Nick Nejad demonstrated at the Zephyr Relays why he'll be one of the top contenders in the javelin once districts begin next month.

The senior whipped the competition by outdistancing the field by nearly 10 feet. His throw of 161-01 earned him the top spot and established him as one of the area's leading candidates to qualify for the state championships.

Nejad continues a strong tradition in the event, following in the footsteps of Andy Fahringer, Braden Zeiner and Nate Hoenl, with Fahringer finishing fourth at the PIAA Championships in 2006, while Hoenl finished 11th at states in 2012.

Nejad's road began last year under the tutelage of coach Jordan Strauss. Strauss left the area after the 2013 season, and Nejad began training with Fahringer in the offseason, picking up pointers from the former University of Virginia track standout.

With the advent of a new season, Nejad was now under the wing of new coach John Moyer who has molded him even further.

"He's taught me a lot and really coached me up," said Nejad.

Nejad said if anyone would have told him a few years ago he would be throwing the javelin as a member of the track team, he would have highly doubted it. However, he's become entrenched in the sport and it's showing in the results.

"I'm pretty glad I transitioned into it," he said.

Nejad said that he and Moyer go over the steps in preparation for each meet. From there it's a matter of execution and follow through, combining that with technique, and then "putting it all together and making it perfect."

As for this season, Nejad wants to go to states with an eye on topping the 200 ft. throw.

"That would be a great mark for me," he said.

The eighth annual Zephyr relays featured 11 area teams competing in 14 events, with the focus on relays. North Penn High School had a strong showing in both the boys and girls competitions, winning the boys with 131.50 points, while the girls came in second with 81. Palmerton Area won the girls with 90 points.

Stroudsburg was another school with a strong performance at the relays at the Whitehall Sports Complex, finishing second in the boys with 104 points, while their girls squad had 80.50 points, good for third. The host Zephyrs finished seventh in the boys (31) and eighth in the girls (35).

Despite the bad weather that always seems to play a role at the Relays, head coach Jim Sebesta said that the event once again was a success.

"I thought it went really well," said Sebesta. "It's getting better and better every year."

The Zephs had another first-place finish as their boys 4x800 relay team of Gabe Lamm, Brian Plucinsky, Calvin Schneck and J.C. Falcon crossed the line in 8:37.80, well ahead of second-place finishers North Penn "A" who shredded the tape in 9:13.62.

Other Zephs who finished among the leaders were their girls 4x100 relay team, finishing fourth. The squad of Decontee Krayee, Kylee Cunningham, Ivana Jones and Kourtney Cunningham crossed the line in 51.91. They also accomplished the same feat in the 4x100 shuttle hurdle as Brianna Gensay, Alyssa Holland, Jillian Kreglow and McKenzie Wloczewski crossed the line in 1:19.03.

In the pole vault, Taylor Hamscher finished third, clearing 7-00, while and Amber Meyers took seventh with a 6-00 jump.

Jones was fifth in the triple jump at 33 ft., while Hamscher was seventh in the long jump with a 15-01.50 leap.

For the boys, Elliot Miller was sixth in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 10 ft. Additionally, Isaiah Cary came in eighth in the long jump with a 5-6 mark, while the boys 4x100 team of Ronnie Okungu, Charles Mikhail, Kori Zacarius and Zach Hixson came in seventh at 47.20.

Sebesta said that the Relays are more about getting their younger kids the opportunity to race. The upperclassmen are occupied with working the meet, making sure it runs smoothly. That gives the underclassmen a chance to showcase their abilities since the season is long and many of their veteran athletes compete in multiple events. He said they needed the rest since they have a heavy Lehigh Valley Conference workload, and are also gearing toward the postseason.