Hamilton High boys' track wins team MCC title with record-setting 4x400 relay

on May 12, 2014 at 11:34 PM, updated May 13, 2014 at 12:05 AM

HAMILTON — By the time the Hamilton 4x400 meters team stepped on the Steinert track for the final race of the Mercer County Championships, the runners all knew what they had to do.

With a fifth place finish in the 3,200-meter race, Allentown’s Conor Murphy had given the Redbirds a 3.83 point lead at the top of the standings. So anything better than a fifth place finish in the relay would give the Hornets the team title.

When Efrain Garcia got the baton for the anchor leg, the Hornets were neck-and-neck for fourth. By the time he crossed the tape, Garcia had run a personal record of 49 seconds, caught the Trenton and Notre Dame team, and shattered the school record by more than six seconds. He crossed the line in second place, setting off a delirious dash from the entire boys’ and girls’ Hornets team to mob him at the finish line, as the Hamilton boys claimed the team title by a mere 4.17 points, in what will go down as one of the most improbable team titles in the history of the championships.

“It feels good,” said Garcia. “I just came out here and gave it my all, and ran a personal record of 49 seconds. We were nervous when Murphy finished fifth, but we just came on the track and gave it our all. We broke our school record, and we won the Mercer County title. We have been working for this for four years, and for it to come down to us, and then run like that, it is the best.”

Garcia was joined in the relay by Davidson Celidor, Marvin Ashmore, and Deonte Noncent, and all four ran one of their best races of the year, in the biggest race.

“Its awesome,” said Noncent. “To win is a great feeling. I got the baton from Marvin and just tried to do my best.”

“Davidson got the baton to me, and I just went hard right away,” said Ashmore. “I tried to give our guys a chance later in the race.”

For both Allentown and Hamilton, the 2014 season has been a meteoric rise to the top of the track and field world. Before the two races today, both head coaches were reminiscing about the struggles that the teams went through just two years ago. When the teams met that season, both came into the meet winless, and it was Allentown that got the better of Hamilton by a few points. Now, just two seasons later, the two are the cream of the crop in the county finals.

“It’s been four years for the coaches, and these seniors,” said Hamilton head coach Gerard VanSlooten. “We came from zero wins to Mercer County champions. These seniors have been there from the start. It is the same thing at Allentown. Both staffs have been around for four years. My coaches have done a great job.”

Three Hornets: Darryl Hardee, Tyree Adams, and Malik Snead, came up huge for the team, winning 52.5 of the 77.5 points that Hamilton accumulated in winning the overall title. Known for their jumping, it was the nine points that they picked up in the 200, 400, and 400 hurdles that turned out to be the biggest ones of all.

“They are just three great kids,” said VanSlooten. “And they didn’t even have their best day. If we would have lost the meet, all three would have came to me and said ‘I could have done better.’ That is just the way that they are. It’s just awesome for them.”


1. Hamilton 77.5
2. Allentown 72.83



1. Tommy Teachen (HV) 9:22.1
2. Nikhi Pulimood (WW-PS) 9:29.4
3. KarnSelya (WW-PS) 9:34.5
4. Jacob Rist (P) 9:35.6
5. Conor Murphy (A) 9:41.9
6. Timmy Basin (WW-PS) 9:44.0


1. Ewing 3:20.4
2. Hamilton 3:25.1
3. Trenton 3:25.8
4. Princeton 3:27.9
4. Notre Dame 3:27.9
6. Hopewell Valley 3:28.8


Pole Vault

1. Sienna Kochio (H) 9’9“
2. Carly DuBrosky (A) 9’0“
3. Kristine Babyak (HW) 8’6“
3. Rebecca Schwartz (WW-PN) 8’6“
3. Janine Mazur (ND) 8’6“
6. Allison Rozanski (ND) 8’6“


1. Hopewell Valley 3:57.5
2. Hightstown 3:58.5.
3. Notre Dame 3:59.4
4. West Windsor-Plainsboro South 4:00.3
5. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 4:04.9
6 Lawrence 4:10.1