Get ur NJ XC on! With the first big weekend of the season finally here, we wanted to give you a look at some of the top girls to watch out for on the trails this season.
Keep in mind that these aren't rankings or predictions. This is just a list of 20 runners who we feel you should keep a close eye on this fall. They are listed in alphabetical order.
20 NJ XC Girls To Watch For 2023
Jessica Abbott, SOPH., Toms River North
The top freshman in the state last year, Abbott ran 19:10 at the Shore Coaches Invit., won the South Jersey, Group 4 Championships at Dream Park in 18:04, placed second at the Ocean County Championships in 18:51. She's coming off a outdoor track season that saw her place third in the 1,600 at the Meet of Champions, and run times of 2:12.25 in the 800, 4:54.12 in the 1,600, and 10:47.16 in the 3,200.
Christina Allen, SR, River Dell
As a junior last fall, Allen ran 19:27 when she placed fourth at the Group 2 Championships, and she was 27th in 19:47 at the Meet of Champions, and second at the Bergen County Meet of Champions. On the track, Allen has captured two M of c titles outdoors (the 3,200 as a freshman in 2021 and the 800 in 2022), and she owns PR's of 2:11.07, 4:49.87 for the mile, and 10:46.36 for 3,200.
Emma Bradley, SR, St. Elizabeth
As a junior last year, Bradley won the State Prep B Division Championship in 19:02, captured the Morris County title in 19:04, finished first at the NJCTC Championships in 18:35, and ran 19:17 to place second at the State Non-Public B Championships.
Sofia Day, JR., Mainland
As a sophomore last year, Day ran 19:22 to place 11th at the Meet of Champions, ran 18:17 to win the Atlantic County title, and was second at the South Jersey, Group 3 Championship. Day has track PR's of 2:14.25 for 800, 5:09.66 for 1,600, and 11:08.72 for 3,200.
Liliah Gordon, JR., Northern Burlington
Gordon, now a junior, won the State Group 3 Championship last year in 18:57, placed 7th the Meet of Champions, and owns a Holmdel PR of 18:29 from her freshman year. Gordon also won the Burlington Open, the BCSL Liberty Division, and the South Jersey, Group 3 title, and was 20th at the Champs Northeast Regional. Her track PR's are 4:58.91 for 1,600 and 10:38.20 for 3,200.
Peyton Hollis, SR., Union Catholic
In her first year of cross-country last year, the Duke-bound Hollis was undefeated until she was forced to drop out of the State Non-Public A race with an injury. Before the injury, she ran 18:33 at the Shore Coaches Invite the fastest time of the season at Holmdel Park, and she smashed the course records at Warinanco Park (17:49) and Oak Ridge Park (17:52), and ran 18:51 at Bowdoin. Hollis won the 800 at the Meet of Champions indoor last March, and has track PR's of 2:06.42 for 800, 4:49.88 for the mile, and 10:54.98 in the 3,200.
Melina Johnston, JR., Robbinsville
Johnston had a breakout season on the trails as a junior last year. She won the Mercer County title, finished first in Central Jersey, Group 2 in 18:59.15, placed second at the Group 2 Championships, and ran a Holmdel PR of 19:12 to place ninth at the Meet of Champions. Last spring, Johnston ran 5:12.48 for 1,600 and 10:50.43 for 3,200.
Courtney Kaiser, SR., Union Catholic
In her first season of XC as a junior last year, Kaiser had a big season to help lead the Vikings to its first Meet of Champions title. Kaiser ran 19:25 to place 14th at the Meet of Champions, dropped a Holmdel PR of 18:51 at the Shore Coaches Invit., and ran 19:12 at the Nike Northeast Regional at Bowdoin Park. On the track, she has PR's of 5:01.02 for 1,600 and 10:41.26 for 3,200.
Allison Lee, SOPH., West Windsor-Plainsboro North
Lee was the second fastest freshman in the state last year at Holmdel Park with the 19:23 she ran at the Shore Coaches Invitational. She also ran 18:38 to win the Colonial Division at the BCSL Championships, and placed fourth at the Central Jersey, Group 3 meet. Lee ran 5:07.79 for 1,600 and 11:05.32 for 3,200 last spring.
Addison McGoey, SR., Kent Place
As a junior last fall, McGoey ran 19:35 at the Shore Coaches Invitational, placed 7th at the State Non-Public A Championships, ran 19:08 to place fifth at the Union County Championships, and ran 19:38 at Van Cortlandt Park.
Shaelan McNally, SR., Paul VI
Last year, McNally, who owns a Holmdel PR of 19:06, won the Camden County Championship (19:29), the Olympic Conference Championship (18:13), and ran 19:22 to place 23rd at the Champs Northeast Regional. Her track PR's are 5:01.18 for a mile and 10:48.08 for 3,200.
Olivia Murray, SR., Pingry
One of the biggest breakout stars of the XC season last year, Murray dropped a big Holmdel PR of 18:50 to finished third at the Meet of Champions, and ran 18:49 when she placed 11th at the Champs Northeast Regional to qualify for the National Championships.
Kerry O'Day, SR., Cherokee
O'Day, a senior, placed ninth in Group 4 last year, ran 18:39 to finish third at the Olympic Conference Championships, and she has a Holmdel PR of 19:24. She had a big season on the track last year with PR's of 5:04.01 for 1,600 and 10:56.02 for 3,200.
Cassidy Roop, SR., North Hunterdon
Roop, who ran 18:29 when she placed 7th at the Meet of Champions as a sophomore in 2021, was fifth at the Meet of Champions last year in19:05, and she repeated as champion last year at both the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Championships and the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Championships.
Julia Scrudato, SR., Montgomery
Last fall, Scrudato won the Somerset County and Skyland Conference titles and ran a season best Holmdel time of 19:28 to place second in Group 4. Based on her huge spring season that was punctuated by her stunning victory in the 1,600 at the M of C in a PR of 4:45.76 and her 10:43.19 PR in the 3,200, Scrudato certainly has the potential to run faster than her Holmdel PR of 18:34 that she ran to place 9th at the M of C as a sophomore in 2021, and should be a contender to win the M of C title.
Rosemary Shay, SR., Middletown South
After placing second at the Meet of Champions in the 3,200 last spring and running PR's of 4:59.16 for 1,600 and 10:45.57 for 3,200 as a junior, Shay should see her Holmdel Park PR of 19:12 come way down. Shay also has run 18:59 at Thompson Park
Paige Sheppard, FROSH., Union Catholic
As a an eighth-grader last year, Sheppard, who has unlimited potential, won the AAU National 4K XC title in the 13-14 age group in 14:28.97, and on the track she threw down times of 2:07.97 in the 800, 4:49.79 in the mile, and 10:40.23 in the 3,200. She also ran 57.81 in the 400 in the summer of 2022.
Ivy Slavinski, SOPH., Point Pleasant Boro
One of the state's biggest young stars, Slavinski opened lots of eyes as a freshman last fall by running 19:23 to place third at the State Group 2 Championships, and 18:57 at the Shore Conference Championships. She followed that up with a huge outdoor season that was highlighted by times of 2:17.39 for 800, 5:08.90 for 1,600, and 10:46.42 for 3,200.
Ava Thomas, SR., Haddonfield
Thomas, who pulled off a stunning upset victory at the Meet of Champions last spring in the 3,200 when she came from way back to win, was 16th at the Meet of Champions last fall in 19:27, ran 19:41 at Bowdoin Park at the Nike Northeast Regional, and she ran 18:06 to win the South Jersey, Group 2 title. On the track, Thomas has PR's of 5:04.13 for 1,600 and 10:43.86 for 3,200.
Emma Zawatski, SR., Freehold Township
Zawatski, who has captured a Meet of Champions title in all three seasons, ran 18:38 to win the Meet of Champions XC title last fall. She also dropped an 18:44 to capture the State Group 4 title, ran a Holmdel PR of 18:37 to win her race at the Shore Coaches Invit., and qualified for the Champs National Championships by running 18:35 to place 10th at the Champs Northeast Regional. Zawatski, who won the 1,600 at the M of C outdoors as a sophomore and captured the 1,600 at the M of C indoors last March, owns track PR's are 4:48.71 for the mile and 10:38.13 for the 3,200.