Senior Athlete Of The Week: Jill Sprong

When the Verona High School girls soccer team faced Montclair Kimberley Academy on September 27, all three of the Verona goals were scored by one player: senior Jill Sprong. When the Hillbilly girls took on Newark Academy on October 1, both of the Verona goals were scored by one player: senior Jill Sprong. When VHS played Nutley on October 3, the lone Verona goal was scored by–you guessed it–senior Jill Sprong. In fact, just about half of goals scored by Verona’a girls soccer team this season have Sprong’s handiwork (footwork?), and for that, she is the Verona Sports Boosters Senior Athlete of the Week.

Soccer has been Sprong’s passion at VHS, and she has made her mark on the sport almost from the beginning. When the girls soccer team made it all the way to state semifinal against New Providence in November 2011, it was Sprong–then a sophomore–who put Verona on the scoreboard first. That year, Sprong was named to The Star Ledger‘s “Top Sophomores” team. Soccer has not been her only sport, however: In 2012, she was part of the girls track team that that took first place in the 4x1600m relay at the Aviator Relays.

Sprong is a stand-out off the playing field as well. She was among 23 students recently honored by the Board of Education for being an AP Scholar Student, awarded to students who get scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams. She has been involved in both the VHS mentoring program Heroes and Cool Kids and the VHS Student Council. When Sprong was inducted into the National Honor Society last spring, Dr. Marie Meyer, called her “a beacon of talent, strength, and grace”.

During the 2013-2014 school year, the Verona Sports Boosters recognized a different senior athlete at Verona High School every week. The Boosters support male and female athletes in all VHS sports through a variety of fundraisers and recognition events.

Photo copyright Kathy Sprong. Used by permission.