Red Bank Catholic High School’s Lindsey Bellaran sprints to the finish line as she completes her victory in the 800 meters at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions held June 11 in Old Bridge. Bellaran turned in a personal best 2:11.97 in becoming just the second Casey girl to win an outdoor MOC title. JEFF GRANIT staff Rob DeFilippis’ advice to Lindsey Bellaran was “don’t leave it to chance.” When the Red Bank Catholic runner made her move in the 800-meter run at the NJSIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions, it had to be decisive as her coach insisted, and it was.
Running a tactically flawless race, Bellaran made one, swift acceleration in the final 300 meters of the race that no one could respond to and she ran away with her first MOC crown in a personal best (pb) 2:11.97.
“It’s awesome,” the Clemson University bound Bellaran said after her MOC win on June 11 at Old Bridge High School. “The race set up perfectly.”
Bellaran said she followed her usual game plan of staying close to and following the leaders and then making a big move somewhere between 300 and 250 meters.
“Three hundred is early to go,” said Bellaran. “I used to run the 400, so 300 is easy for me.”
Bellaran’s move broke the race open as no one could respond to her quick surge, and a gap that would not be closed opened up immediately. As she rounded the final curve and headed home, Bellaran’s only thought was “don’t let anybody catch me.”
She didn’t and ran into RBC history becoming just the second Casey to win an outdoor MOC title (javelin thrower Amy Krilla is the other).
Bellaran said that moving up to the 1,600 (5:02.66 pb) helped her gain strength for the 800 and that she was inspired by the indoor MOC 1,600 win of her teammate Liana Marzano this winter. She also credited coach DeFilippis who helped her “believe in myself.”
Finishing fifth in that 800-meter race was Bellaran’s teammate Meghan Mc- Mullin, who was fifth in 2:14.39. Rumson- Fair Haven’s Shannon McCarthy was seventh (2:15.80). McMulin won a pair of medals as she also finished third in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles clocking a personal best 1:02.32.
Ocean Township sprinter Mike Andre left Old Bridge with the largest medal haul of the local competitors, capturing three.
The Spartan flash confirmed that he is one of the state’s best all-around sprinters by medaling in the 100-200-400 dashes.
Andre was the runner-up in the century turning in a 10.74 in the final finishing behind only Fabian Santiago of Oakcrest who stopped the timer at 10.59.
In the 200, Andre was third at 21.72. That came after he finished seventh in the 400 (49.03).
RBCs’ Rob Napolitano was a major player in one of the fastest en masse 1,600- meter races in MOC history. The Casey junior finished sixth in a school record 4:12.10. In all, eight runners ran under 4:13. Chris Marco of Toms River South won the race in 4:07.31.
Napolitano took a second off the previous school record of 4:13.1 set by Kevin Byrne, who now runs for Notre Dame.