Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced the winners of their National Anthem Auditions held at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ on Saturday, March 8th.

The selected singers are: Caitlin Caporale of South Middletown, NY; Nicole Johnson of Piscataway, NJ; Clarence McLendon of New Brunswick, NJ; De’Edria McKoy of Plainfield, NJ; Monica Krishna of Piscataway, NJ; Brianna Zonin of East Hanover, NJ; Marisa Dipaolo of Bridgewater, NJ; Grace Monteleone of Wanaque, NJ; Alexa Pantaleo of Freehold, NJ; and Catie Hodic of Springfield, NJ.

The Patriots auditioned 100 soloists who sang a minute and a half of the song of their choice during the audition. Singers were judged on vocal talent, stage presence, and their ability to perform before a large crowd.

For the third year in a row, the event was designed as a fundraiser and each contestant donated a minimum of $10 to Operation Shoebox New Jersey, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to collecting donated supplies to ship care packages to U.S. troops based overseas. The event helped raise over $1,000 for the organization. 

The National Anthem Auditions took place at Center Court on the lower level of Menlo Park Mall.  In addition to the National Anthem auditions, the event included contests for mall patrons to win prizes and the ability to interact with team representatives. Sparkee The Mascot and his pal Slider were at the mall to entertain young fans.

Magic 98.3 FM and WCTC 1450 AM entertained the crowd during breaks with on-air talent Mike Pavlichko serving as the emcee. This was the eleventh year the Patriots hosted National Anthem auditions.

“We saw some great singers that made it a very difficult choice. All of them should be proud of their performances at the event and helping to raise money for our troops through Operation Shoebox New Jersey. We look forward to seeing our chosen performers sing the National Anthem before a game,” said Marc Russinoff, Vice President of Public Relations for the Somerset Patriots Baseball Club. 

For information about the Somerset Patriots 2014 Season presented by Ford, beginning at home on Friday, April 25th, stop by the Ticket Office located at TD Bank Ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit the Patriots on-line athttp://www.somersetpatriots.com.