Christian Brothers, Colts Neck win big

TOMS RIVER - Dominance in the distance races again has paid big-time dividends for the Christian Brothers Academy and Colts Neck High School boys. While CBA was claiming the NJSIAA’s annual Non-Public A Indoor Track and Field Championships trophy at the Bennett Center “bubble” Saturday for a record 22nd year, Colts Neck was winning its Group III crown for just the second time. CBA had won its first Indoor State title in 1968, but Colts Neck’s first was just a year ago. Union Catholic senior Sydney McLaughlin, the 2016 Rio Olympian, gave this meet its biggest celebrity in years, but another international athlete on the premises was Donovan Catholic senior Alyssa Wilson, who extended her own meet Non-Public A — and all-groups — girls shot put record to 54-2 1/4. Wilson, the bronze medalist in he 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland, will continue to attack the National indoor record (56-7 1/2 by Charleston, S.C.’s Raven Saunders in 2014) through the balance of the indoor season. In a race at the New York Armory Track and Field Center Friday night, McLaughlin, the world junior record-setter in the 400-meter hurdles, had lowered the national scholastic record in the indoor 300-meter dash to 36.82, besting the prior mark of 36.96 set by Rio Olympic teammate Francena McCorory of Bethel, Va. in 2006. And McLaughlin came right back the next morning at the “bubble” to win the 400 in 54.27, slicing 9/100ths off her own 2016 meet — and all groups — record. The Non-Public A and B boys and girls teams staged a morning quadruple-header; the public school Group II and III athletes took over the track for a long afternoon and early evening session. The Colts Neck boys bunched their 43 points in just three Group III events, leaving Pennsauken (29) a distant second, Ocean Township (12) seventh, and Toms River South, Neptune and Brick sharing eighth with 10 each and a single gold medalist each. Ocean’s Elliot Gindi and Colts Neck’s Jordan Brannan, a pair of senior stars who are long-time rivals, staged a great 1600 battle, before the Spartan edged the Cougar, 4:17.56 to 4:17.72. When CN’s Matthew Schaefer clocked a 4:26.10 in sixth, his team’s first nine points were in the books. Virtually clinching the team crown for Colts Neck was the slam-bang, 1-2-3, 24-point haul of Brannan (9:17.72), Anthony Russo (9:24.24) and Kevin Berry (9:24.26) in the 3200. Ryan Tomkins’ 6-4 high jump win added 10 more and locked it all up for Colts Neck. Thirty-three of CBA’s 74 1/2 points were bunched in the 800, 1600 and 3200. After Colin Trigani (4:18.25) and Noah Yuro (4:19.71) ran 1-2 in the 1600, Drake Anzano took third in the 800 (1:59.59) and Brian Hill (9:32.16) and Genaro Anzalone (9:50.81) placed 2-6 for the Colts in the 3200. Tim Jacoutot was another major force in the CBA win, taking the 400 (50.52) and running a close second (in 7.79) back of St. Augustine’s Sincere Rhea in the 55 hurdles. Dan Mead’s 55-1 1/2 shot put win, and fourths by high jumper Brendan Bodisch (6-0) and pole vaulter John Healy (11-6) bolstered the CBA cause. There was no stopping McLaughlin and Union Catholic in girls Non-Public A. UC totaled 98 points — the long day’s high — with Red Bank Catholic (40) and St. John Vianney (32) in 2-3 and Donovan (18 1/2) sixth. RBC’s Carly Friend took the 800 gold (2:19.76) and Casey teammates Danielle Hayes (5:20.45), Caitlin O’Hare (5:21.81) and Bridget Byrne (5:24.68) went 3-4-5 in the 1600. Katie DiFrancesco notched a pair of silver medals for St. John Vianney - chasing home Olympian McLaughlin in the 400 (58.11) and edged narrowly (7.26 to 7.29) by UC’s Amaya Chadwick in the 55 dash. with RBC’s Abby Collins third (7.35.) Two more SJV second-placers were Nora Honrath (11:19.73 3200) and Kaleigh Remick (10-0 pole vault). There was more Shore glory in boys Group III with Marvin Morgan’s 6.38 win — fastest of all groups — for Neptune in the 55-meter dash. His auto-timed 6.38 was considered at least equivalent — and probably superior to — the hand-timed 6.3 listed meet record by Franklin’s Clark Waddell in 1983. Toms River South’s Todd Stueber took the Group III shot put at 55-10 1/4, over Lakewood’s Joshua Lezin (53-3 1/4) with Red Bank Regional’s Brendan Loftus fifth (47- 6 3/4) and Central’s Blake Horgan seventh (47-3.) Brick’s Damien Dilcher ran to a 1:58.56 800 victory. Winslow’s Jamil Adams (7.68) edged Brick Memorial’s Kishaun Carter (7.77) for the gold in the Group III dash, with Central’s Jonathan Gonzalez (8.00) and Brick Memorial’s Jordan Frederick (8.09) placing 7-8. In the Group III pole vault, it was Central’s Keith Holland third (13-0) and Ocean’s Dean Golan fifth (12-6.) Middletown South’s Matt Lepine ran fifth in the 3200 (9:34.59.) Timber Creek (44) led girls Group III teams, with Winslow (41) a close second, Middletown North third (24), Allentown (11) sixth and Jackson Liberty (10) eighth.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Christian Brothers Academy Athletics

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS, COLTS NECK WIN BIG

ELLIOTT DENMAN

Asbury Park Press | 2/19/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: CBA Athletics