Cellini and Co. lead Mustangs to track win
Marlboro girls first in Hudson County
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Head coach Ray Sypniewski has called Marlboro sprinter Emily Cellini "one of the best sprinters no one knows."

If she continues to do what she did Saturday at the Hudson County Track Coaches Association Relays, she won't be unknown for much longer. Cellini helped the Mustang girls win the team championship with 91 points. The Mustangs finished first in four events in Secaucus.

"Everyone stepped up," noted Sypniewski. "Ada (Unachukwu) and Kristen (Batts) had big meets and Emily took the team on her back. I can't say enough about it. She's been doing it all year for us."

Cellini, a junior, ran the 200 meters on Marlboro's victorious 4x200 team, the 400 on the team's fifth-place 4x400 team, and jumped up to the 800 meters and turned in a 2:28 in anchoring the Mustangs to a win in the sprint medley.

During the course of the season, Cellini has run everything from 100 to 800, as well as the 100 and 400 hurdles. Her versatility came in handy as the Mustangs won their first championship in more than a decade.

Unachukwu put her full range of talent on display and was in on all four relay wins by the Mustangs. She teamed up with Nicole Pecora to win the long jump (26-11) and with Carly Rubel in the triple jump (61-2). She anchored the 4x200 team that included Pecora, Rubel and Cellini. They ran a 1:51.2. Unachukwu split 58.6 for her 400 leg on the sprint medley. Rubel, Pecora and Cellini were the other members of the team that turned in a 4:26.2.

Batts uncorked a season's best 133-0 in the discus. She and Jackie Karlovich were second in the relay (199-5). Batts and Carly Moss were second in the shot put (60-4) and javelin (181-1) relays.

Karissa Leary, Karlovich, Jenn Ventrano and Suzanne Raspa won the 4x800 (10:28.2) for Marlboro.

Freehold Township boys first in Holmdel

The weekend saw District teams traveling all over the state.

At the Holmdel Relays, Freehold Township's boys captured the Division III championship, scoring 90 points.

The Pats remained undefeated in the intermediate hurdles relay this spring. The trio of Bob Searby, O'Shane Rennie and Dan Mularz were the only team under 3:00 (2:59.4) as they won by a huge 17-second margin.

Mularz and Rennie were joined by Xavier Reed and Jeff Kole in winning the 4x110-shuttle hurdles relay in 1:05.2.

The Pats also won the distance medley (10:51.0), 4x800 (8:16.0) and long jump (39-6 1/2) relays.

Charlotte Walsh is back from the injury that had her on the sidelines at the start of the season. She ran the opening 1,200-meter leg for Freehold Township's distance medley relay team that set a meet record 12:27.2. Megan Matz ran the 400, Janel Parker the 800 leg, and Allyson Moskal closed it out with the anchor 1,600.

The Pats were second to Montgomery (90-64).

Colts Neck went to the Blue Devil Classic in Westfield, where the girls were first in three events.

Kristen O'Dowd, Melissa Hannen, Morgan Clark and Allie Flott (who ran a 5:12.9 1,600) set a meet record in the DMR (12:43.2).

The Cougars' sprint medley team of Julia Tomaro, Samantha Santi, Kathlyn Herrick and Eva Wimberly were first in 4:16.9.

Jessie Pagliano and Lindsey Rappleyea both cleared 5-2 as Colts Neck won the high jump relay at 10-4.

This weekend will be taken up by the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The annual Freehold Regional District meet is May 3 at Howell High School.