Goodman, Sharnov aces on All-District Tennis Team
By tim morris
Staff Writer

FARRAH MAFFAI Marlboro’s Shaun Goodman was one of the main reasons why the Marlboro Mustangs had such a solid season, earning himself a spot on the New Transcript’s All-District Team.

With three of the Top 10 teams in the Shore in the Freehold District, and two others sporting winning seasons, it was obviously a very good season for boys’ tennis.

But even with that much talent in the area, it didn’t prevent one team, Marlboro, from dominating the sport. Dave Kretzmer’s Mustangs were ranked 12th in the state, winning the Shore Conference A North Division title with a perfect 14-0 mark and, reaching the Central Jersey Group IV final, where they lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision to defending champion Bridgewater-Raritan. The Mustangs also got to the Shore Conference Tournament final, losing 3-2 to the state’s No. 1 team, Holmdel.

The Mustangs (22-4) relied on their balance to become one of the state’s very best teams. In Shaun Goodman and Andrew Sharnov, they had two of the best singles players a team could want. They also had two very productive doubles teams which enabled them to beat teams at single or doubles.

Manalapan posed the biggest threat to the Mustangs, going 15-5 overall and finishing in second place in A North.

FARRAH MAFFAI Colts Neck junior Ryan Freeman enjoyed a solid season for the Cougars and will be expected to compete with the district’s elite players once again next year.

The difficult A North Division caught up with Freehold Township, which was much better than its 13-8 mark would indicate.

Colts Neck (10-9) and Freehold Borough (11-7) made the post-season as well.

Goodman and Sharnov, the best one-two tandem in the District, head the New Transcript’s 2002 All-Freehold Regional District Boys’ Tennis Team.

Joining them at singles are Freehold Township’s Ryan Beck, Manalapan’s Jared Finkelstein, Freehold Borough’s Henry Wong and Colts Neck’s Ryan Freeman.

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Freehold Township’s Ryan Beck should be one of the Freehold District’s top players when he returns to the courts next fall after enjoying a highly successful sophomore season.

The doubles teams are Marlboro’s Landon Goodman and Jason Schwartz and Manalapan’s Matt Siber and Jeff Martin.

Goodman, a senior, was the elder statesman on the very young Marlboro team. His steady play and leadership at first singles were critical to Marlboro’s success. He was the best singles player in the District. Goodman hits the ball hard on both sides and can get easy points at the net. He backs his groundstrokes up with a strong serve. He reached the third round of the NJSIAA singles tournament.

Sharnov is the future of Marlboro tennis. The freshman had a remarkable rookie campaign. A very resourceful player, he knows how to finish a point off when he has the advantage. He made a big splash at the NJSIAA singles tournament, reaching the quarterfinals and upsetting the No. 2 seed, Manasquan’s Matt Fawcett in the Round of 16.

Beck is another promising player with a bright future. He more than held his own at first singles in the tough A North, establishing himself as one of the Shore area’s best.

Finkelstein, a junior, also prevailed despite continually knocking heads with the best in A North. Manalapan relied on its balance to get ranked fifth in the Shore, and Finkelstein provided the consistency at singles.

Wong, a senior, scored a number of big wins this spring including victories over Freeman and Finkelstein, proving that he belongs with the best.

Just a junior, Freeman helped Colts Neck get to the state sectional semi-finals, and he has another year remaining.

Goodman, a freshman and the younger brother of Shaun, and Schwartz, a junior, were close to an automatic point for the Mustangs. Doubles made a big difference in some of Marlboro’s big 3-2 wins, and Goodman and Schwartz were there to get them a big point.

Manalapan’s Siber and Martin ranked with the best in the Shore as proved by their two three-set marathons with Goodman and Schwartz, with each team coming out with one win apiece.

All-District Girls’ Team

In the fall, it was Marlboro and Freehold Township which fielded the top teams in the District and their players dominate the News Transcript’s 2002 All-Freehold District Girls’ Tennis Team

The singles players are: Jackie Haar and Justine Winkler of Marlboro, Lauren Beck and Hallie Fleisher of Freehold Township, Blair Weiss of Manalapan, and Christina Caruso of Colts Neck.

Haar, Marlboro’s No. 1, is a repeat selection. Winkler moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 with much success.

Beck and Fleisher played second and third singles the previous season for the Pats and played superbly when they moved up to one and two this year.

Caruso is a three-year starter for the Cougars at first singles and is still just a junior.

Manalapan No. 1 Weiss was a four-year starter at singles for the Braves.

The reason Marlboro and Freehold Township were so good in the fall of 2001 was the play of their doubles teams.

The All-District doubles teams are Freehold Township’s Rachel Kallish and Kim Ryan and the Marlboro duo of Laura Munice and Natalie Chen.