Newsday's All-Long Island girls track and field team 2025
The 2025 Newsday All-Long Island girls track and field team. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
LONG ISLAND ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: JILLIAN SCULLY, Miller Place, Sr.
Scully was the top-ranked discus thrower in the nation this spring at 184 feet, 2 inches. In the winter, she was the state’s top shot putter at 48-1 1⁄4, and she ranked second during the spring. In the outdoor season, she broke the state discus record three times. She won the indoor state title in the shot put, the outdoor title in the Class B shot put and the outdoor Class B and Federation titles in the discus.
Miller Place's Jillian Scully. Credit: Neil Miller
SUFFOLK RUNNER OF THE YEAR: SOPHIA McINNES, Bayport-Blue Point, Sr.
McInnes won the state championship in the 1,000 meters during the indoor season, as well as the Class B 800, Class B 1,500 and Federation 1,500 outdoors. In both the 1,000 and 1,500 state championship races, McInnes beat Floyd’s Zariel Macchia — one of the best runners in the country — head-to-head.
Bayport-Blue Point's Sophia McInnes. Credit: Neil Miller
NASSAU RUNNER OF THE YEAR: BREANNE BARNETT, Baldwin, Jr.
Barnett won a state title in every event she entered. She was the indoor state champion in the 300, the outdoor Class A champion in the 200 and 400, and the Federation champion in the 200. As the leadoff runner for Baldwin’s 4 x 200-meter relay team in the winter, she helped them to Division I and Federation titles. In the same role on the 4 x 100 team in the spring, she helped them win the state’s Class A and Federation titles.
Baldwin's Breanne Barnett.
RACHEL BUDKE, Hauppauge, Jr.
Budke was the top long jumper on Long Island, and also qualified for the state meet in both the 100 and 200. She was an integral member of Hauppauge’s 4 x 200 and 4 x 100 relays.
SARIAH DORESCA, Baldwin, Sr.
Doresca won her third consecutive indoor state title in the 55 and was the state’s top-ranked runner in the event. Outdoors, she was ranked sixth in the state in both the 100 and 200.
PAIGE FESSLER, Valley Stream North, Soph.
Fessler broke out to win three state championships: the Class B long jump, the Class B high jump and the Federation high jump. Her state-title-winning jump of 5-9 was tied with Manhasset’s Kate Voelker for the top outdoor ranking in the state.
AISLINN FRAZER, Friends Academy, Sr.
Frazer wrapped up an illustrious high-school career with four individual county championships — and a 4 x 400 relay title — between the indoor and outdoor seasons. She graduates a 21-time county champion, between cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.
CALI GABRIELSON, Mount Sinai, Fr.
The freshman won her second outdoor state title in as many years, taking the Class B 3,000. She also ran on Mount Sinai’s 4 x 400 team, which was ranked No. 1 in the state for much of the spring and won the public school Division II state title indoors.
BELLA GALEAS, Sachem East, Soph.
Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, Galeas’ top jump of 18-5 1⁄2 on Feb. 11 was the fourth-best distance on Long Island. She was also Long Island’s second-best intermediate hurdler during the outdoor season, trailing only Mount Sinai’s Kelly Hughes.
ZARIA HALL, East Meadow, Jr.
Hall was sixth in the state indoors in the 1,000 and 10th in the 1,500. She was fifth in the state in the 800 and third in the 1,500 outdoors.
KELLY HUGHES, Mount Sinai, Sr.
Hughes was another member of Mount Sinai’s dominant 4 x 400 relay that won the indoor public school Division II championship and was ranked No. 1 outdoors. She was also the Class B state champion in the 400-meter hurdles.
ALEXA JACOBS, Port Jefferson, Jr.
Jacobs broke the Suffolk record with an 11.74 in the 100 on May 3, ranking her third in the state. She was a state champion in Class C for both the 100 and 200 outdoors.
NICEA JONES, Malverne, Sr.
Jones was both the Class B and Federation state champion in the 400, and ran a New York No. 1 time in the latter race.
ZARIEL MACCHIA, Floyd, Sr.
Macchia ran a then-U.S. No. 1 time of 9 minutes, 21.73 seconds to win the 3,000 indoor state championship. She also anchored Section XI’s medley relay team to a comeback win at the same meet. Outdoors, she won the Class A and Federation 3,000 with a U.S. No. 7 time of 9:26.55 and later won the Class A 1,500.
GIANNA MAURI, Sachem East, Sr.
Mauri was the top 1,500 racewalker in the country during the indoor season and won two national titles — one at Nike Indoor Nationals and one at New Balance Indoor Nationals.
MAGGIE McCORMICK, Bay Shore, Jr.
McCormick spent time ranked atop the state’s leaderboard in the 1,500 during the outdoor season. She finished fourth in the epic outdoor 1,500 championship that saw Long Island place the top four finishers.
VICTORIA PARIS, Longwood, Jr.
Paris was Long Island’s top high hurdler. Her 14.12 in the 100 hurdles ranked fourth in the state. She also won four county titles — three individual — in the spring season.
NEVAEH PEDRAZA, Bellport, Sr.
Pedraza returned to Bellport’s track and field team in the winter after two years away and flourished, flying a career-best 18-6 1⁄2 in the long jump on June 5, second on Long Island this year.
ASHA PENSA-JOHNSON, Hampton Bays, Sr.
Pensa-Johnson ranked fourth in the state in the discus at 141-4. She was the Class B runner-up.
KATE VOELKER, Manhasset, Jr.
Voelker was tied atop the state leaderboard in the high jump during the outdoor season.
BALDWIN 4x200-meter relay & 4x100-meter relay (Breanne Barnett, Kelys Walker, Jahzara Emeli, Sariah Doresca)
During the indoor season, when the sprinting relay was the 4x200, Barnett, Walker, Emeli and Doresca combined to win Baldwin’s third consecutive Division I and Federation state titles. Outdoors, when the relay shrunk to 4x100, the same group of girls, with Emeli and Walker swapping legs, combined to win the state’s Class A and Federation titles and finished ranked No. 1.
SUFFOLK COACH OF THE YEAR: Bill Dwyer, Mount Sinai
For over three weeks in May, Dwyer’s 4 x 400 relay was ranked No. 1 in the state. It had already won the indoor public school state championship in Division II. He put Gabrielson — who is a distance runner — on the 4 x 400 to help improve her spead, which ultimately led the relay to glory. He also produced two individual outdoor state champions and won Suffolk’s Class 4B team championship.
NASSAU COACH OF THE YEAR: Sandra Cole, Baldwin
Cole’s squad scored 30 points at the outdoor state championship meet to win the Federation team title. Between Barnett and Doresca’s individual championships, as well as the relay titles, Cole oversaw eight state winners across the NYSPHSAA and Federation levels, including the team crown.
