Schools
Katie Watson and Ryan O’Malley Named SHS Athletes of Fall
Each standout also recognized throughout the season as Patch Athletes of the Week.
Katie Watson and Ryan O'Malley were named female and male athletes of the year for the Fall sports season. In one of the most exciting fall sports seasons in history, these this par of standout seniors excelled and made the "Hilltopper nation" proud.
Katie Watson: Girls' Cross-Country
As captain of the girls' cross-country team, Watson led her team to a string of championships including the 2010 Union County Mountain Division Championship, the Union County Championship, the Shore Coaches Heat D Champions, Stewart Individual Heat B Champions and the Magee Class Meet Champions.
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Watson was the overall individual champion at both Union County Championship meets, posting near record times and became the first Union County individual champion from Summit HS since 1987.
Watson was the only SHS runner to advance to the New Jersey Meet of Champions; she earned a respectable fourth-place finish in the field of 140 top runners in the Group 2 Championships.
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In addition, she was the Magee Class Meet individual champion. She also led her team to a third-place finish at the NJSIAA North 2 Group 2 championships which helped them advance to the Group 2 Championships.
Girls Cross Country Head Coach Dave Field said, "Katie is one of the best cross-country runners Summit HS has ever produced."
Ryan O'Malley: Football
As a returning member of last year's undefeated Group 2 State Football Championship team, the 6'7" O'Malley was a dominant force again this year and helped lead the Hilltoppers to 21 straight wins and a second consecutive Conference Championship in 2010.
O'Malley played offense and defense for the Hilltoppers. As a receiver, O'Malley had 11 receptions for 195 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per catch. He also had 7 touchdowns, including a dramatic catch to tie the game in the first-round NJSIAA playoff game against Orange.
On defense, O'Malley was a menace to opposing quarterbacks and running backs, collecting 56 tackles and 14 sacks; 17 of his tackles caught opponents' runners behind the line of scrimmage.
Head Football Coach John Liberato said, "Ryan is one of the best football players around. He gave us the confidence we needed to win championships just by being on the field!"
