Howell gymnastics wrap up A North crown
Shore Conference is Saturday at Brick Memorial
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Howell's Austyn Fobes will be among the gymnasts to watch during Saturday's Shore Conference Championship meet at Brick Memorial High School.

It seemed inevitable. From the start, when newcomers Austyn Fobes and Brianna Ecklof performed their first gymnastic routines for Howell, they elevated the program to a new level.

The team went from outsiders to the one to beat in the Shore Conference A North Division.

The Rebels put the finishing touches on the inevitable on Oct. 17, defeating Marlboro, 108.9-102.625.

With the win, the Rebels clinched the A North Division title and completed the dual-meet season undefeated (11-0).

The championship may have been expected, but the Rebels took nothing for granted all season long, especially in the finale against state-ranked power Marlboro.

"They were nervous until the very end," said Conway-Hartman. "They were so excited when we won it. It was awesome."

The meet, held in Marlboro on Oct. 17, featured three of the finest gymnasts in the state in Howell's Fobes and Ecklof, and Marlboro's Lauren Jack. While they were battling in the all-around, it was Howell's supporting cast that was the difference against the Mustangs (6-3).

Fobes won the vault (9.5) and uneven bars (9.75), while teammate Ecklof was first on the floor exercise (9.65) and balance beam (9.575).

Jack placed second or third on three of the events with teammates Kara Mondry and Diana Hartman tying for third on the beam.

Howell's Alexa DeCanio, another of the team's bright freshman prospects, provided the critical third-place finishes that put Howell over the top.

At Saturday's Shore Conference Championships, Howell will be facing Colts Neck (second in A North) again. The six-team field, which won't be announced until midweek, will also include RBC, which like Howell and Colts Neck has scored 109 this year. Ocean Township, which has a 106, has locked up a spot as well. That leaves Marlboro, Freehold Borough and Lacey as the three teams vying for the two remaining spots. The Mustangs were sitting in the fifth position and the Colonials the sixth at the end of last week's action. But teams had until yesterday to compete in a meet and improve their score. Only after those meets will the field be set. It is the average score from a team's best three meets that determines a team's scoring average. It takes more than one good meet to get a team in.

Conway-Hartman knows her young team will be among the favorites, but pointed out that it will all be new for them, different from a dual meet.

"The girls don't know what to expect, they're new to the high school experience," she said.

This field will be as good as the state tournament, there is that much talent in the conference. Howell, Colts Neck, RBC, Ocean and Marlboro are all state-ranked teams.

Fobes, Ecklof and Jack are all-around contenders along with defending champion Lindsay Diamond, of Colts Neck. RBC's Beate Jones, just returning from an Achilles injury, could be a factor.

During the season, the Rebels had a passing of the torch. Dawn Campbell, the only Freehold District gymnast to win the state all-around title, gave her varsity championship jackets to Fobes, including the all-around championship. Campbell, who went on to star at Rutgers University, has been attending Rebel meets.

"It was a big moment in our gym," said Conway-Hartman.