NJ Advance Media’s high school sports staff has selected finalists for the final six categories of the High School Game Changers Sports Awards. These categories, for overall Athlete of the Year, Team of the Year and Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – for both male and female athletes – are the only categories where finalists and winners will be selected by the high school sports staff.

For the other 14 categories, nominations came in from the public, finalists were selected by the NJ.com staff and readers voted to select the winners in each of those categories.

Winners will be announced at the live event on Tuesday, June 24. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and the show starts promptly at 6:15 p.m. at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway. The event is free to attend and open to finalists, as well as their coaches, teachers, parents, friends and family members.

For our staff, selecting sport-specific postseason honorees is difficult in any season, but this process – selecting finalists across all sports for an extremely small number of awards – was incredibly challenging. We know some tremendous athletes with remarkable character and determination couldn’t make this list.

Here are the finalists, listed alphabetically by school:

Note: Stats and team records shown below for spring sports are correct as of end of play on May 25.

OVERALL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Benjie Shue, Bergen Catholic – Football, Wrestling, Track and field: An All-Non-Public and four-time state champion interior offensive lineman, a three-time state-fourth-place heavyweight wrestler, and one of the best discus and shot put throwers in N.J. history, Shue is arguably the best male three-sport athlete in the state. The Carlstadt native and Texas commit is best in the throwing circle in the spring and holds personal records of 205-4 in the discus and 69-2 in the shot put. The discus mark is No. 4 in state history and the shot put throw ranks No. 3 all-time.

Nate Bienstock, Hillsborough – Ice hockey: A First Team, All-State honoree and the 2025 Player of the Year, Bienstock had a year to remember. He committed to play at Quinnipiac University, one of the more prestigious college hockey programs in the country, and put together one of the best seasons by a defenseman in years. Bienstock had one of the most dynamic skillsets, which helped him score 48 goals and add 47 assists. He drew praise across the board, including from coaches of some of the top Non-Public schools in the state. Bienstock was also drafted in the 2024 USHL Phase I draft and could make a jump to the top junior hockey league in the country next season.

Kenny Barnicle, Mendham – Swimming: One of the top swimmers in the country, Barnicle is a two-time NJ.com Boys Swimmer of the Year. The Cal-Berkeley commit is a five-time Meet of Champions gold medalist, doing so across four different individual events. He led Mendham to the program’s first sectional title in history with an appearance in the Group C state finals. He placed first in all 37 dual-meet races this past winter, proving that he is faster than anyone in the state, in any event.

Lotzeir Brooks, Millville – Football: A game-changer in the truest sense of the word, Lotzier Brooks got better and better every season. The 2024 Football Player of the Year, this Millville standout was the top priority for every opponent yet made mind-boggling plays seemingly every week. Brooks set state records for career receiving yards (4,615) and touchdown catches (67), closing out a storied career with 56 catches for 1,260 yards and 16 TDs this past fall. Brooks enrolled at the University of Alabama in January and is expected to see playing time as a true freshman for one of the nation’s premier college football programs.

Charlie Wingfield, Ramapo – Baseball, Basketball, Football: Charlie Wingfield is one of, if not the most, decorated male athlete in recent public school memory. A two-time Group 3 state champion in basketball, Wingfield won two sectional titles in football and a sectional championship in baseball. Headed to Wake Forest as a tight end following a senior campaign that saw him land on the All-State First Team, Wingfield reached two rare milestones on the baseball field, too, eclipsing 200 career strikeouts and 100 career hits.

Johnny Jackson, Ridgewood – Basketball: Jackson was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s lymphoma last summer. He inspired the state this winter, playing every game for Ridgewood despite undergoing chemotherapy during the season. The 5-foot-11 senior scored 30 points in a season-opening win over St. Joseph (Mont.) just three days after the 11th of 12 chemo treatments. That effort was a sign of things to come for the NJ.com Player of the Year, who averaged 24.1 points per game. He led Ridgewood to its third North 1, Group 4 championship in the last four years. Jackson also broke the school record for points and joined an elite list when he scored his 2,000th career point. In February, Jackson received his biggest win of the season, finding out that he was cancer free.

OVERALL FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Ella Poalillo, High Point – Wrestling: Poalillo was a state champion as a freshman, but she separated herself from the rest of N.J. during the 2024-25 campaign. The rising junior was 35-0 with 27 of the wins coming by pin. Poalillo didn’t get taken down a single time last winter and only surrendered a point when she intentionally cut her opponents loose. As part of her dominant season, she won her first Girls Beast of the East title and pinned DePaul two-time state champion Olivia Georges and 2024 state champion Thea Rowland of Middletown South. Poalillo finished the year as USA Wrestling’s No. 24 pound-for-pound wrestler nationally and No. 1 wrestler at 155 pounds.

Mia Pauldo, Morris Catholic – Basketball: A two-time New Jersey Player of the Year, Pauldo is coming off a senior season where she helped Morris Catholic to a 28-0 record and the state’s top ranking for the second consecutive season. The University of Tennessee signee averaged 18.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game as Morris Catholic finished as one of the top teams in the country. Pauldo also eclipsed the 2,000-point career mark this past winter and helped the Crusaders win their fourth consecutive Morris County Tournament title to go along with a third straight state championship.

Emma McCarthy, Paul VI – Soccer, lacrosse: McCarthy is a 5-star prospect who is committed to play lacrosse at the University of North Carolina, which just won a national championship. She has more than 300 career points at Paul VI and is one of the best scorers in New Jersey. This past fall, McCarthy also left her mark on the soccer program in historic fashion. She was 1st Team All-State after scoring the game-winner in overtime to secure Paul VI’s first-ever Non-Public A state championship. McCarthy is one of the most dominant two-sport athletes in the state.

Addison Halpern, Rutgers Prep – Soccer: Halpern finished second all-time in state history with 180 career goals and was the first-ever back-to-back NJ.com Girls Soccer Player of the Year. The University of Virginia commit was away for the first month of the season playing for the U.S. U-17 National Team in the World Cup. Halpern came back and made up for lost time, scoring 44 goals and sending out 14 assists in just 15 games. Her team finished with a perfect 23-0 record and won a state title. Halpern’s ability to score in big games helped Rutgers Prep win three state championships in the last four seasons. The Argonauts also won a pair of Somerset County titles with Halpern leading the way. Rutgers Prep had never won a county championship before last season.

Gabriella Shadek, Immaculate Heart – Ice hockey, softball: The IHA senior is one of the most feared hitters in all of New Jersey softball. A three-time All-State honoree and two-time first teamer, Shadek is closing in on state history as she seeks to become one of the best home run hitters in New Jersey history with 46 and counting. She’s also drawn 32 walks this year and 102 for her career as most pitchers would rather put her on base than have her clear the bases. A Duke commit, she has 145 career hits, 133 RBI, 46 career homers and is a career .509 hitter. Shadek also scored 10 goals for IHA’s girls hockey team that made the state final for the second year in a row and she was second on the team in goals. She was an Honorable Mention, All-State honoree by season’s end.

Paige Sheppard, Union Catholic – Cross-country, track and field: The sophomore Hillsborough native was NJ.com’s Cross-Country Runner of the Year and her dominance translated to the indoor and outdoor seasons seamlessly. In her first 1,600 race over the winter, Sheppard broke the state record with a 4:44.77. Outdoors, she has thrown down even faster times, including a personal record 4:43.61 mile at April’s Arcadia Invitational. It’s the second-fastest mile time in state history. Sheppard ran a personal record 2:03.84 in the 800, which ranks No. 1 in the state this spring, No. 3 in the country, No. 4 all-time in N.J., and as a sophomore state record. Sheppard anchored Union Catholic’s Penn Relays-winning distance medley relay with a 4:41.65 split in the last 1,600. She also split 55.19 on the anchor leg of the team’s 4×400 to get the Vikings into the Championship of America race at Franklin Field.

BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR

Bergen Catholic football: The Crusaders won their fourth state title in a row via a 25-7 win over Don Bosco Prep to cap an 11-1 season. Four-consecutive Non-Public A championships is the most the state has seen since Greg Total’s national-title contending Don Bosco Prep teams rattled off six crowns in a row from 2006-11 in Non-Public, Group 4. Bergen Catholic’s lone loss came to national powerhouse IMG Academy (FL) in the first game of the season. Head coach Vito Campanile and company have amassed a record of 45-3 over the past four years with only one loss coming in-state.

Christian Brothers cross-country: Christian Brothers capped off a dominant season with their fourth consecutive Non-Public A and Meet of Champions titles. The squad held the No. 2 national ranking at one point and took down the state record course average with a 15:01 at Ocean County Park, securing their 17th straight Shore Conference title as well. In the postseason, they broke the Holmdel Park course record twice, first with a 15:50 in the Non-Public A title race and then with a 15:42 at the Meet of Champions. They also won their third consecutive Nike Northeast Regional title and finished fifth at the Nike Cross Nationals. CBA was spearheaded by senior and North Carolina commit Joe Barrett, who earned his third Non-Public A state title, repeated as the Meet of Champions winner, and was named Runner of the Year for the second year in a row. In addition to all their accomplishments, The Colts celebrated their 400th consecutive dual meet victory, the fifth-longest streak in U.S. high school sports history.

St. Benedict’s soccer: The Gray Bees rejoined the NJSIAA this year for the first time since leaving in 1990 and immediately made their impact felt. They finished the year 20-0 and won the Non-Public A state title, which helped them secure the No. 1 ranking in both New Jersey and nationally by the United Soccer Coaches. They led New Jersey in goals scored (100), goals against (7), goal differential (+93), goals per game (5) and goals against per game (.35). They also had three first team All-State players, the most of any team in the state.

St. Joseph (Met.) bowling: For the third year in a row, St. Joseph roared to a state championship on the lanes and was named our Boys Bowling Team of the Year. St. Joseph showed its resilience after losing in the finals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. The Falcons soared to five straight wins on the lanes to the NJSIAA Group 3 championship, which included rolling past an undefeated Jackson Memorial squad in two games during the Central Jersey, Group 3 final. Junior William Cunningham tallied a state-leading 239 average on the lanes and placed second for a second straight time at the state individual tournament. Junior Kai Strothers (235 average) and sophomores Josh Lamoreaux (218 average) and Joey Lamoreaux (204 average) all had strong seasons on the lanes to help St Joseph roar to a mark of 20-1. In the last three seasons, St. Joseph is 65-1 in dual matches.

St. Joseph (Mont.) wrestling: The Green Knights faced early adversity with season-ending injuries to 2024 state champion Zach Ballante and three-time state qualifier Jimmy Sloan before concluding the year on a high note both as a team and individually. As the No. 6 seed in the Non-Public A Tournament, SJR went on a tear to win its second state championship in the last three years with a 30-26 win over Delbarton. Just before the postseason, Delbarton defeated national prep school powerhouse Blair, so SJR can technically say it was No. 1 in the entire state. In Atlantic City, the Green Knights saw three wrestlers win titles in freshman JoJo Burke (106), senior Ryan Burton (175) and senior Anthony Harris (215). Three more grapplers made the finals and nine in total collected state medals.

Westfield swimming: With 29 state championship trophies, the Westfield boys team has the most titles in New Jersey swimming history. Of those 29 championship teams, the 2024-25 Westfield squad was the best. They held onto the No. 1 spot for three straight seasons in the NJ.com Top 20, winning 45 consecutive dual meets over this span. The senior class graduates with three state championships, four Union County titles, and four sectional titles. They racked up more power points than any other team in every round this past postseason. The 2024-25 Westfield squad has entered the conversation as the greatest swim team in N.J. history, winning two gold medals at the Meet of Champions in separate relay races, too.

GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR

Morris Catholic basketball: Morris Catholic established itself as one of the top teams in the country once again this season and had a history-making campaign. The Crusaders became the first team in New Jersey to finish a full season undefeated since 2018-19, posting a 28-0 record, which was capped off with the Non-Public A title. Morris Catholic won its fourth straight Morris County Tournament championship and its third straight state title. Morris Catholic ended up finishing with wins over nine teams that ended the season ranked in the state’s final top 20 and were crowned national champions by MaxPreps and finished in the top 12 in the nation by ESPN.

Pingry tennis: Pingry notched its third undefeated season in a row this past fall, going 17-0. Pingry returned all seven starters from 2023, but still found a way to insert two freshmen into the lineup. The Big Blue added plenty of hardware to their ever-growing trophy case. Pingry won its fourth consecutive Non-Public championship, their sixth-straight Somerset County Tournament and their fifth Prep A Tournament in a row. Pingry won 16 of their 17 dual matches by 5-0 scores, and the one it didn’t, was a 4-1 victory without its full lineup against another top-ranked team in Ridge. The senior class of Anika Paul, Leila Souayah, Isabelle Chen, Ava Grunstra and Greta Reinhardt went 59-1 in dual matches in their careers.

Princeton volleyball: Princeton was not afraid to play the top teams in the state. Racking up 11 ranked wins this past fall, the Tigers landed at No. 1 in nine of the 12 NJ.com Top 20 polls for the 2024 season, including the final five. They finished 28-1 in the standings en route to their second consecutive Group 3 state title. Princeton had four players named to the All-State teams, a list that only includes 24 players statewide, and had five total named to the All-Group 3 team.

Rutgers Prep soccer: Rutgers Prep was perfect in the fall and capped off a 23-0 season with a dominant 3-0 win over DePaul. The Argonauts were ranked No. 1 in the country in national polls and went wire to wire as the No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20. Over the last two seasons, Rutgers Prep has a 42-1-1 record. This program has won three straight Non-Public B titles and back-to-back Somerset County championships. Rutgers Prep is the premier girls soccer team in New Jersey. This year’s squad was the best in program history.

Union Catholic track and field: It’s the 10-year anniversary of the start of the Vikings’ run as N.J. girls track and field’s most dominant program. UC has won each of the last 10 indoor Non-Public A championships (2015-20, 2022-25) and the last nine outdoor Non-Public A titles (2015-19, 2021-24). This factory of talent has two of the best distance runners in the country in sophomores Paige Sheppard and Sophia Thompson, who helped team up for the program’s Penn Relays distance medley relay title and third-straight wheel-winning year at Franklin Field. Georgia-bound senior Taylor Cox is one of N.J.’s best short-distance hurdlers of all-time and headlines a long list of speedsters for the Vikings, who also have Duke commit Taylor Aska and sophomore Sydney Chadwick among others throwing down sizzling times whenever they take the track.

West Essex field hockey: The Knights were the No. 1-ranked team in New Jersey for 10 of 12 weeks during the 2025 season and went 19-1 against in-state opponents. They closed the year with five consecutive shutouts to win a sixth Group 2 state title in a row. All this team does is churn out win after win and restocks talent better than any other pubic program in New Jersey. After a 22-3 run, West Essex finished the season ranked fifth in the country, according to Max Field Hockey. Four players earned All-State honors as well.

BOYS BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Luke Tortorici, Barnegat – Lacrosse: Tortorici missed most of last season after finding out he had a softball-size pseudocyst in his abdomen that was caused by pancreatitis. Doctors inserted metal stents to drain that fluid-filled sac when the midfielder was rushed to the hospital after taking a hit during a game in 2024. Tortorici returned this year and put together the best season of his career. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound York College commit set program records for points, goals, assists and ground balls. The team set a single-season record for wins and won its first-ever divisional championship in the Shore Conference.

NaJai Hines, Plainfield – Basketball: The 6-10, 255-pound Hines had been a major college football recruit as a tight end for South Garner High in North Carolina until a series of concussions shifted his focus for senior year to basketball. Specifically to basketball at Plainfield, where his mom and numerous other relatives had attended. The brawny but nimble center made his debut for the Cardinals Jan. 1 against Paterson Eastside, and his impact was profound with 17 points and five blocks in a 59-41 victory. Hines played 26 games and generated double-doubles for points and rebounds in every one on his way to averages of 18.8 points, 16.9 rebounds and also 3.5 blocks to earn All-State accolades. In his final game, Hines scored 18 points, took down 16 rebounds and blocked four shots to send Plainfield to its first state championship since 2012 with a 65-48 win over Montgomery in the Group 4 championship.

Blase Mele, Princeton – Wrestling: Mele made history in Boardwalk Hall when he became the first boys wrestling state champion in the history of Princeton High School. What makes Mele’s run so improbable is that he has never even won a district title and took a respectable sixth in the state last year. But he burst on the scene in a major way down in Atlantic City, when he pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the state tournament, beating RFH’s reigning state champ Sonny Amato, 3-2, in the 144 pound semifinals just days after Amato had Mele’s number twice in the postseason, beating Mele, 11-3, in the Region 5 final and 6-3 in the District 18 final. Mele finished the year with a 31-2 record and went 126-19 in his career. He’s wrestling Division I at Princeton.

Will LoSauro, Ridgewood – Ice hockey, lacrosse: Even before the 2024-25 ice hockey season began, it seemed like LoSauro’s name crept into every single conversation about who the best players in the state were. That was even before he got a chance to play his first-ever game at Ridgewood as well. There was no freshman more hyped up in New Jersey, and LoSauro has delivered under the pressure of ginormous expectations and the bright lights. He anchored the Maroons’ top line on the left wing and ended the season with 31 goals and 31 assists each. He was the driving force behind the Maroons’ run to the Public group state title game, and his heroic quarterfinal round performance of a hat trick and four points in a 4-3 comeback win over rival Ramapo highlighted his phenomenal season. He might just be as talented of a lacrosse player as well. In 17 games this spring he’s posted 18 goals and 27 points for a Maroons team that is a Group 4 title contender. LoSauro is a true two-sport talent that should be a shining star for years for Ridgewood.

Aidan Donnelly, Southern – Soccer: After scoring a previous season high of 9 goals in 2024, Donnelly burst on the scene for Southern with 30 goals this year as the Rams finished No. 5 in the state and won their first ever state title. He led the Shore Conference in goals and set the program record for goals in a season. Donnelly, who was NJ.com‘s Boys Soccer Player of the Year, scored 3 goals against eventual Group 3 champs Shawnee and scored the only goal against a Top 10 Princeton team in the Group 4 semis, a 1-0 win, and both of Southern’s goals in the state final, a 2-0 win over perennial power and then No. 2 ranked Scotch Plains-Fanwood. A first team All-Stater, after not even making an All-Group team last year, Donnelly is committed to play D1 soccer at St. Joe’s.

Rory Asselta, St. Joseph (Mont.) – Golf: As a mere freshman, Asselta won his first tournament of the season, the 26-team Garden State Cup, and just kept on winning. He earned seven tournament titles in nine events, possibly a state record for most titles. He capped his season by winning the North Jersey sectional and the State Tournament of Champions, where his 8-under 64 was the lowest score relative to par in the 91-year history of the event. He was the best player on the state’s top-ranked team and will be the State Golfer of the Year.

GIRLS BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Gianna Gomez, Barnegat – Softball: The sophomore is leading the state with 280 strikeouts to go along with a 1.93 ERA in 138 innings and led Barnegat to a first-ever division title and the No. 5 seed in South Jersey Group 2. Gomez struck out 21 in an eight-inning win over Lacey and has 15 other games with double-digit strikeouts, including two with 19. She is also batting .392 with 16 RBI. Last season, Gomez pitched just 8 ⅔ innings with 16 strikeouts and a 4.85 ERA.

Natalie Dumas, Eastern – Track and field: Dumas quickly went from one of the state’s best active runners to one of the state’s best track and field stars ever. The standout junior tied Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s outdoor 400 dash record (51.87) and also holds this spring’s fastest 400 hurdles time (58.37), No. 4 time in the 200 dash (24.02), No. 7 time in the 1,600 (4:55.66), No. 13 time in the 800 (2:13.37) and No. 28 time in the 100 dash (12.23). Both her 400 dash and hurdles times rank Top 5 in the country. She’s the only girl in state history to go under 12.25 in the 100 dash and sub-five minutes in the 1,600. Over the winter, she ran a personal record 2:07.68 in the 800, which is a South Jersey record and ranks No. 9 in state history. In the fall, she ran her first season of cross-country and held her own against athletes who have been competing in the sport for years.

Samantha Kranzler, Old Tappan – Volleyball: On track to a solid season in 2023 as a junior, Kranzler went down with an injury that sidelined her for over a month, which ended her year early. This past season, Kranzler led Old Tappan to an undefeated 25-0 campaign, losing just one set all year. She was one of the top three players in the state, finishing with 291 kills, 133 digs, and 31 aces in 51 sets. She and Old Tappan won the Bergen County Tournament, N1G2 section title, and the Group 2 state championship, which landed her on the All-State First Team.

Gabby Mellett, Point Pleasant Boro – Soccer: Mellett was a coach on the field and the leader of a young defense that had 15 shutouts this season. Point Pleasant Boro won the program’s first-ever Group 2 state championship in the fall. It also made it to the Shore Conference final for the first time since 1990. Mellett booked her team’s ticket to that final with the game-winner in overtime of a 1-0 victory over Howell in the Shore semifinals. Mellett’s defense was special, but her ability to provide offense for the Panthers also stood out. The Rollins commit had three goals in the sectional playoffs, including a score in Central, Group 2 championship game. She also scored in the Group 2 state final.

Sofia Basto-Cabrera, Shawnee – Tennis: Basto-Cabrera took up tennis much later than most stars, but you wouldn’t know that from watching her on the courts. In her freshman season, Basto-Cabrera captured singles titles at the prestigious South Jersey Interscholastic Championships, the Burlington County Open and the Olympic Conference Tournament. The first singles rookie also helped guide Shawnee at the top of the lineup to its first-ever Group 3 state championship. Bastro-Cabrera also reached the semifinals of the state individual tournament.

Marielle Montenegro, Shore – Field Hockey: Shore’s field hockey team faced an uphill battle when All-State midfielder Briella Elias went down for the season with an ACL injury. Montenegro, who had an impressive freshman season, took her game to an elite level as a sophomore. She helped fill the massive hole in the middle of the field and Shore stayed afloat as one of the top teams in Group 1 and New Jersey. Montenegro led Shore with 40 goals and 89 points, an uptick from the 24 she scored as a freshman. Montenegro scored the opening goal in her team’s win in the Group 1 state final against a West Deptford team it had lost to during her freshman season. The sophomore was an All-State honoree after her terrific season.

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