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Hello, my name is Ryan Norton. I have spent the past year crafting my skills as a writer and reporter while employed as an editorial intern for the Asbury Park Press, and as the sports section editor for The Tower, Kean University's student-run newspaper. I am also a graduate of Kean University, with a B.A. in Communications, with a focus in journalism.
By Ryan Norton | Posted October 22, 2015 When you're a kid, you have a pretty good idea of what type of job you'd like to have one day. "I want to be a movie star! I want to be a football player!"
By Ryan Norton | Posted November 19, 2015 The last time the New York Mets were in the World Series, NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys were still at the top of the Billboard charts, kids were still trading Pokémon cards, and George W. Bush won the presidential election.
It was a New Jersey homecoming for former Red Bank Catholic and University of Virginia soccer star Danielle Colaprico. After being drafted by the Chicago Red Stars earlier this year in the NWSL draft, Danielle Colaprico finally got the chance to realize a childhood dream; playing professional soccer in front of a home crowd of family and friends.
LAKEWOOD - Leftfielder Cord Sandberg has done a complete 180 from his performance in the first two months of the season. After ending April with a .221 batting average, then slumping to a .196 in May, Sandberg has elevated his game as the summer has progressed, going 14-37 in his last 10 games, with a home run and eight RBIs.
After completing a grueling, non-stop four-hour test, that's comparable to any military boot camp, Morgan Almasy and Morgan Chandler were three planks of wood away from making history. The two Morgans have joined an elite group at Fair Haven Martial Arts, becoming two of only 20 people to obtain their black belts under Sensei Jim Pawlak.
ROSELLE PARK, NJ - Erin Donnelly, a volunteer gardener, gave a presentation at the mayor and council meeting Thursday night, discussing the future for Roselle Park's community garden. Donnelly, a Kearny resident, expressed to Mayor Carl Hokanson and Roselle Park residents the benefits of the garden in her town.
By Ryan Norton The Cougars facing off against Stevens Institute of Technology On February 18, Kean University's men's basketball team will be playing its final game of the 2014-2015 season against The College of New Jersey. After finishing last season with a 16-14 record, the Cougars' season got off to a slow start, dropping their first six games.
OCEAN GROVE - For the first time in eight years, the lifeguards of Ocean Grove are able to call themselves champions of their home turf. After finishing the 47th Annual Ocean Grove Lifeguard Tournament with a total of 24 points, Ocean Grove and Belmar had the distinction of being this year's co-champions of the event.
As kids, it's common to have your parents sign you up to play sports that you never wind up sticking with. At age 5, Michael Chen had no idea what would happen after his parents signed him up for tennis lessons.
MANCHESTER - Consistent hitting and quality pitching leads teams to championships. Jackson's team is has both of those areas on lock. The boys of Jackson will be heading to the Section 3 final with their victory over Lincroft by the score of 6-2 in Monday night's winners bracket matchup.
KUPRSSA President Stacey Cooney (Right) and Vice President Lauren Spain (Left) are collecting toiletries for KUPRSSA's latest campaign By Ryan Norton Within the last five years, the use of social media has become one of the most powerful and effective tools in running a successful public relations campaign.
Kean University's women's lacrosse team By Ryan Norton On March 4, the women's lacrosse team of Kean University will begin their season by visiting the Manhattanville College Valiants in Purchase, NY. This season marks the third under head coach Jordan Trautman.
Students of the honor society By Ryan Norton On Tuesday afternoon, 38 students from the School of Communication, Media, and Journalism were inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communication Association. The ceremony began with an introduction to a jam-packed auditorium from Professor Larry Tung, MFA, the faculty advisor for the Kean chapter of Lambda Pi Eta.
While most of the area was focused on LeBron and game six of the NBA finals, as well as the Mets and Yankees regular season baseball game, the folks over at the Shore House Bar & Grill had most of their televisions on another channel.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, thousands of runners crowded the boardwalk, as they warmed themselves up in preparation for the running of the 12 th Annual Asbury Park 5K. As the clock ticked toward 8:30 a.m., nearly 2,000 participants of all age groups began to gather to the corner of Ocean Ave and 5 th Avenue for the start of the race.
KEANSBURG - The last time Keansburg had a winning season was back in 2007, when it went 10-2 and shared the Shore Conference Class B Central championship with Asbury Park and Rumson-Fair Haven and advanced to the NJSIAA Central Group I championship game where it lost to Asbury Park.
The waves crashed hard onto the sands of the Manasquan Beach front before the beginning of the 13th Annual Independence Row. Despite being the oldest competitors in the race, Long Branch's Rick Stimpson, 65, and Jim Simonelli, 68, defied the odds and came out at the inevitable winners.
North Wall and Ocean Township are not unfamiliar with each other. The two teams last played against each other on Wednesday. North Wall won all three games against Ocean this year in the tournament. Winning a championship can be one of the best feelings a person can experience in their life.
While the area experienced torrential downpours for much of early Tuesday afternoon, the clouds gave way to sunshine just in time for Monmouth County's best to strap on their helmets and shoulder pads.
Going into the final event of day one of the NJSIAA Non-Public South A Track and Field Championships, Christian Brothers Academy had a 15-point lead over second-place Union Catholic. By the end, however, the roles had become reversed. For much of Friday afternoon, the Colts and Union Catholic flip-flopped as the top team.
With the clear skies, light breeze, and the sun high in the sky, Donovan Catholic High School transformed into the Wild West, with a classic high-noon showdown between the top two contenders for the NJSIAA Non-Public A South Title. Much like day one, day two saw Union Catholic and Christian Brothers Academy neck-and-neck in the overall team standings.
With thunderous ovation from their fans, and cheers of "Let's go Hudson!" echoing throughout Kean University, The Henry Hudson Admirals were hoping the overwhelming support would help them pull off a last inning miracle, but it just wasn't meant to be.
SPRING LAKE - With as little as one point separating the top two teams, the 2015 Spring Lake Lifeguard Tournament came down to the final event, the power relay: a three person race which requires one swimmer, paddler, and kayaker.
The home run barrage started in the top of the first inning by cleanup hitter Cole Kelly. Kelly's three-run shot, along with an RBI single from Kevin Novobilsky gave Ocean an early 4-0 lead. Ocean Township was determined from the get-go to come onto South Wall's home turf and dominate the opposition, and they did so, in spectacular fashion.
During halftime, Dylan Jinks was awarded the Shore Conference Lacrosse Coaches Association (SCLCA) player of the year placque. John Pampalone, Jink's head coach at Southern, was awarded the coach of the year award.
With their 2-0 win over Harrison (28-3) in the first match of the NJSIAA tournament state semifinals on Tuesday, the Rams (35-5) will become the fourth team in New Jersey history to compete in seven consecutive state championship games.
It only takes one hit to change the momentum in a baseball game. Unfortunately for Toms River East, they learned that the hard way. Ridgewood rallied in the top of the seventh with nine runs on six hits, to come from behind and defeat Toms River East on Monday night by the score of 14-8 in the Junior League State Championship game at Old Bridge Little League.
OLD BRIDGE - After suffering a minor setback on Friday night against Ridgewood, Toms River East will get a chance at redemption, as they have punched their ticket to the Junior League State Tournament final after defeating Elizabeth 7-4 in the loser's bracket final on Saturday evening.
OLD BRIDGE - The Toms River East Junior League team fell into the loser's bracket of the New Jersey Junior League State Tournament, as they lost to Ridgewood 10-7 on Friday evening. The desire to win was evident from both Ridgewood and Toms River East in the very beginning of their game at Old Bridge Little League's field.
The first two innings was a pitching duel between the Huskies' Erin Powers and Gabrielle Pram of the Caseys. There was only one hit in the early part of the game, and that was by Matawan's Jessica Veary, who managed to get on base with a single.
Broad Street, known for being the hot spot and main drag in the town, was completely desolate in the early morning hours of Saturday. Rather than cars speeding down the road, it was hundreds of runners. The 22 nd annual George Sheehan Classic 5K attracted a variety of participants.
OLD BRIDGE - After going through a voluntary double session of batting practice prior to Sunday night's game at Old Bridge Little League, Toms River East manager Denny Munson felt his boys were more than ready for a chance at redemption.
In the days leading up to the 37 th Annual Phil Simms Investors Bank North-South All-Star Football Classic, both North and South players had to endure a week of grueling three-a-day practices, to work off the rust from not playing for nearly seven months.
Cool temperatures, an overcast sky, and a steady and gusty wind set the stage for the top golfers in New Jersey as they competed in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions on Monday. The 81 st annual TOC was played Monday at the Hopewell Valley Country Club and a total of 133 participants hit the links, competing for both the singles and team titles.
Coming off a victory of the NJSIAA Group II title match last week, the No. 4 seed Hornets (27-4) began their quest for a Tournament of Champions title, defeating No. 5 seed Haddonfield (25-9) by a score of 4-1 in a quarterfinal matchup in the TOC.
The Barnegat boys lacrosse team made school history for their first NJSIAA win on Saturday. Read how the Bengals rallied in the fourth quarter. In an NJSIAA first round boys lacrosse game that had atmosphere of a championship game, Barnegat completed a fourth-quarter comeback that will not be forgotten for a long time.