It is turning cold outside but the winter scholastic sports season is heating up. Take a look at some of these athletes who produced some sizzling results this past week.
Freehold Township High School distance running standout Ciara Roche broke the meet record for the girl’s 1,600-meter run at the Monmouth County Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River. Roche lowered her school record in the process winning the race in 4:51.81. She became the first runner to break 5:00 at the championships.
Niamh Hayes of Howell High School also set a new meet record at the county indoor championships in the girls’ 3,200-meter run. The Rebels’ meet record 10:58.25 made her the first girl to run under 11:00 at the meet. The time was a new indoor personal best for Hayes.
Dylan VanSickell’s 9-3 decision over Howell’s Dan Esposito at 132 points enabled Christian Brothers Academy to tie Howell, 27-27, and win the tiebreaker (most bouts won) to snap Howell’s 73-match winning streak in the Shore Conference A North Division. The streak was over an 11-year period.
The Colts won eight of the 14 matches to secure the tiebreaker and the 28-27 triumph.
Mater Dei High School’s Kyle Elliot earned team MVP honors when he scored a game-high 22 points in leading the Seraphs to a 62-48 victory over Neptune at the Hoop Group Battle on the Boardwalk that was held at Long Branch High School.
At the same showcase in Long Branch, Rumson-Fair Haven Brendan Barry broke loose for 29 points and earning MVP by leading the Bulldogs to a 66-49 victor of Gill St. Bernard’s.
In another game held in this showcase, Long Branch got by St. John Vianney, 54-47, as MVP Anthony Velazquez scored 11 of his game-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Middletown South’s Annemarie Schnoor won both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races at the Monmouth County Swimming Championships held Jan. 9 at the Neptune Aquatic Center. Schnoor clocked 23.85 for the 50 free and 52.52 for the century.
St. John Vianney’s Kimi Evans scored 15 points, including the game-winning basket, and pulled down 12 rebounds in leading the Lancers to a thrilling 52-48 overtime victory against Manasquan on Jan. 8.
The game was the first of the season between the Shore Conference and state giants. The Lancers moved into first place by themselves in the A Central Division with the road victory at Manasquan.
Evans’s basket with 37 seconds left in the game gave the Lancers a 49-48 lead and Sarah Karpell clinched the triumph with a pair of free throws.
Aleah Bass scored 17 points and had 21 rebounds as she led the undefeated South River High School girls’ basketball team to a 41-18 victory over Timothy Christian in Montgomery.
South River improved its record to 7-0.
Old Bridge High School’s Tyler Kogut exploded for five goals in the Knights 10-4 Greater Middlesex Conference win over Edison.
The Knights have won six of their last eight games.