Layla Giordano of Old Tappan, who produced one of the greatest seasons in NJ history in the circle this past spring, was rewarded for her remarkable accomplishments by being named Gatorade's New Jersey Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Giordano, who just completed her junior year, won both the shot put (43-2.50) and discus (159-7) at the NJSIAAA Meet of Champions on June 14 at Franklin High School, and the next day she unloaded a monster bomb of 170-4 to win the discus at the New Balance National Championships at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
The 170-4 by Giordano, a PR by nearly 11 feet, places her No. 3 on NJ's all-time list and is No. 5 in the nation this season!!! Alyssa Wilson of Donovan Catholic (a state record 182-0 in 2017), and Jocelyn White of Delsea (172-2 in 2004) are the only two girls in NJ high school history to throw the discus further than Giordano. Giordano is also now No. 2 all-time in NJ history among juniors, trailing just the 175-1 that Wilson threw in 2016.
Giordano, who also plays volleyball and basketball at Old Tappan, improved quite a bit since last year. Coming into this season, she had PR's of 39-8.25 in the shot put and 128-8 in the discus.
Now Giordano owns PR's of 45-6 and 170-4!!!!
Here are excerpts from the press release provided by Gatorade -
In its 38th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Layla Giordano of Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is the 2022-23 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Track & Field Player of the Year.
Giordano is the first Gatorade New Jersey Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Giordano as New Jersey's best high school girls track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July, Giordano joins an elite alumni association of state award winners in 12 sports, including Jasmine Moore (2018-19, Lake Ridge High School, Texas), Sydney McLaughlin (2016-17, 2015-16 & 2014-15, Union Catholic High School, N.J.), and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa).
The 5-foot-11 junior won the discus at New Balance Nationals this past season with a personal-best throw of 170 feet, 4 inches, which ranks No. 5 nationally among girls high school competitors in 2023. Giordano's national title came one day after she won the New Jersey Meet of Champions with a throw 159-7. She became the third female athlete in state history to surpass both 170 feet in the discus as well as 45 feet in the shot put, with her 45-6 effort to win Group B at the Bergen County Championships, a distance that ranks among the top 40 marks in the country this season.
Giordano has volunteered locally on behalf of Big Gifts of Christmas, which provides presents and decorations to the underserved during the holiday season. She is also a member of her school's Make-A-Wish Foundation Club, Women's Engineer Club, Diversity Club, Black History and Culture Club and Spanish Club. She has also donated her time at youth track and field, basketball and volleyball camps.
Giordano has maintained a 4.13 weighted GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport. Giordano joins recent Gatorade New Jersey Girls Track & Field Players of the Year Angelina Perez (2021-22, Lakeland Regional High School), Lilly Shapiro (2020-21, Colts Neck High School), and Victoria Vanriele (2019-20 & 2018-19, Governor Livingston High School), among the state's list of former award winners. Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation.
Through Gatorade's Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade's social impact partners, supporting Gatorade's ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners' grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations. For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success.
From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade
