The Observer-area will be seeing a host of newcomers at this year’s NJSIAA Outdoor Track Meet of Champions on Wednesday in Pennsauken. For seven of the eight athletes there, it will be their first time at Outdoor MOC. But for Nikalena Iacono it will be her second straight trip to the MOC and the latest achievement in a Track & Field career that ranks among the best of any girl in Lyndhurst history.
Iacono locked up her second consecutive MOC berth in the Shot Put when she threw a 38-6 to take second place in the Group 2 meet that was held at Northern Burlington High School in Columbus.
“This is what she fought her entire track career for,” Lyndhurst head coach Rich Tuero said. “One more shot to medal at the State Meet of Champions and one more shot to break the school record in the Shot Put. This is what it’s all about! She put herself in this position with her relentless hard work and dedication.”
Iacono, who entered as the third seed, quickly put herself in position for a top two spot which comes with an automatic spot in the MOC. Her top throw proved to be more than 2.5 feet further than third.
“This was always the goal,” said Tuero. “She and I discussed – nothing guaranteed, it has to be earned. And she went out there and earned that spot.”
Iacono will now enter the Meet of Champions, hoping for her first medal and also to set a new school record in the Shot Put of 39-9.5.
Among the locals, no one will have bigger expectations than Bloomfield’s Jo’elle Urdanivia, who became the first Bengal in 18 years to win a group title when he claimed the Group 4 Boys crown in the Discus with a throw of 171-4.
Urdanivia, who missed most of his sophomore year due to an elbow injury that continued on into this past fall, is the 12th Bloomfield athlete overall to win a Group title.
“To win at the Group 4 level is extraordinary,” head coach Terry Iavarone said. “The offseason training and in-season dedication, coupled with being healthy, is necessary to achieve such a feat.”
With Urdanivia’s elbow still at less than 100-percent, the decision was made for him to dedicate all of his focus on the Discus, which is his better event and also less stressful on the elbow than the Shot Put, an event he had also qualified for.
In April, Urdanivia recorded the state’s top throw in the Discus all season with an 182-0 at the Morris Hills Relays. He will enter Wednesday as the No. 2 seed in the event.
The expectation is to win the MOC, but nothing is guaranteed,” said Iavarone. “The pressure is definitely something to take into consideration. As a junior, Jo’elle can really make a statement. He already has throughout the state this year.”
Also heading to Pennsauken is Bloomfield’s 4×100 Meter Relay team of Carlos Vega, Marcel Rosario, Jeremy Tejada and Johnny Cobb. The quartet set a school record with a time of 42.87 in the finals, which was good for eighth place in Group 4. But there was no celebration after the record-setting performance as they had to wait and see if the time was good enough to qualify for one of the MOC’s 18 wild card spots.
“They knew if they could place top 10 at groups they would have a shot to wild card in,” said Iavarone. “The entire afternoon the boys kept checking MileSplit Live for results from the other meets around the state. Once they knew, it was back to business and preparing for MOC.”
Also qualifying for the MOC was Nutley’s Havana Alvarez in the Girls Long Jump and Marcus Durham in the Boys Triple Jump at the Group 3 Meet at Northern Burlington. It marks the first time since 2021 that the Raiders will be sending multiple qualifiers to MOC.
Alvarez, a sophomore, continued her breakout season when she placed fourth in the Long Jump with a jump of 18-0.5. It’s the latest accomplishment in a month that saw her smash the school record in the event and also claim an Essex County title.
Havana had her big breakthrough at the beginning of May and has been riding that wave for a few weeks now,” head coach Gerald Ryan said. “She seemed to rise to the occasion once the championship meets started. She tied our school record (17-8.25) at the SEC American Division Championships meet and then hit her first 18 foot jump at the Essex County Championships. That is where she had the big breakthrough hitting 18-8. Hitting that jump made everyone notice by putting her in the top ten in the state in the event.”
Durham, a junior, has also enjoyed a dramatic upswing in May, improving upon his personal best , starting with a 43-5.5 at the Essex County Championship to a 44-3.75 two weeks ago at the North 2, Group 3 Championship. This weekend saw him jump a 44-10.25, which was good for sixth in the Group 3 Championships and a spot in the MOC.
“Last year Marcus began to find high level success in the triple jump and he has dedicated himself to getting better every day,” said Ryan. “He works hard, follows Coach (Rob) Porrino’s training program and the results speak for themselves. He has always had a very competitive attitude and never likes to lose. He knows how to compete and he is able to come through when it matters most. That fierce desire to improve his craft has driven him all season long.”
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)