Colts Neck quartet celebrates a national title
Cougars win 4x1-mile relay; Forys keeps running fast
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Colts Neck High School's (l-r) Ashley Higginson, Briana Jackucewicz, Allison Linnell and Kristen O'Dowd had a lot to smile about Saturday, as they won the 4x1-mile relay at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships held in the New York City Armory.

Ashley Higginson resisted the temptation to turn her head.Although she had been handed a sizable lead for her anchor one-mile run, the Cougar knew the caliber of competition - which included national champion Aislinn Ryan of Warwick, N.Y. - that was chasing her and she didn't look back for fear someone might be gaining.

She needn't have worried. Her anchor 4:55.7 was more than enough to hold off the best runners in the country, and bring her and teammates Kristen O'Dowd, Allison Linnel and Briana Jackucewicz a national championship on Saturday.

That's why a bright smile broke out on Higginson's face as she headed down the Armory's homestretch and lifted her arms in the air over her final strides as Colts Neck came, saw and conquered.

"I knew nobody was going to catch me," she said.

Colts Neck girls had come to the New York City Armory on Saturday as one of the teams that could win the 4x1-mile relay. They left no doubt as to who was the best, winning convincingly in 20:38.43 (eight seconds up on runner-up Running Gear, 20:46.82) and breaking the state record, formerly held by the Red Bank Regional team headed by Amanda and Katy Trotter at 20:46.3.

"Every week we try to improve ourselves," said Higginson. "This [national championship] is about the end result, seeing it executed. We've had this in our minds.

"Coach [Jim] Schlentz tells us, 'Train to achieve big things'," she added.

O'Dowd, who ran the leadoff leg for the Cougars, was still coming to grips with what she and the Cougars had done.

"It hasn't sunk it yet, I can't believe it," she said. "We spend so much time together, we're best friends."

To that, she can add national champions.

"I'm so happy right now, it's awesome" said Linnell. "I wanted it so bad."

Jackucewicz, who has set national age-group records, said the national championship is tops.

"This is definitely at the top of the list," she said. "It's amazing to do this with the rest of the team. It helps that we're so close and friends outside of running.

"Today was for the team, we all put it together," she added.

O'Dowd's leadoff 5:16.8 had the Cougars right where they wanted to be, in fourth place and in the hunt.

"I just wanted to keep us in striking distance," she said. "I'm really happy with the way I ran. I felt very comfortable. I didn't go out too fast. I felt in control."

Linnell's task was similar to O'Dowd's and she responded with a 5:19.7 that kept the Cougars in fourth place with the leaders in sight.

"I was trying to get in a good place for Bri and Ashley," she said. "I started slow and closed in the end."

The Cougars had done everything right and it was now up to their leaders, Jackucewicz and Higginson, to bring it home.

It was Jackucewicz who would break it open, surging to the lead with her 5:06.2 leg.

"All I was trying to do was get away from everyone," she said. "I steadily picked it up."

Jackucewicz said she benefited from having lapped traffic to chase down. With each runner caught and passed Jackucewicz was getting faster. On the fifth lap, she took the lead and extended it to more than 20 meters when she handed off the baton to Higginson to close it out.

"I've been running the 1,200 [the leadoff leg for the Distance Medley Relay] the whole season," said Higginson. "The anchor is the most important position, and for the first time I felt pressure."

If she felt pressure, Higginson didn't show it. Like her teammates, Higginson ran within herself. She just kept clicking off laps of 36 to 37 seconds - fast enough to give the chasers no hope, and leaving room for a late kick if required.

This is the second straight year that a Colts Neck team has won an NSIC crown. Last year it was the boys DMR team, anchored by Craig Forys, that struck gold. Now, Higginson, Jackucewicz, Linnell and O'Dowd have joined them and have the championship rings to match.

"We're part of this tradition forever," said Higginson. "That's what matters the most."

Higginson had one more big race in her at the NSIC on Sunday, collecting her second All-American certificate (the top six finishers in each event earned AA honors).

The state champion finished third in the girls 2-mile run, clocking 10:44.42 behind Ryan, who won her third straight indoor NSIC championship in 10:25.63.

Another state record for Forys

Forys continues to make the extraordinary look ordinary. The junior had another tremendous weekend, anchoring Colts Neck's Distance Medley Relay team to a third place and All-American recognition Friday at the Armory, and then finishing second in the 2-mile run at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Md., on Sunday. In both races, Forys ran faster then ever.

In the DMR, Forys brought Colts Neck from 11th place to third with a 4:05.9 1,600 meter anchor. That effort topped the 4:06.2 he did at the Eastern States, which was the second-fastest anchor leg in state history and fastest-ever indoors.

Colts Neck's boys turned in their fastest time of the year, 10:19.66 in finishing third behind Fordham Prep (10:14.68) and Monsignor Farrell (10:14.99).

Brenden Krewer started it off with a 1,200 meter leg in 3:15.3. Evan Stivala did the 400 in 51.5 and Shane Hart ran the penultimate 800 meter leg in 2:06.9.

Colts Neck was the defending champion, but graduated all but Forys from that team. To come back and contend this year with an all-underclass squad speaks volumes for the depth the Cougars have. They will be the team to beat next year.

Forys traveled to Landover looking to run against the best 2-milers in the nation and to run fast. He got what he wanted, turning in the second-fastest 2 miles in the nation this year, 8:58.98, behind California's Michael (no relation to Sebastian) Coe and his 8:56.87. Forys did set the state junior class record

"He just ran better," Forys said of Coe, who is a senior.

"I can respect it when someone runs a good race like that."

Forys found himself bolting into the lead with six laps to go. Instead of the expected fast pace up front, the leaders were running a choppy race, surging and then backing the pace off. Tired of the jostling, Forys went straight to the front with Coe right on his heels.

"We dropped everyone," he noted. "With three laps to go, Coe went and I tried my best to stay on him."

Freehold Borough's Justin Frick picked the right time to turn in his season's best in the boys high jump. The Colonial senior had been stuck a 6 feet, 6 inches all year, but, did 6-8 1/4 on Friday. It was good enough for sixth place and All-American honors.