During May, the Princeton High girls’ track team produced one of the greatest stretches in program history, winning the Mercer County Championships and the Central Jersey Group 3 sectional.
While PHS started June by taking seventh last weekend at the state Group 3 meet to see its title streak end, head coach Jim Smirk had no qualms about how his athletes competed.
“We didn’t have things going like previous weekends but we saw some gutsy performances,” said Smirk. “The girls were trying to risk things and do something great; that is what we were looking for coming in.”
Senior distance star Jenna Cody showed plenty of guts as she didn’t let a stumble keep her from finishing seventh in the 3,200 and earning a wild card entry into the Meet of Champions (MOC) slated for June 7 at Old Bridge.
“Jenna breaks out and was going for it in the 2-mile and the girl in front of her falls and she trips over her,” recalled Smirk. “She popped right back up and ran an 11:09.”
Cody’s classmate and fellow distance star, Elyssa Gensib, pushed herself to the breaking point in the 1,600 as she took seventh in 5:00.62 and earned a wild card spot in the MOC.
“In the mile, Elyssa went for it in the third lap and put herself in a good position,” said Smirk.
“She showed some inexperience on the last lap; she would have been a medalist in any of the other group meets.”
In the 3,200, though, Gensib showed some veteran savvy in taking second with a time of 10:48.18.
“She ran a textbook race; she really executed the race plan, especially with such a quality field,” asserted Smirk
“There were six girls in the race who had gone under 11; they are all experienced and fierce competitors.”
Senior standout Bryell Wheeler displayed her competitive fire, fighting through injury to take second in the triple jump with a leap of 39’2.50.
“Bryell went out in the trials in 100; her hamstring was bothering her all weekend,” said Smirk.
“She found a way in the triple jump to take second and set a county record with a pulled hamstring. The next day, she was hurting in the long jump.”
Wheeler’s fellow jumping star, Maddie Lea, found a way to pull out a fifth-place finish in the triple jump.
“Lea was the competitor of the weekend; she was on the outside looking in during the triple jump preliminaries,” said Smirk.
“She fouled on her first two jumps and popped 36 on the last one to qualify. In the finals, she was seventh coming into the final jump and came back with a 37 to get a medal. It takes a strong person to not freak out when things aren’t going her way and still put in a great effort.”
As Smirk looks ahead to the MOC, he is expecting some more great efforts from his athletes.
“We are looking at some exciting things; Elyssa could go for a sub-5 minute mile or go for the 10:34 school record in the 2-mile,” said Smirk, whose sophomore throwing star Michelle Bazile took fourth in the discus at the group meet with a toss of 117’11 to also qualify for the MOC.
“For Jenna, her race is all about proving that she is one of the top runners in the state in the 2-mile; she is not happy with 11:09. We talked after the race and she said everything went the wrong way on Saturday so hopefully everything will go the right way next week. Maddie is looking to end her high school career by getting in the 37’3 – 37’6 area. For Bryell, it is about competing at the highest level. She can come in and loosen up and know when she is jumping. She won’t have to worry about balancing events.”
In any event, Smirk has enjoyed the ride this spring. “It has been fun; sometimes you get the perfect storm,” said Smirk. “The coaching staff and girls have really been doing a good job.”