Red Bank tops Eagles for another county indoor title
Trotters’ sweep
of distance races the key
By Mike White
Staff Writer

With less than 48 hours separating the Monmouth County Indoor Track and Field Championships from the NJSIAA Group II championships, the Red Bank Regional High School girls team had a decision to make.

They could go all out last Friday night and aim for the county championship, risking fatigue at the state championships, or they could go the conservative route and not try to double and triple their star runners.

In the end, it was a very easy decision for Corey Radcliffe’s team.

"It’s something we talked over, and the girls decided they wanted to go for it," he pointed out. "The girls hadn’t really done any speed work yet, and they said, ‘This (county championship) is our speed work.’ "

If the Bucs haven’t been doing any serious speed work this winter, then the rest of the state’s best distance runners are in trouble. Running their first serious individual races of the indoor season, Amanda and Katy Trotter, set meet records while leading RBR to a third straight county championship. The Bucs used their huge edge in the distance events to outscore Middletown South, 63-46, for the title.

Amanda Trotter started it off with a win in the 3,200 over Rumson-Fair Haven star Christy Planer, 11:33.09-11:40.17. After a slow first three-quarters of a mile that had the runners bunched at the front, Trotter took off with Planer, the only runner capable of matching her. Trotter would use a 5:32 second 1,600 to escape Planer.

It was Katy Trotter’s turn next, and she led a one-two sweep at 800 meters. Trotter posed a 2:21.42 to break the old meet record (2:22.9), set by Middletown South’s Kate Biongiolatti in 1998. Kingsbery also ran under the old mark in second place with her 2:22.7.

Amanda and Katy Trotter then ran one-two in the 1,600 with Amanda breaking her meet record from last year of 5:10.48 with a sparkling 5:07.76. Katy cruised to a 5:15.41 in second. Teammate Melissa Dooley came up with a big effort in sixth place (5:37.9).

Planer was fourth in this race in 5:19.97.

Red Bank picked up 47 points from the 800-3,200 meters.

The Bucs did not stop there. Kingsbery stepped down to the 400 meters and finished third (1:02.54). South’s Kolleen McCauley was first in 1:01.77.

RBR’s final points came in the 1,600-meter relay where the Trotters and Kingsbery teamed up again. Katy ran the opening 400 and passed the baton to Christine Hurley for the second leg. The third 400 was run by Amanda Trotter with Kingsbery bringing it home with the anchor leg. The quartet won by more than 10 seconds over South with their 4:16.28.

Red Bank Catholic’s Jillian Danback went one-for-two in her finals. The Casey senior won the 55-meter hurdles easily in 8.9. Minutes later, attempting her double, she was edged in the 55-meter dash by Asbury Park’s Cassandra Vidal, 7.68-7.62.

Monmouth Regional’s Erika Huggler was second to Danback in the hurdles (9.03).

RBC got points from high jumpers Patricia Mahoney (4-1) and Allyson Angelo (4-10) who where fifth and sixth in the high jump that went to Freehold Borough’s Debra Vento at 5-4.

Julia Barker was fifth in the 3,200 (12:17.61). In this race, teammate Kelly Byrnes was leading the pack with Amanda Trotter on her side and Planer right behind when she tripped passing a lapped runner. Byrnes who would have been a medal favorite, was unable to finish the race.

RBC finished in third place with 23 points.

Shore Regional’s 1,600-meter relay team clocked 4:34.88 in sixth place. Making up the Blue Devil quartet were Laura Hayden, Leigh Adams, Nicole Ullmeyer and Ashley Dwyer.

Dwyer, a sophomore, was third in the 55-meter dash (7.79).

Monmouth’s Keisha Anderson ran fourth in the 55-meter dash (7.86).

The boys county championships were held Jan. 17. Monmouth Regional, with 20 points, was the top local team led by its outstanding shot putter Adam Kuehl.

Kuehl continued his outstanding indoor season by winning the shot put with a 59-5 effort. He out-distanced his season-long rival Uzoma Orji of Matawan by more than a foot (58-4 1/4). Red Bank Regional’s Sam Kinningham was sixth (46-0).

The Falcons’ Sameer Shariff was third in the 800 (2:07.08), which went to Christian Brothers Academy’s Jeff Peterson (2:02.17) and Erik Brown was fourth in the 3,200 (10:03.33) that Craig Segal of Holmdel won in 9:58.27.

In the sprints, RBR’s Joe Kingsbery was fifth in the 800 (2:07.34) and Robert Dennis was sixth in the 1,600 (4:48.87) that Segal took in 4:41.9.

RBC’s James McCarthy ran fourth in the 1,600 (4:47.43) and teammate Matt Piccarello was sixth in the 3,200 ((10:05.99).

Shore Regional’s Marc Altenau finished third in that 3,200 (10:01.63).