Colts Neck’s and Manalapan’s girls were winners at Saturday’s Holmdel Relays.
The Cougars were tops in Division II, while the Braves were first in Division III.
Colts Neck topped Holmdel, 87-70, on the strength of six victories that displayed the team’s all-around balance.
On the track, the Cougars used their hurdlers and sprinters, along with their well-known distance runner, to win four of their relays.
Jackie Austin, Julia Tomaro, Kathlyn Herrick and Amy Lewis teamed up to win the 4×100-meter shuttle hurdles in 1:13.0.
Austin, Herrick and Tomaro came back to win the 3×400-meter intermediate hurdles in a school record 3:39.4.
In the Distance Medley, Ashley Higginson split 5:06.5 for the anchor 1,600 meters to highlight the Cougars’ 12:47.0 win. Kristen O’Dowd (3:58.6) ran the opening 1,200-meter leg, followed by Quistara O’Dowd (64.4 400) and Rachel Grande (2:37.5 800).
Colts Neck’s Sprint Medley team of Austin, Meryl Wimberly, Herrick and Higginson set a Freehold Regional District record of 4:21.1 in finishing first. Austin ran the 400 leg in 63.4 with Wimberly’s and Herrick’s 200 meter legs adding up to 54.7. Higginson closed with a 2:23.0 800.
Jessica Pagliano and Gretchen Volherbst won the high-jump relay at 9-6, with Pagliano, the indoor Monmouth County champion, clearing 5-0.
Volherbst picked up her second first-place medal teaming with Lewis in the pole vault. They were first with a 16-0, led by Volherbst’s 8-6.
Manalapan prevailed in a very tight three-way battle thanks to its depth. The Braves had just two winning teams, but scored consistently in the other relays to collect 68 points and out-score Old Bridge (61) and Ocean (60).
Danielle Mayer, Kristin Andrews and Kim Dale won the 3×400 intermediate hurdles (3:30.0) for the Braves, and in the field, Chelsea Tolerico and Justine Giamino teamed up to take the pole vault at 14-0.
Meet record for
Cougar boys in DMR
On the boys side, Colts Neck produced one of the meet’s highlights, a come-from-behind win in a meet record 10:37.7 in the Distance Medley.
The Cougars didn’t field their full indoor national championship squad, but still managed to break the Holmdel meet record thanks to Craig Forys’ 4:19.1 anchor 1,600, which brought the team back from fifth place.
Zach Tedoff led the record off with a 3:17.7 1,200. Evan Stivala turned in a 53.3 400 and Brenden Krewer did a 2:07.6 800.
Colts Neck also won the Sprint Medley in 3:40.1, highlighted by Ryan Jagielski’s 2:00.2 800 leg. Chris Clark split 53.7 for the opening 400, and the 200 legs of Pat Six and Marcus Lewis added up to 46.2.
The Cougars were fourth in Division II with 42 points. Lakewood was first with 74.
In Division III, Freehold Township won the high jump relay behind Shane Donohue and Paul Proctor. Their jumps totaled 12-0.
The Patriots were sixth (37) in the team competition that went to Toms River East (69).
The relay season continues Saturday with the postponed Rebel Relays at Howell High School. This meet was supposed to start the 2005 season on April 2, but the torrential rains that day forced its postponement to April 23.
— Tim Morris