By: Cathy Padilla | July 30, 2021 | | Colts Neck , Holmdel , Middletown , Red Bank , Rumson
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FEATURED PHOTO: Jessica Springsteen rides her horse Don Juan van de Donkhoeve | CREDIT: US Equestrian
When CM last featured Jessica Springsteen in 2018, LiliAnn Paras, Director of Marketing & Features, concluded their interview by asking if we would see Jessica competing in Japan on the U.S. Olympic Equestrian Team in 2020.
Already one of the best female riders in the world and a show jumping champion, Jessica answered, “I hope so!” And now in Tokyo, a year later than expected, the world watched as her lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics became a reality. Jessica Springsteen of Colts Neck, a graduate of Ranney School, is officially an Olympian and has earned a silver medal. Jessica Springsteen and the U.S. equestrian jumping team came up just short of Olympic gold, falling to Sweden in a jump off August 7, 2021 that still left the Americans with a record 10th medal in the event
That same drive, determination, sacrifice, and hard work that has enabled Jessica to become one of the very best in her sport is something we all admire and aspire to in our own chosen endeavors. And as part of our Back to School issue, celebrating all that the realm of education brings to our lives and our children, we are focusing on some extraordinary local student athletes who are using that same passion to take their skills to the national and international playing fields.
Athletics and the principles needed to make a champion have always gone hand-in-hand with book learning. Whether in gym class, on the playground at recess, or on the Friday night football field, sports and academics are the two cornerstones of any school. As everyone prepares for the back to school experience, meet these student athletes who, like Jessica, are making dreams come true on the National and/or International level: Megha Ganne, Shane Panzini, Ava DeHanes, and five members of the Holmdel High School (HHS) Varsity Track Team.
MEGHA GANNE
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She smiled, signed autographs, interacted with the crowd, and cemented her future as a star in the game of golf. Megha Ganne, a rising senior at Holmdel High School, competed as an amateur in her second U.S. Women’s Open Championship this summer at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, CA. She ended the first day just two shots off the lead of Yuka Saso who would go on to win. Ranked #25 in the world for amateurs, Megha has accepted a place on the golf team at Stanford University where she will enroll for the fall of 2022.Megha Ganne, a rising senior at Holmdel High School.
CM: Megha, you had a lot of fun with the crowd at the Open, how did it feel doing so incredibly well at such a high level event?
Megha: It felt like a dream come true, because it’s an event I grew up watching on TV, and wished one day I could compete in, and maybe even contend in. I felt so lucky to be on that stage, and having the crowds there made the week extremely special.
CM: Going into the second day you ranked almost at the top, what was that experience like and how did you manage all that pressure?
Megha: I was just enjoying the good golf, the course, and the environment, not really thinking too much about my positioning on the leaderboard. There was definitely a pressure I felt, but pressure is what makes everything more exciting.
CM: What is your goal for the next Open?
Megha: To prepare as well, and make sure to enjoy myself the whole week, just like I did at the Olympic Club.
CM: How do you manage your time with practice and school?
Megha: Managing school and golf is something I’ve been having to do since middle school, so it feels more natural to me now. But time management is definitely difficult, so having a good group of friends is really important as well as good communication with my teachers. I’m really grateful for the support I’ve received from Holmdel High School, because not a lot of players get that.
CM: How did you get started in golf?
Megha: I got started at age 7 when my dad, Hari, brought me to a driving range. He enrolled me in the First Tee Program as well as Girls Golf.
CM: What do you most love about the sport? What do you find most challenging?
Megha: I love that every day is a new challenge, and you constantly get to play a new golf course with brand new conditions. I find just about everything in the game of golf to be challenging, but that’s what makes it worth it for me.
CM: What are you interested in outside of golf?
Megha: On the rare occasion I’m not golfing, you’ll probably find me doing something outside. I love anything like biking, swimming, or playing tennis. I also make sure to spend time with my family and friends. (Megha lives in Holmdel with her father, Hari, her mother, Sudha, and her younger sister, Sirina.)
CM: Do you have a favorite quote or mantra?
Megha: Pressure is a privilege.
CM: What inspires you?
Megha: The idea of playing against the best players in the world makes me want to work harder. Having an experience like the Women’s Open was eye opening to the possibilities I have, and how far I have to go. I just know how much I loved the feeling of contending so I’m going to do everything in my power to be there again.
SHANE PANZINI
When you turn the channel to a Major League Baseball game this fall you may be watching Shane Panzini pitch for the Kansas City Royals. A member of the Red Bank Catholic (RBC) Class of 2021, the right-hander was drafted in the fourth round as the 108th overall selection.
Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 220 pounds, Shane’s pitch has been clocked at 98 miles-per-hour in bullpen sessions. He broke the single-season strikeout record at RBC with 115 strikeouts, breaking the previous record of 108 that was posted by his coach, Buddy Hausmann, in 1998.
“Shane left our program better than when he came in,” shared Coach Hausmann. “He was a good teammate and always thought about the team first. He made all his teammates feel that they were very important and always made it about the team, not himself. He has worked really hard to get to this point to pursue his dream and now it’s becoming a reality. I’m really proud of him.”
On June 16, Shane’s last time on the mound for RBC, he pitched a 14-strikeout game against Christian Brothers Academy. He was 9-0 with a 0.91 ERA and only 26 hits and 22 walks allowed in 61 2/3 innings during his senior season. Shane was named the 2021 Player of the Year by both Shore Sports Network and the Asbury Park Press, Pitcher of the Year by Shore Sports Network, and was a First Team All-State selection and named to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-American Team.
AVA DEHANES
Beginning her high school career next month in Holmdel, Ava DeHanes has been honing her skills at gymnastics since the age of three. When she took a liking to the sport at a local recreational program, her parents enrolled her in gymnastics school where she learned skills on the balance beam, floor, uneven bars, and vault. Her mother came across the Elite Trampoline Academy in Middletown, and once enrolled, Ava quickly developed her love for trampoline and tumbling.
Ava’s weekly training regime consists of 18 – 24 hours of hardcore training under 2021 U.S. Olympic team coach Tatiana Kovaleva, former 2012 Olympian Steven Gluckstein, and Double Mini coach Viachaslau (Slava) Marozau. Her hard work is paying off, and this year Ava qualified and was selected in two disciplines for the USAG Jr National Team and WAGC Team (World Age Group Competition) where she will travel to compete in Baku, Azerbaijan this coming November.
Ava has won gold medals at several National Championships in multiple disciplines and has traveled to compete on the international level with her first experience in St Petersburgh, Russia in 2018 at the age of 10 (turning 11). She also competed in Loule, Portugal in the 2019 Loule Cup and won her 1st international Gold Medal in the Women’s Individual Trampoline Division in her age group.
Ava has aspirations of one day representing the U.S. at the Olympics. She has set her sights on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France as her first eligible event and in 2028 in Los Angeles, CA.
HOLMDEL GIRLS’ VARSITY TRACK TEAM
Five members of the Holmdel High School (HHS) Girls Varsity Track Team traveled to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon to compete in the Outdoor Nationals High School Championship: Arianna Bartholomew, attending Bryant this fall and on the track team there for jumping; Margaret “Maggie” Wojie, attending St. Joseph University this fall and on the track team there for sprints and hurdles; Alexandra “Lexie” Wojie, rising senior at HHS and on the Varsity Track Team for sprints and hurdles; Sydney Goldson, attending Columbia University this fall and on the track team there for sprints; Katie Vassilakos, rising senior at HHS and on the Varsity Track Team for sprints and javelin.
In their four team relays they placed 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. Maggie also ran the 400 Hurdle.
“It was an incredible privilege to end our season at Nationals,” shared Sydney. “And for the seniors, it meant being able to race together one last time. Running at Hayward was truly an amazing experience for all of us, and we were proud to represent both the Holmdel Track Team and New Jersey. None of this could have happened without our parents, teammates, and coaches.”
Both Katie and Lexie are also members of the HHS Varsity Soccer Team and traveled to Denver, CO for the Nationals this summer in soccer with their travel team.
“I am extremely proud of what our entire program accomplished this year,” said HHS Head Track Coach Jonathan Cole. “The trip to Nationals was an amazing crowning performance. For our three seniors, Sydney, Maggie, and Arianna, I cannot think of a better way to finish off what has already been a remarkable four years for all of them. I am so happy and excited to see what they will do at the collegiate level! And for our Katie and Lexie, I know they will tell the rest of the team about this experience, and I am sure it will inspire our next generation of athletes. Four All-American performances and four new school records! Simply incredible!”
See this story in print!
Colts Neck – Holmdel – Lincroft Edition – view here.
Rumson – Fair Haven – Little Silver – Red Bank – Locust – Sea Bright Edition – view here.
