IN THE FAST LANE: Princeton High boys’ track star Zach Della Rocca displays his form in a race last spring. Last Saturday, senior and Princeton University-bound Della Rocca starred at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Group 4 state championship meet, taking first in the 100 meters and second in the 200. Della Rocca’s heroics helped PHS finish ninth in the team standings in the meet won by Pennsauken. Della Rocca will next be in action when he competes in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on June 14 at Franklin High. (Photo provided by Ben Samara)

By Justin Feil

Zach Della Rocca is headed back to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) outdoor Meet of Champions (MOC), but the senior sprinter will represent Princeton High in two different events from a year ago.

Della Rocca, who advanced to last year’s MOC in the 400 meters, chose to focus on the shorter sprints at the end of this spring season. He won the 100 meters in 10.86 seconds, and he set a new personal record of 21.62 to finish second in the 200 meters in the boys’ NJSIAA Group 4 state championships at Franklin High last Saturday.

“I felt great,” said Della Rocca, whose heroics helped PHS finish ninth in the team standings in the meet won by Pennsauken. “That was a big goal of mine — winning at sectionals and then winning at groups. That was something I wanted to achieve coming into this season. And I didn’t get to do it in winter because I was injured. It meant a lot to me that I could get first in the 100 and second in the 200.”

Della Rocca missed more than six months of training due to a stress reaction in his leg that limited him to upper body lifting only. He returned this spring and hasn’t missed a beat. He consistently competed in the 100, 200, and the 400 meters in dual meets, invitationals, and championships, and his trajectory landed him back in the MOC.

“Zach’s return has caused me to do a deep dive on coaching philosophy and training philosophy,” said PHS head coach Ben Samara. “I’ve been researching and trying to make it something I’ve focusing on. His return defies all logic in terms of training, injury, how you come back from those things. For him to sit out eight months and be able to come back and do what he’s doing speaks to what sort of athlete he is. He’s a once-in-a-generation talent.”

Five times this season he has lowered his own 100 or 200 school record. He set the 100-meter best when he won sectionals in 10.64. His improvements have kept him satisfied with his progress.

“Every time I get a PR, that’s great, that’s the direction I want to be heading,” said Della Rocca. “With the 100, it wasn’t quite my PR but I’m happy with it because the 100 is such a technical race — it’s all about the start and there are so many factors that go into it. I’m happy with that time, but I know I can definitely get it better. I know I can get under 10.5 so that’s what I’m going to try to do this Wednesday.”

The Meet of Champions will bring plenty of competition back to Franklin on June 14.

“I’m definitely excited for it, but I know it’s going to be a lot of hard competition, especially with some of the boys from Group III that I’m normally racing against in Mercer County,” said Della Rocca. “So I really have to put the work in in practice this week and get in the mindset. I think it’s going to be a lot of competition, but I think I should be in a good place to compete.”

Della Rocca is appreciating each chance he has to compete after missing the winter season. He was cleared to return when the Tigers came off spring break, and he’s worked to get himself to his goals.

“It was definitely hard in the winter when I was injured because I put so much time in training in the fall,” said the senior who has committed to continue his track career at Princeton University. “It’s really frustrating when you get injured and then you can’t compete. I put the work in at physical therapy and recovered and so far this spring I’ve felt great and had no problems. I’ve felt no pain, which has made me happy. I’m glad I’m able to be back on the track finally.”

Della Rocca finished last year in fourth in the 400 at the Meet of Champions. He passed up the opportunity to improve on that finish in the quarter-mile for the chance to medal in the shorter sprints.

“Going into this postseason, we made a decision that we wanted to focus on the 100 and 200, building up my resume and seeing what I can do in those events when I have 100 percent attention in those events,” said Della Rocca. “I’m really glad I did it because I never thought I could be a 100-meter Group 4 champion, especially after last year. Last year I was running 11.2s, and then going from 11.2 to 10.6 is an insane PR. So I’m glad we focused on that. But next year I’ll primarily be a 400 runner, but I hope to also still compete in the 100 and 200. I hope to do as much as I can at Princeton.”

He won’t be alone in his final meet for PHS. The Tigers advanced several wild card entries to the MOC. The top two finishers in each group event advanced automatically plus the next 18 best times from across all groups as wild card entries.

“We felt pretty good about our chances going into the weekend,” said Samara. “The wild card rules are much more fair for the top performers now. In the past, we’ve had to deal with the rules that put some of the big schools at a disadvantage. This year, they’re trying to get the top performers in the state in. That will always benefit us as a Group 4 school. We had some kids on the bubble so we were happy.”

The PHS boys also advanced a pair of distance runners to the MOC as wild card entries. Andrew Kenny ran 1:55.72 to place sixth in the 800 meters while Marty Brophy dropped a huge PR of 4:18.18 in the 1,600 meters.

“For our distance runners, Marty, a five-second PR in the 1600 at the most amazing time to do that, I don’t know how to explain it,” said Samara. “For Marty, you’re coming off that huge PR. It’s ‘how much do I have left and how much can I push?’ If it’s two guys that can squeeze more, it’s Marty and Andrew for sure.”

Oleg Brennan also placed sixth in his top event as the senior threw 152’0 in the discus. It landed him in the MOC and earned some redemption in a season of ups and downs.

“I think it’s great that he’s able to get to this Meet of Champs,” said Samara.  “Last year, he fouled out in sectionals. This year, it happened again and he had a tough time at counties, and he was really devastated after that, not only for the team but for himself as an individual. Now he’s bounced back and he’s in a position he can let it rip and go for that big PR he’s been looking for all season.”

Sawyer Quallen earned a wild card spot after placing eighth in the triple jump with a 44’6 effort. The MOC is another chance for the junior to shine.

“The sky is the limit,” said Samara. “Sawyer had two really big jumps at the start of his series where he could have gotten out to 45-46 range, but sometimes when you have a big jump it can make you go haywire. He’s ready for a breakthrough. He just has to put it out there.”

The PHS girls will be represented as well. Kyleigh Tangen, Brielle Moran, Ava Tabeart, and Rica Eleches-Lipsitz ran 9:52.77 for fifth in the girls 4×800 relay. The Tiger girls placed 36th in the team standings at the Group 4 meet which was won by Elizabeth High.

“It’s a really special group of girls,” said Samara. “They click really well together. They run really well when they run together. They’ve been dropping that time consistently. I think they just want to continue to do that.”

Della Rocca is looking to finish his high school career on a high note. It’s been a brief career. He didn’t join the track and field team until he was a junior last year, but after focusing on soccer for much of his athletic career, track became his top pursuit.

“Looking back at it, I’m just grateful for what has happened,” said Della Rocca. “None of this would have been possible without my coaches, my teammates. I couldn’t have asked for more. Looking back on it, no matter what happens this Wednesday, I’ve achieved more than I could have possibly wanted to going into track. That’s in large part due to my coaches and my teammates, my school, and family. More than anything I’m grateful and really lucky to have the experience I’ve had in track.”

Della Rocca’s speed made him an immediate impact athlete for the team. Last year’s experience paid off with him putting more effort into his preparation and training for this year. He approached this season differently because of his success in his first spring.

“Going into this year, I definitely had really high expectations for what I expect of myself and what I want to see from myself,” said Della Rocca. “It’s different from last year. I always set goals for myself before the season. It’s about reaching those times and working on my form. A lot of that I didn’t have going into last season. This year, I had set goals of being first in sectionals and first at groups. I think that’s the main difference between last year and this year. Last year, I was mostly just doing the best that I could. Then this year, I know what I can do and I want to make sure I’m getting better and doing stuff that I need to be a faster runner.”

Della Rocca also became more of a leader for the team. While he was learning alongside other first-year athletes, this year he feels more comfortable lending support to his track teammates.

“The thing about this year is that I can actually help my team members through meets and help them with their starts because I now know somewhat what I’m doing,” said Della Rocca. “And in the weight room, I’m able to help them because I’ve been through the program for a year. I have a lot more experience in those ways. And navigating through meets because they can be confusing about where to check in and everything. Then I can help with competition mentality and with form. Competition can be really anxiety producing for a lot of people, so helping them through that and helping them keep their form during races.”

Della Rocca is still a work in progress. He is learning with every race. He found areas he could build on and other aspects to improve coming off his gold and silver medals at groups.

“The 100, I think I had a good start,” said Della Rocca. “I was with the pack the whole time and pulled it out at the end. The 200, I was behind quite a lot coming into the final stretch, but that’s where I’m used to being, that’s normally how it plays out for me. Then I chased them down. I’m trying to get out of that because if I could start faster, I wouldn’t have to have that issue. So I wasn’t necessarily happy with it and it shows where I can improve and that’s what I’m trying to do on Wednesday.”

Della Rocca still has plenty ahead of him at the next level. He is looking forward to the opportunities presented by competing for the Princeton University track program.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Della Rocca. “I’ve looked up to those runners for so long. Now realizing that I’m going to be a part of that team, it’s a dream come true. That team is so exceptional. With the exception of the spring, they’ve won Ivies the last eight years. They placed seventh at nationals last year. They’re one of best track teams in the country and one of best academic schools in the country too. It’s the best of both worlds and I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to be on that team and to go to Princeton.”

He is viewing Princeton as a place that can help him grow in every way. His relatively little track experience means he has a higher ceiling for improvement, and he has heard only good things about sprints coach Robert Abdullah’s work.

“He’s great at developing sprinters and getting them faster,” said Della Rocca. “He’s almost like a magician, they don’t know how he does it. That’s something I was excited about. All of the coaches I have talked to during the process, none of them had a reputation like that. That’s exciting for me, especially because I am playing catch-up in a way. Having him and his skill set will benefit me greatly, and I’m excited to what I can do when I start getting coached by him.”

Della Rocca has one final high school meet that he is focused on before he turns his attention to competing across town. He has the chance to medal in both short sprints in the culmination of one chapter of his track career.

“Even though it’s not our full team, it’s really special in that we all get to be there, we all get to compete,” said Della Rocca. “I know we don’t have enough to compete for a team title, but I hope we all do our best and we can all place. More importantly for the seniors, I hope that we enjoy that this is our last time competing with each other and we take the moment in because sometimes we forget to do that.”