Vikes roll, Liptak breaks coach’s record

By: Rich Fisher
   The South Brunswick High gymnastics team is not only picking up victories and maintaining good scores, it is seeing a lot of girls get into the act this season.
   In last Thursday’s tri-meet with North Brunswick and Piscataway, coach Erika Casey was able to get 15 girls into the combined 20 events. The performance barely suffered, as the Vikings still amassed a team score of 103.9 to North Brunswick’s 63.225 and Piscataway’s 74.225.
   Granted, the Vikes score was not in the neighborhood of the 107’s it has put up twice this year, but Casey wants to give everyone a reward for practicing hard each week and this meet gave her the perfect opportunity.
   "They did so well," an excited Casey said. "Our team total was super high considering the lineup that was competing. Many of the girls now are qualified for sectional events, or are looking for that second score to qualify."
   One of the things that made Casey happiest was her team’s success on the beam, which has been a problem area in the early going.
   "Becca (Castagnola) was very impressive on beam, landing a qualifying score," the coach said. "Lisa (Bondi) and Ellise (Kaplowitz) hit on beam and that’s what we have been looking for from the girls."
   But beam was not the only bright spot on the day.
   "Jess Attardo showed a beautiful floor routine and competed a back tuck in her routine for the first time," Casey said. "Her score reflected her hard work and gave her one qualifying score."
   Complete team scores in last Thursday’s meet were:
   Vault: Sarah Caputo, 8.75; Carissa Macay, 8.5; Chrissy Saragnese, 8.4; Jenna Mayfield, 8.2; Becca Castagnola, 8.15.
   Bars: Ellise Kaplowitz, 9.025; Carissa Macay, 8.65; Sarah Caputo, 8.275; Rachel Thompson,5.425; Illana Berger, 4.375.
   Beam: Ellise Kaplowitz, 9.175; Lisa Bondi, 8.85; Becca Castagnola, 8.425; Chelsea Reilly, 8.05; Arielle Lopez, 6.575.
   Floor: Carissa Macay, 8.95; Chrissy Saragnese, 8.5; Jess Attardo, 8.4; Michelle Davies, 8.2; Amanda Klein, 7.25.
   On Tuesday, the Vikings returned to their regular lineup and posted their third score over 107 this year in taking a 107.275 to 104.025 win over Montgomery. That raised South Brunswick’s record to 5-1.
   The victory also included a piece of history, as Marisa Liptak’s 36.975 all-around score set a school record. Ironically, the old record was set by Casey in 1992, the year Liptak was born.
   "That’s fantastic," Casey said. "It was an awesome effort. Her personal goal is to score over 37, which is very doable.
   "In her floor routine, she did a great double back with a small step out of bounds. There were smiles all over the floor."
   The team results of that meet were:
   Vault: Shannon Martin, 9.3; Liptak, 9.225; Caputo 8.65; Carissa Macay, 8.65; Mayfield, 8.4.
   Bars: Liptak, 9.175, Kaplowitz, 8.8, Carissa Macay, 8.625, Caputo, 8.45, Martin, 8.4.
   Beam: Carissa Macay, 9.35, Liptak, 9.075, Martin, 7.75, Castagnola, 7.45, Saragnese, 7.5.
   Floor: Liptak, 9.4, Martin, 9.25, Carissa Macay, 8.675, Attardo, 8.3, Jess Macay, 8.225.
   All five of the vault and bars competitors have now qualified for sectionals. Martin, Castagnola and Saragnese each had falls on the beam and are still seeking a second qualifying score, while Martin, Carissa Macay and Attardo qualified for floor.
   "Carissa was right on the money on beam," Casey said. "It was an awesome, killer routine. And she had a great score in floor and is right back into full strength (after an injury).
   "Jess Attardo qualified for sectionals for the first time as a senior. She did an awesome dance routine with beautiful form. It was great to watch."
   Carissa Macay finished with a 35.5 all-around score, the first time she did all-around this season, while Martin had a 34.7 despite a fall on the beam and the bars.
   The Vikings also competed a "B" team to go against Montgomery’s JV squad. The meet was for girls who were either junior or senior/non sectional qualifiers. The Vikings results were:
   Vault: Rachel Thompson, 8.2; Davies, 8.0; Kristin Kirbos, 8.0, Reilly, 7.8.
   Bars: Thompson, 5.3. Lopez, 3.3.
   Beam, Mayfield, 8.4, Reilly, 7.9, Lopez, 6.5, Kirbos, 6.3.
   "Most of these girls went over the vaulting table for the first time this week and will continue to work hard," Casey said. "It was a fantastic effort from the B team on a last-minute lineup. It was a great job for the entire team."