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Schools

Track Squads Look to Build on Past Success

The boys and girls track teams have great track records and hope to have a great spring season.

Heading into the 2011 season, the East Brunswick’s boys’ and girls’ spring track squads will benefit from a combined 35 years of head coaching experience between them.

That experience isn’t divvied up as evenly as one might imagine, however. The school’s girls’ spring track team goes into the season with 34-year veteran Kevin McEvoy at the helm, while the Bears’ boys’ squad begins the season under the watchful eye of first-year head coach Dave Hagan.

But Hagan does have one advantage that any coach would envy regardless of their length of tenure: a group of athletes who just earned East Brunswick High School its first winter track state championship in school history.

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“This was a very successful unit under Coach McEvoy this past winter,” Hagan said (McEvoy coaches the boy’s track team in the winter, then assumes control of the girl’s squad for the spring.) “It makes you feel kind of like a kid who just got his license and gets handed a Ferrari.”

That Ferrari’s engine may well be Leonard Lockhart-Robbins, a senior wrapping up his East Brunswick career this spring. A sprinter, Lockhart-Robbins won the 400 meters at the New Jersey Group 4 State Championships this past winter with a time of 49.86

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Another key contributor for the Bear’s spring squad will be Junior Sam Mattis, who leads the team in throwing events. Mattis also earned a first at the winter Group 4 State Championships with a shot put of 55-10, and had a season best put of 57-11 earlier in the year.

The talent does not end there. Hagan expects much from seniors Sam Frost in the 800 meters, Evan Walton and Julian Quintin in the sprint events, and Jack Young and Sean Garrett in the throwing events. Juniors Donald Urschell and Thomas Marciante will be looked to for contributions in the sprints, as will Tyler Flood in the pole vault.

Hagan is no stranger to East Brunswick track. A graduate of the school’s 1995 class, Hagan competed for the track team during his years at the school. He has taught in the district for the past 10 years and has served as an assistant coach for the past five.

On the girls’ side of the ledger, McEvoy hopes his squad can compete on a level comparable to their 2010 season, which brought home second place in the GMC relays and fourth in the GMC in individual events. “We’re looking to do the same this year,” said McEvoy on afternoon, while overseeing his squad ahead of a scrimmage meet against Spotswood and Cardinal McCarrick. “The top team is South Brunswick. We’re a skosh below them.

“We’re not surrendering to them, mind you,” he adds with a quick smile.

As part of the 2011 campaign, McEvoy is looking for contributions from several seniors. These include Sofia Muhammed in the intermediate hurdles and the 100 meter hurdles; Lauren Drain in the hurdles and the quarter mile; Marnie Friedman in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters; Mihalia Caise in the 100 meters and 200 meters; and Bianca Nfoyomin in the distance events.

On the other end of the spectrum, McEvoy also has high hopes for Sarah Frost, one of his freshman distance runners.

Both squads began their season at the Rebel Relays at Howell. Two additional relay tournaments: one at Metuchen on Saturday, April 9, and another at Holmdel on April 16. These will be followed by a full GMC Red Division dual meet season, and the season will wrap up with the GMC Championships and the Meet of Champions.

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