Locals look to strike gold at Penn Relays

BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff Howell's Kellee Hand is just one of several local track and field stars who will look to make a splash at this week's Penn Relays. Craig Forys caught the Penn Relays fever last year when he anchored Colts Neck to a third place in the high school Distance Medley Relay.

This year, the New Jersey state champion is running the boys high school 3,000 meters on Friday at the country's biggest outdoor track and field meet held in historic Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The meet, in its 112th year, runs tomorrow through Saturday.

"It's my first time running as an individual, and I'm pretty pumped up about it," said Forys. "There are so many people there [at the relays], it feels really great to race in front of the them."

Forys, who ran a series of brilliant 1,600-meter relay legs in the 4:05 range during the indoor season, has been building up his base for the outdoor season and believes that the long 3K race is more suited for him now than the mile.

The 3K field is a loaded one, featuring his state rivals like Chatham's Ben Massam, runner-up to Forys at the cross country Meet of Champions (MOC), Westfield's Jeff Perrella, Christian Brothers Academy's Chris Horel and Jackson's Kris Carle, along with a field of top high school runners from around the country.

"There are a lot of guys from all over," said Forys. "You have to run your race is see how it goes."

Forys isn't the only Freehold area athlete who will be running for Penn Relays glory this week. His counterparts at Colts Neck, Ashley Higginson and Briana Jackucewicz, are competing in the girls high school 3K, which will be run tomorrow night. Like the field in Forys' race, the Cougar runners will be racing Shore area rivals like Jen Clausen, of Jackson, and Molly Kempton, of Monsignor Donovan, as well as a field of nationwide runners from as far away as Colorado.

Higginson is the two-time indoor MOC champion at 3,200 meters and Jackucewicz set the state freshman standard at 2 miles during the indoor season.

Howell's Ben Edwards, who has been one of the state's fastest 400-meter intermediate hurdlers during the relay season, qualified for the event at Penn. The Rebel senior goes Saturday morning in his event. One of his competitors is Shore area rival Emanuel Mayers, of Lakewood.

Manalapan's Adam Hegel, the Freehold District's record holder in the long jump (22-1), will be competing in the high school boys long jump on Saturday morning. Only three Jerseyans qualified for the event.

Kristen Batts, of Marlboro, who has a personal best of 122-4, is competing in the girls discus on Friday morning. She is one of just five throwers from New Jersey to qualify.

Freehold Township and Howell put down time qualifying times for the girls 4x800, and will go off on Friday morning.

Megan Matza, Allyson Moskal, Charlotte Walsh and Janel Parker make up Freehold Township's team, while it's Kellee Hand (who will be running on her future home track), Lauren Rome, Sarah Nelson and Lauren Wiemken for Howell.

Area boys and girls teams from Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro will also be competing in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays tomorrow and Saturday.