Another group of Bridgewater-Raritan High School athletes were crowned champions of Somerset County.
To highlight a third-place finish for the Bridgewater-Raritan girls’ indoor track and; field team, the Panther girls’ 4x800 relay team cruised to a gold medal (10:05.73) by nearly 20 seconds at the the2025 Somerset County Indoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday, January 12, at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.
Collecting silver medals were the girls’ distance medley relay team (12:57.33) along with senior Tynisa Medallon, who cleared a five-foot mark on the high jump en route to a tie for second place. the medal also bolted to a mark of 16 feet and two inches in the long jump: good for a a fifth-place finish for Bridgewater-Raritan.
Also producing a fourth-place finish in the girls' meet for Bridgewater-Raritan sophomore Meera Buddhikot, who leaped to a four-foot, eight-inch result in the high jump. She also sprung to a 15-foot, six-and-a-half-inch mark in the long jump for an eighth-place result.
The Bridgewater-Raritan girls’ 4x400 relay team also took seventh place (4:28.43), while the girls’ sprint medley relay team tallied an eighth-place finish (4:42.77), and the girls’ 4x200 relay team crossed the finish line at 11th (2:01.43).
Senior Maria Georgiou hurled a 28-foot, nine-inch mark for eighth place in the shot put, and junior Addison Lewis also threw a mark of 23 feet and a quarter inch in the girls’ shot put, good for a 17th-place finish to round out the Panthers’ results on the girls’ championship side.
The Bridgewater-Raritan High School boys’ indoor track and field team produced an eighth-place overall finish with 15.5 points at the county meet. Ridge won the meet with 71 points and Hillsborough High School was second with 57 points
Senior Alijah Wilson secured the highest placement in a championship event for the Panther boys’ team, as he sprung to a mark of 20 feet in the long jump en route to a silver medal. Wilson also completed a 36-foot, seven-and-three-quarter-inch triple jump (11th place) along with a five-foot, two-inch high jump (14th place).
Classmate Jaime Flores also competed in these three championship events for Bridgewater-Raritan, and he bounced to marks of five feet, eight inches in the high jump (seventh place), 36- feet, two inches in the triple jump (14th place), and 17 feet, eight-inches in the long jump (15thplace).
Bridgewater-Raritan's boys’ distance medley relay team collected their squad’s highest relay placement at fourth place (11:13.17). Both the boys’ 4x200 relay team (1:36.06) and the boys’ 4x800 relay team (8:41.29) also collected fifth-place results. Crossing the finish line in ninth place was the Bridgewater-Raritan boys' 4x400 relay team (3:49.84) and boys’ sprint medley relay team (3:57.34).
On the individual side, sophomore Andrew Ciccotelli placed seventh with a nine-foot clear on pole vault. Rounding out the boys’ championship results were senior Shaun Nelson and sophomore Jordan Estomata, who threw for sixth place (43 feet, two-and-three-quarter inches) and ninth place (39 feet, 11-and-one-quarter inches), respectively, in the shot put.
Next up for the Bridgewater-Raritan will be the 2025 Wayne Valentine Invitational at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 15, at Drew University in Madison. The Panthers will then compete in their first state meet: when the NJSIAA Group 4 Relay Championships, are held at 10 a.m. Sunday, January 19, at the Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River.
This Toms River venue: also known as “The Bubble”, will also serve as host to both the Skyland Conference Championships and NJSIAA North New Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Championships at 9 a.m. Sunday, February 2 and 9 a.m. Sunday, February 16, respectively.
Those advancing out of the state sectional meet will return to Toms River for the NJSIAA Group 4 State Championships at 9 a.m. Sunday, February 23.
Those who advance out of their respective group meets will qualify for the Meet of Champions, which will be contested at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex inStaten Island.