Marlboro's Unachukwu triples at SC track meet
Parker, Linnell, Mularz also strike gold
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
With her recent success in the triple jump (ranking in the Top 10 in the country with her 38-5¼), it has been easy to forget that Marlboro's High Schools Ada Unachukwu is quite a sprinter as well.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above: Freehold Township's Tanika Peart competes in the 55-meter hurdles, during the Shore Conference Indoor Track Championships, held at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Feb. 2. Below: Colts Neck's Brittany Hinton keeps a slight lead over Middletown South's Kristen Ingegnere in the girls 3,200-meter run.

Just ask the ShoreConference. TheMarlboro junior displayed her full range in dominating the sprints at Saturday's Shore Conference Championships held at the Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River. Unachukwu won the 55-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and anchored the Mustangs' 4x400 relay to fifth place (4:12.50).

Unachukwu won the 400 in a new Freehold Regional High School District record 58.02 (bettering the 59.10 of Colts Neck's Meryl Wimberley). She won the 55-meter dash in 7.19, duplicating her Monmouth County double.

At the conference meet, the 200 meters was contested and thatwas just finewith the Mustangs' flash.Atime of 25.75 put her clear of the field.

Unachukwu said she takes sprinting and jumping seriously, but acknowledged that "I focus a littlemore on the running."

And regardless ofwhether she's sprinting or jumping, her approach is always the same.

"When I go into something, I'mnot going to be intimidated," she explained. "Mentally, you have to try your best."

That was good enough for a trio of gold medals.

Lauren Pietrosh,EliniaMezzasalma and Nikki Pecorra teamed up with Unachukwu to place fifth in the 4x400.

Unachukwu's triple helped theMustangs finish second to JacksonMemorial, 58-40.

Pietrosh earned the team's other eight points with a second-place finish in the 800 (2:21.84).

While Unachukwu was dominating the sprints, Freehold Township's Janel Parker andColtsNeck'sAllison Linnellwere adding to their championship hardware.

Parker lowered her season's best in the 800 (2:17.23) in beating Pietrosh. She was also second in the 1,600 (5:17.03).

Linnell led a one-two Freehold District finish in the 3,200, bestingHowell's Lindsay Lambert, 11:14.11-11:22.00.

ColtsNeck's LindseyRappleyeamatched her best jump of the indoor season (5-2) and was second in the high jump behind Lauren Calorel of Lacey,who scaled 5-4. The Patriots' Megan Donovan was third (5-0).

Howell'sAdedayoAduwas fifth in the 400 and led theRebel 4x400 relay teamthatwas sixth (4:13.46). Erin Madsen, Lauren Rupp and Melissa Parato are other sprinters on the team.

Rebels' pole vaulter Jackie Tillotson tied for fourth (8-6).

Freehold Township's Tanika Peart was sixth in the 55-meter dash (7.53).

Unachukwu, Parker and Linnell all won Monmouth County titles the week before. Freehold Township'sDanMularz did not, but he got even Saturday by winning the 55- meter hurdles.Mularz turned in the quickest time in qualifying (7.79) andwas even faster in the final, 7.60. He needed to because the final was a blanket finish with just .01 separating first fromthird.

Last week at the county championships, Asbury Park's Demetrius Barkley had relegated Mularz to second place. He was third this time.

Mularz and teammates Ryan Spadola, Abe Hamami and Robert Searby were sixth in the 4x400 (3:33.22.)

With 11 points, the Patriots finished eighth. Christian Brothers Academy topped Ocean County powers Jackson Memorial, TomsRiverNorth and TomsRiverEast,who all had 40 points, with 46.

Howell'sDavidHayeswas fifth in the 400 (52.27) and teammateConrad Zwolinskiwas sixth in the 55 hurdles (7.94).

TheNJSIAAis introducing the state sectional championships to indoor track this winter and it begins this weekend in Toms River.

The Central Jersey Group III and Group IVmeet is Sunday afternoon (2:30 p.m.).