By John Spinelli
PENNSAUKEN – Last week, the best Two River track and field athletes excelled at the New Jersey Meet of Champions at Pennsauken High School.
Colts Neck senior and Cornell University commit Hunter Celkupa said it was gratifying to win the 1,600-meter title after being injured earlier in the season.
“I had gone through some setbacks (a foot injury) in March and April, causing me to miss Penn Relays. I was concerned with how my fitness would hold up late in the season,” Celkupa said.
“But I think the win showed me that if I work hard in other aspects besides running, I can maintain great fitness, and still give myself a shot at becoming a contender even with inevitable setbacks.”
Celkupa also discussed his strategy for the four-lap race. “During the race, it was hot, so I figured the first two to three laps would not be as fast as they could be, so I was very content with positioning myself in second or third place and trying to conserve as much energy as possible. I went to make my move with 300 meters to go. I felt great and just cut the race down just like I had done in practice the last few weeks.”
Christian Brothers Academy’s Joe Barrett finished just behind Celkupa in 4:12.89.
In the relay events, the Rumson-Fair Haven girls relay team of Cassedy Stypul, Resse Reynolds-Malone, Maggie Nitka and Clemmie Lilley was victorious in the 4×400 in a time of 3:44.23. Colts Neck came in fourth, running in 3:51.
Continuing RFH’s momentum this season, Lilley earned second place individually in the 800-meter with a time of 2:05.96; teammate Reynolds-Mallone came in fourth, running in 2:07. Ocean Township’s Leah Starkey won the 3,200-meter easily in 10:38; her closest competitor trailed by 3 seconds. Starkey ended her first high school season as a state group champion and but with an MOC gold medal.
In the boys 3,200, CBA’s Luke Hnatt earned a silver medal with a time of 9:13.21, second to Luke Pash of Ridgewood High School.
During the 4×800 meter relay, in an almost photo finish, Christian Brothers Academy prevailed over West Orange High School. The Colts won the race by .02 seconds, ultimately clocking in 7:48.55.
In the shot put, CBA senior Marcus Blasucci capped off his career in New Jersey on a high note, winning the event with a throw of 64 feet 8 inches.
Only four days after the Meet of Champions, at Brooks PR in Seattle, Washington (an invite-only elite national championship), CBA senior Joe Barrett ran a new Top 5 New Jersey time. In the competitive field, he crossed the line for a third-place finish with a blazing time of 8:52.18, making history to end his high school career.
Next, local athletes will choose which national championship meet to attend: New Balance Nationals are June 19-22 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia and the Nike Outdoor Nationals are at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
While others are focusing on track and field nationals, Colts Neck Coach Jim Schlentz said he is also preparing for cross-country training. Some of his athletes sat out the MOC to get ready for nationals. “We had a couple athletes that had some soreness that we did not want to take into the nationals in two weeks, so we held them out of the past meet,” Schlentz said.
The article originally appeared in the June 12 – 18, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
