A llentown High School’s young girls indoor track and field team set another school record this season in the state relays at the John Bennett Center Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River on Jan. 14, as the girls’and boys’ teams continue to prepare for the Mercer County championships on Feb. 5 at Lawrenceville Prep and the NJSIAA Group II sectionals two days later at the Bennett Center.
“Our sprinters are the strongest part of our team,” said girls coach Ray Britton. “The distance runners are young but coming along. The new girls are learning about things like how not to get boxed in. They just need experience.”
Boys coach Brian Harshman said that he has “a very solid group of kids, a nice mix of upperclassmen and good, young talent, mostly in the sprints” around senior veteran Nick Caruso, who competes in that and the hurdles. Harshman feels his team likewise can set records, starting on Jan. 21 in the Lavino Relays at Lawrenceville Prep, including shot-putter Steve Haines, a senior who is just off the school mark with throws close to 40 feet. In the Group II relays, Allentown’s girls did not get any medals, but Britton was encouraged by the girls’performances, particularly by the sprint medley relay that broke the record in the state relays it set two weeks earlier in the Mercer County Relay meet with a 4:42.3 time. Sophomore Kristen Littlefield ran the 400-meter leg, senior Abby Loubeski and junior Brianna Corlette ran the 200s, and senior Kristen Chiafullo ran the 800. Their efforts surpassed by about 6 seconds their previous school record time of 4:48.
Allentown’s 4×200 relay, which set a school record 1:54.6 two weeks ago at the county relays, was just a second off that time in the state relays at 1:55.5. Littlefield, sophomore Alyssa Sargent, Loubeski and Corlette ran that relay on Jan. 14. Carly Dubrosky, a sophomore, ran Loubeski’s leg in the county relays.
Allentown’s 4×800 relay far surpassed its time of 12:47 two weeks ago with an 11:12 clocking on Jan. 14 with freshmen Michelle Foley and Mimi Crawford, junior Heather Murphy and senior Rachel Hannon. The distance medley also surpassed by 19 seconds its time of two weeks ago with a 14:20 clocking as senior Jessica Gazzani ran the 1,200, Sargent and sophomore Cora Firkin ran the 400 legs, and sophomore Alex Tendler anchored with the 1,600-meter run. Tendler also was the school’s top performer during cross country season.
Britton said he was “a little bit surprised” to see his team run so well. “They’re dedicated. When you tell them to train, they do that. When you tell them to run two miles, they run two miles.”
Britton pointed, as one example, to two other good runners — Gazzani and sophomore Juliana Valesi — running well against the seasoned Tendler.
Gazzani, Littlefield and Firkin played soccer in the fall.
Individually, Littlefield, Corlette and Loubeski run the 55 meters; Loubeski and Corlette run the 200 and also compete in the high jump. Loubeski also is the leader in the hurdles and the 400 meters. In the 800, Chiafullo and Gazzani are the top prospects as well as junior Julie Scesney, who is coming off an injury. Tendler and Murphy excel in the 3,200 meters as well as Hannon, who also runs the 1,600 meters. Gazzani, Valesi and Crawford provide depth in the 1,600. As for the boys, Caruso leads off the 4×200 relay that is less than two seconds off the school record. It clocked a 1:41.4 in the state relays and was timed in 1:40.5 in the county relays. FreshmanAndy Clark, sophomore Scott Pleban and junior Ryan Darrell run the other legs.
The 4×800 relay likewise is close to the school record with sophomore Mike Diecidue, junior Ian Herrighty, sophomore Alex Byrnes and junior Mark Kwietniak combining for a 9:11.34 in the state relays. The sprint medley of Caruso, Darrell, Clark and senior Jason Rosenstein was timed at the state relays in 3:56.08, three seconds faster than the county relays.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” said Harshman.
New assistant coach Kristina Connors is working closely with the Redbird sprinters, Harshman pointed out.
Individually, Caruso, Clark and Darrell are the sprinters, and Rosenstein is looking to lower his 2:07 time set a year ago in the 800 meters. Kwietniak, Herrighty, Byrne and Diecidue run the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Sophomore Ricky Gould is another hurdler along with Caruso.