HOPEWELL VALLEY:Kianka, Buck set county records at M of C

Hopewell Valley junior Emily Kianka set a county record and captured a gold medal at yesterday's Meet of Champions.

By George O'Gorman
For BucksLocalSports

SOUTH PLAINFIELD--Emily Kianka picked the biggest stage of all to have the best day of her high jump career.
The Hopewell Valley junior won the gold medal she was denied a year ago June 4 at the Meet of Champions, and did it with an all-time Mercer County record when she cleared 5 feet, 9.25 inches to earn the only gold for the Colonial Valley Conference at the season’s final track and field meet.
Kianka’s jump, the second time this year she has bettered the existing county record, was one of three all-time Mercer bests established last week with a crowd of over 5,500 watching at Frank Jost Field.
West Windsor South’s Kate Kellner set another all-time county mark when she ran second in the 3200 in 10:34.04 in the final race of her NJSIAA career.
She was one of two CVC girls who took second place medals, with Nottingham’s Stephanie Hicks earning the other with a 14.65 clocking in the 100 meter hurdles.
Ewing’s Tayona Brown collected a third place medal with a 17-8 long jump after she had taken seventh behind Kianka in the high jump, while her Ewing teammate Brigit Roemer also high jumped 5-4 for sixth.
The third county girls record erased was the one Hopewell Valley’s Clare Buck broke in the 1600 meters with a 4:54.0 that bettered the 1600 mark of 4:54.89 former Hopewell Valley star Emily Sherrard held.
Overall, it was one of the best nights Mercer County girls have ever had at the Meet of Champions — topped by Kianka’s jump.
Earlier this season, she bettered the old county high jump mark by a quarter inch with a 5-8.25 leap. She had been looking to improve that mark ever since, but last night saw it all come together.
Tied for second a year ago with Roemer and Brown, this time Kianka took charge of the competition early clearing 5-2 and 5-4 on her first attempts before missing 5-8 on her first try at that height.
She became the only girl to clear 5-8 on her next jump, then went straight to the 5-9.25 height to break her own Mercer mark.
After clearing that height, she tried to set the meet mark of 5-10 but didn’t get over, although she had three excellent attempts at that height.
“I definitely felt confident today,” she said. “Clearing 5-9 was my goal tonight. After making 5-8 on my second jump, I knew I could do it.
“I think with more experience of jumping in big meets, I can get that 5-10,” said Kianka, whose next jumps may come at the Nike Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. in two weeks, where she came in third a year ago.
Long after Kianka became only the second HoVal girl to win Meet of Champions gold--Julie Alexander won the 400 hurdles last year--Hicks and Kellner were turning in their best runs of the spring.
Hicks came through the preliminary round of the 100 hurdles in second place to Ugonna Ndu of Union, who she would duel in the final 40 meters a few minutes later in the hurdles final. Ndu ended first in 14.17 with Hicks next at 14.68.
Amber Scott of Robbinsville, the Group I champ, was fourth at 14.76.
“I feel like I could have won,” said Hicks. “I got out of the blocks with her (Ndu) and we were together for seven hurdles, then I had a little trouble on the next hurdle and she took off.
“I went over the hurdle funny and when I recovered I couldn’t catch her,” said Hicks, the county champ the last two years.
Kellner’s runner-up run was very impressive as well as she did her best to stay ahead of the second group of runners after Chelsea Ley of Kingsway ran a blistering first two laps and went on to win in 10:19.31.
Kellner’s sister Caroline, a freshman, came in ninth in 10:43.61, with Julie Jablonski of HoVal tenth at 10:47.23.
“I’m really happy. I don’t think I could have run much faster,” said Kellner, who was third in the Meet of Champions cross country race last fall. “My goal was to stay with Chelsea as long as I could, but she went out so fast. I can’t run a 400 as fast she she did on that first lap.”