of Randolph boys head indoor track coach Luke Suttile, who just knew that Stickle could develop into a nice runner. Stickle also had some guidance at home from his parents, Jeff and Kathleen. Jeff Stickle was once a pretty good runner, so he would have loved to watch his son blossom on the track.

But being a full-time runner year round meant no more lacrosse.

“That was probably the toughest decision I had to make,” Stickle said. “I love playing lacrosse and love being in the middle, in the crease, whacking away. I think the concussion didn’t scare me so much into running, but it certainly gave me other options.”

As the 2014-15 indoor track and field season was set to begin, Stickle had no clue how much he had developed as a runner. He had a bit of a growth spurt over the last few years, reaching 6-foot-5. The growth has helped Stickle lengthen his stride to where he almost gallops and glides like a gazelle instead of running.

“When he decided to come out for track, it was like he almost came out of nowhere,” Suttile said of Stickle, the 2014-15 All Daily Record Boys Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

“We knew he could be pretty good, but we didn’t realize just how good. ... At the end of last year, he was really good. But this year, he just exploded.”

At the O’Leary Lid Lifter, the first meet of the season at Drew University, Stickle was entered in the 600 meters against Christian Kildal-Brandt, the 2013-14 All Daily Record Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.

Stickle won that first race in 1:24.19, defeating Kildal-Brandt and starting what would become a pretty intense rivalry.

“It definitely was an eye-opener,” Stickle said. “The guy who was winning all the races last year, well, I was now beating him. It was pretty cool.”

Added Suttile, “We put him in the 600, expecting Christian to run. But Greg got after Christian and then was going to try to outkick him. When he did, it was unbelievable to us. He showed us all what he could do.”

Soon after, Stickle competed in the New Balance Games in New York and posted an even better time of 1:21.

“That’s when I said, ‘Wow!’” Stickle said.

It didn’t stop there. Stickle won the Back Invitational 400 in a meet-record 50.4. Stickle then broke another meet record at the Valentine Invitational, capturing the 400 in 50.48.

When it came time for the Morris County Championships, Stickle was battling a wicked cold and sore throat, but managed to win the 600 in 1:24.27, defeating Kildal-Brandt again, and tied Jihwan Yoon of Hanover Park in a dead heat for top honors in the 300.

“It all just added to the rivalry,” Stickle said of the battles with Kildal-Brandt. “It’s nice to know that we can push each other.”

Stickle also showed his immense diversity by winning at different distances. He won the 800 at the NJSIAA North 2 Group III meet in 2:03.69 and finished second in the 400. A week later, Stickle won the 400 in Group III in 50.36 and was third in the 800.

“I like the whole variation, knowing my races change with each distance,” Stickle said. “I definitely think that being able to do a wide variety of events is something that not a lot of people can possess.”

Stickle will take his immense talents to Monmouth University in the fall. There’s a possibility he might be groomed to become a pentathlete or decathlete.

“Everyone always asks me to pick a favorite (event) and I really don’t have one,” Stickle said. “They’re all special in their own way.. ... It’s a little scary to think I could do the high jump and the shot put, but it also kind of excites me. I’m looking forward to it if I end up doing it. ... I’m not going to get complacent now that I have a college scholarship and I’m going to run at the NCAA Division I level. It’s humbling to know that I’ve made it. But I’m not done. This has been an amazing experience, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this all leads me.”