For most teams and athletes in Mercer County, sectionals is the highlight and focal point of the spring season. Athletes at all levels have goals for sectionals, ranging from making the team to winning a sectional title.

Perhaps no goal carries more weight than a top-6 finish, which earns you not just a medal but also a ticket to the group championships. Below are all the Mercer County girls who accomplished that feat, along with a few who came close with admirable efforts.

And congratulations to all the seniors who finished off their high school athletics careers on a high note at sectionals!

Team Scoring

*The WWP North girls team poses with their sectional championships trophy on May 16, 2026. | Mak Ojutiku for NJ.com*

After a very tight team competition in Central Group 3 that came down to the final event, there was nothing to separate WWP North and Colts Neck, who shared the team title with 79 points each. For the Knights, that was a successful defense of their sectional championship from last spring. While senior distance star Allison Lee was the biggest single contributor, the Knights actually racked up the bulk of their points through their strong squad of jumpers and throwers, who collected 1-2 medals in almost every field event.

(Read more on NJ.com, including quotes from Coach Deanna Altvater praising the Knights’ full-team effort: N.J. track teams settle for tie at championship track meet, share sectional title)

Ewing finished only 9 points back in 3rd place, led by sophomore Angel Johnson’s superb quadruple, along with the Blue Devils’ other sprinters and jumpers. Hopewell Valley followed with 60.5 points to give the CVC girls three of the top four teams in the Central Group 3 section.

Sprints

*Samya Jenkins (Lawrence) competes in the 100m at the Central Group 3 sectional championships on May 15, 2026. | Dave Hernandez for NJ.com*

One of the feel-good stories of the weekend belonged to Samya Jenkins (Lawrence, Jr.), who swept the 100m and 200m at Central Group 3 sectionals. A year ago at this same meet, Jenkins finished runner-up in both events, but after missing this past indoor winter season due to injury and having to ease back to full health this spring, her return to the top of the podium is extra special.

Neither win came easily — both sprints featured thrilling duels between her and Suyana Gibson (Neptune, Fr.). In the 100m on Friday, Jenkins outleaned Gibson by just 0.02 seconds, 12.22 to 12.24, and then on Saturday she edged Gibson in the 200m by just 0.09 seconds, 25.43 to 25.52.

Jenkins’ 100m winning time of 12.22 (+1.5) is, according to MileSplit, the 4th-fastest wind-legal time ever by a Mercer County girl. And that 200m time of 25.43 (+3.2) puts her at MC #2 in just her first major 200m of the year. She is clearly rounding into phenomenal shape ahead of groups.

To cap it off, Jenkins joined with Sarah Conver, Rihanna Douglas, and Ava McKithen on Lawrence’s 4×400m team as they ran a season’s best of 4:14.2 for 5th-place medals.

*Angel Johnson (Ewing) competes in the 100m at Central Group 3 sectionals on May 15, 2026. | Dave Hernandez for NJ.com*

Perhaps no one racked up more points at sectionals this weekend than Angel Johnson (Ewing, So.), who was on fire all around the track.

To start the meet off, she teamed up with Karis Crossland, Leah Daniels, and Faith Settles as the Blue Devils dominated the girls 4×100m, winning by over a second in 49.21. Johnson then ran two straight PRs in the open 100m, including a blazing 12.27 in the final to finish in 3rd, just 0.05 behind the winner Jenkins. And throughout all this she was competing in the high jump, where she cleared 5-0 for just the second time ever — and first time outdoors — to earn the high jump title. What an evening!

By comparison, she had a relatively calm Saturday while she cruised to a gold medal in the 100mH, her best event. No one came within a 0.6 seconds of her in either the prelims or the finals as she took the crown in 14.77.

Another Ewing sprinter heading to groups will be Leah Daniels (Ewing, Sr.), who took 5th place in the 200m with a 25.76. That was an impressive return to action for the senior, who had missed the last six weeks of races.

Over at Central Group 4, Simone Henriques (Princeton, So.) proved to be peaking at just the right time by running two season bests to earn two 6th-place medals. In the 100m on Friday, she ran 12.80 to claim the last qualifier for groups by just 0.01. The next day, despite not being seeded in the fastest heat, she ran a huge PR of 26.33 to break into the medals and claim 6th place.

Henriques wasn’t the only Princeton sprinter having a good weekend — Princeton’s squad of Maddie Hamlin, Johanna Kraft, Ngozi Okeke-Agulu, and Henriques placed 4th in the 4×100m with a time of 50.10, breaking their school record.

Logan Mills (WWP South, Sr.) came through with a gutsy race in the Central Group 4 100m. After narrowly making it out of the prelims as the 9th and last qualifier, she delivered a PR performance in the final with a 12.76 for 5th place to advance to groups. Mills also took 8th in both the 200m (26.48) and 400m (1:00.29).

Hurdles

Johnson’s 100mH win — part of her impressive quadruple — was the most remarkable hurdle result of the day, but it certainly wasn’t the only notable one.

At Central Group 4, Yona Choksi (WWP South, So.) took 4th in a fast 110mH final with a PR of 15.20— now MC #4 — as part of a remarkable four-event weekend for the sophomore. Johanna Kraft (Princeton, Fr.) was also hugely impressive, chopping a quarter-second off her PR to grab 5th place in 15.40. She’s #2 among New Jersey freshmen this year.

Not far behind Johnson in the Central Group 3 100mH was teammate Karis Crossland (Ewing, Sr.), who earned the bronze medal with a big season's best of 15.57 — now MC #6 — to cap a big day that also included a leg on the winning 4x100m relay.

The Hopewell Valley hurdlers padded the Bulldogs’ point totals nicely. Veronica Goldsmith (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) placed 4th in the 100mH in a PR of 16.52, and Gwyneth Denham (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) was 5th in a PR of 16.75. Goldsmith doubled back to qualify in the 400mH as well, taking 5th in a PR of 1:11.03.

In addition to Goldsmith, Mercer County had a slew of girls who extended their seasons with clutch performances in the 400mH.

In Central Group 3, Lynsah Rejouis (Ewing, Jr.) ran a PR of 1:09.33 to earn a 4th-place medal, and Sarah Conver (Lawrence, So.) also squeezed into the final qualifying spot, placing 6th in 1:11.36 — just 0.2 ahead of 7th place.

In Central Group 2, Layla Tafesse (Robbinsville, Sr.) ran 2-second PR of 1:09.40 to grab the final qualifying spot in the 400mH, edging 7th place by just 0.05 seconds. That was a huge breakthrough for the senior, who had never finished higher than 17th in a sectionals race.

In Central Group 4, Dinara Occeus (Trenton, Jr.) also cut 1.5 seconds off her PR to grab 5th place and qualify for groups with a 1:09.84.

Distance

Distance star Allison Lee (WWP North, Sr.) started her path to the Meet of Champions by delivering a dominant double at Central Group 3. On Friday she blew away the 3200m field, winning by nearly 40 seconds in 10:12.39 to break the meet record. On Saturday she cruised to the 1600m win in 4:56.58, never seriously challenged. Between those individual wins, Lee also anchored the WWP North 4x800m team to the sectional title, joining Sara Secora, Anita Bhatia, and Evelyn Yang as together they clocked a big season’s best of 9:40.76.

Three of the girls from that winning 4×800m, Lee, Secora, and Bhatia, also dropped down to the 4×400m and joined with Nina Dixit to run 4:16.99 for 6th place, securing a crucial point in the final event of the team competition.

Even before running on both those medalist relay teams, Sara Secora (WWP North, Jr.) opened her weekend by setting a PR in the open 800m with a 2:19.02 to earn 4th place.

*Elsie Rey-de-Castro (Hopewell Valley) charges to a big PR in the 800m at Central Group 3 sectionals on May 15, 2026. | Dave Hernandez for NJ.com*

Hopewell Valley’s distance girls accomplished the rare feat of having all three entrants in a single event win medals when a trio of juniors went 3-5-6 in the 800m. Elsie Rey-de-Castro (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) led the way, finishing 3rd in a 4-second PR of 2:17.42 — a massive breakthrough that’s good for #3 in the county this spring. Anna Wilson (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) also ran a big PR of 2:20.71 for 5th place, and she was followed closely by classmate Sydney Young (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) earning the last medal in a 2:21.53. Young then doubled back in the 1600m the next day, where she did even better and took 3rd place with a season’s best of 5:06.23.

The Bulldogs showed off their middle-distance depth by having three other girls — Chelsea Cahall, Sarah Golian, and Ashley Potter — join Rey-de-Castro in the 4×800m the next morning as Hopewell Valley secured their spot at groups with a 3rd-place finish in 10:12.42.

In the Central Group 3 3200m, Izzy Meth (Lawrence, Jr.) placed 4th in 11:08.26 to punch her ticket to groups for the fourth straight track season, counting indoors and out.

The Princeton distance girls also had a remarkable two-day stretch at Central Group 4.

In the 3200m on Friday, Kajol Karra (Princeton, Sr.) earned 2nd place in 10:56.75 — a breakthrough performance that saw her go sub-11:00 for the first time after coming close several times. Grace Hegedus (Princeton, Jr.) delivered a standout race of her own to finish just behind Karra in an 8-second PR of 11:01.87 for 4th place. That same evening, Lena Murray (Princeton, Jr.) booked her place at groups in the 800m with a 2:20.25 for 5th place.

On Saturday morning, the Princeton 4x800m team of Karra, Murray, Mila Trkov, and Lumnezia Meggers posted the fastest time in the county, a 9:39.93, to earn 5th-place medals and qualify for groups.

In Central Group 2, Maura Goddeyne (Allentown, So.) continued her breakthrough season by qualifying for groups in the 800m with a 5th-place 2:24.80. The next morning, she joined forces with Susannah Morino, Addison Meyers, and Charlotte Jones as Allentown’s 4×800m ran a big season’s best of 10:12.88 for 3rd place.

The Steinert 4×800m team (Elizabeth Scheps, Caitlyn Scoles, Ashley Foster, and Lisette Zamichieli) also earned a trip to groups with a nice 6th-place finish in Central Group 3. They ran a season’s best of 10:29.51, which is #6 in the county.

Jumps

Faith Settles (Ewing, So.) added another 10 points for the Blue Devil jumpers by winning the Central Group 3 long jump with a massive leap of 18-5.75 — a PR and a mark that ranks at NJ #10. Just behind her, Elle Krakovski (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) set a new PR of 17-4 for the silver medal, and Anamika Sertil (WWP North, So.) placed 4th at 16-10.25 to also advance.

Sertil was busy in the high jump as well, earning the silver medal with a clearance of 5-0. Also clearing 5-0 for the first time ever was her teammate Aditi Revuri (WWP North, Jr.), whose new PR earned her 3rd place.

In fact, CVC girls swept the top six places in the Central Group 3 high jump. In addition to Sertil and Revuri, Ewing’s Johnson took the win, her classmates Athena Green (Ewing, So.) and Bryana Mason (Ewing, So.) tied for 4th place in 4-10, and Uchenna Obidike (Hopewell Valley, Sr.) also cleared 4-10 to add a 6th-place medal in the high jump to her multiple throwing medals.

Mercer County put three more girls into the Group 3 Championships in the triple jump. Jada Sands (WWP North, Jr.) led that group by jumping to 4th place in 33-8.5, adding another 5 inches to her big PR from CVCs. Angima Olando (Lawrence, So.) placed 5th at 32-2 and Alexis Johnson (Hamilton West, Jr.) was 6th at 32-0, both punching tickets to the group meet.

In the Central Group 3 pole vault, Avery Rick (Hopewell Valley, Jr.) cleared 9-0 for the 3rd-place medal and a trip to groups, and Eva Fea (WWP North, Sr.) took 5th in a new outdoor PR of 8-6.

In the high jump in Central Group 2, Mahek Singh (Robbinsville, Sr.) had a big breakthrough and cleared 4-10 — a 4-inch PR — to add a 3rd-place high jump medal to go with her javelin championship.

Katherine Brun (Allentown, So.) qualified out of Central Group 2 in two jumps. In the high jump, she matched her best of 4-10 for 6th place, and then she jumped a big PR of 17-0.5 in the long jump — to take 6th and book another event at groups. She’ll be joined by her teammate Meara Rabbitt (Allentown, Jr.) who cleared 9-0 to match her PR and finish 6th in the pole vault.

In Central Group 4, Yona Choksi (WWP South, So.) matched her triple jump PR of 34-1.5 to take 7th place there, just missing a qualifying spot. But she came back the next day to secure a trip to groups by going 16-1.5 in the long jump for a 6th-place finish.

Throws

Ti'Kayla Smith (Nottingham, Jr.) had one of the best performances of Central Group 3 meet when she launched a javelin throw of 129-10 to win the sectional title. That mark is NJ #5 this spring, and it broke her old PR by over 10 feet.

Uchenna Obidike (Hopewell Valley, Sr.) also had a standout weekend in the Central Group 3 throws, unleashing PRs in both the shot put and the discus. In the shot put on Friday, she threw an MC #2 37-8.25 to win and defend her title from this past winter’s sectional championship. The next day, she added a 2nd-place medal in the discus with a 7-foot PR of 127-9, which leads all of Mercer County this spring.

In Central Group 2, Makayla Rondinelli (Allentown, Sr.) became a two-time sectional champion after dominating the shot put and discus. In the shot put on Friday, she threw a PR of 37-0.5 — #3 in Mercer County — to win by 3 feet, and on Saturday she added the discus title with a 108-0 throw to win by 9 feet. Her teammate Ellie DelGandio (Allentown, Jr.) also earned a place at groups after throwing 95-10 in the discus for 3rd place.

Robbinsville’s throwers posted one of the most surprising and impressive results of the day. Despite coming into the meet seeded 11th and 16th, Mahek Singh (Robbinsville, Sr.) and Barbara Tur (Robbinsville, Jr.), threw massive PRs to go 1-2 in the Central Group 2 javelin. Singh’s 106-6 was a PR by 15 feet, and Tur’s 101-1 was a PR by almost 25 feet. Eva Kinsberg (Allentown, So.) will join them at groups after throwing 95-10 for the 5th-place medal.

The Knights’ Central Group 3 team title got a boost from throwers Eva Gedrich (WWP North, Jr.) and Abigail Power (WWP North, So.), who each took home two medals on Friday. Both girls matched or exceeded their PRs in the discus, as Gedrich took 3rd at 117-11 and Power was 4th at 113-7. They finished in those same positions in the javelin, with Gedrich throwing 112-0 and Power going 108-5.

In Central Group 4, Nishika Singh (Princeton, Sr.) placed 4th in the discus at 111-5 to earn her first sectionals medal. Jaiden Bosley (Hightstown, Sr.) just missed qualifying in the competitive Central Group 4 shot put, finishing 7th at 36-4, but that new PR still stands at MC #6 this spring.

Sectionals Girls: WWP North wins back-to-back CJ3 team titles, CVC girls win gold in almost every event