BY VIN RAPOLLA
Staff Writer
The GMC Relays got off to a flying start on Tuesday, with the East Brunswick High School distance teams making the most noise with their prowess in both the boys and girls competitions.
The Bear teams swept the 4×1,600-meter relay, an event that has been dominated by teams from Old Bridge High School runners in recent years.
In the boys race, the team of Dan Gilbert (4:37.5), Justin Granit (4:31.4), Eric Sorkin (4:44.2) and Greg Bull (4:36.1) combined to run 18:22.7, well ahead of second-place Old Bridge (18:48.0).
Meanwhile, in the girls race, the Bears crossed the line in 22:13, also well ahead of Old Bridge, who took second in 22:22..0.
Junior Vickie Krupnik got the Bears off to a fast start with her 5:23 leadoff leg, while Erin Comerford (5:40) and freshman Sarah Smith (5:44) helped maintain the edge before senior Megan Donovan closed the door with an impressive 5:24 leg. Their effort gave the foursome their second school record this season, having already set the mark in the distance medley earlier this spring.
Both East Brunswick squads hoped to compete the distance sweep yesterday, when the distance medley and the 4×800 were to be run at South Brunswick High School.
After the first day of action, with seven events down and nine to go, South Brunswick’s boys held a rather daunting 46-30 edge over Old Bridge in the team competition, while the Old Bridge girls entered last night with a 42-24 lead over Piscataway.
East Brunswick’s Steve Schreyer Jon Grimano and Joe Gesauldi won the pole vault relay, combining for a total of 34-6, well ahead of second-place South Brunswick (31-0).
Old Bridge’s boys got a win in the javelin, where Ken Cardullo (166-11), Phil Payne (150-8) and John Miller (146-6) combined to throw 464-1.
Old Bridge also got a second-place finish in the 4×200 in what was the most exciting race of the night. After Piscataway built up a big lead after the first three legs, the Knights’ Bryant McCombs, whose legend grows with every meet, took the baton and nearly ran down the Chiefs’ Rob Damon, before finally finishing less than a second behind him.
Piscataway’s time of 129.6 challenged the meet record of 129.1 Old Bridge finished in 1:30.2.
Sayreville’s girls team, which entered last night’s action in fifth place with 20 points, got a win in the javelin relay on Tuesday, as Amy Bodak (108-10), Suannette Rios (94-5) and Simone Saxon (74-3) combined to throw 277-6, just ahead of second-place Old Bridge, who totaled 273-1.
Old Bridge’s girls also got a second-place finish in the triple jump, as well as third-place finishes in the intermediate hurdles, 4×200 relay and discus.
Locals face the best
at Penn Relays
Several local relay teams ran with some of the best the nation has to offer last week at the 11th running of the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
The Old Bridge 4×100-meter team of Dawan Riddick, Allan Lunkenheimer, Paul Racioppi and McCombs entered the relays with the highest expectations, and for good reason. In 2003, the Knights won the Large Schools Championship in a time of 42.06.
But a bad exchange of the baton led to a time of 43.41 for the speedy Knights, which was good enough for second in their heat (won by Old Mill in Maryland in 42.71), but did not qualify them for the championship race, which featured teams under 43 seconds.
A trio of other local boys teams competed in the 4×100 relay, including Sayreville (44.74, third in their heat); East Brunswick (46.24, fifth in their heat) and Monroe (46.17, fourth in their heat).
Old Bridge’s 4×400 quartet of Lunkenheimer, Nick Carbone, Racioppi and McCombs came back on Saturday to compete, and took sixth in their heat with a time of 3:23.31. Lunkenheimer ran his leg in 51 seconds, Carbone in 53 and Racioppi in 51.5, while Bryant ran a 47.3, the third fastest split of the more than 2,000 runners who competed.
The day’s fastest split, 45.9, was run by JFK-Paterson’s Shaquan Brown, whom McCombs will likely battle at the Meet of Champions later this spring. Brown became only the fifth athlete in state history to run under 46 seconds.
Sayreville’s 4×400 team ran a 3:32.38, good enough for fourth in its heat, while Monroe’s squad ran 3:32.62 (fifth) and East Brunswick 3:37.44 (fourth).
South River’s A.J. Parillo competed in the boys long jump on Saturday, and leaped a personal best of 21-3 1/4, good enough for 11th place overall.