BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
Both South River High School spring track teams have had solid campaigns, with the boys posting a 5-1 mark and the girls coming in at 4-2.
“We’ve grown a lot,” said coach Roland D’Orvilliers, whose Rams had their final dual meet yesterday, against Bishop Ahr.
“We’re second to Metuchen in the GMC Blue Division, and we have a good mix.”
On the boys side, a trio of seniors has stood out, starting with Chad Vidal, an 800- and 1,600-meter runner who recently posted a personal best of 2:08 in the former event. Peter Duffy threw more than 48 feet in the GMC Championships, where both he and Vidal placed fifth.
Senior A.J. Parillo defended his county crown in the long jump on Saturday, leaping 21 feet, 6 1/2 inches in his first attempt, and has been a stellar performer throughout his career at South River.
“Another senior, Greg Snitkin, is an excellent all-around athlete, who jumps, hurdles, and runs the 200 and 400,” noted D’Orvilliers.
In the junior group, Brad Schepise hopes to break 10 minutes in the 3,200, while Chris O’Dwyer runs the 800 and 1,600, and Nick Ku sprints. Two pleasant surprises this spring have been Randy Crotzer, who filled a hole in the javelin, and hurdler-jumper Kyle Price
Rounding out the boys are a number of sophomores: distance man Kevin Vanderveer; jumper Anthony Bunales; sprinters Greg Kammerer, Lee Snure and Anthony Czakowski; and two throwers, Matt McScherre and Kyle Winnant.
The girls are paced by junior pole vaulter Caroline Bowers, who won the county title with an 8-6 effort. Val Bonczek is a middle-distance runner who’s “always in the top five,” D’Orvilliers notes, with personal bests of 2:23.6 in the 800 and 5:30.5 in the 1600.
Senior throwers include captain Tonnette Salido and Jessica Grennan, while junior jumper-sprinter Lindsey Thackara has been a surprise.
Soph Leah Pasternak has a 29-11 1/2 personal best in the shot put; Danielle Dell Olio does the javelin, sprints and jumps; Kim Farley jumps and sprints; and versatile Emily Almog jumps, sprints and hurdles.