Who were the top female athletes in South Jersey sports for 2022-23 season?

Before we close the book on the 2022-23 high school sports season, we take a look at some of the elite athletes who made the last nine months so special.

Criteria for these rankings was based on success in their respective sports as well as the ability to perform at a high level over several different sports.

Here are our rankings of the top female athletes from the past scholastic season:

15. Annabelle Carter, GCIT, Fr. – Carter rolled a perfect game 300 on her way to the state bowling title. Competing against 100 of the top bowlers in New Jersey, Carter captured the school’s first-ever individual state title. The Williamstown native became the third girl in state history to roll a 300 at the championship tournament. She led the state in average series (657), which included a 653 at the sectional tournament, and average game (217).

14. Macie Jacquet, St. Joseph, Sr. – Jacquet capped her scholastic career with a state title as the backstop for the Non-Public B champion softball team. She batted .398 with a career-high 33 hits, her third straight season with 30-plus knocks, and provided stellar defense along with leadership for a young Wildcat squad. After playing soccer in her first two years, Jacquet switched over to field hockey where she produced two 20-plus-goal campaigns. She knocked in 20 goals and 18 assists this past season. She will be attending Towson in the fall.

13. Olivia McMaster, Williamstown, Sr. – One of the elite midfielders in two sports, McMaster was a solid two-way player in soccer and lacrosse. She produced 10 goals and six assists for the Braves during the fall with the team going 10-1 when she tallied a point. McMaster was named a First Team All-South Jersey selection at midfield by the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association. In lacrosse, she netted a career-high 58 goals, raising her final scholastic total to 112. McMaster will attend Manhattan in the fall.

12. Maddie Waggoner, Moorestown Sr. – The Wisconsin-bound Waggoner successfully defended her Meet of Champions title in the 500 free and placed second in the 200 individual medley, completing one of the best careers in the storied history of the Moorestown program. She holds six Moorestown school records, including the 500 free, which was previously held by her older sister Allie.

11. Ari Tyson, Cherry Hill West, Soph. Tyson reached the top step of the podium last winter becoming the 165-pound state champion in wrestling. She went 19-1, winning her final 16 bouts, including the title-clinching match against Rancocas Valley’s Savanna Marlin and becoming the sixth wrestler from South Jersey to earn a state crown. Her performance earned her the Courier-Post's South Jersey Wrestler of the Year. Tyson won titles at the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame Tournament and South Region. Of her 19 wins, Tyson pinned 15 of her opponents. She also competed in volleyball and track/field (shot put). She placed seventh in Camden County with a 29-11.5 in the shot put.

10. Lilah Gordon, Northern Burlington, So. – After a standout freshman season, Gordon took the next steps in her stellar running career. A runner-up in 2021, Gordon won the state Group 3 cross country title in 18:57. The following week she placed seventh at the Meet of Championship, the highest of any South Jersey finisher. In the winter, she was named to the South Jersey Track Coaches Association’s All-South Jersey team for the 3,200. This spring, she won a Group 3 state title in the 3,200, clocking a 10:41, and placed fifth at the Meet of Champions for the event.

9. Riley Ahrens, Delran, Sr. – The Kean-bound Ahrens was a difference maker on the basketball court, softball diamond and beyond. Ahrens was a Second Team All-South Jersey selection in girls' basketball for the Courier-Post. She finished her career with 1,260 points. In softball, Ahrens collected 37 hits and 22 RBIs for the Bears, who went 22-5 en route to the Central Jersey Group 2 crown and Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division title. She finished her career with a .403 batting average and 62 hits. Ahrens was also selected as one of the 10 finalists for the Naismith Courage Award. Ahrens has accomplished some of her most important work off the court as she’s an advocate for teenage mental health awareness.

8. Emma Peretti, Hammonton Sr. – The Yale-bound Peretti was one of the top three-sport stars in South Jersey, shining in soccer, basketball and track/field. On the pitch, Peretti was a standout keeper, racking up three straight seasons of 100-plus saves. On the court, Peretti finished her career with 1,473 points and 1,095 rebounds. She was named to the All-Group 3 team by the Girls Basketball Club of South Jersey. And in the field, Peretti was a Group 3 state champion in the shot put (39-0) and took seventh in the state in the discus (117-7). She also won a sectional title in the shot and placed second in the discus. Peretti earned the Nichterlein-McCabe Old Grad Award for Best Athlete in Atlantic County.

7. Brooke Sztenderowicz, Cinnaminson, Sr. – Sztenderowicz was a three-sport standout for the Pirates, competing in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. The Kean-bound senior was a 1,000-point scorer in basketball, delivering a career-best 441 this winter helping lead Cinnaminson to a 28-5 record, a Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division title and a berth in the South Jersey Group 2 championship. She was a First Team All-South Jersey selection for the Courier-Post and named to the All-Group 2 team by the Girls Basketball Club of South Jersey.  In lacrosse, Sztenderowicz was a goalie with over 300 saves on her resume. The senior stopped 134 shots this spring, helping guide the Pirates to the program’s first division title in over three decades.

6. Sianni Wynn, Pennsauken, Fr. – Wynn established herself as one of the top sprinters in the Garden State with a pair of state titles in the 100 and 400 along with a Meet of Champions title in the 400 (54.56). Wynn ran three personal-record times at the state Group 4 meet, winning the 100 in 11.82 and the 400 in 53.97 along with a second-place finish in the 200 (24.38). She also anchored the 4x400 relay to a fourth-place finish (3:54.94) at the Meet of Champions. During indoor season, Wynn was named the South Jersey Track Coaches Association’s Performer of the Year.

5. Leah Howard, Millville, Sr. – One of the top javelin throwers in the nation, the Texas Tech-bound Howard won the Meet of Champions title with a throw of 159-feet, 4-inches. It marked the second-best throw in MOC history, just behind Oakcrest’s Brielle Smith (163-8 in 2018). Howard uncorked a throw of 163-1 to win the title at the Woodbury Relays, marking the second-best throw in state history behind Smith (168-6 in 2019) and was the fifth-best throw in the country this season, according to MileSplit. She won her third straight sectional and second consecutive state title, setting a Group 4 meet record (151-10), and finished third at the Penn Relays.

4. Naylah Jones, Timber Creek, Jr. – Jones became the fastest female in New Jersey high school track, blazing the field in the 100-meter dash to win the Meet of Champions in a personal-record time of 11.73. Jones also ran a leg on the MOC-winning relays in the 4x100 (46.89) and 4x400 (3:46.38). Jones earned Group 3 state titles in the 100 (11.75), 200 (24.22) and two winning relays in the 4x100 (47.70) and 4x400 (3:56.16). Jones’ 100 time of 11.73 is tied for eighth fastest in South Jersey history. She was named the South Jersey Track Coaches Association’s Performer of the Year for the outdoor season.

3. Sophia Bordi, Haddon Heights, So. – There might not be a better big-game pitcher in South Jersey softball history. After tossing a 20-strikeout, no-hitter in last year’s state final, the sophomore recorded a perfect game as Haddon Heights successfully defended its state Group 2 title with a 3-0 win over Jefferson. It was her fourth perfecto of the postseason. Bordi gave opposing hitters nightmares, going 15-3 with double-digit strikeouts in all 18 starts. She racked up 274 K's on the season en route to her second consecutive South Jersey Pitcher of the Year award and earned the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year honor. She was also ranked as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 by Legacy & Legends Softball.

2. Hannah Hidalgo, Paul VI, Sr. – One of the best basketball players in South Jersey history, Hidalgo reached incredible heights this winter. She was awarded the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and was one of the three finalists for the national award. The Notre Dame-bound Hidalgo participated in the prestigious McDonald’s All American Game where she scored 26 points en route to co-Most Valuable Player honors. A three-time South Jersey Player of the Year, Hidalgo finished her career with a school-record 2,135 points.

1. Olivia Bent-Cole, Camden Catholic, Sr. – Bent-Cole was named the top field hockey player in the nation by MAX Field Hockey, putting the finishing touch on an incredible scholastic career. Bent-Cole delivered 38 goals and 16 assists, powering the Irish to the program’s first state title since 1985. The Northwestern-bound Bent-Cole also earned a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team. For her scholastic career, Bent-Cole finished with over 300 points, including 128 goals and 48 assists.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey's top female athletes for 2022-23 season