North Jersey vaulters article

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qst ... FlZUVFeXk2

High up and over


Saturday, May 6, 2006

By GREGORY SCHUTTA
STAFF WRITER

Tricia Murphy-Kennelly remembers her freshman year when she cleared 7 feet, 6 inches to finish second in the pole vault in her group at the Bergen County championship meet. And she laughs.

That's because 7-6 would barely get her past the opening height today.


"Now, to finish second in the County meet, you have to clear 10 feet or 10-6," the senior from Mahwah said.

Since the pole vault became an official scoring event for girls in 2000, the event has become its own success story. Vaulters from Bergen and Passaic counties have made their marks on the State group meets and in the State Meet of Champions in recent years while cranking the top heights higher and higher.

"The competition has definitely increased," said Ridgewood's Cassie Wong, who set the Bergen County record with a vault of 11-6 last year to win the State Group 4 championship. "It's become more popular as people have gotten to know more about it. And coaches have put more emphasis on the event once they saw that it could make a difference in points."

Former Clifton vaulter Karen Langner holds the Passaic County record at 11 feet. She was the first North Jersey girl to clear 10 feet in 2004.

North Jersey has had a vaulter place in the State Meet of Champions in each of the past three years: Wong was fourth in 2005 (11-0), Langner tied for fifth in 2004 (10-6) and Ridgewood's Kerri Norton, who held the Bergen County record before Wong at 11 feet, was seventh in 2003 (9-6). Six North Jersey vaulters placed in the top six in their respective groups last year, led by Group 4 champ Wong and Group 2 champ Murphy-Kennelly.

Longtime Ridgewood girls coach Jacob Brown believes that it's not the elite vaulters but rather the lower tier of vaulters who are pushing the success of the event in North Jersey.

"Over the years, the top end has been creeping up," he said. "But today, you have a whole bunch more kids who are clearing 10 feet or 10-6."

That was never more evident than in the Bergen Relays two weeks ago. The Ridgewood team of Wong, junior Ashlyn Llerandi and sophomore Ann Polcari set the relay record in the pole vault with a total of 28-6. Mahwah's team of Murphy-Kennelly and fellow seniors Stacey Duchak and Kara DiMaio, competing in a different group but at the same time, totaled 28 feet.

"In our minds, we felt like we were competing against them," Wong said of Mahwah. "And as the teams get better, you strive to beat them."

That push also comes from within. Llerandi, who has cleared 10 feet, and Polcari, at 9-6 as a sophomore, keep nipping at her heels in practice.

"Kids don't get good to beat the other team," Ridgewood's Brown said. "They get good to stay on our team or to be the best on our team. That then translates to success in the meets."

Murphy-Kennelly, who has cleared 10-6 this year, Duchak (9-6) and DiMaio (9-0) have been vaulting together for four years. Murphy-Kennelly will vault at Boston College next year, and Duchak hopes to do the same.

"You look at other people's jumps, and it makes you want to go higher," Duchak said. "When Trish went 10-6, it pushed me to want to get 9-6."

"Our goal is to go down to the State meet as a team," DiMaio said.

[LancerVaulter07]

coach andy p. knows his stuff! def a great coach [clifton]