Manalapan Township is grieving the loss of Serena K. Montague, a former Manalapan High School student athlete who was remembered this week by family, friends, and her local sports community.
Funeral arrangements have been announced through Freeman Funeral Homes in Manalapan, with a visitation scheduled for June 25 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Freeman Manalapan Marlboro Funeral Home on Route 9 North, followed by a service on June 26 from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church on Gordons Corner Road.
A tribute page set up through Legacy.com invites loved ones to share photos and memories of Serena, describing the page as a lasting place where family and friends can keep her close in their hearts.
As of this week, the page had received entries from the funeral home sharing service details and an obituary notice, with the community encouraged to leave remembrances on the tribute wall.
A Goalkeeper Who Found Her Calling on the Field
Long before this sad news, Serena was known around Manalapan High School as a determined three-sport athlete.
According to a recruiting profile she created through NCSA, Serena played field hockey as a goalkeeper, a position she fell into almost by accident.
She once explained that during tryouts in seventh grade, her coach asked if anyone wanted to try goalie, and when nobody else raised a hand, she stepped forward. She said she loved the position from that moment on, eventually making the varsity squad as a freshman, something she called one of the best things that ever happened to her.
Beyond field hockey, Serena was also a goalie for her high school lacrosse team, a sport she picked up as a freshman and continued playing through her high school years, including participating in winter lacrosse clinics with teammates.
Basketball held a special place for her, too. She started playing in third grade, crediting the sport with teaching her how to be a competitive yet caring teammate. Outside of organized sports, she enjoyed snowboarding and once dreamed of competing in the Olympics in the sport.
Dreams Beyond the Game
Serena’s ambitions stretched beyond athletics. In her own words on her recruiting profile, she described herself as outgoing, creative, hard working, and kind, and shared that her goal after high school was to continue playing field hockey at the college level while pursuing a bachelor’s degree toward becoming a physician assistant.
She maintained a 3.1 grade point average and was recognized on the honor roll during her junior year, while also taking part in peer leadership activities at school. Teachers described her as a happy, respectful, and caring young woman.
Serena attended Manalapan High School in Englishtown, New Jersey, part of an athletic program that fields teams across more than twenty sports. She was remembered by coaches and teammates as a dedicated presence on the field, someone who showed up for her team in goal no matter the sport.
As services approach this week, the Manalapan community is coming together to honor her memory, with neighbors, classmates, and family expected to gather at both the visitation and the funeral Mass to celebrate a young life devoted to sport, school, and the people she loved.
