Maxim Rychkov of Robbinsville finishes 3rd in the 200 meters at Meet of Champions

Robbinsville’s Maxim Rychkov reacts after finishing third in the 200 meters at the NJSIAA Track and Field Meet of Champions Wednesday afternoon at Pennsauken High. (Kyle Franko/Trentonian Photo)

PENNSAUKEN — Maxim Rychkov was going to put everything he had into the 200 meters to try to finish his high school career with a gold medal.

While the Robbinsville High senior ran well — he posted a 21.50 — he settled for a bronze medal in his farewell race before heading to the College of New Jersey in the fall .

“Coming here and finishing third at the Meet of Champions,” Ravens coach Will Spector said, “that’s one of our best spring finishes for an individual in quite a while.”

Rychkov likely had a chance to double the medal heading into the day, but he opted to drop out of the 100m and pursue the 200m. He said he felt he had a better chance of winning at the longer distance, especially in a fast field that included sprint king Malachi James of Burlington City.

It turned out that James was too fast for everyone in the 100 and 200 as he swept the sprints, winning the 100 in 10.28 and the 200 in 21.08.

“He’s on his A-game right now,” Rychkov said.

Rychkov has been on his A-game all spring for what has been a banner season for the Ravens. He scored 40 points – four individual wins – at the Mercer County Meet, then helped deliver the Central Group III sectional title to the Ravens. It was their first sectional crown since 2011.

“I couldn’t be happier with how our season went,” Rychkov said. “We had some great wins at the county and sectional team championships. This team as a whole overcame everything.

What made Rychkov, a former footballer who somehow got into sprinting, so good?

“That’s exactly who he is,” Spector said. “He’s been doing this for our team for four years. It’s this guy.

And how does Rychkov want his legacy to live on in Robbinsville?

“I want the kids who follow me to see what I did and then want to fill in what I left behind and continue the legacy,” Rychkov said.

In the 4×800, the West Windsor-Plainsboro North quartet of Subomi Allison, Andrew Sebastian, Jordan Andrade and Luke Ferrer ran a season-best 7:58.78 – their first sub-8 minute of the spring – to finish fourth.

“We also wanted to get a very high place,” Ferrer said. “We were aiming for a higher place, but in the end, fourth place is still pretty good. »

Allison took the Knights to a quick opening 800 before passing the baton to Sebastian, Andrade then Ferrer for the anchor leg. “I always try to put us in the best position from the start,” said Allison, who clocked 1:58.12, which was the fastest in the early stages.

North stayed near the front until winner Northern Valley Demarest (7:51.08) spun the jets to pull away from the field. Bridgewater-Raritan was second (7:52.83) with Ridge (7:54.27) third.

The Knights broke their previous record of 8:01.12 from the Penn Relays in April.

With three of the four riders – Allison, Andrade and Ferrer – returning next season, they are feeling good about what the future holds. “We’re going to go even faster,” Andrade said.

“It was fun,” said Sebastian, the only senior of the four. “We were definitely looking for first place, but I’m still happy with how the season went.”

In the boys’ shot put, Sean Wilton of Princeton High finished eighth with a throw of 57-11.50.

WW-PN also medaled in the girls 400 hurdles when junior Brie Davis-Owens finished seventh in 1:03.52.