Sports Shorts

Manalapan’s Mike Gaeta, a senior at Springfield (Mass.) College is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 141-pound weight division by the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll. Springfield is ranked No. 16.

Gaeta, the first Manalapan High School wrestler to win 100-career matches, is off to a 7-0 start. He was 4-0 at the Doug Parker Invitational, where he was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament while helping the Springfield Pride finish first in the tournament they hosted in Blake Arena.

Last year, Gaeta captured the New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) championship and went to place fifth nationally at 141. He went 5-2 at the national championships.

At Manalapan, Gaeta was a three-sport star in football, basketball and baseball. He captained the football team to the state playoffs and was a four-time NJSIAA District 21 champion in wrestling. He went on to place at the state championships his senior year.

Monmouth University senior linebacker Mike Castellano was named to the Sport’s Network I-AA Mid-Major All-American Team.

Castellano, a graduate of Freehold Township, was second on the team in tackles with 77, including 46 solo. Six of his stops were behind the line of scrimmage and he had three interceptions and two quarterback sacks. He finished his stellar career with 218 tackles and seven pass interceptions. He was earlier named to the All-Northeast Conference Team for the third time.

Castellano helped lead the Hawks to a 10-2 record this fall. Monmouth won the Northeast Conference Championship and hosted the Gridiron Football Classic in West Long Branch on Dec. 2. San Diego beat Monmouth, 27-7, in the inaugural edition of the game. The Hawks were ranked No. 2 in the final Sports Network Mid-Major Poll.

Freehold’s John Niedrich, a freshman at York College, placed second at 157 pounds at the recent Spartan Invitational. York finished second at the invitational to Delaware Valley, as Niedrich was one of five Spartans who advanced to the finals. Niedrich is a graduate of CBA in Lincroft.

Howell’s Bill Woodward is considered one of the top incoming freshmen on the Delaware Valley College wrestling team. Woodward, who placed sixth at the NJSIAA championships last winter, will wrestle at 149 pounds for the Aggies, who are preseason ranked No. 6 in the country. They are coming off a 17-3 season in which they won the Middle Atlantic Conference championship and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships.

In his first collegiate tournament, Woodward placed fourth at the Spartan Invitational, which Delaware Valley won with 142 points.

Woodward helped lead Howell to the Shore Conference A North Division title last year and titles at the Battle of the Beach in Delaware and Roselle Park Invitational tournaments. He won District 21 and Region VI titles during his career and placed sixth at the state championships as a senior. He finished his career with a 101-14 record.

The Jersey Bombers U14 Baseball Club is looking for quality, dedicated players to add to their roster for the upcoming spring and summer seasons. The team will play in competitive weekend leagues and tournaments. The Bombers offer quality coaching, player exposure and indoor winter training. Cut-off date to be eligible to play is May 1, 1992.

The team is based in Old Bridge; however, there is no residency requirement. Interested players should e-mail Coach Nick at Bignic714@aol.com or call (732) 433-0198 to register for a tryout.