Hopewell track staff undergoes overhaul

Hopewell Valley indoor track

By: Jim Green
   The Hopewell Valley Central High School indoor track team has undergone an overhaul of its coaching staff this season. While it’s difficult to overcome the loss of people like former assistant coach Mike Hammill, the longtime head coach of girls spring track who resigned his post in October, the Lady Bulldogs should persevere. That’s because there aren’t many teams that can boast the roster of seniors the Hopewell girls have.
   HoVal returns Emily Sherrard, Miriam Kahn, Jackie Barrett and Kristen Volpe — four-fifths of the Lady Bulldogs’ winning sprint medley relay team from last season’s Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Md.
   "They know how our practices are run, how our drills are run," Hopewell head girls indoor coach Aaron Oldfield said. "They know our expectations. They can pass it down to the younger athletes, sometimes much easier in the locker-room setting. They’ve been through the wars and the battles."
   With that group leading the way, the Hopewell girls should be a threat to defend their titles at the Mercer County Championships and the state group individual and relay meets.
   Other key seniors include Alison Fletcher (throws), Laura Solia (throws) and Kathy Bigelow (hurdles/jumps). Key returning juniors include Megan Fitzpatrick (distances) — the Mercer County cross country individual champion this past fall — Maggie Griffiths (distances), Abby Harris-Shea (hurdles/jumps), Liz Mamer (hurdles/sprints) and Megan DiBiase (sprints/middle distances). Newcomer Maggie Emhof (middle distances) also should have an impact.
   Sophomores that should contribute include Sarah Gustafson (middle distances) and Daniela Mottle (throws), while the standout freshmen are Joy Alexander (hurdles/sprints), Katelyn Pagano (hurdles/sprints), Danielle Dumhart (sprints) and Tricia Sherrard (400/pole vault).
   "With the four or five seniors coming back — with the experience they’ve had at nationals, that’s a good place to start," Oldfield said.
   Following the departure of former boys head coach Phil Novack — who moved back home to Michigan — the Hopewell boys team will be guided by former Ewing head coach Jim Logue. And while Oldfield technically is the girls head coach and Logue the boys head coach, they actually share duties, with Logue handling sprints, Oldfield coaching distances and assistant coach Paul Wagner working with the throwers.
   "That should make the transition easier for Jim," Oldfield said.
   The boys team will be led by its only senior, standout thrower Paul Wagner Jr., who won both the shot put and the discus at the Group III Championships of outdoor track this past spring.
   The Bulldogs’ talented junior class includes Matt Hilderbrandt (distances), Chris Anuzis (sprints), Dave Siuta (distances), Dan Russell (sprints), Dave Anderson (throws) and Joe Wood (throws). Key sophomores are Rob Alicia (sprints), Evan Kita (distances), Tom Marsh (distances), Andrew Seems (pole vault), Matt Fishman (pole vault) and Jared Nespoli (distances). The top freshmen are Nick Anuzis (sprints), Leif Baumbach (distances), Eric Tengi (hurdles/jumps) and Ben Henrie (throws).
   "Both our boys and girls numbers are almost double in size as they traditionally are," Oldfield said. "We have a lot of young kids on both sides."
   With the growing numbers, the hope is that the Hopewell boys team soon will join the girls squad as a perennial state-championship contender.
   "Obviously, that’s our ultimate goal," Oldfield said. "We’ve been scratching our heads trying to find out the missing link. It’s something we haven’t found out what the problem is. We’re trying to identify it and fix it."
   The biggest obstacle for Hopewell this year will be overcoming the loss of Hammill.
   In his 13 years as a Hopewell track coach, Hammill consistently had his teams challenging for county and state championships.
   "He was a big part of the program," Oldfield said. "I don’t know how you measure something like that. It’s a big loss. He knew the events really well. He knew how to get the best out of the kids."
   Logue’s experience at Ewing should help bridge the gap, though.
   "Jim’s been coaching for about 15 years," Oldfield said. "He’s a great resource. He knows a great deal of information.
   "He’s done a fantastic job and made my job a lot easier. I’ve been fortunate to have someone like him step in."