Some track teams win with front line talent. Some teams win with depth. When you're fortunate enough to have both -- which is the case with the South Brunswick High girls track team -- the wins come in places like the Central Jersey Group IV championship.
Competing at the Bennett Center in Toms River on Feb. 11, South Brunswick won the Central Jersey Group IV title with 71.5 points. This was well ahead of Freehold (47 points) and the 12 other teams that scored at least a point in the event.
'This is the third year in a row the girls have won," South Brunswick Coach Stefan Moorhead said. "This is also the most points that we've scored during the streak. I didn't expect to win by 24 points. I defintely thought we could win, but I thought the meet would be closer."
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South Brunswick showed off its front line talent by winning three individual championships. The depth was clearly displayed by the fact South Brunswick earned a medal in eight of the 10 events contested. South Brunswick also managed to medal twice in four different events.
The most successful event for South Brunswick was the shot put as the Vikings earned the top two spots. Amber Brown won with a distance of 37' 5 1/4". Chloe Hall was second (37 1 1/2").
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"What Amber and Chloe did was very exciting," Moorhead noted. "They were seeded to place third and fifth."
Then Hall went out and topped her personal best of 34' 8" by nearly three feet.
"Chloe was leading the competition most of the way," Moorhead noted. "Amber came through on her final throw with a personal best."
Cayla Del Piano won the 1600 in a time of 5:10.20. Del Piano also managed a third in the 800 (2:19.95).
"Cayla controlled the mile and ran away in the last 400 meters," Moorhead said. "That was a personal best for her in the mile and 800."
Alicia Osley came away with South Brunswick's other win with her 58.99 time in the 400. Janae Baker added a fourth in the 400 (1:00.51).
"It was the first event of the day and she (Osley) was motivated to run," Moorhead said. "That was a personal best for her."
In addition to the shot put and 400, South Brunswick also placed two individuals in the pole vault and 55 meters. In the pole vault, Lindsay Carbone was fourth (9' 6') and Savannah Barton was sixth (7' 6"). In the 55 meters, Mariah Browne was third (7.42) and Rachel Johnson was sixth (7.59).
Jennifer O'Laughlin placed fourth in the 55 hurdles (8.94). South Brunswick also added a second in the 4x400 (4:03.66). Baker, Joyce Spriggs, Del Piano and Osley ran the relay.
South Brunswick certainly wasn't hurt by the fact the meet had previously been rescheduled twice.
"I'm happy the meet wasn't held on a Sunday night (it was scheduled at one point to start during the Super Bowl)," Moorhead said. "We just looked on the bright side. We had extra time to train. It worked out well for us."
The top six finishers in each event advance on to the Group IV championships, which will be held on Feb 19 at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
"We qualified eleven girls," Moorhead said. "I looked it up and we qualified thirteen girls last year. Any time you are in double digits, that's pretty good."
