Columbia's Irene Chen leaps to cach the disc.
MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Columbia High School girls Ultimate Frisbee team, known as Sparkle Motion, ended a successful spring season by winning the New Jersey state championship for the first time since 2010.
Sparkle Motion began the game with a 3-point deficit against the favorites, West Windsor–Plainsboro Regional, but came back to win in a nail-biting finish, 11-9, on May 28.
Delaware Valley Youth League coach Ken Karnas, who has coached players from both teams, said Sparkle Motion and WWP “brought an incredible level of play to our championship game!” He also announced after the game that coaches and players across New Jersey had selected Sparkle Motion senior captain Sydney Mannion as the New Jersey state player of the year. Karnas said, “Sydney’s stellar play on the field and leadership off the field are seen and appreciated by all. She embodies the essence of what NJ girls Ultimate is all about, and we are proud of her!”
Also selected to the first team all-state from Sparkle Motion were senior captain Vivian Welch and junior Irene Chen. Second team all-state included senior captain Abby Sullivan, junior Sandy Yang, senior Simone Heinze, and JV captain Sabrina Mannion, a sophomore.
The state championship marks a new era for CHS girls Ultimate. The 2022 season was Sparkle Motion’s first ever with enough players for an independent junior varsity team. JV saw great development over the course of the season, winning the award for Best Spirit at the competitive Amherst Invitational Tournament in Massachusetts earlier in the season. “We are very excited to be building a legitimate program that will further girls Ultimate in MAPSO and beyond,” wrote Mannion.
Sparkle Motion is graduating 13 seniors this year: Dara Brownstein, Lyra Graff, Amelia Heinze, Simone Heinze, Mila Kisch, Sydney Mannion, Rebecca Neusner, Ciara O’Hanlon-Boone, Priya Pai, Lucy Parry, Holly Stout, Sullivan and Welch. Chen and Yang, juniors, were announced as 2022-23 captains selected to lead Sparkle Motion next school year. Excited for the future of the team, varsity coach Donovan Hugel said, “There’s finally a system of belief, trust, and development that is going to take us miles, and watching them all develop into amazing players and people has been one of the best experiences of my life.”
Photos Courtesy of Sydney Mannion.
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