Sports

Pioneers Finish Strong in State Track Meet

Junior Everett Price broke his own mark in the 1,600, while Senior Madison Ricks won shot put with a personal best toss. Both move on to the State Group I Championships.

The standouts for New Providence at the Central Group I State Track Meet on Friday responded as expected.

Senior Madison Ricks won the Central Group I shot put with a personal best toss of 36-2 and junior Everett Price broke his own mark in the 1,600 with a 4:25 by 16 seconds at John Bennett Indoor Athletic Center in Toms River.

The top six in each event move on to the state Group I meet this Friday at the same facility. The top six qualifiers in that meet will go on to the Meet of Champions Feb. 26 at the Bennett Center.

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Ricks and Price — who broke their own records set last year — are expected to compete and win their respective events at Friday's state group meet.

The girls finished fourth with 33 points in the team standings, while the boys were fifth with 26 points.

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"Pretty good overall, pretty good," Coach Kevin Kelly said. "We were hoping we could get as many boys and girls to place in the top six as we could."

Ricks also won the title last year with a 35-9 1/2, and Kelly is expecting much more from her this year.

Other Pioneer girls qualified for the state group meet including Caitlin Toner, who was a runner-up in both the 1,600 in 5:28.12 and the 800 in 2:26.66.

"It was very good for her, she was a little off of her personal best (5:25), but the 800 is her best event. She's definitely a big-time competitor,'' Kelly said.

Freshman Myah Campbell Reaves was sixth in the shot with a 31-foot, 2-inch toss and junior high jumper Nicole Aneiros cleared 4-foot-8 for third.

Price didn't have much competition, beating runner-up Dan Bish of Metuchen, who was well back at 4:41.59. Price's former record was 4:25.75.

Kelly expects a much tougher challenge next week with the likes of Haddonfield's Ben Potts and Matt Nussbaum, who went 1-2 in 4:30.06 and 4:32.50 respectively in the South Jersey Group I meet. Kelly said Price considered coming back in the 3,200 meters, but decided to rest.

"He's pretty good," said Kelly of Price. "You only get a kid like him once every 20 years or so. We're hoping he can win the group title next week."

Among other Pioneer runners, Sophomore Chris Aresco finished second in the 800 in 2:06, a personal best. "A big surprise," Kelly said.

Sophomore Connor Pellas was second in the pole vault, clearing 9-foot-6.


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