Alexander finishes second in MOC triple jump BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer ERIC SUCAR staff St. John Vianney's Chris Favaloro looks up after clearing the bar during the pole vault event at the Meet of Champions onJune 6 in South Plainfield. The triple jump is one of the most difficult events in track and field to master, according to Matawan High School's girls coach Suzanne Mergner. "Besides the discus, it's one of the most technical events," she said. "It's in three phases, and every phase predicts what you will do in the next phase. "In the long jump, it's horizontal and vertical velocity," she added. "In the triple jump, you have to keep going forward." Mergner knows what it takes to succeed in the event because the Huskies have one of the best in the state in Donna Alexander. It's the newness and challenge of the triple jump that drove her to the event. "It [triple jump] was different," said Alexander "I liked the idea of something new. It's about speed and control." Alexander, who also sprinted and long-jumped for the Huskies, showed promise in the triple from the start, reaching 33 feet as a freshman. She continued to improve each year and eventually became one of the state's best, a champion and record holder. The senior concluded the 2007 New Jersey high school campaign by finishing second at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions held Wednesday at the Frank Jost Field in South Plainfield. Alexander's best jump of the night was 37-10, placing her behind only South Brunswick's Stephanie McIntyre (39-9). McIntyre, the only girl to surpass 40 feet this spring, was the top seed, and Alexander, who had set a Shore Conference record of 39-11/4, was the second seed. It was that SC record that highlighted the season for Alexander. "I'm proud I met my goal of 39 feet," she said. "I just kept at it. I'm happy. "It has been a good season; I kept improving," she added. "I put everything together." The 2007 season began with the Husky having a personal best jump of 37-7 3/4. She extended it to 39-1 1/4 by the end of the season and won the Monmouth County, Shore Conference, Central Jersey Group II, and State Group II titles. She set meet records at the state sectional and State Group meets. "She had a phenomenal season," said Mergner. For Alexander, the meet records are something special. "It's nice to recognized," she said. Alexander's scholastic career isn't quite over. This weekend she'll be jumping in the National Scholastic Championships in Greensboro, N.C. Then it will be off to Seton Hall University, where Mergner expects Alexander to keep on improving. "She wants it," said Mergner, who sees Alexander getting to 40-0 in college. Elsewhere at the MOC, Mater Dei's Marie Walsh finished fourth in the girls 1,600 meters (5:04.26), and Raritan's Christine Altland was 10th (5:10.97). Both had won State Group titles prior to the MOC. Walsh's freshman teammate Liz Shaw finished 19th in the 3,200 (11:21.90). Raritan's Valerie Carney was 11th in the javelin (119-3), with Matawan's Erin Scurry 16th (116-01). For the boys, Holmdel sophomore George Galasso was 19th in the 3,200 (9:29.66). St. John Vianney's Mike Reese (13-0) and Chris Favaloro (13-0) were ninth and 13th, respectively, in the pole vault. Matawan's Kyle Robinson took 14th in the long jump (21-2). Raritan's Brian England whirled the discus 150-5 to place ninth. Christian Brothers Academy's Christian Yuiskevich was 17th in the 400 hurdles (57.67).