Numbers continued to climb
By: Rudy Brandl
Three Manville High female athletes competed in this year’s State Group 1 Track and Field Championships. Five years ago, there weren’t even that many girls in the MHS program.
It used to be a handful of runners or jumpers working out with the boys. Now, the girls have a team of their own.
While the entire MHS program has continued to enjoy tremendous growth in head coach Michelle Mongillo’s three years at the helm, the numbers in the female ranks really soared this spring. Manville put a record 24 girls on the track and in the field.
Sixteen of these young ladies earned varsity letters and helped the MHS girls post a 4-4 record in dual meets, which represents the best mark of any team in the school during the spring scholastic campaign.
"I’m just amazed," Mongillo said while watching her athletes compete at the Group 1 Championships in South Plainfield. "When I started, we had two girls on the track team. I’m thrilled that we have so many girls."
Mongillo and assistant coach Pat Gorbatuk are teachers at Alexander Batcho Intermediate School, where they have done a marvelous job recruiting athletes. There were 17 freshmen on this year’s team and eight earned varsity letters.
"Being at the middle school and building a relationship with the kids really helps," she said. "It feels good."
Manville didn’t simply put athletes out there. These kids proved to be very competitive. They won four dual meets and sent three athletes to the State Group 1 meet.
Freshman Courtney Brisebois reached the Group 1 Championships in her first scholastic season. Brisebois, one of the fastest girls in the school, has a bright future ahead after running the 100 meters in a time of 13.71 seconds to finish fourth in the Central Jersey Group 1 Championships.
Junior teammate Melissa Teresak, a standout jumper, showed her speed with a 13.19 time that was good for third place in CJ 1. Senior Marzena Brozyna peaked at the right time getting faster every week in the grueling 400 hurdles. She finished 15th in Group 1 with a time of 1:12.3.
While Brozyna and classmates Ashley Shields, Gabby Firak and Marta Fabiyan will be graduating, everyone else on the roster will be eligible to return. That list includes two young ladies who came within one meet of qualifying for the Meet of Champions this year.
"It’s big because that just makes them determined to get here even more," Mongillo said. "They had a positive experience even though they didn’t get to the Meet of Champions. With Courtney being a freshman, young kids can see what they can do if they work hard. It makes them more ambitious for next year."
Teresak played softball as a freshman but switched to track and field last spring and has never looked back. She’s become one of the program’s most versatile athletes after fellow junior Lucy Yakobchuk convinced her to come out for the sport.
"Last year, Lucy introduced me to track and I’m really glad she did," Teresak said. "I thought I loved softball but now I do track and I excel so much more. It’s so much fun."
The track and field wave is catching at Manville, especially among the girls.
"I like having a big team," Brisebois said. "There’s more talented people who can be part of different events."
With at least three varsity letter winners in each class, the girls’ team features a nice mix of ages. The varsity roster included the four seniors already mentioned, plus juniors Teresak, Yakobchuk and Monika Ozieblo, sophomores Yanela Cruz, Kate Harodetsky, Angelika Lazur and Casey Shields and freshmen Brisebois, Amy Evanylo, Drina Hartmann, Tatiana Palomo and Alissa Teodorczy.
Mongillo was able to cover all the events, but the team was probably strongest and deepest in the sprints and jumps. Yakobchuk won four events when the MHS girls posted their most impressive victory ever, nearly shutting out David Brearley in a 121-1 romp. Yakobchuk and Teresak led the way in the jumps, Brisebois and Ashley Shields were top sprinters, Brozyna and Lazur led the hurdlers and Firak and Evanylo paced the distance crew.
The four seniors, including MVP Shields, Most Improved Brozyna and Coaches Award winner Firak, will be missed. However, the future of MHS girls’ track and field is very bright. With the coaches and athletes tracking down new talent, the team expects to make another jump next spring.
"I like seeing the young kids come out," Yakobchuk said. "They’re right up there with us. Our team has definitely grown."

