Andrews goes out in record style

What a statement it was. Summoning one final mesmerizing sprint, Manalapan High School senior Robby Andrews delivered on his NJSIAA Meet of Champions goal of making one final statement in New Jersey high school track and field.

ERIC SUCAR staff Manalapan High School senior Robby Andrews pulls away from the field to win the 800-meter run at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in South Plainfield on June 4. Andrews set a meet record with a time of 1:48.66. See more photos at www.gmnews.com. At the June 4 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Meet of Champions at Frank Jost Stadium in South Plainfield, Andrews gave everyone something to remember: a sizzling meet record 1:48.66 in the 800-meter run as he captured the overall state championship in that event.

The previous mark for the 800 was 1:49.5 set by South Plainfield High School's John Marshall in 1981.

Displaying the new-found confidence that allows him to run from the front, Andrews was spectacular in the 800 final. He led through 400 meters at 54 seconds.

On the backstretch of the final lap, Andrews switched gears, but Morris Hills High School's Lucas Clyne gamely held on.

"I was a little worried when (Clyne) came up to me," Andrews said after he had captured the crown. "I was pretty confident in my kick."

And Andrews should be confident in his kick because no one has managed to win a sprint battle with him for three years.

With 200 meters to go Andrews turned on the jets and it was now a race against time for him and a race for second place for everyone else.

"I switched gears on the turn," he said. "I like to compete and Clyne pushed me."

As he barreled down the homestretch in full flight, Andrews never showed any sign of tying up. He stopped the clock in an electrifying 1:48.66 to smash his own outdoor personal best (1:52.39) by almost 4 seconds.

He also lowered the Freehold Regional High School District record for 800 meters that had been held by Marlboro High School's Bob Roche at 1:51.6 since 1985.

Andrews' time is the fastest run in the country this spring for 800 meters. He left his awed competitors shaking their heads at the effortless way he just ran away from them.

It was the first outdoor NJSIAA Meet of Champions title for Andrews, who won the indoor 800 crown in the winter of 2008.

"This means a lot," he said. "All of my family and friends are here, and to do it in front of the them is great. I couldn't have done it without all of these people."

There was, however, something, or rather someone, missing from the meet: Jason Walton of Hillsborough High School was not on the starting line.

Walton won the 2008 Meet of Champions 800-meter title as a junior, but he was killed when he was struck by a train last summer. Andrews wore stickers with "JW" printed on them on his track shoes in Walton's memory and he dedicated the race to the Hillsborough standout.

"I had Jason on my mind. He should have been here," Andrews said.

Marshall, the former 800-meter record holder who now coaches at Seton Hall University, was at the meet and presented the first-place medal to Andrews.

"It was pretty awesome," the Braves' senior said.

Marshall, who still holds the state record at 1:48.5 for 800 meters, thought the same thing of Andrews.

"It was a very impressive run," Marshall said of Andrews' performance in the 800. "He's a champion. I was glad to be here to watch it."

Marshall said that based on what he saw and the way Andrews ran, he (Andrews) can go even faster. That assessment has to be encouraging news for University of Virginia coach Jason Vigilante, who will be the next coach to work with Andrews.

Andrews also received hearty congratulations from former Colts Neck High School standout Craig Forys, who now runs for the University of Michigan and was in attendance at the Meet of Champions. Forys made a statement of his own in his final Meet of Champions appearance when he won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter double in June 2007.

Reflecting on his first Meet of Champions appearance two years ago, when he was a sophomore and ran a 1:52.56 for 800 meters that announced his arrival on the New Jersey scene, Andrews marveled at the changes.

"It's just amazing what two years does," he said. "I'm so much more confident now."

Back then he was just a kicker. Now he has become a racer, someone with the confidence to push the pace, which in turn has made him a champion and a record-setter.

Andrews' high school career is far from over. On Saturday he will be in Portland, Ore., for the Portland Track Festival. He will be running a special high school invitational 1-mile race against many of the top milers from the United States and Canada.

Andrews has been looking to pop a fast mile all spring and he will now have the opportunity to really turn in a quick time.

At the Penn Relays in April he ran a 4:06.2 anchor 1,600 meters for Manalapan's distance medley relay team. That translates to a 4:07.8 mile. Andrews will certainly be looking to go faster than that on Saturday in Portland.

Andrews will close out his scholastic career at the Nike Outdoor Nationals from June 18-20 in Greensboro, N.C., where he will compete in the 800. He won the national title indoors in the 800, running a national record 1:49.21.

In other results from the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in South Plainfield, Marlboro High School senior Ada Unachukwu said farewell to the Meet of Champions with a second-place finish in the triple jump. She and rival Ebony Young of Hillsborough hooked up in a seesaw competition that brought out the best in both athletes.

Young took the lead in the qualifying rounds with a 39-2 jump, but Unachukwu soon topped that with a 39-3½ effort. Young came back with a huge 40-1½ jump that was the best in the state this spring.

On her final jump, Unachukwu threw her all into it and improved to 39-8½, but it was not enough to overcome Young.

Unachukwu finished second, the same result as 2008.

"You always want to come in first," said Unachukwu, who will continue her career at the University of Michigan and who beat Young for the NJSIAA state Group IV title. "That's the ultimate goal. You always try your best, and sometimes your best effort doesn't get the best results."

Although she did not capture a Meet of Champions title, Unachukwu qualified for the season-ending meet all four years at Marlboro and in four events, the 100, 200 and 400 dashes on the track and the triple jump in the field. It will be some time before a performance like that is turned in again by a Freehold Regional High School District athlete. She is the finest sprinter/jumper the district has seen in girls track and field.

"I'm very blessed to have been here (at the Meet of Champions). I'm very happy," the Mustangs' senior said.

Unachukwu will soon travel to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the Nike Outdoor Nationals. She has garnered All-American honors in the triple jump at national meets before.

Howell High School's Maggie Gilbertson was happy with her performance at the Meet of Champions. The Rebels' junior finished second in the high jump, clearing 5-6.

At the May 30 NJSIAA state Group IV championships, Gilbertson went from a personal best 5-4 to a school record 5-8, finishing second in Group IV and advancing to her first Meet of Champions on June 4.

"When I did 5-8, I said, 'I can't believe this,' " Gilbertson recalled. "This (Meet of Champions) was icing on the cake. I just wanted to have fun and do well. Doing 5-6 and finishing second in the state, I'm happy."

There were times during the 2009 season when Gilbertson was struggling to clear 5-2 in the high jump and, she admitted, the Meet of Champions seemed a far off dream.

Things began to turn around for her at the Central Jersey state sectional meet where she cleared 5-4 and had three good attempts at 5-6. The group championships were her big breakthrough and proved she was peaking at the time.

Gilbertson backed up her Group IV performance at the Meet of Champions and took her place alongside the best jumpers in the state.

Looking back on what got her to where she is, Gilbertson said it was more than just hard work.

"The big thing was perseverance," she explained. "You just have to keep going at it and trust your technique."

Her trust was rewarded at the Meet of Champions.

Also at the Meet of Champions, Marlboro High School's Lauren Pietrosh won her heat of the girls' 1,600-meter run and lowered her school record to 5:02.40. That was good enough for 11th place overall in the event. Pietrosh has trimmed more than 20 seconds off the Marlboro school record this spring.

Colts Neck High School's Mark Leininger was 15th in the 3,200-meter run, but ran an outdoor personal best 9:18.0.

Freehold Township High School's 4x400-meter relay team of Kelly Berg, Emily Perriera, Kelly Perriera and Rhianna Zalewski was 14th in 3:57.69.