Which schools had the best year in Morris/Sussex girls high school sports? Our rankings
Fifty years after Title IX began providing equal opportunities in education, female athletes in Morris and Sussex County asserted themselves on the courts, fields and arenas throughout the 2022-23 school year. They stepped up locally and against other top teams in New Jersey.
Morristown Beard won its third straight ice hockey title, the only team to do so. Freshman Paige Weiss became Sparta's first NJSIAA wrestling champion in 40 years, and Kinnelon junior Kayla Vasquez extended Morris County's legacy in the fast-growing sport.
But which program is No. 1?
The Daily Record and New Jersey Herald decided to find out which Morris and Sussex county school had the best year in athletics. We counted just about everything: Morris County and Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex tournament success, NJSIAA sectional and group team and individual titles and Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference coaches' selections.
When the numbers had all been input, a girls winner was clear: Chatham. The Cougars earned points in nearly every sport the school offered − and had more than double the second-place program's total.
Do you agree with our calculations? Read on for the complete girls Top 10 rankings.
Poll results: Which Morris/Sussex high school sports program had the best year?
10. Montville
Volleyball was the key to the Mustangs' success in the fall. Montville finished atop the NJAC-National and won its first MCT and sectional volleyball championships to fill the banner. Senior Grace Kowalski scored her 1,000th career point en route to Montville's return to the MCT girls basketball final.
9. Kittatinny
The Newton/Kittatinny girls wrestling co-op dominated the scene, winning the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex team title. Junior Liliana Zaku-Ramos won the North 1 Region title at 126 pounds and finished second at the NJSIAA individual championships. Cougars senior Clare Schwartz, who signed a National Letter of Intent with Drexel, won the 50- and 100-yard freestyle at the HWS swim meet, and the IM and 100 free and anchored the first-place 400 free relay at the Sussex County Championships. The Cougars girls tennis team went undefeated (6-0) to finish atop the NJAC-Freedom.
8. Morris Catholic
Look no farther than girls basketball to figure out why Morris Catholic is on this list. Led by the sophomore "Twin Backcourt" of Mya and Mia Pauldo and classmate Daniella Matus, the Crusaders defended their MCT title and won the program's first NJSIAA Non-Public B championship since 2006. In the spring, Morris Catholic softball won its second MCT title in three years, and reached the Non-Public B final for the third year in a row.
More: Female golfers triple at NJ high schools as girls claim their spot on the greens
7. Morristown
Aaliyah Murphy became Morristown's first female track and field Meet of Champions winner, capturing the 400-meter hurdles on her 17th birthday. Murphy had run 1:00.39, the top time in New Jersey this spring, to win Group 4 on June 10. Senior distance runner Grace DelGiorno was the Colonials' lone individual champion as they captured a share of the Morris County indoor team title. Morristown's girls lacrosse team won the MCT and reached the North 1, Group 4 final.
6. Morris Hills
Senior Kyara Montoya pinned all four opponents to win her weight class at Region wrestling. Senior Adannia Agbo and sophomores Ivory Piskula and Shreya Sathiyan helped guide the Morris Hills girls. Junior Sydney Mulroony had 100 goals and 63 assists as Morris Hills girls lacrosse finished in a three-way tie atop the Independence North. The Scarlet Knights' girls tennis team went undefeated (10-0) and finished atop the NJAC-National.
5. Randolph
The Rams' track and field success continued, as the girls captured their 11th outdoor Morris County Relays title in 15 years and the fourth out of five indoors. The Rams' girls basketball team reached a MCT semifinal, won just its second sectional title and reached the Group 3 final for the first time.
4. Parsippany Hills
Parsippany Hills earned its first girls track and field team title since 1979 at the NJAC small-school championships, and was also the Morris County Relays small-school champ. The Vikings' core four – juniors Anya Sadowski and Leann Lombardi, sophomore Kira Chebishev and senior Amanda Hoffman – were shifted and shuffled and juggled to full effect as they won North 2, Group 2.
3. Mount Olive
Mount Olive excelled on the track and earned high marks in the field as well. Led by junior sprinter-jumpers Natasha Redmond and Morgan Ryerson, the Marauders girls won Morris County titles both indoors and outdoors. Mount Olive girls soccer finished atop the NJAC-National.
2. Pope John
Seniors Krista Dengler (400 hurdles) and Madison Griffin (discus/javelin) helped Pope John win the HWS outdoor track team title. Griffin won discus and javelin and senior Gabrielle LaBrada was the shot put champion as the Lions claimed the NJAC large-school plaque. The Lions girls swim team finished atop the NJAC-North again and crushed the field at the Sussex County team championships. The Lions girls basketball team reached the HWS and Non-Public A North finals.
1. Chatham
Consistency and balance were the keys to Chatham's success in 2022-23. The Cougars got points in nearly every sport, highlighted by girls MCT titles in swimming (14th straight), tennis (ninth), field hockey (fourth), soccer (second), golf, and fencing. The victories didn't stop there. The girls golf team was undefeated for the fourth straight season. Chatham's girls sabre squad defended its NJSIAA title, and the fencing team won the overall crown. The girls lacrosse team defended the NJSIAA Group 3 title.
Coming tomorrow: The top 10 girls programs; on Friday: the best of the best.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morris/Sussex girls high school sports: Who had the best 2022-23
