Non-Public A & B Group Championships Recap
The group championships have arrived! The non-public schools started things off on Friday night at the Bubble. Notre Dame mixed it up with the bigger schools in Non-Public A group, while Princeton Day and Stuart Country Day competed in the Non-Public B division.
The top six in each event medaled, and the top three qualified for the Meet of Champions on March 2. See some of Mercer County’s best performances below!
Girls Results
Girls 1600m. Charlotte Mullen (Princeton Day), a senior in her first season of track, had a phenomenal race in the Non-Public B championship. She went out quickly, stuck with a small pack through the second half of the race, and held on for a 12-second PR of 5:36.64 to earn a 6th-place medal.
Girls 400m. Ava Fallon (Notre Dame) finished in 14th place in Non-Public A with a time of 1:03.63. That time is a PR by almost two seconds, and it’s top 20 in Mercer County this season.
Girls 800m. Alaina Sabo (Notre Dame) ran a super strong 800m in the Non-Public A race, taking 8th place in 2:21.78. That’s a 4-second PR, and it’s the 4th-fastest open 800m in Mercer County this winter.
Girls 55m. Isabella Daley (Notre Dame) qualified for the final and then ran a season’s best of 7.45 there to place 8th in the Non-Public A championship. In the Non-Public B race, Nyla Flamer (Stuart Country Day) had one of her team’s best performances of the day. The senior broke 8 for the first time ever with a 7.99 for 15th place.
Girls Shot Put. On her last throw of the day, Danielle Marsh (Notre Dame) threw an 18-inch PR of 30-3.5, which vaulted her from 9th place to 5th place and earned her a medal.
Boys Results
Boys Team Scores. Notre Dame finished in 3rd place in the Non-Public A championship! Although CBA (85.5 points) and St. Peter’s Prep (46) were far ahead, the Irish’s 28 points just edged out Delbarton (26).
Boys 400m. Aldric Crawford (Notre Dame) got his team’s day started on the right foot by taking 3rd place in the Non-Public 400m! His time was 51.63, and he probably could’ve gone a bit faster – he was moving well along the rail in the last 50m but didn’t quite have room for an inside pass. He’ll get another shot at the Meet of Champions! His Notre Dame teammate Amir Mulkey took 9th overall with a 53.08.
Boys 55mH. Christopher Young (Notre Dame) continued his incredible winter campaign with yet another PR, running 7.68 to take 3rd in Non-Public A and qualify for the Meet of Champions! That’s his first time under 7.70, and it makes him #20 in New Jersey. His Notre Dame teammates Bryce Marsh and Zamir Jones both 7.86 in the prelims – a PR of more than .15 for Jones – and went on the finish 7th and 8th in the finals. Notre Dame’s hurdles have been on another level this season: they make up 5 of the top 12 hurdlers in Mercer County, including 3 of the top 6!
Boys 1600m. Max Whittle (Notre Dame) ran an indoor PR of 4:40.53 to place 13th in the Non-Public A 1600m.
Boys High Jump. Bryce Marsh won the Non-Public A high jump championship! He was the only boy to clear 6-2, which tied his PR. In the Non-Public B competition, Avery Hall (Princeton Day) had a nervy start and needed a third-attempt clearance at the opening height, but then he caught fire and cleared the next three heights, including a new all-conditions PR of 5-10 on his first try. That was enough for 4th place in Non-Public B, and it lifted the sophomore into a tie for #3 in Mercer County this season.
Boys Pole Vault. Connor Ahearn (Notre Dame) scored a couple valuable points for the Irish with his 5th place finish in the pole vault, where he jumped 10-0.
Boys Shot Put. Cameron Bailey (Notre Dame) had one of the most surprising and impressive performances in the whole meet. The senior was seeded 18th but finished with a 5th place medal thanks to a huge throw of 48-4.5 – that’s a PR by almost 5 feet! It also moves him up to #4 in Mercer County this winter. His teammate Jeylon Billups finished just outside the medals with a 46-8, which was a PR by almost a foot.