Lady Knights enjoy another solid indoor season

BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, East Brunswick’s Gregory Schwalje competes in the 400-meter dash at the Group IV championships at Princeton University on Sunday. At left, the Bears’ Dana Liteplo competes in the high jump.

The Old Bridge High School girls winter track team meets J.P. Stevens this afternoon as the Lady Knights, who have placed four runners in the Meet of Champions, seek to defend their Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division crown.

Because of persistent inclement weather, Old Bridge has participated in just one dual meet, a triumph over Piscataway. So coach Mark Willems said his team would be busy over the next several weeks working to get its divisional meets in.

In the meantime, the Lady Knights took second place in the GMC Relays and finished first in the GMC Individuals. Junior Kaitlyn Regan and sophomores Ashley Gonzalez, Cristine Marquez and Stephanie Lafergola all qualified for the MOC.

At the GMC Individuals, Regan won at 3,200 meters and also finished second at 1,600 meters to qualify for the MOC, while Lafergola took first at 3,200 meters and second at 1,600 meters to also qualify in both events. Marquez took first at 800 meters and second at 400, and Gonzalez, an up-and-coming sprinter, finished fourth at 55 meters.

Marquez also took fifth and sixth place, respectively, at 800 and 400 meters, in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV individuals. At the same meet, Gonzalez reached the finals in at 55 meters.

"Those four girls have been scoring points for us all year," Willems said. "They’ve worked hard and they’re getting better and better. And the best thing is that we’ll have all of them back next season."

Other key members of the team include seniors Rachel Cruz, who competes at 800 meters; junior Mara McInerny, who runs at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters; and freshman Farah Root, a promising middle-distance runner who has been competing at 800 meters.

In addition, senior shot-putters Amanda Benson and Tiffany Veitch regularly throw between 28-29 feet.

Besides its regular season meets, Willems said his team will compete in the Eastern States Championships in New York City later this month, as well as in a meet at Princeton at the end of the month.

Notes... The Old Bridge boys continue to put together an impressive season this winter.

Fresh off their win at the GMC championships, the Knights came away with a strong second-place finish at the Group IV championships, held at Princeton University’s Jadwin Gymnasium on Sunday.

The Knights finished with 24 team points, just four point behind Vineland, and two points ahead of rival Christian Brothers Academy, of Middletown.

Dave DePalma led the way for the Knights, capturing a second-place finish in the 400 (50.96), and anchoring the fourth-place 4x400 team (3:30.86). Vineland won that event with a time of 3:38.06, essentially sealing up the overall championship.

Ron Green added a second-place finish for the Knights in the 55 hurdles, posting a time of 7.78, which was just .02 behind Jackson’s Eric Dufresne.

Rob Allen also contributed some team points for Old Bridge by taking fourth in the shot put with a distance of 50-3.

East Brunswick’s James Correa was second in the shot put with a distance of 51-5 to lead the Bears to a 13th-place team finish with nine points. Ryan Williams accounted for the rest of the points with a sixth-place finish in the 3,200 (9:48.46).

Meanwhile, at the Group I championships, also held at Princeton on Sunday, Spotswood’s Kevin Thorpe raced to a second-place finish in the 1,600 (4:34.68), less than a second behind the winner. Thorpe’s effort keyed an 11th-place finish for the Chargers, one point behind South River.