For the second week in a row, East Brunswick High's Bianca Nfonoyim set a school record in the 800 and then had to sit around and wait and see how it stacked up with the other runners in the state.
For the second week in a row, Nfonoyim made out just fine.
Competing at The Meet of Champions at Old Bridge on June 9, Nfonoyim ran a time of 2:16.12 to place eighth.
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"She'll always know in her heart that she was a top-eight finisher for the entire state of New Jersey," East Brunswick Coach Kevin McEvoy said.
On June 9, Nfonoyim was in a similar situation.
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"She won her heat," McEvoy noted. "With 300 meters to go, she took the lead and kept going. We were all pretty excited."
The runners that came in with the top seeds then ran their race.
"Her time must have bounced a few kids from that race," McEvoy noted.
While certainly pleased, McEvoy wasn't surprised by Nfonoyim's success. After all, this is a girl that is heading to Harvard in the fall. She is a great example of turning hard work into success.
"Bianca was very excited about doing the best that she can," McEvoy noted. "Hopefully, she'll continue to run at Harvard. It's great when kids you coach do run in college. You can go to the Web site and check out the results. Whether she does or doesn't run remains to be seen. She's very excited about the academics.
"This might have been a bittersweet meet for Bianca. It's her last as a member of the East Brunswick High School team. For me, it's part of the gig. It's exciting when kids make The Meet of Champions, but then there comes the time when you have to move on. We'll rejuvenate over the summer and get ready for the next crop of students. Hopefully, we'll be going back to The Meet of Champions again next year."
