Mustangs gymnasts had record-setting season

BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Marlboro’s Randi Glassman performs on the beam during the SCT finals at Brick Memorial.

Just about everything the Marlboro High School girls gymnastics team wanted to accomplish this fall has come to fruition — and then some.

They wanted to score 100 points in a meet, and they not only did that, but have scored 101 points or more in each of their 10 meets.

"We haven’t done that in a long while, score 100 points in every meet," said coach Cathy Pierson. "They’ve been very consistent."

The Mustangs were 7-3 during the dual meet season and challenged for the Shore Conference A North Division title like they wanted to. They were second to Ocean Township, which handed them their only division loss.

What the Mustangs didn’t expect was to turn in the school’s highest dual meet score ever, 106.325, in beating Manalapan.

"It was a great meet for us," noted Pierson. "Scoring the highest dual meet score was very special."

The new school record helped the Mustangs achieve their other two goals — qualify for both the Shore Conference and Central Jersey meets.

"The girls are very excited about that," said Pierson. "At the start of the season, we thought maybe we could do it."

Marlboro scored 98.525 Saturday to finish sixth at the SC meet held at Brick Memorial High School. Top-ranked Red Bank Catholic won it with a 108.3.

Key to Marlboro’s success has been its depth of talent. Pierson has won a state championship at Marlboro, yet she said this 2003 team has more balance and depth. They’ve had more gymnasts making contributions in each meet.It’s been a combination of youth and experience that has made Marlboro one of the state’s top teams. Freshman Lauren Jack stepped right in and provided help in the all-around. She is one of the top scorers in the Shore on the balance beam, with a 9.225.

"Lauren has helped us a lot," said Pierson.

Veteran Jaclyn Mandel-baum, a sophomore, and Nicole Lallo, a junior, were better than ever.

"Jackie and Nicole added some diffi­culties to their routines and cleaned up their execution," Pierson remarked. "That’s led to higher all-around scores."

Mandelbaum hyper-extended her knee in the record-setting victory over Man­alapan and, out of precaution, has missed the last five meets of the regular season. She’ll be ready for the championship meets. She proved that by leading the Mustangs at the SC with a 19th place in the all-around (33.70).

The fact that Marlboro was still able to win, and score over 100 points without her, speaks for their depth.

"A lot of girls stepped up for us," noted Pierson.

Randi Glassman, who started the sea­son concentrating on the vault, moved up to the all-around in Mandelbaum’s ab­sence and has done well.

Cheri Berger, who was doing 7.7 on the uneven bars last year, has been scoring in the mid 8.0s. She also has competed on the vault, floor exercise and balance beam.

Dana Fitzpatrick (beam, floor), Saman-tha Heller (beam, floor) and Alison Marquardt (bars) are among the girls who rose to the occasion.

Freshman Diana Hartman was mak­ing a big impact on the team early on the bars and beam, but a fractured arm has sidelined her for the rest of the season.

Captain Jamie Schwartz (the only se­nior on the Mustangs) won the floor exer­cise at the Shore Invitational held at Toms River South on Oct. 25. That meet is for those who didn’t individually qual­ify for the SC. She scored 8.05.

Fitzpatrick was fourth on the bars, with Jaclyn Minkoff fifth on the vault, and Heller was sixth on the floor exercise.

Having qualified for the Central Jer­sey Section I tournament on Nov. 8 at Manalapan High School, the Mustangs have one more ambition — qualify for the State Championships.

With only one senior on the team, the Mustangs should remain serious con­tenders.