Boys track MOC: Taylor McLaughlin wins two golds as Union Catholic 4x400 edges Old Bridge in photo finish

TOMS RIVER – It was a photo finish and five thousandths of a second that ended up coming through for both Taylor McLaughlin and his Union Catholic teammates on the boys 4x400 team in the boys indoor track and field NJSIAA Meet of Champions on Saturday at the Bennett Center.

Union Catholic won its third consecutive 4x400 title as its team of Anthony Dawson, Brian Sagendorf, Greg Gibbs, and McLaughlin ran a 3:24.54 to barely edge Old Bridge by a hair, which finished in 3:24.55, as McLaughlin's burst and final lean at the finish put his torso in front of Old Bridge's Hazem Miawad.

"You can barely even tell I won, that's crazy," McLaughlin said when seeing the photo finish for the first time. "It was great. (Miawad) definitely reacted well when I kicked up on the last turn, because I saw him going and I was like, 'Alright, I guess it's time to work,' so I went and he went and it was just really fun to run against someone both trying to just kill each other on the last leg like that."

Miawad was in third entering the final leg and McLaughlin fourth, but both made up ground around the turn heading towards the home stretch as Miawad was out in front before McLaughlin put forth one final burst and got just enough of a lean at the finish to win by less than 1/16th of an inch.

"For me, of course I want to win, but it was just a fantastic, exciting race," Old Bridge coach Jack Campbell said. "Especially that last anchor legs, where two of the best 400 meter kids in the state, and probably a couple of the better kids in the United States going at it there."

It looked like Miawad and Old Bridge originally had the win before the automatic timing system broke the finish down frame-by-frame.

"I got it and I was really concerned because (Miawad) had a good distance on me, but I knew he'd try to catch the guys ahead of him so if I just waited a bit and met with him, I'd get it," McLaughlin said.

The Michigan-bound Union Catholic senior started the day off winning the 400 in 48.33, as McLaughlin was just .07 seconds shy of tying the meet record.

North Hunterdon's Samuel Layding placed fifth in the 3200 (9:21.84) while Union Catholic's Sean Brennan finished sixth in the shot put (55-11).

BOYS TRACK NJSIAA MEET OF CHAMPIONS

At the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex, Toms River

400:1. Taylor McLaughlin (Union Catholic) 49.33; 2. Nasir Haines (Freehold Township) 48.77; 3. Deshawne Bunion (Rahway) 49.45; 4. Raymund Clarke (Roselle) 50.14; 5. Norman Morris (Penns Grove) 50.20; 6. Alvin Abraham (Egg Harbor) 50.38.

1600:1. Luke Petela (Haddon Twp.) 4:14.71; 2. Colin Daly (River Dell) 4:16.62; 3. Ryan Rafferty (Jackson Memorial) 4:16.96; 4. Joe Dragon (High Point) 4:19.03; 5. Justin Branco (Delsea) 4:20.38; 6. William Daly (River Dell) 4:20.87.

800: 1. Hazem Miawad (Old Bridge) 1:55.10; 2. Isaiah Curbelo (Rancocas Valley) 1:55.54; 3. Marc Rienas (Northern Valley Old Tappan) 1:55.57; 4. Aaron John (J.P. Stevens) 1:56.70; 5. Matt Kamph (Notre Dame) 1:56.83; 6. Franklin Aririguzoh (Notre Dame) 1:56.90.

200:1. Sterling Pierce (Rancocas Valley) 22.20; 2. Nasir Haines (Freehold Township) 22.25; 3. Qwashon Powell (JFK Paterson) 22.56; 4. Jeremiah Atoki (Vineland) 22.70; 5. Saint Jacob Diodonet (West Milford) 22.83; 6. Christian Kildal-Brandt (Mendham) 22.91.

55 hurdles: 1. Alex Borzelin (Nottingham) 7.44; 2. Nate Bowie (Matawan) 7.52; 3. Cory Poole (East Orange) 7.56; 4. Edwin Alston (Winslow Twp.) 7.63; 5. Josh Taylor (St. John Vianney) 7.65; 6. Jacob Liedtka (Notre Dame) 7.82.

55 dash: 1. Caleb Williams (St. Joseph-Hammonton) 6.48; 2. Chais Hill (Highland) 6.56; 3. Paul Wickwire (Barnegat) 6.61; 4. Marvin Morgan (Neptune) 6.61; 5. Akeem Lindo (East Orange) 6.62; 6. Salaam Horne (St. Joseph-Hammonton) 6.62.

3200:1. Blaise Ferro (Christian Brothers) 9:12.96; 2. Nikhil Pulimood (West Windsor-Plainsboro South) 9:17.01; 3. Conor Murphy (Allentown) 9:20.88; 4. Craig Corti (Wallkill Valley) 9:21.70; 5. Samuel Layding (North Hunterdon) 9:21.84; 6. Matt Grossman (Millburn) 9:26.58.

High jump: 1. Tyriq Adams (Pleasantville) 6-8; 2. Ameer Banks (Delsea) 6-8; 3. Devin Bradham (Williamstown) 6-6; 4. Jake Liebling (Lenape) 6-4; 5. Bashir Sanders (Weequahic) 6-4; T6. Donte Waldron (Linden), Semaj Willis (Ternton), Diante Bah (Rancocas Valley) 6-4.

Shot put:1. Luke Grodeska (St. Rose) 61-3.5; 2. Andrew Liskowitz (Christian Brothers) 56-10.5; 3. Jordan West (Rahway) 56-2; 4. Dan Gilligan (Toms River East) 56-1.5; 5. Andrew Tummino (River Dell) 56-0.5; 6. Sean Brennan (Union Catholic) 55-11.

Pole vault: 1. Joseph Egri (JFK-Iselin) 14-6; 2. Matthew Isaacson (Matawan) 14-6; 3. Andrew Accardi (Pompton Lakes) 14-0; 4. Calvin Gould (Lakeland) 13-6; 5. Matt Scavetta (Livingston) 13-6; 6. Christopher Zoufaly (Scotch Plains-Fanwood) 13-6.

4x400:1. Union Catholic (Anthony Dawson, Brian Sagendorf, Greg Gibbs, Taylor McLaughlin) 3:24.54; 2. Old Bridge 3:24.55; 3. Christian Brothers 3:25.25; 4. Deptford 3:25.52; 5. East Orange 3:26.17; 6. Willingboro 3:27.33.

Staff writer Mike Becker: mbecker@mycentraljersey.com