Ewing’s Okwudibonye caps senior season with PR, runner-up finish in 400 hurdles
FRANKLIN TWP. » If you watched Miriam Okwudibonye run around the track in the 400 meter hurdles for the first time at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, you would have had no idea the Ewing High senior hadn't actually competed in the event until this spring.
In fact, Okwudibonye didn't think she was very good at track until recently.
It's safe to say she's changed her tune as she's racked up the wins this season.
Okwudibonye saved her best performance for a chilly Saturday afternoon that featured a strong wind when she produced a personal-best 1:02.15 in the 400 hurdles to finish second at the MoC here at Franklin High.
“I don't know how to put it in words,” Ewing coach Dan Johnson said. “She started out like a 68 or so and this is her first year doing 400 hurdles. She ran just like a 62 or 61 right now. That's amazing.”
Johnson said he had Okwudibonye go over some hurdles during the winter to get her prepared for the spring season. She‘s an exceptional athlete who has a skill set that he believed translated well to the hurdles.
“It's been a crazy year, really challenging,” Okwudibonye said. “The first time I did the hurdles it was like 68 (seconds). I was like, ‘OK, it's not too bad.' I kept winning counties and all that. Then sectionals came and then Kylie (Jacoutot of Colts Neck) and I were really into each other and then states the same thing. I'm just like ‘wow, I don't know my time, but I know I did well.'”
Okwudibonye narrowly missed out on a MoC title as Piscataway's Brooke'Lyn Drakeford passed her on the final hurdle and finished in 1:01.94. Jacoutot, who edged Okwudibonye last week at the Group III Meet, was third in 1:03.58.
After the race, Okwudibonye and Jacoutot embraced with a big hug.
“I can see her right there and I was trying to lean,” Okwudibonye said. “I did my best. It's OK, though. I'm pretty proud of myself.”
It was a challenging race considering the conditions. The howling wind was at the runners' back and then it was in their face. Still, Okwudibonye was in position to challenge for MoC gold when she went out hard in the first 200 — just as Johnson drew it up this week in practice — and led into the last 100.
“I was really about that last hurdle because the last two events I trip off of it or
I tumble,” Okwudibonye said. “I went by it and I was like, ‘yes,' and I just had to push through with 15-20 meters left.”
Okwudibonye said she plans to run in college, but is still undecided as to where.
“She's just a phenomenal athlete,” Johnson said. “She works hard each day and is a great team player.”
She's also much quicker than she ever thought she would be.
“I didn't know I was good at track until this year,” Okwudibonye said. “Last year was my first experience and I was like behind. This year has been really great and I've achieved a lot.
“I'm like, ‘OK, this is good.' Let me keep doing this. I started being confident in myself when I stepped on the track and ran for the first time. Track is not a bad thing.”
Princeton High's Zach Della Roca capped off an outstanding first season on the track with a fourthplace finish in the 400.
The junior ran 49.41 in a wacky race in which two runners fell, including winner Alexander Sadikov of Ocean Township, who stumbled just as he crossed the finish line.
“It definitely messed up my lean,” Della Roca said. “It was hard.”
Morristown's Jason Meza was second in 49.60 and Pennsauken's Premier Wynn took third in 49.77.
Still, it was strong debut campaign and sets Della Roca up to be a force next season as a senior.
“I'm speechless,” Della Roca. “First season of track, to take fourth in the state meet, it's awesome. Next year, I'm going for first, and hopefully I can get it done.”
West Windsor-Plainsboro North senior Nikhil Makker collected a fifthplace medal in the 1600 after he crossed in 4:22.31.
He posted a personalbest time of 4:12.49 last week in the Group IV Meet, but this race was considerably slower because of the wind. Kingsway star Kyle Rakitis was the winner in 4:14.50.
Makker was also a standout cross country runner for the Knights.
The Wilberforce School of Princeton girls medaled in the 4×800 relay when the quartet of Sophia Park, Adeline Edwards, Laura Prothero and Gwen Mersereau finished eighth in a time of 9:50.26. Cherokee grabbed the relay crown by running 9:25.70.