By Jimmy Allinder
Kara Turco was destined to be a great athlete, regardless of what sport she played.
The rising senior at Monroe Township High School was born into an extended family that has experienced remarkable success within the circles of area high school athletics. So it wasn’t surprising when Turco, after dabbling in a variety of sports, turned into a magician with a stick when she started playing lacrosse.
“My family is very much involved in basketball,” Turco said. “Naturally, I played that sport. However, the first time I picked up a lacrosse stick, I absolutely fell in love with the game. That’s when my basketball career ended.”
Turco’s point production is destined to make her the all-time goal and assist producer in the history of Monroe. Since she joined the varsity team as a freshman, her achievements have been nothing short of spectacular.
When Turco steps on the field next spring, she can only add to the school records she holds for career assists (139) and total points (287). Kara’s 148 goals are 13 short of Jennifer Garavente’s mark.
“I’m hoping to reach 200 goals and 400 points before I’m done [at Monroe],” Turco said. “More important, I would like to help our program win its first Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) title.”
The Falcons finished 14-7 this spring and made it to the conference tournament championship game before losing to North Brunswick Township High School, 21-12. Monroe won its first-round contest in the NJSIAA state tournament against Egg Harbor Township High School, 13-10, and then fell to eventual South Jersey, Group IV champion Shawnee High School, 17-3.
Turco is confident her team can capture the elusive GMC Tournament title and go further in the state tournament. She is also focused on playing for an elite club level team called T3, which stands for triple threat.
“Kara has been such an amazing player on and off the field,” Monroe coach Carly Welsh said. “She has improved dramatically and has been a great example for other girls. What I love about Kara is her ability to always have fun and remain positive. Those attributes have rubbed off on her teammates.”
Before her last lacrosse season at Monroe, Turco will grab another stick this fall and play field hockey for the defending GMC Tournament champions.
“Kara is a wonderful athlete and asset to any team,” field hockey coach Sarah Cummings said. “She is hard-working and dedicated [and] supports her teammates both on and off the field. Kara is lighthearted at practices and bonds well, especially with younger players. But when the games begin, she’s totally focused on winning.”
The Turco name is a familiar one to area high school fans. Her father, Bobby, coached the Monroe boys basketball team for five seasons (2005-2010) before moving on to Notre Dame High School. Kara Turco’s uncle is Dave Turco, the boys basketball coach at Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen, which has won numerous state championships and produced such outstanding players as Karl-Anthony Towns of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and Wade Baldwin IV, who was recently drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Her brother, Ryan, graduated from Notre Dame this spring as the school’s all-time assist leader and will head to Elizabethtown College in the fall. Her mother, Nancy, and sister, Brittany, were both high school cheerleaders, and her grandfather was a longtime high school football coach.
“Every one of them has inspired me that I can accomplish anything if I work hard and apply myself,” Kara Turco said.
Turco has done exactly that in the classroom, where she has achieved a 3.8 grade-point average. In addition, she is class secretary and a member of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) and FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America).
Turco is also a member of her high school’s National Honor Society chapter and works with the Falcons Pals and Special Olympics programs.
Among Turco’s other interests are art and fashion.
“I love the creativity required of both, and I always find myself drawing and creating things in my spare time,” she said.
With this whirlwind of activity, it could be a challenge for a young lady living life 24/7. But Turco is not so consumed she doesn’t realize how fortunate she is to be able to do so much with her future still taking shape.
After all, having fun is really what it’s all about.