RBR Scholar Athlete Headed to Dartmouth

Red Bank Regional’s (RBR) well accomplished  scholar athlete, Jazz Van Loon of Little Silver, is headed to Dartmouth this fall where she will compete on the Ivy League University’s track and field team.

            “I am thrilled to be playing for Dartmouth,” she states, “It is an incredible opportunity to obtain a top education and play Division I sports.”

            While the Big Green had a need for Jazz’s talents in long jumping (she holds the RBR record for the long at 18’1” and triple jump at 36” 11.5” and was the 2013 & 2014Monmouth County Women’s Champion in the Long Jump and 2nd in triple), she could have easily played basketball or soccer for many other colleges.  The captain of all three sports for several years at RBR, Jazz lists numerous other impressive athletic accomplishments. She was her team’s high scorer in basketball for the past three years and this year she joined the elite 1,000 point scorers club. She also holds the school record for most goals scored in a single season in soccer at 25.

            Dartmouth was equally attracted to Jazz’s many academic achievements.  As a member of the Academy of Finance, Jazz had made the honor roll or high honor roll her entire high school career. While taking her school’s most rigorous courses, she earned a 4.0 grade average and gained acceptance to the National, Spanish, Math, and English Honor Societies.  She has also been actively engaged in school government as the Student Council’s business manager and president of the Future Business Leaders Club. She participated in the Key Club and Environmental Club and explored her hobbies as her class’s photographer for the past two years, a member of the RBR Culinary Club and participant in the Percussion Ensemble. She was also selected as an officer in RBR’s Peer to Peer Counselor program.

            Sports, however, have always remained her primary passion. When Jazz first came to RBR, she had to give up ice hockey since there are only three sport seasons in the school year. Incredibly close to her twin, Paris, and younger sister Devon, as long as she can remember the three always played together on every recreational and travel league in which they were eligible to participate.      

            “We were a package deal, we always played together and my younger sister played up a year,” Jazz states. Her sisters have also enjoyed playing together on multiple RBR high school teams.

            While many people might find such a daunting sports’ schedule challenging to high academic achievement, Jazz finds the opposite is true, stating, “I think sports has helped me keep my grades up providing the structure I needed.”

            Jazz intends to major in economics at Dartmouth and would love to incorporate her passions to work in the finance department for a major sports’ organization someday.

            RBR’s Athletic Director Del Dal Pra comments, “Jazz is a throwback athlete that is hard to find in the 21st century. She plays three sports every season and goes at every game and practice like it is her last. We will miss her very much at RBR, but we are very excited to see wonderful things she will do in life. Dartmouth is very lucky to get not only such a great athlete but a great kid as well.”