Madison High School Junior Abe Gertler and Senior Austin Tolbert combined to win the New Jersey Group 1 Track & Field Relay State Championship in the Pole Vault at the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Sunday, January 13th. What started out as a sleepy 75 mile ride, with a 6:30 AM departure, ended 7 hours later with a Dodger Relay Team capturing a State Championship Event for the 2nd consecutive year.

Faced with stiff competiton from around the entire State, Gertler soared 12'-6," which represented the best individual vault in the Meet, followed by Tolbert's equally impressive 11'-6" effort to narrowly edge the twosome from historical Track powerhouse, Bernards High School. Both boys will be among a small group of favorites to take honors in the Pole Vault in the upcoming individual New Jersey Sectional and State Championship Meets.

As a team, Madison finished in 10th Place, out of 67 Group 1 teams, which marks the 3rd time in 4 years that the program has notched a Top 10 Finish at the State Championships. 

Next up for the Dodgers is the Morris County Championships on January 23rd at Drew University and then Madison defends their 2012 North Jersey Section 2, Group 1 Sectional Championship, the first in School History, back in Toms River on February 4th.