Newsday's top 50 high school girls outdoor track and field athletes for spring 2026
Clockwise from top left: Kenzie Albano, Zoe Amadike, Breanne Barnett and Gabriella Asare.
Newsday's annual list of the top 50 Long Island high school girls outdoor track and field athletes, listed in alphabetical order, for this spring. All stats and times listed are from last season unless otherwise noted.
Kenzie Albano, Commack, Jr.
Her personal record of 11 feet, 3 inches in the pole vault ranks her second among returning Long Islanders.
Zoe Amadike, Sewanhaka, Sr.
She is Long Island’s second-best triple jumper after flying 38-5 ½ during the indoor season. She has also flown as far as 18-2 ½ in the long jump.
Gabriella Asare, Brentwood, Sr.
Her 14.5 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles ranks her eighth in the state among returners and placed her 13th overall as a junior. She is also fourth on Long Island in the 400 hurdles (1:05.82). She was sixth in the state in the winter in the 55 hurdles.
Breanne Barnett, Baldwin, Sr.
Coming off her second consecutive state title in the 300, the Virginia commit is also the defending public school Class A state champion in both the 200 and 400. She also won the Federation title in the 400. Her 23.66 in the 200 and 54.20 in the 400 are the best returning times in the state.
Kayla Beaumont, Deer Park, Sr.
Long Island’s best triple jumper flew 40-5 indoors, ranking second in the state.
Samantha Benson-Tyler, Port Washington, Sr.
Though the 1,500-meter racewalk is not a state championship event during the outdoor season, both Suffolk and Nassau sanction the event during the regular season and county championship meets. Benson-Tyler is the best in the nation, having crossed the finish line in 6 minutes, 39.7 seconds this winter — 13.41 seconds faster than the next athlete.
From left: Samantha Benson-Tyler, Kayla Beaumont and Makayla Baubert.
Makayla Boubert, Malverne, Sr.
She threw the shot 36-8 ¼ indoors, which makes her the best shot putter on Long Island.
Rayshelle Brown, Smithtown East, Jr.
Her 14.66 in the 110 hurdles ranks third in Long Island’s returning class and 11th among returners in the state.
Rachel Budke, Hauppauge, Sr.
She is tied for sixth on Long Island in the 100 at 12.33 and is third in the long jump at 18-7. She is already close to meeting a personal record in the long jump, as she flew 18-3 ¾ indoors.
Destiny Chan-Hescott, Hempstead, Soph.
Her 24.9 in the 200 ranks fifth on Long Island and 15th in the state among returning runners.
Laila Cole, Center Moriches, Sr.
Her 12.27 in the 100 ranks third in the returning class on Long Island, and her 24.96 in the 200 is sixth on Long Island and 18th in the state.
Lexie Cole, Comsewogue, Jr.
She ran 4:35.16 in the 1,500 outdoors, which is the fourth among Long Islanders. She also broke 10 minutes in the 3,000 indoors, running 9:53.65. Her best ranking for an outdoor event comes in the 2,000-meter steeplechase, where her 7:14.28 is second on Long Island and 16th in the state among returners.
Chelsea Cornelia, Deer Park, Jr.
Her 7:12.84 is the best on Long Island and 12th in the state among returners.
Clockwise from top left: Rachel Budke, Chelsea Cornelia, Lexie Cole, Suki Dong, Olivia DiGaetano, Laila Cole and Rayshelle Brown.
Olivia DiGaetano, Connetquot, Sr.
The Temple commit ascended in the 3,000, running a 9:41.17 — a 16.31-second improvement from last spring — during the winter season, which ranked seventh in the state.
Suki Dong, Half Hollow Hills West, Sr.
Her personal record of 11-3 in the pole vault, which she hit outdoors as a junior, is the best on Long Island.
Julia Elmoraly, Syosset, Sr.
She is the best returning discus thrower on Long Island and the eighth-best returner in the state with a personal best of 120-5.
Nadia Elsergany, Deer Park, Sr.
Her top throw of 36-3 ½ in the shot put from May ranks second in the returning class.
Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr.
She won state championships in both the long and high jump in June at Middletown. She continued to get better this past winter, as she set a new personal record in the high jump (5-10, tied for second in the state). Her personal record of 18-6 ½ in the long jump — which won her a state title — ranks fourth among returning Long Islanders. Her diverse skillset makes her a candidate to be the best pentathlete on Long Island, if she chooses to do so.
Sayla Fives, Harborfields, Jr.
Her 4:35.77 in the 1,500 from May ranks fifth in Long Island’s returning class. She is also one of just 26 returning New Yorkers — 10 of which are from Long Island — to have broken 10 minutes in the 3,000.
Kyra Florio-Marinello, Massapequa, Sr.
Her 7:19.16 in the 2,000-steeple is a top-20 returning time in the state and places her third on Long Island.
Clockwise from left: Paige Fessler, Sayla Fives, Cali Gabrielson, Bella Galeas and Kyra Florio-Marinello.
Cali Gabrielson, Mt. Sinai, Soph.
She has won consecutive small school state titles (Division II in 2024, Class C in 2025) in the 3,000 and has run the race as fast as 9:41.54 outdoors.
Bella Galeas, Sachem East, Jr.
Another elite athlete, she ranks first on Long Island among returners in the 400 hurdles (1:02.73) and in the long jump (19-8 ½). Those personal records rank ninth and third among the state's returners, respectively. She is also fifth in the 100 hurdles (15.33).
Maeve Going, Sacred Heart, Sr.
The University of Pennsylvania commit is Long Island’s third-best returner in the 800 (2:12.8) and the 1,500 (4:27.77), as well as sixth in the 3,000 (9:44.93). All three personal records are from outdoor races.
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr.
The University of Miami commit is the best returning 800 runner on Long Island with a 2:07.24, which is the third-best mark in the state among returners. She is also second on Long Island and in the state in the 1,500 with a 4:23.36 from the state championships in June.
Leah Harris, Commack, Fr.
She flew 18-11 in the long jump in February, ranking her second among Long Islanders.
Alexa Jacobs, Port Jefferson, Sr.
She won state titles in the 100 and 200 in June. Her 11.74 in the 100 is second among returning runners in the state, and her 24.6 in the 200 is third on Long Island and eighth in the state.
Lenora Jones, Valley Stream South, Jr.
She sprinted 12.33 in the 100, which ties her for sixth on Long Island.
Jasmin Joseph, Half Hollow Hills West, Jr.
She flew 38-5 in February to become Long Island’s fourth-ranked athlete in the triple jump.
Clockwise from top left: Joanna Kenney, Fiona King, Alexa Jacobs, Lenora Jones, Jasmin Joseph, Leah Harris, Zaria Hall and Maeve Going.
Joanna Kenney, North Shore, Sr.
Her 9:40.26 in the 3,000 at the indoor state championships in March ranked sixth in the state for the winter season. She is also a good steepler, as her 7:21.14 is a top-25 returning time in the state.
Fiona King, Northport, Fr.
She ran a personal-record 9:56.58 in the 3,000 in February, making her a member of the state’s exclusive sub-10-minute club.
Kaitlyn Korzonkiewicz, St. Anthony’s, Sr.
She is fourth on Long Island and 23rd in the state in the 100 hurdles with a personal record of 15.12.
Maddie Laezza, Eastport-South Manor, Jr.
During the indoor season — her first as a distance runner — she claimed the second-fastest 3,000 time on Long Island (9:38.91) and sits just behind Sayla Fives in the 1,500 (4:35.8).
Clockwise from top left: Kaitlyn Korzonkiewicz, Kyra Lekanides, Ariana Madeira and Maddie Laezza.
Kyra Lekanides, Garden City, Sr.
She ran 56.79 in the 400 in June, tying her for 17th among returners in the state.
Ariana Madeira, Friends Academy, Fr.
She is progressing rapidly, as she anchored her team’s 4 x 400 relay to a Division II indoor state title with a 56.69-second leg. She ran 56.52 in the 400 at Nike Indoor Nationals, the third-best personal record on Long Island.
Sara Mangels, Longwood, Jr.
She is the second-best 400 hurdler on Long Island at 1:05.49, which places her in the state’s top 25.
Maggie McCormick, Bay Shore, Sr.
She won the indoor state championship in the 1,500 by a wide margin and was the state’s top-ranked runner in both the 1,500 (4:23.25) and 3,000 (9:23.3). Both times are the best in the state, between both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She is also Long Island’s second-ranked returner in the 800 at 2:12.46.
Angel Omokeni, Freeport, Sr.
She is fifth on Long Island in the long jump (18-1 ½) and triple jump (37-9 ½).
From left: Maggie McCormick, Angel Omokeni and Abigail Oyeleye.
Abigail Oyeleye, Half Hollow Hills West, Soph.
Her top leap of 38-5 1/4 in the triple jump at Nike Indoor Nationals ranks third on Long Island.
Victoria Paris, Longwood, Sr.
She is the best 100 hurdler on Long Island at 14.12, and is fourth among returners in the state. Her progression as a high hurdler continued indoors, as she ranked fourth in the state in the 55 hurdles at 8.08. She is also tied with Lenora Jones and Rachel Budke at 12.33 in the 100.
Nylah Phillips, Hewlett, Sr.
Her 56.53 in the 400 is fourth on Long Island and 14th in the state among returning sprinters.
Danielle Simonetti, East Islip, Sr.
The elder sister ran 1:05.8 in the 400 hurdles, which makes her the third-fastest returner on Long Island.
Kathryn Simonetti, East Islip, Jr.
The younger sister cleared 11 feet in the pole vault indoors, matching her personal record.
Clockwise from top left: Danielle Simonetti, Victoria Paris, Savannah Stephenson, Kathryn Simonetti and Nylah Phillips.
Savannah Stephenson, Baldwin, Jr.
One of the biggest breakout stars from this winter ranked fourth in the state in the 55 at 7.02. She ran the 200 in 24.46 at Nike Indoor Nationals, which ranks sixth among returning runners in the state.
Natalia Taylor, Sacred Heart, Jr.
She is third on Long Island in the shot put (35-9) and second in the discus (114-9).
Esmia Thomas, Roosevelt, Sr.
She won the state title with a New York No.1 of 6.9 in the 55. She enters the spring as Long Island’s second-best sprinter in the 100 at 12.19 and its fourth-best sprinter in the 200 at 24.74.
Emma Villalta, Massapequa, Sr.
Her 57.27 in the 400 is 26th among returners in the state. She also progressed in the winter by running New York’s 17th-best time in the 600 at 1:35.1.
Kate Voelker, Manhasset, Sr.
She was the state’s top-ranked high jumper for most of the indoor season after clearing 5-10 in December.
Clockwise from top left: Natalia Taylor, Esmia Thomas, Emma Villalta, Mia Wickard, Elycia Wilkerson and Kate Voelker.
Alexandra Wetterhahn, Hauppauge, Sr.
She is fourth on Long Island with a 12.28 in the 100 and is in the state’s returning top 25 in the 200 with a 25.1.
Mia Wickard, Northport, Jr.
Her 9:55.34 in the 3,000 in January ranked inside the state’s top 20 for the indoor season.
Elycia Wilkerson, Connetquot, 8th grade
She broke out late in the winter, running the state’s 12th-best time in the 300 (39.85). At Nike Indoor Nationals, she ran in the middle school 400 and won it in 56.68, which places her 16th among returners in the state entering the outdoor season.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.