PENNSAUKEN − Three years ago, when Layla Giordano began throwing the discus at Old Tappan, she hoped to change people's perceptions of successful throwers.
Giordano has done exactly that while helping to redefine the event across the state.
"There are some stereotypes when it comes to throwers and three years ago, I came in as this skinny little kid," Giordano said. "Throwers look a lot of different ways and I'm excited to put my stamp on being another type of thrower."
Giordano took home a gold medal and a silver medal while also setting a meet record in her final high school track meet in New Jersey on Wednesday, the State Meet of Champions at Pennsauken High School.
"This has always been my favorite event, so to come here and set a record is special," Giordano said. "When I started doing this event, I never could have imagined it would lead to a record being set."
Giordano entered the event as the defending state champion, winning last year with a throw of 159-7 and setting the third-best distance in the history of the event. Giordano was not only competing with the field, but also with history. On her final throw, Giordano unloaded for a throw of 171-7, just shy of a personal best but setting a new SMOC record by more than three feet. Afterwards, Giordano believed she could have done even better.
"It felt a little off and I think there's something I could have done to get it even further actually," she said. "The distance was solid and doing it on my last throw was even better."
Giordano nearly took home a second gold medal in the shot put final, but was edged out by Livingston's Jessica Oji, who took the state title with a throw of 48-3.5 during qualifying, beating Giordano's best throw of 46-4.75.
In her second of three throws in the finals, Giordano's cleared the 50-foot line and would have taken home gold in the process. It also would have been at least the fifth-longest shot put throw in the history of the State Meet of Champions and the first to eclipse that mark at the event since 2017. However, Giordano wobbled after the throw and committed a circle foul to negate the toss.
"I think I was just so amped up and I wasn't used to the speed," Giordano said about the foul. "I was waiting for this event all year, so I'm a little disappointed to fall over the toe board, but I know I have more in the tank for the next meet."
Following nationals, Giordano will retire her Old Tappan uniform for a Princeton one, remaining in New Jersey. The senior says its important for her to remain close to her family and her support system into the next steps of her athletic journey.
Abby Dennis goes full circle, wins 100-meter hurdles
The State Meet of Champions were held for the first ever at Pennsauken High School on Wednesday and some athletes were on that track for the very first time. That wasn't the case for NV/Old Tappan's Abby Dennis as the senior had fond memories of the track. It was two years earlier that Dennis came to Pennsauken and won the first of her three group championships in the 100-meter hurdles.
"This track has a special little place in my heart," Dennis said.
Dennis got to run on that track one more time, grabbing gold in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.14. edging out Morristown's Aaliyah Murphy by four one hundredths of a second.
It could have been a much more eventful day for Dennis, but the senior opted out of the 400m hurdles in preparation for nationals later this week. Choosing which events to race, the senior got to balance competition with fun.
"The end of the season for runners can be a lot in two weeks," Dennis said. "Sectional, groups, states and nationals are all within two weeks, so I knew it was going to be hectic. It was all about, recovery, sleep and eating right. But it's also about enjoying yourself."
After claiming gold, Dennis got to do exactly that and went from the top of the podium to trying to convince her coaches to run the 200m race. Dennis finished fourth in her heat with a time of 24.70 that was good enough for a seventh-place finish.
Anna Bryan-Jones finishes Highlands legacy with bronze in 400-meter hurdles
Anna Bryan-Jones has been a three-sport athlete involved with championship moments for Northern Highlands in both swimming and volleyball. Wednesday brought an end to the senior's legacy as a Highlander in an unexpected way.
"I was a little nervous because I had a bad race last week," said Bryan-Jones. "A lot of it was practice during the week of getting a better start and my coaches believed that I had a better performance in me."
That better performance allowed Bryan-Jones to win the second heat with a time of 1:01.88, more than three seconds better than her time of 1:05.04 in the group championships. It also put Bryan-Jones within five one hundredths of a second behind Grace Smiechowski's school record in the event back in 2018. Bryan-Jones would finish with a bronze medal, a fact that surprised the senior.
"I didn't really watch the third heat," Bryan-Jones admitted. "I didn't think I would place. I was happy with my performance and I knew there were other heats, but my coaches came and told me and I was surprised."
Bryan-Jones said Wednesday's achievement meant a lot to pull off an individual achievement at the end of a successful athletics career at Northern Highlands. Bryan-Jones also hopes it might lead to her walking on at Rutgers, where she will begin attending in the fall.
"I'm just so proud to represent Highlands," said Bryan-Jones. "I've had the chance to be on three very good teams and be surrounded by great coaches that love athletics. School and work and athletics can be difficult to balance but I'm glad I pushed hard to get it all in."
Gina Certo narrowly misses county record in 400-meter
Holy Angels junior Gina Certo has been called the fastest woman in Bergen County by some and got to prove that moniker correct on Wednesday. Certo finished second in the 400 meter race with a time of 54.70, two one-hundredths of a second behind the all-time Bergen County record set by Teaneck's Dana Riley back in 1993.
Certo was second in her heat, edged by Eastern sophom*ore Natalie Dumas, who won the state title with a time of 53.16.
