Sayreville track teams building toward the postseason
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
The Sayreville High School boys and girls winter track teams are busily preparing for the upcoming NJSIAA Relays on Sunday as well as the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Relays set for Feb. 1. Both events will be held at the Jersey City Armory.

Among the highlights for the Bombers so far are several strong performances at the Holiday Invitational in Jersey City.

Chantel King finished fourth at 200 meters with a time of 25.8 seconds, and sophomore Sarah Barnes took fourth in the high hurdles and turned in a solid 1:47 at 600 meters.

On the boys' side, freshman sprinter Kenny Robinson took third place at 55 meters.

"Both of our teams have a lot of potential," said coach Gerry Carney. "They're getting used to our workouts, everyone is working hard, and the times are starting to come down."

The girls team is loaded with quality sprinters, including seniorMaryann Boulton, juniors JoliseAponte, Danielle Hoyte, and King, Barnes, a sophomore, and freshman Katie Seaman. Carney will choose from this group when putting together his 4x400 relay team.

Seaman is also a hurdler, and Hoyte is just now rounding into form after recovering from a sprained ankle.

Barnes and Seaman can also run the middle distance events, along with sophomore Alexa Congelosi and three freshmen - Sarah Buscar, Tashauna Hines and Desiree Gonzalez. Juniors Melissa Gulyas and Erin Fitzgibbons compete at 1,600 meters. Both have recorded times under the six-minute mark.

Buscar, Gonzalez, Hines and Seaman combined to finish fourth in the 4x200- meter freshman race at the Holiday Invitational.

"The girls have the potential to develop a super mile relay team," Carney said. "The ability is there."

The boys, who lost several key runners to graduation, nevertheless have several talented competitors as well. The versatile Robinson has been a pleasant surprise, and he will likely team with senior Eljawan Sian in sprint events. Sian has already recorded a time of 6.6 seconds at 55 meters.

Juniors SeanMosser and Peter Ferlita will handle the 400- and 800-meter events, possibly with some help from Robinson. Shane Zuczek, a senior, is the team's top miler, and junior Kenny Piscitelli is the top hurdler.

The boys team is particularly strong in the shot put, where Nick Corvino leads the way. The junior has a personal best of 39 feet. Alec Vuono, a senior, and juniors Michael von Gonten and Ronald Heaney are not far behind - all have surpassed the 37-foot mark, and Carney expects continued improvement from all four.

"Our boys team is rebuilding, but I do expect to see some strong performances," the coach said. "The main thing is to just keep cutting down the time, or in the case of the shot-putter, increasing the distance."