Budd's Comeback, Kirschling's Dominance Highlight County Meet

With a little over 140 meters left in the 800-meter race at the Gloucester County Track and Field Championships, there was virtually no chance Samantha Budd was going to do any better than second place.

With 100 yards left, there was a slight chance. With 60 meters left, some real hope emerged, and by the time the final 30 meters arrived, what had seemed impossible had become inevitable.

Budd, a senior on the girls' track team, erased a 40-meter deficit over the final 130 or 140 meters, crossing the line in two minutes, 20.23 seconds, just under .4 seconds faster than Kingsway’s Cassie Hagstoz, who appeared to have the race locked up.

“Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from,” said Budd of the final burst. “I always have some kind of kick in me at the end.”

Although fans may have not seen Budd’s intense close coming, the West Deptford senior did.

“Probably about 150 yards (from the finish), I saw her struggling a little bit and her arms were moving a little sloppy, so I knew she was tired,” Budd said. “I just put it in my head that she was dying and I was going to catch her.”

Count senior Megan Kirschling as one of Budd’s admirers. Kirschling and the rest of the Eagles cheered Budd on as she made the final surge.

“She never ceases to amaze me,” Kirschling said. “She just gets in the zone and pulls it out. She is pure determination and is someone who is great to look up to, no matter what grade you are in.”

That’s high praise, considering the same can be said of Kirschling. In another dominating effort, Kirschling won the high jump and 100 hurdles, and placed third in the triple jump.

Kirshling won the hurdles with a time of 14.84, leaped 35-04 in the triple jump and needed to clear just 5-0 in the high jump for the title. With no one left in the competition, Kirschling had the bar raised to 5-8, but failed in three attempts.

“I’m really happy that I PR'd in everything but the high jump,” said Kirschling, who also ran a 58-second split in the 4x400. “I will take that 5-0 win, since the day was jam-packed.”

Not to be left out in the mix was Nicole Pinto, who won the 200 in 26:19. Pinto’s performance helped the Eagles earn a third-place finish, behind Delsea and Kingsway, the two heavy favorites entering the meet.

“We knew if we would put in the work, it would be possible,” Kirschling said of placing third. “To see everyone put the work in, even when the schedule got changed, is a great feeling.”

The schedule change came in the early stages, as the times of certain events were shifted, causing coaches to shift their lineups to make do.

On the boys’ side, sophomore thrower Nick Pulli was the Eagles’ top performer, placing second in the shot put with a throw of 50-11.25. Pulli’s throw came on his first attempt and held up until the final round, when he was bested by two feet.

“I try to get a good mark out there on my first attempt so I have something that I can chase,” said Pulli.

Pulli also placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 134-07. He and the rest of the field were left in awe of Delsea’s Josh Awotunde, who broke a 61-year old meet record with a throw of 186-09.

“I saw him throw a 180 last week, and I was just like, ‘Wow’,” Pulli said. “I think if I can work on my form and keeping my hand flat, maybe I can be close to getting it out there like that when I am a senior."

Other top finishers were Leo Impagliazzo (third, 800), Shai Mumford (third, long jump), and Brandon Holmes (third, javelin), as the West Deptford boys placed sixth.