By Wayne Witkowski
Allentown High School’s girls’ outdoor track and field team is poised for a strong showing in upcoming major meets and gave notice with a fifth-place finish in the Mercer County Relays April 21 at Robbinsville High School.
“The girls are doing very well coming off an indoor season where they won the county meet and [New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA)] Central Jersey, Group III meet,” coach Drew Lachenmeyer said. “We’re expecting them to do even better. We don’t have the depth to compete in the [county] relay meet, but we expect to finish among the top three in the county championships.”
That meet takes place May 13 at Steinert High School, followed by the state meets that begin with the section championships May 27. Prior to that is the Mercer County Coaches Classic May 6 at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North.
After being slowed early in the season by injuries, the girls’ team has set three school outdoor records — two of them in the Mercer County Relays. The 3×400-meter intermediate hurdles relay of Kasssidy Mulryne, Sara Gutter and Carly Roche rewrote school records in the event by 12 seconds with a winning time of 3:27.10.
The 4×100 shuttles hurdles relay of Mulryne, Roche, Sarah Solimon and Susie Settlecowski surpassed the previous school record by three seconds in 1:09.72 for second place. The distance medley relay was just one second shy of the school record with a time off 13:03.26 to finish third. Devon Hoernlein ran 5:15 in the of the relay, while Gutter ran the 200, Daniela Johnson the 400 and Mulryne the 800.
Hoernlein also recorded a time of 2:22 in the 800 for the fourth-place sprint medley. Megan Ventrella and Johnson each ran 200 meters and Brenna McCormick ran 400 meters in the county relays.
Mulryne and Roche were instrumental in the success of those relays.
“The toughest part about Kassidy is where do we put her,” Lachenmeyer said. “She can go in at least eight or nine different events. She has a very special skill set. She’s been around for a while now, and it’s just where she can best help the team.”
In the other dual-meet victory over Princeton High School, Mulryne won the high jump, long jump, 100 high hurdles and 200 run. She won both hurdles and long jump and high jump against Hamilton High School West.
In the pole vault relay, Roche and McCormick tied the school record with a combined height of 16-6 in the county relays for fifth place. Roche cleared 9-6. On April 19, Roche set a school record individually in the pole vault when she cleared 10-7 during a dual-meet victory over Hamilton West. Roche held the previous record of 10-0.
The girls team is off to a 2-0 start in dual meets
Lachenmeyer said he hopes sophomore distance runners Emily Friend will be recovered from a hip injury for the big meets, as well as Valerie Kiel from shin problems.
Gutter also performed well for the Redbirds in The College of New Jersey Open Invitational, where she was third in the 2,000 steeplechase in 8:24.48.
For the boys’ team, pole vaulter Dan Hulit and hurdler Mark Solimon lead a team thin on depth that dropped its first two dual meets. Hulit hit a winning mark of 12-0 in the pole vault during the dual meet against Hamilton West. The boys’ 4×1,600 relay team finished in 19:09.26 at the county relays for fourth place.
Girls’ lacrosse
Allentown clinched the Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division championship April 19 when Danielle Sullivan broke loose for six goals and Marin Hartshorn fired in three with five assists in a 13-5 victory over Princeton. Goalkeeper Abby Howell made 10 saves.
Allentown followed it with a 14-2 victory April 21 over nondivision opponent Robbinsville. Hartshorn scored six goals and Sullivan registered four. Alyssa Sloane and Brianna Samuels each scored twice.
Hartshorn’s six goals ignited a 13-10 victory over Hopewell Valley Central High School April 17.
The victories assure Allentown of a favorable seed for the Mercer County Tournament. Hartshorn, a junior, leads the way with 34 goals and 19 assists.
Allentown hosts Old Bridge High School April 29 and North Brunswick Township High School May 1.
Baseball
Allentown (9-0 overall, 2-0 division) has two Colonial Valley Conference games this week against Nottingham High School. The first is home April 24 and the other is at Nottingham April 26.
The Redbirds also have back-to-back games against division rival Hamilton West April 28 at home and May 1 on the road.
“This week is huge, not only for the division but for county and state tournaments,” said coach Brian Nice, who plans on starting Colton Johnson and Jordan Winston in the two games. “Throw in games against Holy Cross and Hamilton West as well as Lawrence, and we have our work cut out for us, but we look forward to the challenge.”
Allentown scored a 15-3 victory over Princeton April 21 in a game stopped after five innings by the mercy rule. Ryan Huth backed his four-hit pitching over four innings with three hits and an RBI. Matt Coiante lined a two-run double, and Austin Ferrier and Winston each smacked two-run singles. Dylan O’Brien, Guisseppe Arcuri, Jackson Fogarty, and A.J. Ariano each added an RBI for Allentown.
On the previous day, Allentown beat South Brunswick High School, 2-0. Ryan Miller and Huth each knocked in a run, and Winston took a no-hit bid into the last inning when he gave up a leadoff ground single.
“With the way Jordan was pitching, I knew if we could get two runs we’d get out of there with a win,” Nice said. “It obviously was a big win, and Jordan was awesome with his ‘A’ stuff. We made a few plays behind him and came up with a couple of big hits.”
It was the second straight shutout, as Allentown beat Ewing High School, 4-0, April 17. Johnson pitched a five-hitter.
Softball
Madison Storey batted in three runs with two triples as Allentown held on to a 7-6 victory over Jackson Liberty High School April 22 in the Jenn Retzner Road to Recovery Benefit game at Middletown High School North. Dara Ziobro doubled and knocked in two runs, while Sam Einstein and Lauren Coiante drove in a run apiece.
It was the fifth game in six days for Allentown (5-7, 1-1), which won twice in that stretch. Allentown played Nottingham (5-5, 2-0) for the Colonial Valley Conference division lead in back-to-back games April 24 and April 26. It also travels to Monroe Township High School April 27 and hosts Hamilton West April 28.
Allentown came into the game against Jackson Liberty off a 4-3 nondivision loss in 10 innings to Princeton the previous day. Einstein went the distance on the mound for the Redbirds, allowing four hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk. Storey and Ziobro batted in runs.
Allentown also lost, 11-6, to North Hunterdon High School April 19. Sarina Campanellla, Sophia Conte, Alyssa Notarianni, Heather Devine and Storey batted in runs.
Devine and Storey each batted in two runs with four and two hits, respectively, in an 11-6 victory over Lawrence High School April 18.
Boys’ lacrosse
Connor Provost scored three goals and had one assist and James Neebling added a goal and three assists for Allentown (2-7) in a 12-7 loss to Old Bridge April 21. The Redbirds had come off a 15-2 victory April 18 over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. Mike Surace fired in five goals and Clayton Moench and Provost each scored three.
Allentown plays at Hopewelll Valley April 28.