Vikes set record, finish second with beautiful display at GMC’s
By: Rich Fisher
Bishop Ahr was the champion, but South Brunswick was the story.
Everyone knew the Trojans were the odds-on favorite to win their fifth straight Greater Middlesex Conference Gymnastics championship at SBHS last Thursday.
But no one, except the hosts themselves, believed the Vikings could give Bishop Ahr all it could handle while smashing the school record for team scoring.
If there is such a thing as a human being actually gushing, Viking coach Erika Casey was doing it afterward while her gymnasts celebrated their second-place total of 111.325. That put the Vikings just 1.475 points behind the state’s reigning dynasty.
"It was amazing, simply amazing," said Casey who, along with program founder Rosemary McCormack, is the face of SBHS gymnastics. "I can’t believe our team total. Last year we were four points away from Bishop Ahr and we were struggling to go to 104. This is just huge.
"Second place is awesome, that’s what we were hoping for. I didn’t know the team total until they announced it, but I knew it was higher than a 110 just by looking at all the nine’s we were getting. Every meet, since day one, once we got that (then-school record) 107, we knew we had to push ourselves. When we got the 109 (against Hunterdon Central Oct. 17), I said ‘You guys can do 110 at GMC’s.’ I was going for 110, I wasn’t even going for 111."
To put into perspective how impressive South Brunswick’s score was, consider the fact that Bishop Ahr was a few outstanding floor routines away from breaking their own state record for scoring. We’re talking rarified air here, friends.
"They came together, they had a great meet," Casey said. "They hit on beam, it was awesome, I’m ecstatic they hit on beam.
"Every single one of them came through for us. We had our reasons why we had the lineup that we had. They just did a fantastic job."
The Vikings were led by their two all-around performers. Sophomore Marisa Liptak finished third with a 37.475, a score just .225 lower than meet champ Tiara Land of Bishop Ahr. Senior Ellise Kaplowitz assured once and for all she had successfully returned from 2005 foot surgery by finishing fifth with a 36.725.
"We wanted to break our team record, and basically do the best we could do," Liptak said. "We wanted to land all our routines, and I think we did a pretty good job with that."
"I was hoping we would win," Kaplowitz said. "But we tried our hardest, we broke our record like crazy. Having a 111 is amazing. Hopefully when we go to sectionals we break that again.
"And then I’m hoping we go to states because it’s my senior year. I hope me and all the seniors just kick butt and top it off and end my career in an awesome way."
Aside from the all-around performers, the Vikings got standout efforts up and down the lineup .
Among the Top-6 medal winners, freshman Shannon Martin took second on vault (9.525) and fourth on floor (9.425), while adding a ninth on bars (8.800), and Jess Macay was tied with Liptak for fourth on beam (9.300).
Sarah Caputo just missed a medal with a seventh on floor (9.200), tied for ninth on vault (8.850) and was 12th on bars (8.350). Chrissy Saragnese tied for 14th on vault (8.550), Carissa Macay was 13th on beam (8.250) and Lisa Bondi was 14th on beam (8.125).
It was an outstanding effort by all involved, and one that was not lost on the patriarch of the GMC champs.
"I’m just really proud of Erika, she has really turned this program around," Bishop Ahr coach Brant Luska said. "I remarked to their athletic director (Elaine McGrath) at how impressed I am with how their program is really moving forward.
"It’s great to have competition in the GMC tournament, so we’re excited to have another team coming up like that through the ranks. She’s going to have a good team in the future. The work she’s done over the last two years is amazing. They’re just getting better and better."
Casey gives the credit to her gymnasts, but she couldn’t help but smile when told of Luska’s comments.
"We’ve been in competition with Bishop Ahr for so long, it’s just nice to see us close the gap with them a little bit," the coach said. "They’re the team to beat right now, but you can see in our girls that they want it, and they’re trying their best to do that.
"Tonight was just good energy, a good time."
Especially for Viking supporters.
Because while Bishop Ahr was the champ, SBHS was the talk of the tournament.

