Track, field coaches look forward to new season

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Brick Township High School's girls outdoor track and field team opened its season with a 76-55 victory over Brick Memorial in a match-up of two teams with very young lineups.

Brick Memorial's boys, meanwhile, rolled to a 107-29 victory over its cross-town rivals with a lineup mixed with seniors and underclassmen.

"We have a lot of depth with some talented people back," said Brick Memorial coach Al Cuthbert, who returns as coach of the program after Brian Decker's brief tenure last season.

Cuthbert focuses his team around defending county high jump champion Rich Dalatri. The team is still recovering from the loss of Andrew Brodeur, who is running at Duke University these days.

"Overall, I'm extremely happy with the mix," Brick Township High girls coach Bill Brunner said.

Brunner has the youngest roster in his 20 years as head coach as the team competes in the West Deptford Relays on April 11. The team resumes its schedule on April 18 in the Woodbury Meet.

"We have strong seniors and a great group of freshmen and sophomores, mainly in the sprints and hurdles," he said.

Brunner admits that, although it looms as a tough team in dual meets, his team would not be able to match last season when they finished third in the Ocean County championships, third in the Shore Conference A South and second place finishes in the NJSIAA Group IV, Central Jersey and NJSIAA Group IV championship meets.

But the Green Dragons' again is strong in the throwing events where nationally regarded shot putter Lisa Stuto, headed for Eastern Michigan, improved on her fitness and conditioning from an up and down indoor season.

Teaming with sophomore Katie Brunner (the coach's daughter) and senior Deena Haluza, the trio in the Rebel Relays at Howell last weekend rolled to the gold in the discus relay with a composite throw of 296-feet, 11- inches, far beyond runner-up Freehold Township's 238-0 measure. Stuto, Brunner and Haluza also won the shot put relay with a combined throw of 98-feet, seven feet ahead of runner-up Lacey.

"We will break our county record in the discus of 327 feet set last year," Brunner said.

He had Deanne Hahn on that relay before she graduated and went on to the University of Minnesota. He also feels that team is "going to have a run" at the state record of 372-1 set by Bridgeton in 1996.

Brunner is waiting for the finalized field for the Penn Relays by the weekend and hopes it includes Stuto and his daughter Katie in the shot put. Sophomore Corinne Gorski also has been throwing the discus well with junior Melissa Oppel while sophomore Carol Manfredi has practiced hard in the shot put.

But the next great prospect who could emerge is sophomore Shaniece Hardy, who won the 100, 200 and high hurdles in the dual meet against Brick Memorial. "She could be our next great one; she's a top notch hurdler already," Brunner said.

Hardy comes off a fine basketball season for the team that reached the NJSIAA and Shore Conference Tournaments. She also throws the javelin, along with senior Sara Hahn, a senior (no relation to DeAnne Hahn), junior Amy Peabody and sophomore Rachel Marino.

Senior sprinters Kat Connelly and Delaney Caudill are the captains leading a group of promising freshmen that includes Jen Snyder in the 100 and 200, Kelly Schweis and Jackie Price in the 200 and 400 and Samantha Sadler and Amanda Acebal in the hurdles along with Becky Turner as a sprinter and jumper.

"I knew I had a nice group of girls and knew they were athletes from gym class and that if I could get them all together, it could happen," Brunner said. "They're the youngest group I've had and I know we could get our butts kicked at times but their learning curve is very good."

Chelsea Barretto, a junior, leads what Brunner calls the "strongest hurdle crew I've ever had," an event that in many past seasons was the team's weakest. This year, the weakest event looks like the high jump, he said.

The coach calls Megan Schenk a "dependable runner" in leading the distance runners. "Hopefully she'll have a big senior year."

Alumna Katie McCabe, who just came aboard as an assistant coach working with the distance runners, also has sophomore Jess Palazzo as a sharp distance prospect with senior Brittany Rush and sophomores Shannon Ells and Sarah McKenzie.

Kristi McCullouygh is working with the sprinters and Brick Township High School boys coach Jim Calabro helps with the hurdlers while his son, Chris, has joined the staff to coach the javelin and high and long jumpers.

Brick Memorial High girls coach Jessica Jones said two graduated from last year's team and a few seniors did not come out but she has a good junior javelin thrower in Kristen Townley, who was sixth in the Shore Conference championships last year with a throw of 73-feet.

"We're expecting good things from her," Jones said. "This is my youngest team and the most talent with it. I never had a young team this large."

Sophomore Sophia Beloid leads the way in the shot put and discus, sophomore T'Keya Grimes is solid in the 800. Freshmen Kerri Pagels and Stephanie Hanson are good distance runners. Junior Jess Ball is a strong entry in the discus. Versatile freshman Jade Brown can compete in the hurdles and in the high jump and long jump.

The Taylor sisters also can contribute —- Autumn in the sprints, shot put and long jump and Schicona in the sprints. Sophomore Kelsey Moore and freshman Noelle Picone also are capable runners.

"As a whole, we have a decent team in throws, distance and sprints," said Jones, whose team runs in the Husky Relays in Matawan on April 11.

As for the boys, Brick Memorial's Dalatri has not matched his 6-2 high jump that won Ocean County last year, consistently going four inches short. But he leads a team that highlights the talents of sophomore Nick Castellanos, who in the dual meet against Brick Township High won the 400 in :54.6 and the 800 in 2:13. Andrew Goelz set the sophomore school record in the 3,200 in that meet in 10:19. Jihaad Howard, a transfer from Lakewood, won the 100 in :11.6 and the 200 in :23.7. Junior high jumper John Vaguerio has reached 5-6.

Shot puter Bill Brunner, who threw 44-6 against Brick Township for first place, is looking to get back over 50 feet this season, and has narrowed his college decision to The College of New Jersey and Springfield College.

Brunner was the center for the football team and snapped the ball to quarterback Brian Staub, who also recently decided on a college career at Springfield. Senior Mike Berti comes off a solid cross-country season and will run the distance events. Senior Neil Stocco runs well in the distance events and is a good leader. Senior Sean Yunginger and junior Anthony Spanola have been hitting 135 feet in the javelin.

"We should be a little more rounded than in the past," Cuthbert said.

But without a state caliber performer like Brodeur who can get big points, the Mustangs may not be strong enough individually to pick up points in the big meets. But junior Ryan Puza is a good hurdler and sophomore newcomer George Hems is coming along well in the shot put.