PITMAN, NJ -- The New Jersey Athletic Conference announced
Nyla Jones and head coach
Shedrick Elliott III along with 17 other Rowan student-athletes as part of 2026 NJAC Women's Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Teams.
Jones was named the NJAC Outdoor Women's Track & Field Outstanding Athlete while Elliott III and his staff consisting of
Eric DuBois,
Joseph Kalnas,
Jassina Surles,
Ryan Gebhardt,
John Oberg, and
Milton Goode were voted the NJAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Awards are based off of the top three finishes at last weekend's NJAC Outdoor Championships with the major awards taken by a vote of the league's coaches.
Jones claimed first-place finishes in both the 100 and 400 meter hurdles for the second-straight year. The sophomore, who was chosen the NJAC Rookie of the Year last season, set a new championship meet record in the 100 meter hurdles (13.95), breaking the seven-year old mark of 14.03. Both her top season times in each hurdle event has her ranked in the top 10 of Division III.
Elliott III and his staff captured the Profs' first outdoor championship since 2019 as Rowan swept both the indoor and outdoor titles in the same academic year. The Profs unseated TCNJ from a sixth-straight NJAC crown, narrowly edging the Lions by just 4.5 points. Rowan came home with 18 medals, including five gold medals, seven silver medals, and six bronze medals over the two-day meet hosted by Ramapo.
First-team honors also went to
Bree Cooney in the hammer throw,
Gabriella Pagano in the 5000 meters, and
Emily Zanni in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
The 4x400 relay of
Paige Franklin,
Lisa O'Sullivan,
Amari Pinkett, and
Ava Rizzo highlighted the second-team selections that also included
Jezena Aponte in the 5000 meters,
Katie Little in the discus,
Ava Reardon in the javelin,
Shannon Stakelbeck in the 10,000 meters,
Alaijha Wilson in the discus, and Pagano in the 1500 meters.
Lexi Bey (Hammer),
Emily Fraser (3000 meter steeplechase),
Keira Gibbons (100 meter hurdles),
Maggie Michelet (10,000 meters), along with Aponte (1500 meters) and Little (Discus) all earned honorable mention.
This is the second-straight first-team award for Pagano in the 5000 meters. Franklin, Rizzo, Stakelbeck, Wilson, and Zanni pick up honors for the second year in a row.
Here is the breakdown of award winners:
Aponte - 2nd (5000 meters), HM (1500 meters)
Bey - HM (Hammer)
Cooney - 1st (Hammer)
Franklin - 2nd (4x400 relay)
Fraser - HM (3000 meter steeplechase)
Gibbons - HM (100 meter hurdles)
Jones - 1st (100 meter hurdles), 1st (400 meter hurdles)
Little - 2nd (Hammer), HM (Discus)
Michelet - HM (10,000 meters)
O'Sullivan - 2nd (4x400 relay)
Pagano - 1st (5000 meters), 2nd (1500 meters)
Pinkett - 2nd (4x400 relay)
Reardon - 2nd (Javelin)
Rizzo - 2nd (4x400 relay)
Stakelbeck - 2nd (10,000 meters)
Wilson - 2nd (Discus)
Zanni - 1st (3000 meter steeplechase)
Rowan will compete in three last chance events over the next few days beginning with the G. Larry James Invitational at Stockton on Friday, the Farley Inter-Regional Meet hosted by Williams over the weekend and next Monday's meet at Widener.
Â
2026Â NJAC WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Thomas M. Gerrity Most Outstanding Athlete: Lucia Garcia-Beltran, TCNJ
Outstanding Track Athlete: Nyla Jones, Rowan
Outstanding Field Athlete: Elaina Styer, Stockton
Rookie of the Year: Joie Buxton, Stockton
Coaching Staff of the Year: Rowan
(
Shedrick Elliott III,
Eric DuBois,
Joseph Kalnas,
Jassina Surles,
Ryan Gebhardt,
John Oberg,
Milton Goode)
Â
| Event |
First Team |
Second Team |
Honorable Mention |
| 100m Dash |
Lucia Garcia-Beltran
TCNJ |
McKay Alby
Montclair State |
Ashley Gordon
Ramapo |
| 200m Dash |
Lucia Garcia-Beltran
TCNJ |
McKay Alby
Montclair State |
Reyanna Henderson
NJCU |
| 400m Run |
Reyanna Henderson
NJCU |
Kelsey Thomas
TCNJ |
Kayla Kass
Stockton |
| 800m Run |
Dale Leonard
Ramapo |
Kayla Kass
Stockton |
Kelly O'Grady
TCNJ |
| 1500m Run |
Dale Leonard
Ramapo |
Gabriella Pagano
Rowan |
Jezena Aponte
Rowan |
| 5000m Run |
Gabriella Pagano
Rowan |
Jezena Aponte
Rowan |
Ella Daly
TCNJ |
| 10000m Run |
Abigail Churchill
Montclair State |
Shannon Stakelbeck
Rowan |
Maggie Michelet
Rowan |
| 100m Hurdles |
Nyla Jones
Rowan |
Elaina Styer
Stockton |
Keira Gibbons
Rowan |
| 400m Hurdles |
Nyla Jones
Rowan |
Mackenzie Burke
TCNJ |
Emma Petrolia
Stockton |
3000m
Steeplechase |
Emily Zanni
Rowan |
Evelyn Austin
Stockton |
Emily Fraser
Rowan |
| 4x100 Relay |
TCNJ
Mackenzie Burke, Petra Doherty,
Kelsey Thomas, Lucia Garcia-Beltran |
Montclair State
Aisha Garcia, Maile O'Neill,
Kaelyn Rodriguez, McKay Alby |
Ramapo
Ashley Gordon, Lauren Daniels,
Madison Parker-Anderson, Morgan Levine |
| 4x400 Relay |
TCNJ
Kelsey Thomas, Mackenzie Burke,
Kelly O'Grady, Brenna Omert |
Rowan
Paige Franklin, Lisa O'Sullivan,
Ava Rizzo, Amari Pinkett |
Stockton
Emma Petrolia, Emma Conroy,
Jessica Bruther, Kayla Kass |
| High Jump |
Elaina Styer
Stockton |
Sarah Scepkowski
TCNJ |
Tonna Ogina
NJCU |
| Pole Vault |
Eva Morrison
Stockton |
Megan Morris
Stockton |
Emersen Levins
TCNJ |
| Long Jump |
Lia Malave
TCNJ |
Elaina Styer
Stockton |
Tonna Ogina
NJCU |
| Triple Jump |
Tonna Ogina
NJCU |
Sarah Lumas
Montclair State |
Lia Malave
TCNJ |
| Shot Put |
Allison Lavin
TCNJ |
Shanil Auguste
Rutgers-Newark |
Fejiro Akiri
Rutgers-Newark |
| Discus Throw |
Asha Pensa-Johnson
Rutgers-Camden |
Alaijha Wilson
Rowan |
Katie Little
Rowan |
| Hammer Throw |
Bree Cooney
Rowan |
Katie Little
Rowan |
Alexia Bey
Rowan |
| Javelin Throw |
Joie Buxton
Stockton |
Ava Reardon
Rowan |
Allison Lavin
TCNJ |
| Heptathlon |
Sarah Scepkowski
TCNJ |
Samantha Magin
TCNJ |
Jessica Holler
Montclair State |
Â