Hahn evens score with win at Eastern States
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Call it one-up girlship.After beating Hillsborough's Taryn O'Connor in an early season meet and taking a back seat to her in the NJSIAA Group IV championships and the NJSIAA Meet of Champions recently, Brick Township star shot-putter Deanne Hahn evened matters up.

At least until the national scholastic championships at the 168th Street Armory in New York on Friday and the Nike Invitational in Landover, Md., on Sunday when the two nationally ranked throwers are expected to collide again.

"Yeah, I was surprised to see her. I only thought I'd see her in nationals," said Hahn, a junior who is ranked No. 4 nationally behind No. 3 O'Connor, who is a senior. "I just knew I was going to beat her. These are bigger meets than the MOC."

In stark contrast to the MOC when Hahn was playing catchup to O'Connor after both had a seesaw battle in the groups meet, Hahn this time was the one setting the tone from the start in the Eastern Invitational at the 168th Street Armory.

Hahn ended up throwing a winning 45 feet 7 inches on her first throw of the day. It was 2 inches better than O'Connor, who threw her best on her final throw. Even if Hahn had not uncorked that 45-7 throw, her final attempt was still a half-inch beyond the best by O'Connor.

"Now we're 2-and-2," said Hahn of the four meetings. "I went out to win it. I knew if I didn't, she would keep expecting it."

"It was a good job, a good mark before the nationals," said coach Bill Brunner.

Hahn said she went back to the form she used to throw.

"I had been lifting my left leg up, then out and in and then I'd fall back into the glide, but this time I lifted my leg up and then in, which gives me a quicker move," she said.

Also in the shot put, Brick Township shut put partner Lisa Stuto placed seventh, an impressive finish for a sophomore in a weight throwing event in a field of 43 entrants, with a heave of 39-11. Stuto did that, typically, on her first throw of the day and it was her third-highest throw of her career, the other two going just beyond 40 feet.

In the MOC just three days earlier, Hahn threw a 44-9 to finish second to O'Connor's 46-3.

Also from Brick Township, Ryisha Boyd clocked a school indoor record 58.2 in the 400 in an electronically timed finish. Three days earlier, she ran a 58.85 for seventh place in the MOC. In only her second long jump competition of the season (most indoor meets do not have long jump competition), Boyd jumped 16-6 to finish in 10th place.

It was 4 inches shy of her only other competition in the Seton Hall Invitational back on Dec. 28 and affirms her as a serious threat to repeat as the best in Ocean County outdoors in both events (although she was disqualified for a registration infraction in the long jump in the county meet). Boyd was second in the long jump in the Shore Conference championships and fourth in the 400 last spring.

"I'm not disappointed because Ryisha has not jumped consistently since Dec. 28," said Brunner. "If she is injury-free, she can have a great spring. A year ago, she was running a 59.5.

"When she was younger, she ran questionable races and now she runs good races strategically. She feels her way through the competition and knows where she is."

Stuto, incidentally, was sixth in the shot put at the Shore Conference outdoor championships last spring.

"Overall, it was a good job, a good way to finish the indoor season," said Brunner.

"I'm proud of how we all stuck it out the longest," said Hahn.

Practice began Monday for the outdoor season and along with those three, Brunner expects "big things" this spring from Amber Hessenkemper in the middle and long distances. Jackie Daniels should contribute in long distances as well as good showings from throughout a deep lineup to make the team a serious contender in the county meet and a dangerous threat in the Shore Conference championships.