High jumper Maggie Gilbertson’s goal going into every competition is to clear a height on her first attempt. That goal helped her win the Group IV state title, and at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on Feb. 27 it put her on the cusp of the Meet of Champions crown.

Gilbertson was clean on every attempt, including her first try at her career-best 5-8. When pre-meet favorite Emily Kianka of Hopewell Valley missed on her first attempt at 5-8 and later cleared that height, it put Gilbertson in the lead in their head-to-head duel in Toms River.

But Kianka, who recently won the Eastern States title with a top leap in the nation of 5-11, was able to take the lead back by scaling 5-10.

Gilbertson had three good tries at 5-10, but missed them all, relegating the Howell High School senior to second place at the Meet of Champions. The loss did not sit well with Gilbertson, who will compete at the University of Louisville next year.

“I am a very competitive person,” she said. “I need to get to her [Kianka’s] level. Being so close to the Meet of Champions [title], I want it more than ever.”

The 2009-10 campaign was Gilbertson’s first indoor season and her biggest goal was to use it as preparation for the upcoming outdoor season. Her biggest goal was to match her outdoor best, 5-8, which she did.

“I’m well set up for outdoors,” she added.

Gilbertson’s indoor season is not over. She will compete at the Nike Indoor Nationals at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on March 12-14. There her goal is to become an All-American, and a top-six finish in her event will accomplish that goal.

With her leap of 5-8, Gilbertson is now second all-time in the Freehold Regional High School District behind only Freehold High School graduate Debra Vento, who was a two-time indoor Meet of Champions winner. Vento’s best jump during an indoor season was 5-10½.

Gilbertson’s Howell teammate Kellie Bresz matched her FRHSD record (10-6) in the girls pole vault at the Meet of Champions and finished tied for eighth place.

Freehold Township High School’s Randy Spadola turned in the fastest boys 800 of the season in the FRHSD, 1:56.84. That was good enough to get him fifth place in a race that was won by a fellow Shore Conference runner, Kevin Byrne of Red Bank Catholic. Byrne dusted the field with his 1:55.10, the fastest time of the year in the state.

In the boys 3,200, Colts Neck High School’s Mike O’Dowd lowered his personal best time to 9:13.58, which got him eighth place. O’Dowd is now the second fastest indoor 3,200 runner in FRHSD history, behind his former teammate Craig Forys (8:56.68).

The Freehold Township High School girls won their heat of the 4x400-meter relay in 4:02.43, a time swift enough for eighth place after all of the heats had been contested. Rhianna Zalewski, Kelly Berg, Kelly Pereira and Gabby Galanti ran the relay for the Patriots.

On Feb. 23 the Eastern States Championships were held at the New Balance Track and Field Center in New York City.

O’Dowd stepped down to the mile and finished second while running a time of 4:22.28. That makes him the third fastest indoor miler in FRHSD history, behind only Forys (4:09.77) and Robby Andrews of Manalapan (4:12.31).

Freehold Township’s boys and girls ran the 4x800-meter relay. The girls quartet of Kelly Pereira, Bridget Joyce, Heather Spadola and Rhianna Zalewski ran 9:33.99 to place sixth. The boys quartet of James Faith, Spadola, Gregg Tilley and Rich Fedak ran 8:07.13 to place 12th.

In the field events, Gilbertson tied for 10th place (5-2) in the high jump.

All that remains to the indoor season are the National Scholastic Indoor Championship at the New York Armory on March 12-14, or the Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston.