Nine individual boys and four relay teams punched their tickets to the Meet of Champions with superb performances.
Eight individual girls and two relay teams won sectional titles, with WWP North taking the team championship in Central Group 3.
Forty-one individual boys and ten relays teams earned medals, including several sectional champions.
Rich Fischer from the Community News interviews Izzy Meth (Lawrence) and coach Tim Collins about Meth’s record-breaking junior season, her long battle back from injuries, the mental and physical growth that fueled her comeback, and how she got her passion for running.
Allison Lee (WWP North), Izzy Meth (Lawrence), and Sydney Young (Hopewell Valley) all get paragraphs and photos in NJ.com’s article highlighting 15 girls to watch in Group 3 this season. Corey Annan highlights Lee as “one of the fastest cross country runners to ever come through Mercer County,” calls Meth “one of the top returning runners in the CVC,” and explains how Young “showcased her starpower” during the postseason following an injury-shortened season.
Lawrence’s Samya Jenkins, along her coaches Tim Collins and Kelsey Holt, talk about her growth in the sport and her journey to becoming an all-county sprinter.
Christopher Young (Notre Dame, Sr.) and his coach Jain Ja Williams talk about his journey in the sport — he was primarily a skier before Coach Williams saw some hurdling potential in him. Young says that he’s been able to improve so much by watching people who were ahead of him and copying them.
Samya Jenkins (Lawrence, So.) talks about believing that she could win the 100m/200m double after winning the sprint double at CVCs indoors. He credited her success to inspiring coaches who believe in her, hard work, being motivated by other athletes in Mercer County.
Mercer County girls will be busy at the Meet of Champions after loading up on medals at the group championships.