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VOTE NOW! For Central Jersey Girls Athlete of the Year!

Posted on by Vaseline

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It was an exciting high school sports season in Central Jersey from August through June and everything in between.

But of all the top performances on the sports field, the wrestling mats and the track and field events, who was the best female athlete in 2023-2024?

While that’s certainly up for debate and there’s no single answer, fans can take their pick from 23 candidates in our MyCentralJersey.com Readers’ Choice Girls Athlete of the Year poll.

More: VOTE!: Who is your favorite for the 2023-2024 Central Jersey Boys Athlete of the Year?

More: VOTE NOW!: Who will you pick for the 2023-24 Central Jersey Team of the Year?

The area consists of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Union Counties.

Please note that votes may not always appear immediately. There are delays before votes are recorded and a winner may not be announced until hours after the poll closes.

VOTING CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY, JULY 14

IF THE SURVEY DOES NOT APPEAR BELOW, PLEASE REFRESH THIS PAGE

Liz Adebola, Perth Amboy, senior, wrestling: Adebola entered the postseason with confidence, which resulted in winning the 152-pound state championship. The No. 4 seed surprised the top two seeds to claim the gold medal, finishing 27-4. She also repeated as a regional champion.

Eva Altamirano, South Plainfield, junior, wrestling: Altamirano had a stunning run en route to winning the 126-pound state title. She avenged an earlier defeat by capturing a North 2 Region championship and then stood atop the podium in Atlantic City as the No. 4 seed. The Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament champion finished 14-1.

Mikayla Blakes, Rutgers Prep, senior, basketball: The Vanderbilt-bound superstar and two-time Courier News Player of the Year led the Argonauts to their third straight Non-Public B finals, fourth straight Somerset County Tournament championship and ninth straight division crown. Blakes averaged 20.5 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.7 steals per game, and finished with 1,882 career points.

Riley Bobrowski, Watchung Hills, sophomore, softball: The pitcher helped lead the Warriors to the Group 4 state championship, going 17-1 with a 0.95 ERA, allowing just 59 hits and 42 walks, and striking out 211 in 118 ⅓ innings. She also batted .359 as a leadoff hitter, with 10 doubles, two triples, a home run, 14 walks and 14 RBIs.

Caitlin Cabrales, Westfield, senior, volleyball: The two-time All-State star helped the Blue Devils to the Union County and North 2 Group 4 championships, with 217 digs, 136 kills and 36 aces. The Jacksonville-bound senior finished her varsity career with 457 digs, 339 kills and 92 aces.

Molly Claus, North Hunterdon, senior, field hockey: Claus, a two-time state champion, was key for this year’s Lions club that fell one goal short of a three-peat. The senior who attends Central Michigan helped teams score just over a goal per game. She tied a personal best with five goals, one of which came in the state finals.

Iyanna Cotten, Franklin, senior, flag football: Cotten led the Warriors’ inaugural flag season, helping them to the Big Central Conference Tournament title. Cotton caught 25 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns, and added 213 rushing yards and a pair of scores. She also recorded 37 tackles and grabbed 11 interceptions, returning one for a score.

Taylor Cox, Union Catholic, junior, track and field: Cox’s stellar year included repeating as the 55-meter hurdles gold medalist at the indoor Meet of Champions in 7.73 to break Sydney McLaughlin’s MOC record. Cox then won the 60 hurdles at the New Balance Indoor Nationals (8.11). In the spring, she won the 100 hurdles at the New Balance Nationals (13.38).

Taylor Derkack, Colonia, senior, basketball: The two-time Home News Tribune Player of the Year, she averaged a double-double for her career with 2,062 points and 1,247 rebounds. The UMass-bound Derkack averaged nearly five steals, three assists and three blocked shots per game.

Charlotte Diemar, Pingry, senior, ice hockey: Diemar played a big hand in Big Blue winning its first state championship in program history, scoring nine goals and an assist in four playoff games, including both tallies in the final against Immaculate Heart. She finished with 26 goals and eight assists for the season and 80 goals and 26 assists for her Pingry career.

Saniyah Evans, Rahway, senior, track and field: Evans repeated her position as MOC long jump champion in the spring with a 19-02.50, surpassing her 2023 winning jump of 18:09.25. The Hampton-bound Evans also placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles at MOC, breaking a 40-year-old school record in the event. She placed second in the 55-meter hurdles and third in the long jump at the indoor MOC.

Hailey Eyer, Hunterdon Central, junior, fencing: Eyer finished the regular season 26-1 and was in contention for the state title in foil for the second straight season, finishing second in the individual tournament, after a hurdle.

Rayee Feng, Pingry, sophomore, golf: Feng finished second at the state championships, with a 70, two strokes behind the winner. She also finished third at the Central Jersey sectional tournament with a 70, one stroke behind the champion.

Addison Halpern, Rutgers Prep, junior, soccer: The Virginia commit and state girls soccer Player of the Year scored 40 goals and seven assists for the state Non-Public B champs, reaching the 100-goal mark after just one game of her junior season. She also scored the game-winning goal in the Somerset County final as the Argonauts won their first-ever crown.

Emili Horike, Edison, junior, gymnastics: The junior placed second in the all-around at the GMC championships and excelled at the state championships, earning a 9.6, winning the balance beam and finishing sixth in the all-around with a score of 37.425.

Annabel Mahoney, Pingry, seniors, lacrosse: The Northwestern commit scored 81 goals and added 29 assists to lead Pingry’s prolific attack. Mahoney, who had 45 draw controls, helped the Big Blue capture their second straight Somerset County Tournament title and reach the Non-Public A final.

Jamaya Mayers, Sayreville, senior, bowling: Mayers threw her best in the biggest moments, capturing the GMC Individual Tournament title with a 278-217 victory in the final. The Morgan State commit finished 10th in the individual state tournament and averaged 184.21 pins per match during the winter.

Anna Moesch, Watchung Hills, senior, swimming: Virginia-bound Moesch had a blazing senior season that included wins and meet records at the MOC in the 50-meter freestyle (21.95) and 100-meter freestyle (47.80). She went 22-0 in individual dual meet races this winter and 55-0 in her career.

Jenna Narleski, Ridge, junior, field hockey: The junior who will attend the University of North Carolina finished with 24 goals and 24 assists for the Somerset County champions, including three goals in the Northern Group 4 sectional final.

Lindsay Oller, South Plainfield, senior, softball: Oller led the Tigers to the GMCT title, hitting eight home runs, including two in the county championship game, and driving in 25 runs despite her league-leading batting average, .417 and .845. She attended Caldwell College and compiled a school-record 32 home runs, 151 hits and 132 RBIs in her career.

Anika Paul, Pingry, junior, tennis: Paul went 21-1 en route to capturing her third consecutive SCT first singles title, a 12-0 record in team matches and a trip to the NJSIAA state singles tournament semifinals. She is 39-3 in her career in team matches and was selected as an All-American by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation.

Paige Sheppard, Union Catholic, freshman, cross country/track and field: The rookie emerged as the storied program’s next star, winning the Nike Cross Northeast Regional Championships (18:12.29). Sheppard, the runner-up in the MOC (17:54), was selected as the Gatorade NJ Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. She won the indoor MOC 1600 championship (4:48.13). In the spring, she won the Non-Public A 1600 in 4:43.38, the state best time and the NJ freshman record.

Emily Thompson, Ridge, senior, swimming: Thompson capped her legendary career by setting two meet records at the MOC, winning the 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.93) and the 100-yard butterfly (52.33). The Stanford commit went 45-0 in dual individual meet races in her career and helped Ridge capture the Non-Public A state title this winter.