Vianney track team ready for county relays
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
The St. John Vianney High School winter track team is gearing up for the Monmouth County Relays tomorrow.

Coach Tom McLoughlin said his team has been working hard to prepare for the county meet and noted that his team will also compete in a handful of other meets as well as several freshman and sophomore events.

Thus far the Lancers have competed in theCatholicConferenceRelays aswell as the New Jersey State Relays. The coach noted that while it is still early in the winter campaign, the team's sprinters and middle distance runners have been doing well.

The 4 x 800 contingent comprised of seniorsDanAgnello and JeffCasimir alongwith sophomores Brian O'Connor and Tim Baccaro turned in a strong performance at the Catholic Conference Relays.

SJV's 4 x 200 team is also solid. It includes junior Frank Larity and sophomores Alex Marinesco, Chris Randise and Kyle Tuohy.

"We haven't had a lot of action yet, but things are starting to heat up," McLoughlin said. "I certainly want our guys to do as well as possible now although our main goal is getting ourselves prepared for the outdoor season."

On that front, the Lancers just welcomed back seniors Jamie Coleman and Rob Pitts. Coleman, a distance runner, is recovering from a pulled groin muscle, while Pitts, who competes in middle distance events, was out with a strained tendon in his calf.

Other members of the team include sprinters Matt Lavin, Jared Cruz and Andrew Neibling, along with Matt Scognamiglio, a shot-putter, and Mike Reese, a pole-vault competitor.

"I'm pretty pleased with what I've seen so far," McLoughlin said. "Everyone is working hard to improve and I can see better times and longer distances in the weight events. This is a good group; it takes a lot of dedication to keep improving and they're showing it every day."