Newsday's top 50 girls indoor track athletes on Long Island for the 2025-26 season
Breanne Barnett of Baldwin anchoring the girls 4 x 200 relay to victory at the state indoor track and field championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island on March 8. Credit: Errol Anderson
Kenzie Albano, Commack, Sr.
She ended her junior year trending upwards, as she cleared 11 feet, 3 inches in the pole vault during the outdoor season, which places her among the state's top 10 returners.
Zoe Amadike, Sewanhaka, Sr.
Between results from the indoor and outdoor track seasons, she is tied for fourth on Long Island in the long jump at 18-2 ½.
Gabriella Asare, Brentwood, Sr.
Her time in the 55 meter hurdles (8.51 seconds) is third among returning athletes on Long Island and 18th among returners in the state. She continued to progress outdoors, logging Long Island’s second-best returning time in the 100 hurdles (14.5).
Breanne Barnett, Baldwin, Sr.
Newsday’s defending Nassau Runner of the Year won the state title in the 300 in 37.74 seconds, which was the best time in the state. The Virginia commit continued to get better in the spring, winning state titles in the 200 and 400 and ranking first and second, respectively, in each event in overall time.
Kayla Beaumont, Deer Park, Sr.
She missed last year’s outdoor track season with a knee injury, but fully recovered and ran cross country to help strengthen the muscles. Beaumont at full health is a dangerous sight, as her personal record of 38-2 in the triple jump is tops among returning Long Islanders by eight inches.
Samantha Benson-Tyler, Port Washington, Sr.
She is nearly 38 seconds clear of the next-fastest returner in the state in the 1,500 race walk. She has a shot at winning a national title, too, if not multiple ones, depending on the championships she chooses to enter.
Samantha Benson-Tyler of Port Washington wins the girls 1,500-meter race walk during the Nassau Class A indoor track and field team championships at St. Anthony's High School on Feb. 4. Credit: James Escher
Makayla Boubert, Malverne, Sr.
A natural athlete who excels in both volleyball and lacrosse, she spent most of her track career as a sprinter until the spring, when she was given a chance to throw the shot put. She wound up gaining 11 feet from her first throw to her fifth, and consistently exceeded 32 feet for the rest of the season. Her top throw of 34-5 ½ ranks in the state’s top 30 among returners.
Rayshelle Brown, Smithtown East, Jr.
She spent most of the indoor season as the state’s top-ranked athlete in the 55 hurdles at 8.13, and leads LI with that time entering the season. She is also fourth among returning Long Islanders in the 55 dash at 7.32.
Rachel Budke, Hauppauge, Sr.
A dual threat as both a sprinter and a jumper, she ranks third in Long Island’s returning group in the 55 (7.21) and first in the long jump (18-7).
Sofia Chiariello, St. Anthony’s, Jr.
She ranked 37th in the state (13th among returners) in the weight throw at 43-3.
Laila Cole, Center Moriches, Sr.
She is effective in the longer sprints, as she's the fourth-fastest returner on Long Island in the 300 at 40.87. She progressed in the spring in the shorter sprints, logging the third-fastest time in this returning crop in the 100 (12.27).
Lexie Cole, Comsewogue, Jr.
Between both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Cole’s 4:35.16 in the 1,500 ranks fourth on Long Island and her 9:56.43 in the 3,000 is fifth. Both times are top 10 among the state’s returners.
Chelsea Cornelia, Deer Park, Jr.
She is Long Island’s second-best returning 600 runner (1:36.83) and fifth-best returning 1,000 runner (3:03.43).
Lailani Delinois, Connetquot, Sr.
Her 8.6 in the 55 hurdles ranks fourth among Long Island returners and 20th in the state.
Olivia DiGaetano, Connetquot, Sr.
She is one of eight current Long Island runners and 24 New Yorkers to have broken 10 minutes in the 3,000, as she ran 9:57.48 outdoors. She is coming off a high-level cross country season, which bodes well for her continued progression.
Suki Dong, Half Hollow Hills West, Sr.
The best pole vaulter on Long Island. She cleared 11-6 outdoors, which is tied for sixth in the state’s returning group.
Suki Dong of Half Hollow Hills West competes in the pole vault at the Suffolk boys and girls indoor track pole vault and weight throw in South Huntington on Feb. 14. Credit: Neil Miller
Julia Elmoraly, Syosset, Sr.
Her top mark of 42-4 ¼ in the weight throw ranks 15th in the state and third on Long Island among returners.
Nadia Elsergany, Deer Park, Jr.
The best shot putter on Long Island. She enters the season with a personal best of 36-3 ½ from the outdoor season.
Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr.
An outdoor state champion in both the high jump and long jump, she has a shot at both of those titles indoors. Her 5-9 ¾ in the high jump at Nike Outdoor Nationals was the best height in the state last spring, and her 18-6 ¼ in the long jump is second on Long Island.
Sayla Fives, Harborfields, Jr.
Her 4:35.77 in the 1,500 ranks fifth among returners on Long Island, while her 9:56.68 in the 3,000 is sixth.
Kayla Forsch, Northport, Sr.
Her 3:03.31 in the 1,000 is fourth on Long Island. Her strong finish to the cross country season, particularly her 19:40.7 at the Federation championships, projects the potential for her to speed past the three-minute mark.
Cali Gabrielson, Mount Sinai, Soph.
She won an outdoor state championship by taking the Class B title in the 3,000. Her personal-best 9:41.54 in the 3,000 leads Long Island’s returning group and is third in the state, between both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Cali Gabrielson of Mount Sinai competing in the girls 3000-meter race at the state indoor track and field championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Comples on Staten Island on March 8. Credit: Errol Anderson
Bella Galeas, Sachem East, Jr.
As good an athlete as there is on Long Island, she ranks third in the long jump (18-5 ½), third in the 300 (40.52), fifth in the 55 hurdles (8.64) and seventh in the 55 (7.36).
Maeve Going, Sacred Heart, Sr.
The Penn commit will start her season late as she recovers from an injury sustained during cross country, but even if she does not improve on her times, she will still be better than most. She ranks third on Long Island in the 1,000 (2:57.49) and 1,500 (4:27.77) and second in the 3,000 (9:44.93). Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, her 1,500 time is sixth in New York’s returning group.
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr.
The Miami commit is the state’s best 1,500 runner, clocking 4:23.36 in the outdoor season. She is also third in the state and first on Long Island in the 1,000 at 2:49 flat.
Alexa Jacobs, Port Jefferson, Sr.
The Villanova commit is the top 55-meter sprinter on Long Island at 7.02, which ranks second in the state among returners. She continued to progress during the outdoor season, winning state titles in the 100 and 200.
From left: Maeve Going of Sacred Heart, Zaria Hall of East Meadow, Alexa Jacobs of Port Jefferson.
Lenora Jones, Valley Stream South, Jr.
She ranks fifth in Long Island’s returning class at 7.33 in the 55. She is also fifth in the 100 on Long Island.
Jasmin Joseph, Half Hollow Hills West, Jr.
Between the indoor and outdoor seasons, she is Long Island’s third-best triple jumper, logging a 36-7 outdoors.
Joanna Kenney, North Shore, Sr.
Another stellar distance runner, the Boston College commit is fourth on Long Island in the 3,000 at 9:46.55. She is coming off an excellent cross country season in which she consistently ran low-18-minute 5-kilometer times.
Fiona King, Northport, Fr.
Another cross country stalwart, she decided to give up basketball and join the indoor track team, where she is expected to flourish in distance events. During the spring season, she ran 9:59.33 in the 3,000 as an eighth grader. She qualified for the Nike Cross Nationals meet this fall.
Kaitlyn Korzonkiewicz, St. Anthony’s, Sr.
Her 8.31 in the 55 hurdles is second among returners on Long Island. She is also fourth in the same group in the 100 hurdles during the outdoor season.
Maddie Laezza, Eastport-South Manor, Jr.
Newsday’s cross country Long Island Runner of the Year is ready for a huge winter. She used to run longer sprints, namely the 300 and 600 indoors, but after being the best 5K runner on Long Island during the fall season, she can easily run the 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000.
Kyra Lekanides, Garden City, Sr.
She ranks third on Long Island and 15th in the state’s returning class in the 600 at 1:36.9.
Ariana Madeira, Friends Academy, Fr.
As an eighth grader, she ran 1:38.13 in the 600, which is sixth in Long Island’s returning class. She is fresh off a strong cross country season in which she consistently broke 19 minutes.
From left: Joanna Kenney of North Shore, Lenora Jones of Valley Stream South, Kyra Lekanides of Garden City (top right), Ariana Madeira of Friends Academy (bottom right, transferred from Cold Spring Harbor).
Maggie McCormick, Bay Shore, Sr.
Another cross country runner who qualified for Nike’s national meet, she's one of the best distance runners in the state. The 1,500 is her primary event, and her 4:24.54 is the second-best time in the state, between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her 9:46.78 in the 3,000 is seventh in the state.
Grace Micali, East Islip, Sr.
Her 36-6 ¾ in the triple jump from the indoor season is fourth on Long Island entering this winter.
Angel Omokeni, Freeport, Sr.
She ranks second among Long Island’s returning class in the triple jump at 37-6. She is also tied for fourth on Long Island in the long jump at 18-2 ½.
Anis Oyuela, Huntington, Sr.
She showed steady improvement during the winter in the shot put and progressed consistently in the spring, topping out at 34-1 ¼.
Victoria Paris, Longwood, Sr.
She was Long Island’s top high hurdler in the spring, running 14.12 in the 100 hurdles. . She progressed as a sprinter from the winter to the spring, going from eighth in the returning class in the 55 (7.37) to fifth in the 100 (12.33).
Nylah Phillips, Hewlett, Sr.
After some back and forth between her school’s varsity squad and her club team, she is firmly back with Hewlett and will handle the longer sprints. Her 41.13 in the 300 is fifth on Long Island, and her progression continued into the spring with her club team, where she ranked third on Long Island in the 400 at 56.53.
Jessica Reiter, Seaford, Sr.
Her 5-6 in the high jump is tied for fifth in the state among returners, between both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Danielle Simonetti, East Islip, Sr.
The elder sister is fourth in Long Island’s returning group in the 600 (1:37.54).
Kathryn Simonetti, East Islip, Jr.
The younger sister is Long Island’s third-best returning pole vaulter, having cleared 11 feet during the outdoor season.
Fallon Siriban, St. Anthony’s, Soph.
She is fifth among returning Long Islanders in the 600 at 1:37.59.
Natalia Taylor, Sacred Heart, Jr.
The best overall thrower on Long Island, she ranks second in the shot put (35-9) and first by a wide margin in the weight throw (49-7 ¾).
Clockwise from left: Maggie McCormick of Bay Shore, Jessica Reiter of Seaford, Kathryn Simonetti of East Islip, Natalia Taylor of Sacred Heart and Fallon Siriban of St. Anthony’s.
Esmia Thomas, Roosevelt, Sr.
She is Long Island’s second-best 55-meter sprinter at 7.06. Her 41.26 in the 300 is seventh.
Emma Villalta, Massapequa, Sr.
After a promising indoor season saw her run 41.69 in the 300 (eighth among returning Long Islanders), she had a big spring, running 57.27 in the 400, which ranks fourth in the same group.
Kate Voelker, Manhasset, Sr.
The state’s second-best high jumper, she cleared 5-9 ¼ in the 2025 USA Track & Field Region I Championship.
Alexandra Wetterhahn, Hauppauge, Sr.
After running 7.34 in the 55 (sixth among returning Long Islanders), she cracked LI's top five in both the 100 and the 200 during the outdoor season.
Mia Wickard, Northport, Jr.
She has shown a lot of promise in the 1,500. Her 4:39.33 personal best is seventh among LI returners.
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.
