Heights Seniors Converge to Tell About Future, Past

Hasbrouck Heights High School had a big year when it came to student/athletes heading to college to further their career in academics and sports.

Ten came to the high school library on Monday to talk about their past at Heights and their future at colleges that they will be entering the doors in the fall.

Several of them will come from the Aviators track and field program that has dominated the former Bergen County Scholastic League National division and now the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference in Alex Quinn (Ramapo College), Patrick Cole (University of Maryland), Jennifer Nass (Northeastern University, Mass.), Kevin Condal (Rutgers University), Marissa Romano (College of Holy Cross) and Kevin Harris (Mount St. Mary's University, Maryland).

Four other student athletes also are heading to college in other sports in Matt Galassi for football at Springfield College (Mass.), Danny Wynne for the University of Rhode Island, Tyler Naef at Southern Connecticut State University for soccer and Alex Ganguzza in swimming at Arcadia University (Reading, Penns.).

"It is probably the most we have ever had," said Hasbrouck Heights athletic director Mike Scuilla. "It is quite an accomplishment for all these students."

The student athletes talked about why they went to the schools that they chose along with some of their highlights while at Hasbrouck Heights.

Most of the track and field athletes pointed to their trips to the Penn Relays, one of the top and traditionally the best relays for high school and college athletes in the country.

Many of the track and field athletes recall their junior trip to the Penn Relays that helped them receive their scholarships.

One was Cole who had a big Penn Relays last season. "I was shaking, crying and barely could function," said Cole after getting his personal record that was a 57-feet-1-inch in the shot put, sixth overall against some of the best in the event.

And Nass points out the 1,600 relay team that traveled down to the 2010 Penn Relays and won first place in their group.

Condal mentioned the 2010 Bergen Meet of Champions where he won the 400 meters. "It was my personal best and pretty much got me into Rutgers," said Condal.

Ganguzza said he had to swim for his club team since Hasbrouck Heights had yet to have a high school team which will change for the 2011-12 season. The Heights senior recalls heading to North Carolina for his club team. "I was the only senior on the team and all of the other swimmers were looking up to me," said Ganguzza.

Wynne, who suffered a couple of injuries before the start of the football season, will be going to Bridgeton Academy, a top prep academically and athletically, before going to the University of Rhode Island. He missed most of the 2011 baseball season after rehabbing his injuries but helped the Aviators baseball team make the state playoffs and pull off upsets over Midland Park and Park Ridge, both higher seeds before getting knocked out in the sectional semi-finals.

"It was just a great experience helping make the state playoffs," said Wynne who transferred from Paramus Catholic.

Naef said his best moment came during his freshman season with a game-winning goal over Becton. "I didn't have confidence since I was a little kid," said Naef. "It gave me a confidence boost that I can do it."

The group of student athletes also gave advice to fellow underclassmen coming up the ladder at Hasbrouck Heights. "Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do anything," said Galassi who helped continue the success of the Aviators football team. While at Heights the football team went 37-7 over the four years.