|  | by Scott Clayton
|
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Shavon Greaves, Lakewood
Sprints
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NJSIAA Meet of Champions winner at
200 meters in 23.89; runner-up in 100 (11.68).
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Established new Shore Conference
records for 100 (11.61) and 200 meters (23.69).
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Unbeaten at 100, 200 and 400
meters until the Meet of Champions.
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Triple-winner at 100, 200 and 400
at Ocean County, Central Jersey Group III and Group III Championships.
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Personal best 400 time of 54.73
from Central Jersey Group III race is fifth-best in conference history.
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Will compete for Penn State
University.
 COACH OF THE YEAR
Suzanne Mergner, Matawan
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Guided the Huskies to the Central
Jersey Group II title, the program's first sectional title since 1971.
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The Huskies completed their Class
B North schedule with a 5-1 record.
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Matawan scored 60 points at the
Monmouth County Championships, good for fourth place.
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Tied for sixth-place at the Shore
Conference Championships with 28 points.
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Placed fifth in Group II.
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Finished season ranked No. 9 in
ShoreConferenceSports.com Top 10.
FIRST TEAM
 Georgina Nembhard, Ocean
Sprints
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Graduates as No. 2 in conference
history - behind Greaves - in 100 (11.71) and 200 (24.02).
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Placed third in both the 100 hurdles
(14.33) and 200 (24.35) at the Meet of Champions.
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Won Group III and Central Jersey III
at 100 hurdles.
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Runner-up to Greaves in 100 and 200
at Shore Conference, Central Jersey III and Group III at 100 and 200.
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Helped Spartans to Class B North
title.
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Will compete for University of
Georgia.
 Gabriella Kelly, Rumson-Fair Haven
Sprints
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The junior competed at 100, 200 and
400 for Bulldogs, but came into her own in the 400 by season's end.
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Nipped teammate Melissa Bellin for
Central Jersey Group II 400 title in 57.12.
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Group II 400 runner-up in seasonal
best of 56.62; Also reached MOC with a seasonal best of 25.72.
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Led off one of the Shore's all-time
best 4x400 squads, as the Bulldogs ran 3:51.91 for fifth at MOC.
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Earned top-three finishes in the
100, 200 and 400 at the Monmouth County Championships.
 Jillian Smith, Southern
Distance
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The sophomore won Meet of Champions
800 in Shore Conference record of 2:08.80.
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Set Rams up finely for a distance
medley win at Nike Outdoor Nationals with a 3:29.1 for her 1,200-meter
leg.
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Personal best of 4:46.87 from Group
IV 1,600 is No. 5 in state history and No. 2 all-time in Shore Conference.
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Helped Southern to victories at
Shore Conference, South Jersey IV and Group IV.
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Split 55.4 for 400 meters in
Southern's state record sprint medley run at Nationals.
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Only losses of season came to
teammate Danielle Tauro.
 Danielle Tauro, Southern
Distance
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Became the second New Jersey girl to
win four outdoor Meet of Champions titles at 1,600 meters, taking the race
in 4:49.51.
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Universally recognized as the
greatest female miler in state history Tauro completed her career with
five outdoor MOC titles and eight overall.
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Won a loaded Group IV 1,600 race in
meet-record 4:44.35; Also the Group IV champ at 800 meters to bring career
total to eight Group IV wins.
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Won every track race in New Jersey
that she competed in since 2004 South Jersey Group IV Championships 800.
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Anchored Southern to state-record
sprint medley relay and distance medley win at Nike Outdoor Nationals.
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Led Southern to team championships
in Class A South, Shore Conference, South Jersey Group IV and Group IV.
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Won Shore Conference 800 and 1,600
along with Ocean County 800.
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Will compete for University of
Michigan.
Ashley Higginson, Colts Neck
Distance
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Nike Outdoor National champion for
two miles, running a state record of 10:17.44; also third-place in
steeplechase.
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Also established new state records
for 5,000 meters (16:38.51) and 2,000-meter steeplechase (6:46.67).
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Won Meet of Champions title at 3,200
meters in 10:23.28.
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Third-place finish in Group IV 1,600
(4:47.71) puts Higginson sixth on New Jersey's all-time list.
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Won three Monmouth County titles and
two in Central Jersey Group IV.
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Triple at Monmouth County helped
Cougars to second-straight team title.
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Will compete for Princeton
University.
Stefani Zabilowicz, Lacey
Hurdles
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Shore Conference champion at 100
hurdles in 15.08.
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South Jersey Group IV champion in
same event, running a seasonal best of 14.76.
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Advanced as a wild card to Meet of
Champions after a seventh-place 14.97 in Group IV hurdles.
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Placed in three events at Ocean
County Championships, including runner-up finish in 100 hurdles.
Alexandra Hehn, Toms River North
Hurdles
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Group IV champion at 400 hurdles,
running a seasonal best of 1:02.35.
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Placed fourth in same event at Meet
of Champions in 1:03.14.
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Broke 1:03 again (1:02.58) at Nike
Outdoor Nationals.
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Also won 400 hurdles at Ocean County
and South Jersey Group IV meets.
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Medaled in 100 hurdles in Ocean
County and SJ IV.
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Will compete for Seton Hall
University.
Lindsey Rappleyea, Colts Neck
Jumps
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Won the Shore Conference high jump
title as a sophomore this season in a personal best of 5 feet, 4 inches.
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Second-place finisher in Monmouth County
Championships at 5-2.
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Another 5-2 jump was good for
third-place in Central Jersey IV.
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Teamed with Jess Pagliano to win
the East Coast Relays title at a state-best 10-feet, 8-inches.
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Placed fourth in Monmouth County
long jump (16-1 1/2).
 Ryisha Boyd, Brick
Jumps
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The junior had
a seasonal best long jump of 18-feet, 3-inches to place second in
Central Jersey Group IV.
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Jumped 17-6 for runner-up finish
in Ocean County long jump.
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Also among the conference's top
400-meter runners, Boyd placed fifth in the Meet of Champions in 56.64.
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Placed in both long jump and 400
at Group IV Championships.
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Won Central Jersey Group IV 400 in
seasonal best of 55.93.
Donna Alexander, Matawan
Jumps
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Established a new Shore Conference
triple jump record of 39-1 1/2 in winning the Central Jersey Group II title.
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Meet of Champions runner-up and
11th place in Nike Outdoor Nationals triple jump.
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Also won triple jump titles at
Monmouth County, Shore Conference and Group II.
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Ran personal best of 24.76 in
trials of CJ II 200, which she won in 25.05.
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Long jumped a personal best of
18-feet, 4-inches in winning Monmouth County.
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Will compete for Seton Hall
University.
Jennifer Holly, Barnegat
Pole Vault
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The junior won NJSIAA Meet of Champions with
a personal best of 12-feet.
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Took the Ocean County Championship
at 11-0.
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Was the South Jersey Group II
champion, her third career sectional title, at 11-0.
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Cleared 11-5 at the Nike Outdoor
Nationals.
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First individual state champion in
school history.
DeAnne Hahn, Brick
Throws
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Just a junior, Hahn won second straight Meet of
Champions shot put with a conference-record toss of 47 feet, 6 inches.
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Also the MOC discus runner-up.
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Ocean County and Shore Conference
shot put champion.
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Was the Group IV Champion at shot
put (45-4 1/2) and discus (138-4).
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Reached a seasonal best discus
throw of 146-10 at the Lion Invitational.
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Won Ocean County discus with a
144-1.
Kristen Batts, Marlboro
Throws
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Had the top New Jersey throw in
the discus, a 152-4 to win the Shore Conference Championships.
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Established a new Monmouth County
record with that throw, also good for No. 5 in state history.
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Also captured Monmouth County and
Central Jersey Group IV discus titles.
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Finished eighth in discus at the
Nike Outdoor Nationals, throwing 147-3.
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Medaled in every championship shot
put, including a personal best of 42-4 for fifth at the Meet of
Champions.
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Will compete for the University of
Maryland.
Erin Scurry, Matawan
Throws
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The junior was a surprise winner
of the Monmouth County Championship javelin, winning at 131 feet, 7
inches.
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Backed up that victory with
another at the Shore Conference meet, throwing 129-11.
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One of the conference's best
all-around athletes, Scurry placed in the javelin, long jump and triple
jump, and won the shot put at the Central Jersey Group II Championships.
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Placed in three events at the
Monmouth County meet, including a seasonal best of 37-1 1/2 for second
in the shot put.
 Southern
Relay
Danielle Tauro, Chelsea Cox,
Jessica Bergin and Jillian Smith -
As a 4x400 team, Southern placed
first in both the Ocean County and Shore Conference Championships.
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The Rams broke the Shore
Conference 4x400 record with a third-place 3:51.14.
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The same four runners also
comprised the distance medley team that won Penn Relays and the Nike
Outdoor Nationals.
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Also broke a state record in the
sprint medley with a second-place showing at NON.
Second Team
Sprints:
Ifeekam Ozunowe (Jackson); Ada
Unachukwu (Marlboro); Melissa Bellin (Rumson-Fair Haven).
Distance:
Janel Parker (Freehold Township);
Amanda Marino (Jackson); Marie Walsh (Mater Dei).
Hurdles:
Kelly Fortune (Howell); Jamie
Leacock (Howell);
Jumps:
Jess Pagliano (Colts Neck); Jessica
Bergin (Southern); Emily Policastro (Southern).
Pole Vault:
Ashley Furlong (Southern).
Throws:
Maureen Laffan (Toms River North);
Elena Faagai (Monmouth); Brittany Napoli (Howell).
Relay:
Rumson-Fair Haven (Gabriella Kelly,
Jaime Carroll, Sara Robinson, Melissa Bellin).
E-mail:
clayton@digitalsports.com. |