Winter track: Girls athletes to watch during the 2023-24 season
The 2023-24 winter track season got started this weekend across the Garden State. Here are the top athletes to watch this season in North Jersey.
Mackenzie Beazley
Passaic Valley junior jumper
The Passaic County indoor high jump record has stood at 5-7 3/4 since former Passaic Valley and Seton Hall star Michele Dudzinski cleared the height in 1993 en route to the New Jersey state championship. Beazley is easily the best jumper produced by the Hornets since then. She won the Big North Independence title a year ago, and was second in the Passaic County and North 1 group 2 sectionals, before taking third in group 2 and just missing a SMOC medal by clearing a then personal best of 5-2. Only 10 Passaic County jumpers have jumped higher.
Kylie Castillo
Ridgefield senior sprinter
The best sprinter in school history ran winter track for the first time ever a year ago and won races from every distance between 55 and 600 meters, including the Royals' first ever state championship indoors, when she won the group 1 400. She also won the North 2, group sectional 55 and 400 titles, was third in the State group 1 55, won the NJIC 55 and 400 titles and ran a personal best of 57.85 to take 12th in the State Meet of Champions 400, 14th in Bergen County history.
Gina Certo
Holy Angels junior sprinter
She had a breakthrough season a year ago, winning the Bergen County 400 title in 56.84 seconds, third fastest in county history in just her second ever 400 race. She went on to capture the state Non-Public A title, becoming the first Angel to win a state running event. She stumbled late in her SMOC race, potentially costing her a top three finish. She also won the Bergen 55 and ranks in the top 20 all-time in both the 55 and 200.
Ayanna Chape
Hackensack senior sprinter
Chape can compete at any distance between 55 and 800 meters, and last winter seven combined wins in four different events. Her best performance may have come at the Eastern States meet, where she lowered her school record to 25.33, sixth in Bergen history, en route to a fourth place finish. She broke a 25-year-old school mark in the 400, running 57.80, 12th in Bergen history, just missing a SMOC medal.
Elliot Eddy
Hasbrouck Heights senior shot putter
One of last winter's busiest athletes, she competed in 15 different events in the shot put in 2022-23, medalling in every one but the Nike Indoor Nationals. She won seven titles, including state group 1, North 1, group 1 sectionals, NJIC, state group 1 relays and the Bob Chiswell Classic at Garfield. She was second in Bergen County, medalled in multiple large scale invitationals and was seventh in the SMOC. She looks to become the Aviators' first indoor 40-footer.
Siena Kannenberg
Mahwah senior sprinter
There are a plethora of great long sprinters in Bergen County and the Thunderbird soccer standout is one of them. She set personal bests in the 55, 200 and 400 and ranks in the top 50 Bergen all-time in the latter two events. She won the Big North Patriot 200 and 400 races and took the North 1, group 2 sectional title at 400 before taking second in group 2 and qualifying for the SMOC. She earned 10 medals in all and took third at the Bergen 400 championships.
Jamie Kim
Old Tappan junior vaulter
Another busy athlete, she pole vaulted in 12 major competitions, clearing at least 10 feet 10 times, with a personal best of 11-3 to win the Bergen County championships, among the top 20 performers in Bergen history. She also won the North 1, group 2 sectionals, the state group 2 title and the Metropolitan Invitational and Ed Church titles and took sixth at Eastern States. She just missed a SMOC medal.
Kara Langbaum
Wayne Hills senior middle distance runner
She seems to get better and more confident every season and is versatile enough to have medalled at every distance between 600 and 1,600 meters and earned first team all-Passaic cross-country honors, too. The American University-bound Langbaum won the Passaic 800 title last winter and was second at 1,600 meters. She also captured the Big North Independence 800 and 1,600 crowns, and medalled in both events at the North 1 , group 3 sectionals before earning a wild card to the SMOC at 800. She's ranked in the Passaic top 10 all-time at 1,000 and 800 meters, 15th at 1,600 and 34th in the 600.
Grace McQueeney
River Dell senior jumper
One of the best combination jumpers in the state, McQueeney had the top indoor jump in the state for nearly the whole winter until it was surpassed by the SMOC winner in the last meet of the regular season. Her best jump of 18 feet is a school record and 16th best in Bergen history. She won the Bergen long jump title, four other long jump titles and won medals at the Eastern States and SMOC meets. She also medalled in two triple jump events and won the North 1 group 2 sectional and group 2 state high jump titles, with a personal best jump of five feet.
Avery Sheridan
Ridgewood senior distance runner
She's been an important part of an amazing seven straight sectional championships across three years for the Maroons, including three in cross-country, two in spring track and the last two winter titles. Her biggest contribution may have come last winner when she pulled off an unexpected win in the sectional 800 and took third in the 1,600, both in personal bests. She also took fourth at the Bergen 1,000 race, and ranks in the top 50 all-time in Bergen history in that event.
Julia Tozduman
Lyndhurst senior sprinter/jumper
She's a very versatile athlete and excelled in four events last winter, reaching the state group 2 finals in both the 55 and 400 and earning a medal in the NJIC 55. But its in the jumps where she really soars, winning the NJIC titles in both the long and triple jumps, winning the Ocean Breeze Freedom Games long jump, and taking second in both events at the Bergen County meet. She earned a fifth place medal at the State Meet of Champs in the long jump and had four meets jumping 17-4 or better.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ winter track: Girls athletes to watch during 2023-24 season
