Vento, Costanzo, Cole, Saffer top
All-District girls' squad
Burk, Vento share Performance of the Year

By tim morris
Staff Writer

When you have two of the country's best competing in the same year, it has to be a memorable track and field season, and that is exactly what it was in the Freehold Regional District, thanks to Freehold Borough's Debra Vento and Freehold Township's Maura Burk.

They both matched the high jump meet record at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, clearing the bar at 5-10. Vento took home the gold because she cleared it on her first attempt.

That effort tied them for the second best mark ever by a high school jumper in New Jersey and just 1 inch from the state record of 5-11, held by Tatian Smolin of Randolph. The jumps ranked them nationally as well. With Vento a junior and Burk just a sophomore, the state record is in jeopardy.

Besides Vento and Burk, who won everything between them, Freehold Borough's Diana Costanzo emerged as a state champion, capturing the Group II state title.

Marlboro's Chakhia Cole, better known for her exploits on Marlboro's highly visible basketball team, proved equally talented in the track and field arena, setting meet records at the District and Shore Conference meets in the discus.

Along with the individual highlights, a young Freehold Township team, led by Burk and an outstanding corps of sprinters, emerged as not only the District's best, but one of the best up-and-coming teams in the area.

The Patriots were led by their versatile sprinters Katie Cherecwich, Gerry Sultana and Zakiya Chambers.

Vento, Costanzo and Cole top the News Transcript's 2002 All-Freehold Regional District Girls' Track and Field Team. Joining them are Cherecwich (400), Sultana (long jump), Chambers (400 intermediate hurdles), the Pats' Jenna Nord (800) and Mary Dowd (javelin), Manalapan's Laura Saffer (1,600 & 3,200) and Tanisha Hamilton (100), Colts Neck's Becky Mergenthaler (200), and Freehold Township's 1,600-meter relay team.

It seems an injustice to leave a state champion off the team, but that is how competitive and compelling the high jump was. Vento gets the All-District nod by virtue of her MOC state title. The junior, who also won the indoor MOC, completed the 2002 season undefeated in state championship competitions. She won the Central Jersey and Group II state titles on her way to her MOC win. She took the District title in a meet record (5-8) and set the meet record at the Group II championships, also at 5-8. She pulled a rabbit out of the hat to snatch the state title from Burk. It took Vento three tries to make 5-8, but she cleared 5-10 on her first attempt and that proved the difference as Burk needed all three tries to reach her meet-record-tying 5-10.

Burk won the Monmouth County, Central Jersey and Group IV state titles in a season that saw her jump as consistently as anyone. She and Vento went 3-3 in their head-to-head duels. The state can hardly wait to see where these extraordinary jumpers push themselves next spring.

There is one consolation for Burk â014 she and Vento share the Performance of the Year for their 5-10 jumps.

Vento also found the time to be the area's best 100-meter hurdler. She won the District title, was fourth in the county (16.13), and fifth in Central Jersey Group II.

Costanzo came up big at the major meets all year. After a second place at the county, she got off her school record 41-2 in taking the Shore Conference title. She then went on to claim the Central Jersey and State Group II titles in the shot put. She was 11th at the Meet of Champions. She graduates as one of the area's most dominant shot putters ever.

Cole is just starting her career, and it could become a special one if she can take track as seriously as she does basketball. She stepped up to become one of the leading discus throwers in the state by reaching 138-8 at the Shore Conference meet. She won the District title as well in a meet record 134-2 and was second in the county, third in Central Jersey, second in Group IV, and medaled at the MOC with a seventh place. She wasn't a bad shot putter either, placing fifth at the District and state sectional.

Freehold Township's sprinters dominated on the track, led by junior Cherecwich. She added the outdoor 400 District title to her indoor crown and consistently dipped under 60 seconds all season. She was second in the county, third in the Shore Conference, and sixth in Central Jersey. Her best time of the spring was 59.0 at the conference meet. The District record of 58.6 by Howell's Ellen Woods could fall to the Patriot next year. She certainly won't lack for competition from within her own team.

Cherecwich, Sultana, Samantha Moody and Jessica Leenig were easily the best relay team in the area. Besides winning the District title, they were second in the county, third in the SC (4:02.86), and fourth in Central Jersey. With everyone back but Sultana, the Pats could become the first sub-4:00 1,600 relay team in District history next year.

Chambers, who at times ran on the 1,600-meter relay team, was the best 400 hurdler, as evidenced by her clear win at the District championships. The sophomore was also competitive in the 100 hurdles.

Nord won the wide-open 800 slot by capturing the District title in a season's best time of 2:25.7. The senior's points here helped the Pats secure the District championship.

An early-season injury slowed Manalapan's Laura Saffer, but she was healthy enough at the right time of the season to prove she was the area's best distance runner. At the Freehold District meet, she won both the 1,600 and 3,200. She was sixth in Central Jersey at the 1,600 and ran her best time of the year, 5:16 in taking eighth at the Group IV championships.

Hamilton and Mergenthaler were the best speed merchants.

Hamilton, who could run the 100 hurdles and 200 with equal effectiveness, was at her best in the century. She took the Freehold District title easily (12.7), was fourth in Monmouth County, and third in the conference. Still just a junior, the best is still ahead for the Brave.

An injury at the state sectionals shortened Mergenthaler's season, but she had already done all that was needed to get on the All-District Team when she won the Monmouth County title at the 200 meters (26.65). The Cougar was just as talented in the straight-away 100, beating Hamilton in the 100 at the county championships (second place). She was injured in the last race of her year, a second place in the CJ II 100 (12.9).

Dowd stood out as the best at throwing the javelin. She nipped Manalapan's Stephanie Rosen by a foot (102-4-101-4) to win the District title, but with a fourth place in the county (104-2) and a 111-0 for sixth in CJ IV, her edge in the spear was much larger.

There was a spirited competition in the long jump between Sultana and Howell's Devin Barnett. But with the District title and a second place at the county, third at the conference (16-10) and beating Barnett in each time, Sultana proved she can fly as well as sprint.

Special mention this year goes to Jennifer Jeffreys of Freehold Township, who won the first-ever pole vault competition at the District Championships. The competition was non-scoring, but the stage has been set for the pole vault to become a girls' event.

Those earning honorable mention for the 2002 season were: Ashley Liberatore, Danielle Plenzo, Stacey Perry, Rose Lang and Kathleen Malara of Colts Neck; Rose Drayton and Kathy Doran of Freehold Borough; Sarah Strickland of Freehold Township; Devin Barnett, Kristen Caburis and Leslie Holleran of Howell; Lauren Strumwasser, Cheryl Lynch, Stephanie Rosen, Jamie Manzo and Andrea Vourtsis of Manalapan; and Lauren Goldberg and Diane Cerquiera of Marlboro.