Numbers allow for team competition
By: Rudy Brandl
Although they weren’t officially designated as a separate track and field team, the Manville High girls boasted enough strength in numbers to compete as a full unit this spring.
In past years, the Manville girls and boys have run, jumped and thrown together as a coed squad in regular-season meets. Only elite female athletes like school long jump record-holder Amy Cutler managed to score points against the boys. The MHS girls competed against other young ladies only at the county, conference and state meets at the end of the season.
This spring, the Manville girls enjoyed numerous opportunities to test their skills in gender-specific competition. They went head-to-head against female athletes from other schools and posted a 3-3 record in dual meets. A few MHS girls also scored points in the May championship meets.
Second-year head coach Michelle Mongillo, who competed in the Meet of Champions during her fine scholastic career, was delighted to see the growth of the MHS girls’ program.
"It’s very important," Mongillo said. "That was part of my background, always being on a female team. To have this opportunity for them is great. They’re proud of it. There are a lot of girls on the team and they’re determined to do well."
Junior Gabriela Firak provided one of the biggest highlights of the year when she shaved 34 seconds off her previous best to qualify for the State Group 1 Championships in the 3,200-meter run. Firak finished sixth in the Central Jersey Group 1 meet in a time of 13:48.
"It was great when Gabby made it to the states," Mongillo said. "She works so hard. I’m so proud of her."
Firak became the first MHS female since Cutler to qualify for the State Group 1 meet. She wasn’t able to compete because of a conflict with the SAT. Next year, she’ll know not to make plans for that first weekend in June.
While Firak emerged as the team’s top distance runner, several young ladies excelled in the jumps. Sophomore Lucy Yakobchuk and junior Marzena Brozyna scored at the Mountain Valley Conference Championships. Brozyna finished fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:15.9) and sixth in the long jump (14-1¼), while Yakobchuk placed fourth in the triple jump (29-1¾).
Brozyna, also a standout soccer player at the school, enjoyed having many teammates in her first year on the track and field squad.
"It’s better with a full team," Brozyna said. "It’s nice to have a lot of girls on the team."
All of her teammates are eligible to return next year. That list includes juniors Ashley Shields, Julianna Andrade, Amanda Hussey and Catina Santoro, sophomores Nicole Jerzewski, Sylwia Kolodziej, Monika Ozieblo, Lorena Rivera and Melissa Teresak and freshmen Kate Harodetsky, Casey Shields, Evanna Tchir, Angelika Lazur and Kelly Duffy.
Manville ended the dual-meet season with a victory over Sussex Tech to secure a .500 record. Seven different girls won events that day, led by Brozyna’s personal-best victories in the 400 hurdles (1:16.7) and 100 hurdles (19.6). Firak also posted a distance double but ran over a minute faster in the 3,200 two weeks later at the CJ 1 meet.
The entire MHS track and field program was very young in 2006. With numbers expected to climb again after the influx of eighth-graders, the future is very bright.
"They want the program to do well," Mongillo said. "I think it will continue to grow."