Mid South girls track team off to a running start this spring
Eagles have defeated Mid North, Manalapan in dual meets
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
Led by a strong group of middle distance runners, the Middletown High School South girls track team is off to a 2-1 start in the Shore Conference's Class A North Division.

This far the Eagles have scored successes against both Manalapan and cross-town rivalMiddletown North. South's lone defeat came at the hands of Freehold Township. Coach Kevin Cullen's team was slated to compete against Marlboro on Monday and will meet Colts Neck next week.

The 4 x 800-meter relay team has been particularly strong. Lindsey Setaro has combined with three juniors, Emily Baratta, Megan Pierce and Kelly Watters to create a formidable foursome. The group won the event at the Huskie Relays in Matawan and took second place at the Holmdel Relays. All four girls can run their legs in 2:30 or less.

"They've really worked hard for their success," Cullen said. "They push each other and they don't quit."

The four also compete at 400 meters andWatters ran 400 meters in 1:02 at the Lion Invitational at Middletown North. Her best time at 800 meters is 2:24.

Jill Gannon has done a solid job in the long and triple jumps,with a jump of 30-feet to her credit in the latter. She's also surpassed the 100-foot mark in the javelin, where she teams with Taylor McFarland. The shot-putters include junior Marissa Aversa and sophomore Lacey Hernandez.

McFarland, who has tossed the javelin, more than 80 feet, also handles sprint events. She has personal bests of 13.9 seconds at 100 meters and 28 seconds at 200 meters. Sophomore Claire Haspel has recorded similar times in the sprint events, Cullen said.

JuniorAlexa Dubrosky and sophomore BrennaMiller are the hurdlers. Dubrosky has a best of 18 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, while Miller has recorded a time of 1:14 in the 400-meter hurdles.

The coach also noted that he has an array of talented freshman who are making their mark. They include Brenna Anderson, Samantha Ciesmelewski, Kelly Haspel and Natalie Hayes. The versatile four all compete in a variety of events, ranging from 400 meters to 3,200 meters.

Anderson posted a time of 1:02 for 400 meters at the Lion Invitational, Haspel and Hayes are right behind with personal bests of 63 seconds and 64 seconds, respectively. Ciesmelewski ran 3,200 meters in 12:34, also at the Lin Invitational.

"So far we've been doing well, but we're really a young team overall so we're building for the future,"Cullen said. "The girls are improving their times and developing their skills. Right now our goal is to peek in time for the Monmouth County and Shore Conference meets. Our team has a lot of ability. We might just surprise some people."

The Monmouth County Relays are scheduled from May 7-10, while the conference event will be heldMay 17-18. Both are at Neptune High School.