Oakcrest's Ryan Merlino wins boys pole vault at 2024 Meet of Champions

Ryan Merlino had to watch the 2023 Meet of Champions as a spectator.

A promising junior season was derailed just before the sectional championships due to a hamstring injury.

A chance to win his first outdoor state title would have to wait.

“I was frustrated,” he said. “All athletes are, but at least I realized I still had a whole year if I took my time coming back and really worked at it. I know I could make it work. Of course I was bored, sitting around but it ended up going well.

It’s been a long road back, but he peaked with a 2024 Meet of Champions indoor pole vault title. He reached higher on Saturday to cap off an exciting comeback.

His opponent was familiar. Merlino edged West Morris’ Cade Zeolla with fewer misses after clearing 15′6″ in March. The margin was just as slim in Pennsauken.

Merlino cleared 14′6″, 15′ and 15′6″ without missing, but Zeolla increased the pressure at 16′.

Oakcrest’s Ryan Merlino hugs West Morris’ Cade Zeolla after they both cleared 16-0 and finished 1-2 in the boys’ pole vault at the NJSIAA Track and Field Meet of Champions at Pennsauken in Pennsauken, NJ, 6/12/24.

The senior rose to the occasion and made 16, giving him only one miss compared to three for Zeolla (he missed two at 15′ before clearing). Neither jumper reached 16′6″ and Merlino was crowned the winner of his first outdoor Meet of Champions title.

“I always like to win a competition when there’s a big competition there and this was the best we could have gotten,” Merlino said. “He was neck and neck with me at the end. He made this second attempt flawlessly on 16 (feet). He put pressure on me. That was success or failure. It was incredible. It was probably the most fun competition of my career.

Merlino became one of four vaulters to win the Meet of Champions with a mark of 16′ and was the first since Pascack Hills’ Max Zuckerman in 2022. He is also Oakcrest’s first men’s pole vault champion .

He took one look at that bar set at 16′6″ and thought one thing.

“Oh shit,” he said, laughing. “I saw this thing up there, I don’t normally get nervous in front of bars but it looked pretty damn high. This will definitely be the next mental hurdle I have to overcome. I think my technique is close. I think if I land a perfect jump, I have the height to do it, but it will be in my head afterwards. It will come.”

Part of the recipe for his success all season has been a change in his warm-ups.

After suffering a hamstring injury a year ago, he knew he needed a change.

“I was barely warming up,” he said. “It was a very bad idea. I was cold on a lot of jumps. I try to do 20 minutes before jumping. I want to be completely ready. I want to be able to run a full sprint before getting on the track. I just increased the length of my warm-ups but it helped a lot.

This adjustment and his exceptional, consistent work ethic have made the senior a champion once again.

RESULTS:

1-Ryan Merlino, Oakcrest – 16-0
2-Cade Zeolla, West Morris – 16-0
3-Owen Keating, Pompton Lakes – 15-0
4-Paul Quense, Delbarton – 14-6
5-Ed Frey, Cinnaminson – 14-6
6-Alexander Szymanik, Hopewell Valley – 13-6
7-Daniel Couse, Clearview – 13-6
8-Ryan Hassa, Cedar Creek – 13-6
8-Gavin Mabes, South Brunswick – 13-6
10-Owen Browne, Morris Knolls – 13-6
11-Louis Izzo, Rumson-Fair Haven – 13-6
12-Raymond Senator, West Deptford – 13-0
13-Ryan Hoo, Pope John – 13-0
14-Ben Mandler, Pascack Hills – 13-0
14-Aarav Yadav, South Brunswick – 13-0
16-Henry Cifaloglio, Delsea – 13-0
16-Léo Davis, Audubon – 13-0
17-Ethan Plut, Moorestown – 12-6
17-Brady Bonser, Wallkill Valley – 12-6
19-William Lewis, Sayreville – 12-6

Brian Bobal can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on @BrianBobal.

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