Falcons are gearing up for run at a state title

BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

METUCHEN - Junior Scott Marino took home Most Valuable Swimmer honors and broke a school and meet record in the 200 individual medley over the weekend to help the St. Joseph High School swimming team win its sixth straight Pirate Invitational at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School.

"Scott has come through for us countless times," St. Joseph head coach Steve Whittington said. "What was most impressive was how he swam the last relay. With just one event between the 100 backstroke and the final relay, he got a bloody nose. I saw him put some tissue in his nose and I figured he took the tissue out. After the race I learned he left the tissue in and swam the relay. That's toughness."

Marino's time of 1:53.47 broke the old school mark of 1:53.50 held by Bobby Savulich and a meet record previously held by Christian Brothers Academy's Tom Wilkens. Savulich is currently swimming for the University of Michigan while Wilkens' claim to fame was swimming for the U.S. Olympic team. Marino set a new meet record last year at the event when he swam a 58.93 in the 100 breaststroke.

Marino's day was hardly through with the win in the 200 IM; he won the 100 freestyle in 47.18 and helped the 4x400 freestyle team and 4x200 freestyle team take top honors. Marino was joined by David Ford, Greg Bellizzi and Erick Brozek for the 4x200, and Phil Luzny, Donald Keenan and Tim Mancuso for the 4x400 win.

"I was happy with the whole performance," Whittington said. "We were able to sweep the relays and beat CBA by 186 points."

The medley relay team of Mancuso, Ford, Luzny, and Bellizzi took first as this year's Falcon team swept the relays for just the second time in history. St. Joe's did it the first time in 2004.

Other winners for the team included Luzny in the 100 butterfly in 53.23 and Mancuso in the 100 backstroke in 55.38.

"Mark Kenny also gave us a solid performance," Whittington said. "His third-place finish in the 100 butterfly helped us out tremendously point-wise to help us establish some distance from the field."

Whittington was happy with his team's performance and the win, but remains wary of a loaded St. Augustine Prep that competed at the Pirate Invitational undermanned.

"They were missing some of their top guys that can easily fill eight spots," Whittington said. "They are our main rival and we got a chance to see some of their depth this weekend."

Before possibly meeting up with St. Augustine in the States, the Falcons will make a run for their 29th straight GMC Championship Jan. 27.

"We have a solid team but we certainly need to work on some things," Whittington said. "We're a long way away from being where we need to be in order to make a run for a state title."

The Falcons enter this week currently 9-1 on the season. The team's only loss came at the hands of LaSalle of Pennsylvania.

"LaSalle is always a strong team," Whittington said. "It's always good for us to go up against such a solid team."