BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Jesse Pagliano and Lindsey Rappleyea took turns winning the Shore area’s championships. First, Pagliano (5-4) and Rappleyea (5-2) went one-two at the Monmouth County Championships. At the Shore Conference meet, Rappleyea matched her teammate’s 5-4 in capturing the conference title.
At the East Coast Relays held in Morristown, Pagliano and Rappleyea were able to combine their best jump totals and the result was not just an expected win, but a new meet record. With Pagliano matching the best jump in the state this spring, and a new personal best and school record 5-6, she and Rappleyea’s jump combined for 10-8 breaking the nine-year-old meet record of 10-6 held by Notre Dame.
While they were setting a meet record, Colts Neck’s stellar distance running stars Craig Forys and Ashley Higginson were anchoring their respective teams to victories. Forys, split 4:07 in leading the Cougars to a big comeback win in the 4×1,600. He got the baton 23 seconds behind co-leaders Christian Brothers Academy and Toms River East and steadily began to reel everyone in. He caught his prey with 300 meters to go and kicked into a higher gear closing with a 59.7 last quarter and a Colts Neck win in 17:57.05.
Kevin O’Dowd (4:36), Brenden Krewer (4:37.6) and Jason Weiner (4:36.4) were within 1.6 seconds of each other and kept it close enough for the indoor national champion to win it.
It was a satisfying win for Forys and his teammates, who had seen 4:05.8 and 4:04.2 anchor splits at the Indoor Nationals and Penn Relays fall short. This time, he was able chase everyone down.
Higginson turned in the fastest 800 split of her career, a blazing 2:11.9 to finish off the Cougars’ record-setting victory in the girl’s Sprint Medley. Their 4:03.52 broke Middletown South’s 10-year old record of 4:06.04. The mark is also the 15th fastest in state history and third fastest in the country this spring. Kathlyn Herrick and Julia Tomaro ran the 200-meter legs for Colts Neck and combined for a 53.4 400. Eva Wimberly split 58.2 for her 400-meter leg and Higginson’s 800 pb polished off the record run.
Freehold Township was sixth in the race (4:09.01). The team of Janel Parker, Charlotte Walsh, Megan Matza and Tanika Peart won their heat.
Colts Neck’s 4×800 team of Allie Flott, Kristen O’Dowd, Allison Linnell and Higginson, ran a 9:22.37 finishing second to Roxbury (9:18.28). The mark is a Freehold Regional District record and it makes them the No. 2 team in county history behind Midddletown South.
The Cougar team of Allison Donaghy, Rachel Morris, Morgan Clark and Eva Wimberly was third in the 4×16,00 (21:52.7).
Freehold Township’s boys had a pair of second place finishes.
In the 400-meter intermediate hurdles relays, the team of Dan Mularz, Robert Seaby and O’Shane Rennie suffered its first loss of the season. The trio turned in a 3:52.78, their best time this spring, behind the 2:49.27 of Morris Hills. Mularz led the Pats with his 56.83 split.
Marcus Goode had the best individual jump of the long jump relay (21-3), but, the Pats were edged by Hanover Park, 41-1 1/2-40-8. Corey Csakai leaped 19-5 for the Pats.
Manalapan was second in the javelin relay to Westfield, 333-3-329-11. Jack Gilburn led the Braves with a 181-3 throw that was the second best of the competition. Teammate George Catuogno did 148-8.
Colts Neck was third in this relay with Kevin Kelly doing 171-6. Andrew Price did 143-1 to put the Cougars total at 314-7.
Howell’s girls had a pair of place winners. County and SC champion Jamie Leacock turned in the second fastest time of the meet. 1:02.90, in helping the Rebels finish fifth (3:26.27) in the intermediate hurdles relay, Melissa Parata and Lea Callohan ran the first two legs of the relay.
Brittany Napoli had the third best throw in the javelin relay (118-04) and that helped Howell finish third (214-6). Norell Abernathy (96-2) was Howell’s second thrower.