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April 2026 FREE
Mercer County and Rider to ink historic $10M land deal By Bill Sanservino
LHS state qualifier Steven Ham (left), assistant coach Jeff Verga, state placewinner Tanvi Mansetti, head coach Chris Lynne, state qualifier Zane Spencer and region qualifier James Lyons.
LHS wrestling delivers record-breaking season By Rich Fisher
The Lawrence High wrestling record books got a pretty good workout this winter. It was a historic season in a lot of ways. Start with senior Steven Ham, who carried an undefeated record into the Region 6 finals and qualified for the state tournament a second straight season. Although he only won one match in states, Ham set school records for wins in a season (44) and career (131), takedowns in a season and career and
technical falls in a career. He led the state with 21 t-falls this season and coach Chris Lynne and his staff feel Ham is one of the program’s top-five wrestlers of all time. On the girls side, junior Tanvi Madisetti went 34-7, reached states for the second straight year and became the first LHS female wrestler to climb the podium at Atlantic City by taking an eighthplace medal. Madisetti and senior teammate Marina Velazco became the first Cardinal district champions, as this was the first year for girls districts. See WRESTLING, Page 6
Mercer County officials have reached a landmark agreement with Rider University to purchase environmentally and historically significant land in Lawrence Township. The deal is designed to preserve open space while providing the university with needed financial support. Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, the Mercer County Board of Commissioners and Rider University President John Loyack announced the agreement on March 6. The deal includes the county purchasing approximately 56 acres of land from the university for some $8.5 million. The majority of the funding will come from the county’s Open Space Trust Fund and capital budget. Lawrence Township will also contribute toward the purchase using its own open space funds. In addition to the land acquisition, Mercer County will enter into a facility use agreement with Rider that will allow the county to use university facilities for operational purposes and events. Together, the transactions are expected to total about $10
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million. Officials said the agreement will preserve sensitive land while providing Rider with additional liquidity as the university works to stabilize its finances. “Rider University is an invaluable asset to our community,” Benson said. “I’m proud that we were able to sit down and work collaboratively with University leadership to reach an agreement that strengthens our partnership, and that’s a win-win for the school and for Mercer County residents.” The land being purchased includes the final surviving portion of the “Big Woods,” a historic beech forest associated with conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold. Leopold explored the forest as a student at The Lawrenceville School in the early 20th Century. His experiences there helped shape his environmental philosophy, later expressed in his influential book A Sand County Almanac. County officials said the land also includes environmentally sensitive wetlands. Mercer County said it plans to improve trails on the property to expand access for passive recreation. The agreement could also See LAND, Page 3
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