Sports Shorts

Brad Brach became Monmouth University's all-time career strikeout leader when the senior right-hander went 7.1 innings in Monmouth's 10-3 win over NJIT. In fanning eight batters, he ran his career strikeout total to 226.

Brach, a graduate of Freehold Township High School, is 2-1 on the season with 28 strikeouts in 31 innings. He's pitching to a 3.19 earned-run average. He has won 23 games in his Hawk career.

Monmouth University is currently 15-8 and riding a 13-game winning streak. The Hawks are 4-0 in theNortheast Conference.

Brach's brother, Brett Brach, is 1-1 in his role as spot starter and reliever.

Both Brad and Brett led the Patriots to Shore Conference A North Division titles their senior years.

Manalapan's Mike Gaeta was inducted into the NCAA Division III New England Wrestling Association Hall of Fame at the recent Conference championships held in Portland, Maine.

Gaeta, who graduated from Springfield (Mass.) College last year, is one of just two Springfield wrestlers to earn All-American status four straight years. During his remarkable career, Gaeta won three straight conference championships, leading Springfield to the NEWA title each time. In his four trips to the national championships, he was fifth, seventh, fifth and fifth. He wrestled at 141 pounds.

Gaeta is a graduate of Manalapan High School where he is the all-time winningest wrestler in school history (102 victories). He won four NJSIAA District 21 titles and was a state place-winner his senior year. He was also a varsity letterwinner in football and baseball.

Christopher Graff, 11, a Level 6 gymnast at theMonmouthGymnasticsAcademy in Morganville, scored a perfect 10 on the parallel bars at the recent state championships.

Graff, has won the all-around championship at four invitational meets this year including the New Jersey State Championships where he scored his 10.

The MGA boys have also enjoyed success, led by Graff, bringing home first- and third-place trophies.

Yuriy Aminov coaches Graff who will be competing at the Regional Championships at Temple University on April 27.

The Marlboro Lightning U14 boys soccer team, won the PDA Spring Kickoff Tournament that attracted teams fromNew York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey. Marlboro defeated Century United, a top-ranked teamfromwestern Pennsylvania, 2-1, in the championship match.

The Lightning are: Alan Alegre, Scott Ashbridge, Chris Battaglia, Scott Bender, Bobby Cartas, Robert Casari,Matt Colen, Andrew DeMaio, Stephen Donato, Max Freedman, Aaron hart, Chris Hill, Matt Jelinsky, Sean O'Neill and Corey Stein. The coaches are Frank Rizzi and Gordon Ashbridge.

Bob Hurley, the legendary St. Anthony's High School boys basketball coach, will be running a one-day skills clinic at Ocean Sports Academy in Ocean Township on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. The clinic is for boys and girls ages 6-14.

Hurley's St. Anthony team won its third national championship this winter and national record 25th state title.

Dan Hurley, Bob's son and the coach of St. Benedict's Prep, which was rankedNo. 2 in the nation behind St. Anthony, will conduct a one-day clinic onApril 27 fromnoon to 3 p.m. Dan Hurley will also run a weeklong camp June 16-20 from 1-4 p.m. daily.

For more information on the clinics or the Ocean Sports Academy, call (732) 493- 4500 or visit www.osanj.com.

The Clifton T. Barkalow PTO, Freehold Township, will hold a 5K race on Saturday, May 31, starting at 10 a.m. at the township's Turkey Swamp Park.

This is the first Blue Jay 5K run/walk and is being managed by the Freehold Area Running Club (FARC), according to race director Jan Caputo, a sixth-grade language arts teacher and cross country coach at Barkalow.

The race is designed to encourage physical fitness and to appeal to all ages and levels: the competitive racer, the first-time runner and the fitness walker.

The race will feature T-shirts designed by a Barkalow student (a contest was held in the beginning of April); refreshments; a scenic, flat course in Turkey Swamp Park; prizes (with extra awards for young runners); and a raffle for all participants. One of the race sponsors, Sportcraft, of Mount Olive in Morris County, has donated 11 of its products - treadmills, elliptical machines, foosball and air hockey tables, and bocce sets - as prizes for the post-race raffle.

Entry fee is $20 before May 21, and $15 for students 18 and under. After May 21, the registration fee is $25 and T-shirts are not guaranteed. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. on race day. For more information and an application, visit http://cliftontbarkalow.freeholdtwp. nj.k12us.com/JCaputo.