Pennington School graduate Adrienne Markison (Class of 2007) continues to improve on her tennis game.
Playing at No. 3 singles for the Quinnipiac Bobcats, Adrienne defeated Alison Campitiello 6-1, 6-2, helping Quinnipiac to a 4-3 triumph over UConn Oct. 13 in enemy territory.
With freshman Sarah Viebrock's win over Abby McKeon in a third-set tiebreaker, the Bobcats (1-0) edged the Huskies, 4-3, to post their first win of the season.
The NEC Rookie of the Year from Princeton who earned First-Team All-NEC recognition at both No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles in 2007, Markison finished second on the team in singles wins with 16 her freshman year, including a 7-2 mark at No. 3 and a 2-1 record at No. 2 in dual matches. She added 16 more wins in doubles competition for a total of 32 victories in her inaugural collegiate season.
Last year as a sophomore, Markison earned Second Team All-NEC recognition in both singles (No. 2) and doubles (No. 1) play, winning 28 matches (14 each).
She earned 10 singles wins in dual matches at No. 2 and was paired with Mary Wilson to win 12 of 19 doubles matches at No. 1 in dual matches.
In one string to begin the month of April, Markison emerged victorious in 10 straight matches, including five each in singles and doubles.
At Pennington, Markison won over 100 matches in a much-heralded four-year high school career that saw her capture both New Jersey State Prep B and Mercer County individual crowns.
She also won the Red Raider Award which is Pennington's highest athletic honor.
Markison is consistently ranked among the top 150 nationally by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and has ranked as high as No. 8 in the USTA Middle States section.
Also in USTA play, Adrienne competed in the National Open in El Paso, Texas, where she earned the Sportsmanship Award.
A Dean's List student, Markison is majoring in communications at Quinnipiac. Her extracurricular activities include the establishment of a national foundation called Next Generation for the Cure, an organization that raises breast cancer awareness among teenagers through participation in the Race for the Cure.
A player who began playing tennis at the age of five, Markison reached a ranking of 33rd nationally in doubles play by the time she turned 16.
***
Compiled by Sports Editor Steve Sherman.

Labels: Pennington

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
PENNINGTON--After posting a 3-1 triumph over the Solebury School Sept. 30 at home, Pennington has found the win column hard to come by.
Yesterday’s (Oct. 14) shutout loss to Academy of the New Church (ANC) at home on the turf was the Red Raiders’ fourth consecutive loss.
Pennington goalkeeper Morgan Huth stood tall in goal, making 25 saves for the Raiders but even she could not make the difference in this one.
Karenna Genzlinger scored two goals to lead ANC to a 3-0 halftime lead. The Lady Lions extended their edge to 4-0 shortly after the break on their way to a 5-0 victory.
With the win, ANC pushed their record to 6-5 overall. Pennington, meanwhile, fell to 3-7.
Pennington’s current string began Oct. 2 with a loss at home to Stuart Country Day School. Stuart also blanked the Raiders by a 5-0 score.
In between, Pennington has dropped road matches to Princeton Day School (PDS) and George School. The Raiders fell 7-2 to PDS on Oct. 5 and 1-0 to the Cougars on Oct. 9.
The battle with George School, which took place in Newtown, was a heated one and could have gone either way, according to first-year head coach Wendy Morris who has taken the reigns of the team from longtime skipper Ida Malloy.
Pennington recorded its first win Sept. 14 with a hard-fought 1-0 road victory over Nottingham. Two days later at home, the Raiders outpaced Morrisville, 2-0, at home.
“A lot of the time, we’ve lost those games in past years so I think it’s good that we’re winning them, even though it might only be by one or two goals,” stated Pennington’s own and senior co-captain Maddie Scherer, a midfielder playing in her fourth and final year for the Raiders.
Against Solebury, junior midfielder Lexi Sorrentino put a pair of goals into the back of the cage, but it was senior halfback Melissa Iorio, of Hopewell Township, who tallied the game-winner.
***
NOTES: Area players for the Raiders include Scherer, Sorrentino, Iorio, sophomore backfielder Geena Molinaro and Jess Gravalis, a 10th-grader who plays forward and at midfield. Morris played both college field hockey and lacrosse at Mt. Holyoke College and, come spring, will act as an assistant coach in the girls lacrosse program. Morris came to Pennington with 20 years coaching experience at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta.
***
ANC 5, Pennington 0
Academy of the New Church (6-5) 3 2--5
Pennington (3-7) 0 0--0
(Oct. 14 at Pennington)
Goals: ANC--Genzlinger 2, Edwards, Nunez, Campbell
Saves: ANC--Bedford 3; P--Huth 25

Labels: Pennington

By Rick Fortenbaugh
For BucksLocalSports.com
While this week’s schedule is not as attractive as the last, there are some games that will still generate a lot of interest on the Lower Bucks County scholastic football slate.
Two of the bigger ones involve the Council Rock schools with Rock South looking to rebound from its first loss when it hosts Bensalem tonight and Rock North hoping to extend its three-game winning streak at Pennsbury’s Homecoming tomorrow night.
Also of interest are a pair of non-league games involving Morrisville and Bristol.
The Owls ended a two-game losing streak when they beat Truman last week, while Rock South suffered its first loss in an away game at Pennsbury. This has the potential to go down to the last minute. Bensalem’s offense is still not where coach Dan McShane would no doubt like it to be, but the Owls had a strong second half against Truman. Rock South, meanwhile, has just two touchdowns in its last two games, including the dramatic escape against Conwell-Egan. If Bensalem can stop the triple option and give its offense enough chances, a minor upset could very well result.
As if this wasn’t a tough enough assignment, John Iannucci’s Tigers will be up against a Neshaminy squad that will be looking to wash away the taste of its first defeat. That came at undefeated Abington, where a furious Redskins rally in the fourth quarter came up just short. Truman can play some defense, but it’s offense is still far from upper-tier Suburban One National League standards. It’s just hard to see much excitement on The Ridge tonight.
George Gatto’s Warriors lost this game last year and you can be sure they’ve been reminded of that all week. Pennington has a nice passing game headed up by junior Keith Dearden (nearly 300 yards last week) and a decent running game featuring ex-Pennsbury back Malcolm Perry. A week ago, Pennington lost to Calvary Christian, 29-28, when it came up short on a gutsy attempt for a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. Most people consider Bristol to be superior to Calvary Christian, so that’s good for the Warriors. There will be some points tonight, but look for Bristol back Woodrow Vorters to make the difference.
Look for more offensive fireworks at the historic Robert Morris Stadium from Dawgie quarterback Matt Cookson and Co.. Morrisville lost its first game last week, but the setback came in a 33-26 thriller against Lower Moreland in one of the Dawgies’ best efforts in years. New Hope opened some eyes by playing Bristol tough in the first game in the history of its program, but it’s been back to reality for the Lions ever since. In that stretch was a loss to Princeton Day, which Morrisville hammered, 37-7.
It’s Homecoming Night at Pennsbury and there’s sure to be a huge crowd unless the weather really stinks. The numbers tell the story of what the Indians are up against. Pennsbury has avalanched its four opponents by a combined score of 130-22 and its first-team defense has allowed just 10 points. Making matters worse for Rock North is the fact Pennsbury showed a nice run/pass balance last week. Rock has a strong passing game with quarterback Tyler Hamilton, but Pennsbury also has an excellent secondary. Throw in the depth factor and Rock North is a big underdog despite its record.
Although the injury bug has continued to hit Conwell-Egan with standout wide receiver Ryan Bond the latest to get dinged up, the Eagles shouldn’t have many problems with this Saturday night foe at the Hank Morgan Stadium. Among Goretti’s losses was a setback to Cardinal Dougherty, which Egan just handled, 28-7, just last week. As Council Rock South can testify, Conwell-Egan does play some tough defense and it’s hard to throw on the Eagles.

Labels: Bristol, Conwell-Egan, CR North, CR South, Neshaminy, Pennington, Pennsbury, Truman

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
One of Pennington’s goals this season is to improve over last year’s 8-8 record.
Wednesday’s 3-1 triumph over the Solebury School lifted the Red Raiders to 3-3 so whether or not Pennington will reach its objective remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure however, the Red Raiders are winning the close ones, something Pennington had problems with last year.
Including Wednesday’s triumph over the Spartans, the Raiders have recorded all three of their wins by two goals or less. Pennington recorded its first win Sept. 14 with a hard-fought 1-0 road victory over Nottingham. Two days later at home, the Raider outpaced Morrisville, 2-0, at home.
“A lot of the time, we’ve lost those games in past years so I think it’s good that we’re winning them, even though it might only be by one or two goals,” stated Pennington senior co-captain Maddie Scherer, a midfielder playing in her fourth and final year for the Red Raiders.
While junior midfielder Lexi Sorrentino put a pair of goals into the back of the cage against Solebury, it was senior halfback Melissa Iorio, of Hopewell Township, who tallied the game-winner.
Pennington led, 2-0, by the break and made that edge stand up with both teams scoring once apiece after the intermission.
“In these games that we’re playing that are close wins, the girls are playing with a lot of heart,” stated first-year head coach Wendy Morris, who has taken the reigns of the team from longtime skipper Ida Malloy.
“We’re playing teams where the game could go either way,” added the new coach. “Luckily, they’ve gone OUR way.”
Malloy isn’t the only one missing from the field hockey program here. With graduation, the Raiders lost three seniors including starting keeper Amanda Flores and center-backfielder Paige Scharite.
Playing in between the pipes this year at Pennington is Morgan Huth, a player who was stationed at midfield last season.
“She’s doing so awesome in goal for us this year,” stated Scherer. “It’s really good to have her step up.”
And stepping up in place of Scharite at center-back has been Iorio.
“We’ve had to shift back to the defense,” explained Scherer.
While that defense helped Pennington come out ahead the last day of September, Iorio says her side performed better before the break.
“Our confidence got a little too high in the second half. That’s just something our team has to work on,” she said.
“I think overall, we played really well though.
“We worked together as a team, and we communicated. We had great stick skills. It was good that we got the ball in the cage three times.”
While wins are always good, there are just 20 girls in the program, many of whom are either playing a new sport or a new position. Pennington’s lack of depth stood out in lopsided losses to Hun, New Hope-Solebury and Morrestown Friends.
“Those games weren’t as close but those teams have a lot more depth than we do,” stated Morris. “We have a lot of girls who are playing for the first time.”
And Morris, a coach with more than 20 years coaching experience at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, is right there to guide the newcomers and veterans alike,
“She’s really worked on developing stick skills and [new] positions on the field. A lot of girls haven’t played before,” stated Scherer.
“It’s been really good as far as teamwork and learning new things.”
“Coach Morris has been so positive and worked us really hard.
“And we need the work so it’s good.”
“I’m here to grow the program. It’s a good group and they’re making progress,” said Morris.
In addition to the desire to outpace the performance posted by the 2008 team, Iorio, Scherer and their cohorts would like to build for the future.
“We want to develop stick skills for the new players so when everyone is rising up, we’ll be stronger as a program,” explained Sherer.
Iorio sees players stepping up on both sides of the ball.
“Maddie [Scherer] is crazy--she scores a lot. And Lexi Sorrentino is really good with getting the ball in the goal.
The Raiders also have some players stepping up on defense, among them junior Kate Kuzo and sophomore Gina Molinero. After missing most of last season due to injury, Kuzo is back on defense, stronger than ever, says Iorio.
“She was injured last year but she’s really stepping it up this year,” said Iorio.
“Overall our defense is really strong this year. There’s a lot more people to rely on and do well.”
That much has been demonstrated thrice over now in three wins for Pennington.

Labels: field hockey, Pennington

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
High School football games in the rain are a funny thing.
Trailing Lower Moreland, 6-0, at home earlier today with a little over two minutes to go in the third quarter, Pennington exploded for 20 points by the end of the frame.
First, the Red Raiders scored on a 49-yard TD pass from junior QB Keith Dearden to senior WR Harold Spears to lock the score at 6-all. Pennington then got back to back touchdown runs down the left sideline by senior Malcolm Perry that all but put the game away by the end of the third period.
Spears and Perry – two of the team co-captains – say their side was confident despite trailing at the half and despite never having beaten the Lions.
Lower Moreland had gone ahead, 6-0, after a blocked punt and ensuing recovery gave the Lions a short field at the 21 yard line. A Brian Gerhart to Steve Turetsky scoring toss put the visitors on top with 2 minutes to go until intermission.
“[It was] first game jitters--some of the new guys on the field getting used to the high school game,” stated Spears. “Once we settled down and got the passing game going, that just opened up everything else from there.”
“I got the guys together and said ‘this may be the last game played on this field. We don’t want to be the team that lost the last game on Heritage field,’” said Perry.
“I honestly felt we were better than that team; we just had to come out stronger in the second half.”
In between the first and second Raider touchdowns, Pennington recovered a fumble at the Lions 20 when Spears hit Lower Moreland quarterback Gerhart so hard, he coughed up the ball. Spears recovered the ball as well.
“All week, the coach has been on me to hit the quarterback on the option; that’s what I did,” stated Spears. “When I saw the ball pop out, I just flipped over on the ball as fast as I could.”
Perry’s ensuing 20-yard TD jaunt put the Raiders up, 12-0. His 49-yard scamper – after a successful on-sides kick that gave them the ball back at midfield – put Pennington up, 18-0, and Spears’ one-handed grab of a Dearden 2-point attempt into the right side corner of the end zone put the Raiders on top, 20-6, and this game was over.
“It all started with that first touchdown pass to Harold. When they saw the first couple of passes that got it rolling, that backed the linebackers up a little bit. So they would back up and focus on that. We got great blocks on the outside from Sully Cavanaugh and Donte Johnson and that sprung me to the outside.
“All I need is a little bit of space.”
James Anderson’s 5-yard touchdown run up the middle of the Lions defense with two minutes to go in the game was just the icing on the cake on Pennington’s first ever win – a 26-6 triumph – over Lower Moreland.
Adding an ironic twist to a proud moment in Red Raider football history was the fact that it was these very same Lions that began Pennington’s downward spiral last season after the Raiders got off to a 4-1 start.
“We owed them from last year. We just played horribly and they just took our heart,” stated Spears. “We needed to come out and show them what Pennington pride is all about.”
Last year in this same matchup, the Raiders didn’t block and didn’t tackle well, took some dumb penalties and didn’t hold onto the ball in a 21-7 loss to Lower Moreland.
Pennington finished the season 4-5 after taking losses to ANC, Jenkintown and Perkiomen.
With 14 seniors on the current squad, Perry says this group wants to turn last year’s failures into this season’s success.
“As a senior group, we just have a confidence that last year was a season that should have been way better.
“This season, we have a core senior group that wants to win. We want to leave a legacy here at Pennington in our last year.”

Labels: Pennington

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
Pennington School senior soccer standouts Amber Brooks and Heidi Sabatura might be the closest thing Bucks County currently has to the evidence of the good works performed by Charlotte Moran.
Moran is the recently deceased Churchville, Pa. resident who acted as a national advocate for women’s soccer for the last 30 years.
A member of the US National U-17 girls team that made it to the finals of the FIFA World Cup tournament held last year in New Zealand, Brooks, who hails from New Hope, will play women’s soccer this fall at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a national power that’s won 20 national titles over the last three decades.
And Sabatura is a Lawrenceville resident and member of the FC Bucks Vipers team that qualified for the US Youth Soccer National Championships that took place last summer in Little Rock, Arkansas. Heidi is headed to Villanova in the fall where she hopes to play forward.
Until her death on May 18, Moran, was the executive director for the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA) and administrator for the Region 1 Olympic Development Program (ODP), a position she held for more than 20 years.
There was no mountain that couldn’t be moved by Moran. From her start as the Lower Southampton AA soccer league secretary, she attained the professional ranks in 2001. For the next three years, she acted as Director of Team Operations for the Charge, the Philadelphia affiliate for the now defunct Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA).
In November 2007, Moran finally met a foe she could not overcome – pancreatic cancer. On May 18, After an 18-month battle, Moran finally succumbed to the deadly disease.
The two girls were so moved by Moran’s death they stirred their cause to action, raising thousands of dollars collected through a recent youth soccer tournament held at Lower Makefield’s Macclesfield.
They called it Score for the Cure and 80-some girls, ages 8 to 13 played dozens of 3-on-3 soccer games held June 12 on nine different fields. Everyone pitched in including Yardley-Makefield Soccer (YMS) Director John Greaves and Coaches Mike DeMaio and Davey Simpson, who guide the Comets U17 girls premier team.
The support tents were erected alongside the fields and tables lined with merchandise set up underneath. The lines were drawn and the games began.
All of the members of the six-time NJ Prep A state champion Pennington School girls soccer team assisted with the officiating duties. Two members of the Red Raiders boys team helped out as well – Evan Bruccoleri and Billy Hawkey. Area soccer moms – from Pennington and YMS – worked the concessions.
When the dust settled, more than $8,000 was collected – funds headed for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
“All this money donated shows how great she was for soccer across Pennsylvania and across the East Coast,” stated Sabatura in a recent interview. “We had a great turnout. The girls loved it – each of them got medals. It was a great event all the way around.”
Over the years, Brooks, an ODP Region 1 player, became close to Moran, the Region 1 ODP director.
“She was like a second mom to her,” stated Sabatura.
Heidi says she was recruited by Brooks to work on the project as part of the student-athlete’s senior internship. The tournament was the culmination of three month’s work.
While the WUSA folded in 2003, that never stopped Moran from continuing her quest for women in the sport. Still a member of the NSCAA Women’s Committee, she was elected to the NSCAA Board of Directors in January 2008. Later that year, she received the Women’s Committee Award of Excellence, a tribute established a decade ago to recognize those who have brought honor and distinction to women's soccer.
More recently, Moran was bestowed with the Youth Long-Term Service Award At this year’s NSCAA Convention in St. Louis. She was also given the Glenn Myernick Service to Soccer Award dedicated to Glenn "Mooch" Myernick, a Lawrence High graduate who spent a decade playing pro soccer in the North American Soccer League.
It was all done for love of the game, said Moran in a 2001 interview.
“We were a soccer family – that’s what we did all weekend and that’s how we spent our vacations and holidays. Giving something back for all the years of enjoyment is why I do it.”
On June 12 at Macclesfield, Brooks and Sabatura gave some of that love back to Charlotte Moran.
***
A soccer fund in memory of Ms. Moran has been established. Those wishing to contribute can do so by sending donations to EPYSA-Charlotte Moran Foundation; C/O EPYSA; 2 Village Road, Suite 3; Horsham, PA 19044.

Labels: Pennington

By Joe O'Gorman
For BucksLocalSports

From the first day of practice in March right up to the final whistle of the season, there is a player or two on each team who is always hustling, leading by example and totally committed to the team and the game.
Many times that player doesn’t get the recognition her efforts deserve, so The Trentonian took the time to point out their accomplishments. Two of the 17 girls named by the Journaal Register Company publication are from the valley. One lives right here in town and recently reached 100 career goals notched for the Pennington School.
Danica Roskos (Hopewell Valley) — Besides being very accomplished around the diving board, the Bulldogs senior is very comfortable on the lacrosse field. It’s the opposition she makes uncomfortable.
A strong midfielder, Roskos (pictured, above) possesses blazing speed and has been a key to the Hopewell transition game. She is very talented with the stick and came score and just as quickly retreat to the defense to make a play at that end.
Maddie Scherer (Pennington) — The talented Red Raider attack player recently notched her 100th career goal, but there is much more than scoring to Scherer’s game. A strong player, Scherer has been instrumental in the development of the Red Raiders.
She has been the heart and soul of the Red Raiders and a very hard worker who is determined to make the team and herself better in the process.

Labels: girls lacrosse, Hopewell Valley, Pennington

Pennington School junior and town resident Madeline Scherer currently has scored 94 goals on the Red Raiders varsity girls lacrosse team.

Maddie scored seven goals in Pennington's road win over Montclair-Kimberley, helping the Raiders rally from five down at halftime to win, 16-15, on April 27.

It is likely that Scherer will achieve the 100-goal mark in either the away game against Princeton High School April 29 (Wednesday at 4 p.m.) or the home game on Saturday, May 2 against Blair Academy at 3 p.m.

Labels: girls lacrosse, Pennington

By Steve Sherman

Sports Editor

Pennington midfielder Kaitlyn Kerr has been named the 2008-09 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
That makes Kerr a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year award, which will be announced in May. ESPN RISE named Kerr the top player in the Garden State on Feb. 12.
A Pennington School junior from Bensalem, Kerr was selected for her offensive output and the role it played in helping the Red Raiders to a sixth straight NJISAA Prep A state championship.
When Pennington lost standout forward Amber Brooks to the U17 National Team, Kerr stepped up to deliver a perfect season and a FAB 50 national No. 1 ranking.
Kerr scored 19 goals and chipped in 16 assists, leading the Red Raiders to a 17-0-1 fall 2008 campaign. She is a six-year member of the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Olympic Development Program team.
Kerr, who has 37 goals and 31 assists in her career, has verbally committed to play soccer at Duke University in the fall of 2010. She has also been named All-American first team by ESPN and ranked one of the nation’s top 10 players with only four of them females.
Kerr is also a standout on her club team, the FC Bucks Vipers. FC Bucks head coach Eddie Leigh had high praise for Kaitlyn.
“Whatever you need, she’ll give you,” said Leigh. “If I need her to defend, she’ll defend. If I need her in the box to score, she’ll do that. Her strong point is from the 18 yard line to the opposite 18 yard line.
“Whatever needs to be done to win, she does it.”
The Gatorade designation is not strictly an athletic endorsement of a player, however. The honor, rather, recognizes playing accomplishments along with academic achievement and exemplary character exhibited both on and off the field.
In addition to her 3.75 GPA, Kerr is a Pennington School campus guide who has participated in fundraising events benefiting cancer research. She’s also volunteered at area nursing homes and local rehab centers.
Kerr joins recent Gatorade New Jersey Girls Soccer Player of the Year recipients Shannon Mayrose (2007-08, Freehold), Ingrid Wells (2006-07, Montclair) and Marissa Stock (2005-06, Pingry).
The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball and boys and girls track & field.
The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE which works with top sport specific experts, and a media advisory board of veteran journalists to determine state winners in each sport.
For more information, visit Gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.

Labels: Bensalem, girls soccer, Pennington

Pennington runner looking forward to move to Texas

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

Pennington School junior Philip Wood began his high school career at LaSalle College High School. For those of you not familiar with the school, it’s a private Catholic School located on the edge of North Philadelphia.

Wood didn’t like the commute so he transferred to Pennington deciding instead to board at the New Jersey school before the start of his junior year.

But when Wood set down to select a college campus, he didn’t let distance stand in his way. The cross country and track standout for the Red Raiders selected the University of Texas. He’ll also compete in both sports for the Longhorns.

Though Wood will be a couple thousand miles away from his hometown in Yardley, he won’t feel like he’s so far away. That’s because Wood has grandparents and some family friends who live on the outskirts of Austin, home town of the Longhorns.

“This is huge,” stated Wood. “Ever since I was a little kid, it’s always been my dream to run at a D-I school - especially Texas.

“Even though I’m going far away, it’s almost like a second home to me.”

In the past two years since transferring to Raiders Coach Rick Ritter’s squad, Wood has become a seasoned distance runner, excelling in anything distancing a mile or more.

Late last year, Wood finished in fifth place in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCC) Northeast Regional held Nov. 29 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Wood's time of 15:42 was only 21 seconds behind winner Solomon Haile, of Silver Spring, Md.

Earlier that month, Phil took second place in the N.J. Independent Schools Prep B cross country championship meet run at Blair Academy. Wood’s longtime nemesis Doug Smith of Gill/St. Bernard’s won the race in 15:29.55, two seconds in front of Wood’s 15:31.7.

And on Oct. 31, Wood also placed second in the Mercer County Meet, finishing just behind Joe Rosa of West Windsor North.

Last May as a high school junior, Wood came on in the final 200 meters to win the 3,200 at the Mercer County Track & Field Championships held that time at Steinert.

Wood posted a record time of 9:18.76 in the distance event, erasing a 23-year old meet mark of 9:22.9 that Trenton's Keith Williams ran in 1985.

Wood became Pennington's first Mercer Meet champ since Peter Rulon-Miller won the 1,600 in 2002 at 4:27.7.

A month ago at the Armory, Wood recorded a 4:16.96 in the mile at the annual Hispanic Games.
After his good showing in the Northeast Regionals, however, Wood fell ill after the race and wasn’t able to train the way he would have liked.

At Nationals held in December in San Diego, the Southern California weather turned chilly - about 55 degrees - by race time.

Wood wound up finishing 30th in a field of 40 runners.

Still, in some ways just getting there was enough, he said.

“Nationals was a great experience but I didn’t run as well as I would have liked,” said Phil. “While I wasn’t really happy with the results, I was thrilled that I made it.”

And Wood is more than elated to be a future member of the Texas Longhorns.

“It’s been a great ride,” said Wood. “Right now, I’m just trying to get through the winter season. And, I’m really excited to go to Texas."

Labels: cross country, Pennington, Yardley

Pennington School senior Amber Brooks (center) signs a National Letter of Intent to play soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Here she is pictured with her mom Jean (left), dad Allen (right), co-coaches Bill Hawkey (rear, left) and Patrick Murphy, of Newtown (rear, right).

Labels: girls soccer, New Hope, Pennington

Pennington senior Philip Wood, of Yardley,
signs a National Letter of Intent to run track
and cross country at the University of Texas.

Labels: cross country, Pennington

Amber Brooks, Alexa Carugati, Phil Wood and Heidi Sabatura

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

The Pennington School is going for a trifecta - plus one - Wednesday morning in athletics when the private school in the Garden State signs four - count ‘em - four student athletes to Division I National Letters of Intent.
Three of the athletes are girls soccer players - members of the state championship team that won a record sixth consecutive NJISAA Prep A title last fall.
The other is Philip Wood, of Yardley, who is one of the best distance runners in the country. Headed to the University of Texas, Wood will join Amber Brooks, Heidi Sabatura and Alexa Carugati. All four are set to sign commitment letters in Sparks Gymnasium Wednesday (Feb. 4, weather permitting).
Come this fall, Carugati of Newtown, along with Sabatura of Lawrenceville, will play for the Villanova Wildcats.
Brooks, a New Hope resident who captained the US National U-17 team to a silver medal late last year in the World Cup, will play for the defending national champion University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tarheels are coming off a record 20th consecutive national championship.
Wood Takes the Fifth
Late last year, Wood finished in fifth place in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships (FLCC) Northeast Regional held Nov. 29 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y.
Wood's time of 15:42 was only 21 seconds behind winner Solomon Haile, of Silver Spring, Md.

Labels: cross country, girls soccer, Pennington