Newsday's All-Long Island girls track and field team 2026

Newsday Runner of the Year: Maggie McCormick, Bay Shore, Sr.

She left no doubt as to who the best distance runner in the state was this year. She ran the fastest time in both the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 — in both seasons. Indoors, she ran the 1,500 in 4 minutes, 23.25 seconds, and registered a 9:23.3 in the 3,000. Outdoors, she ran 4:17.87 in the 1,500 and 9:27.36 in the 3,000.

She also won state championships in the 1,500 in both seasons and picked up the outdoor Federation title, as well. In fact, both of her New York No. 1 times in the 1,500 (4:23.25 indoors, 4:17.87 outdoors), were times that brought her state titles. 

Even though she did not run the shorter distance events often, she still ranked second on Long Island and fifth in the state in the 1,000 at 2:48.55, and third on Long Island and 11th in the state in the 800 at 2:10.67.

Nassau Runner of the Year: Nylah Phillips, Hewlett, Sr.

She was solid in the winter season, running a top-25 time in the state in the 300 at 40.26. But it was the spring season where she broke out, leading Long Island with a 54.39 in the 400 — which ranked second in the state — and won the Class B state championship. She also ranked second on Long Island and fifth in the state in the 200 at 24.16.

Newsday Field Athlete of the Year: Zoe Amadike, Sewanhaka, Sr.  

  She flew 40 feet, 3 ½ inches to win the state Class B triple jump championship. That mark ranked fifth in the state overall between the winter and spring seasons. It was no fluke, either, as she flew 40-2 ¼ at the Nassau state qualifiers the week prior.

Suffolk Field Athlete of the Yea: Kayla Beaumont, Deer Park, Sr.

She led Long Island and was second in the state in the triple jump at 40-8 ½. She also broke 40 feet in both seasons, making her one of only two athletes in the state to do so.

FIRST TEAM 

Gabriella Asare, Brentwood, Sr.

She ranked second on Long Island in all three hurdles events between the indoor and outdoor seasons. She was sixth in the state with an 8.16 in the 55-meter hurdles, ninth with a 14.28 in the 100 hurdles and 12th with a 1:02.56 in the 400 hurdles.

Breanne Barnett, Baldwin, Sr.

She ran a New York No. 1 time in the 300 (37.78) and later won the indoor state title in the same event. She also added a new event during the winter - the 55 - and ran 7.04, which ranked sixth in the state and fourth on Long Island. A midseason injury derailed her outdoor campaign, but she returned before it ended to run some fast times and qualify for the state meet. She ranked third on Long Island and seventh in the state in the 200 (24.33) and fifth on Long Island in the 400 (56.14).

Samantha Benson-Tyler, Port Washington, Sr.

She was the nation’s best 1,500-meter racewalker in both seasons, pacing a 6:39.7 en route to a championship at Nike Indoor Nationals in March. Her 6:57.15 at the St. Anthony’s Invitational in May led the country for the outdoor season.

Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr.

She was the state Class B and Federation champion in the pentathlon. Naturally, her 3,521-point performance at the outdoor state meet ranked No. 1 in the state. Individually, she cleared 5-11 in the high jump outdoors, which ranked third in the state and second on Long Island across both seasons. She also flew 18-5 ½ in the long jump outdoors, which ranked fourth on Long Island between the winter and spring.

Bella Galeas, Sachem East, Jr.

She was right behind Fessler on the Long Island, state and national leaderboards in the pentathlon, as she scored 3,489 points to win the state Class A championship. In individual events, she flew 19-8 ½ in the long jump during the indoor season, which was second in the state for the winter and sixth in the state overall. She led Long Island in that event, ranked third in the 400 hurdles (1:03.63) and fourth in the 300 (40.01).

Maeve Going, Sacred Heart, Sr.

She battled injuries that stemmed from the cross country season, which delayed the start of her indoor track season until late January. Still, she wound up running 9:29.88 in the 3,000 in April, which ranked third in the state between the winter and spring seasons.

Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr.

During the indoor season, she was the top-ranked Long Islander in the 600 (1:33.51) and 1,000 (2:47.99), which ranked sixth and third in the state, respectively. Outdoors, she led Long Island in the 800 (2:09.45) and was ranked sixth in the state.

Maya Hadpawat, Kellenberg, Jr.

She broke out during the outdoor season and ran 1:01.61 in the 400 hurdles: the best time on Long Island and the eighth-best mark in the state. She was also eighth on Long Island in the 400 at 56.93.

Alexa Jacobs, Port Jefferson, Sr.

She is as consistently dominant and well-rounded a sprinter as there is in the state. She was ranked second in the 55 (7.01), eighth in the 100 (11.89), 15th in the 200 (24.55), fifth in the 300 (39.71) and eighth in the 400 (55.32) on statewide leaderboards. She won the state Class C championship in the 400.

Maddie Laezza, Eastport-South Manor, Jr.

Between both seasons, she was top five on Long Island in the 800 (2:09.55), 1,000 (2:56.44), 1,500 (4:21.66) and 3,000 (9:38.91). She won state Class B championships in the 800 and 1,500. Overall, she ranked seventh in the state in the 800, second in the 1,500 behind McCormick and eighth in the 3,000.

Ariana Madeira, Friends Academy, Fr.

Indoors, she ranked third on Long Island and 12th in the state with a 1:34.35 in the 600. Outdoors, she was fourth on Long Island and 11th in the state with a 55.64 in the 400. She also ran 2:12.08 in the 800, which placed her fourth on Long Island and in the state’s top 20. To boot, she anchored her team’s 4 x 400-meter relay to the indoor state Division II championship.

Victoria Paris, Longwood, Sr.

Long Island’s best high hurdler ran a Suffolk-record 8.08 in the 55 hurdles, which ranked fourth in the state. Her 14.19 in the 100 hurdles led Long Island and was sixth in the state.

Savannah Stephenson, Baldwin, Jr.

She emerged as one of the best sprinters in the state during the winter, ranking third on Long Island and fourth in the state at 7.02. She led Long Island in the 100 (11.75) and 200 (24.13) during the spring, ranking fourth in the state in both events.

Esmia Thomas, Roosevelt, Sr.

She won the indoor state title in the 55 and was the outdoor state runner up in both the Class B 100 and 200. Her 6.9 in the 55 — which she registered in her state championship victory — ranked No. 1 in the state. She was second on Long Island in the 100 at 11.78 and fourth in the 200 at 24.51.

Kate Voelker, Manhasset, Sr.

She broke the state’s outdoor record in the high jump by clearing 6-1 to win the Nassau Class AA championship. That mark tied the state record, set during the 1987 indoor season by Clarence’s Alison Smith.

Elycia Wilkerson, Connetquot, 8th

On Long Island leaderboards, she ranked 13th in the 55 (7.31), tied for fifth in the 100 (12.15), eighth in the 200 (24.78), third in the 300 (39.85) and second in the 400 (54.43). She was 12th in the state in the 300 and fourth in the 400.

Friends Academy 4x400-meter relay (Cynthia Eustache, Sr., Lana Alvarez, Soph., Maia Madeira, Jr., Ariana Madeira, Fr.)

The Quakers had a big winter season, ranked No. 2 in the state with a 3:53.95, which it ran at Nike Indoor Nationals. They won the indoor state Division II championship the week before in 3:56.51. They also placed third at the 118th Millrose Games in 3:57.37.

Long Island Coach of the Year: Stephen Honerkamp, Hewlett

Under his tutelage, the Bulldogs dominated their way to the team county championship in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. They won three events at the indoor Class B county championships and eight at the outdoor Class AA county championships, scoring 117 ½ and 116 points, respectively. He produced a triple county champion in junior Valeria Paez, who won three events at the Class AA meet in May, and also a state champion in Phillips — who was also ranked No. 1 in the state in the 400 from May 20 - June 13.

Suffolk Coach of the Year: Mary Nowotarski, Hauppauge

Under her and assistant coach Jim Ryan’s leadership, the Eagles scored 88 points at the Suffolk small schools championships to win their first team indoor county title in program history. They placed top three in the 1,500-meter racewalk and also won the 4 x 200. In the outdoor season, they won the Suffolk Class C title for the second consecutive year — and only the second time in program history — by scoring 126 points, winning five events in the process.