Another winter season is down in the books for the NVD track team and some may argue it’s their best one yet. On February 8, the boys track team won their fourth consecutive State Sectional indoor championship and the girls team won for the first time since 2020, shaping NVD Track and Field history.
Last year the boys team had a perfect season. Indoors they won the league, county relay, state sectional, and state Group 2 Championships. Outdoors they continued that success with a second straight undefeated season. They went undefeated in the league competition, winning the league, county relay, county, state sectional, and Group 2 State Championships.
The girls team had a very strong showing as well. Indoors they won the league championships, and outdoors they went undefeated in the league competition, and won the league, county relay, and state sectional championships.
Stakes were high for NVD going into the 2025 indoor season. The team however had many strong, returning athletes. On the boys side, senior Liam Paneque is the defending state champion in the long jump and one of the top athletes in the state for triple jump, high jump, and 55m hurdles. Senior Adam Kaufman is one of the top 400m runners in NJ, and senior Luke Davis is the anchor leg on the 4x800m team that won the state championship last spring and is continuing to improve.
The girls team also has a huge depth of athletes. Senior Gaby Rothstein is the team’s top sprinter, winning the 200, 400, and 4×400 at the league championships. Senior Olivia Rothstein is currently the number four triple jumper and number six long jumper in Bergen County. Junior Erika Gargano is one of the top hurdlers and 400m runners in all of Bergen County, the number three long jumper, number four high jumper, and number six high jumper in Bergen County. Sophee Estrems as just a sophomore has the sixth best 800 time, eighth best 1600m time, and ninth best 3200m time in the whole county. She is one of the most relied on sophomores in the state.
However, the team felt confident going into this season not just because of their top ranked athletes, but because of the range and depth of athletes they have as well.
According to the head girls coach, Michael Ippolito, the biggest strengths of both teams is their depth. “We are strong in every single event. This allows us to have an opportunity to win every meet that we go to by scoring big points in all disciplines. While we do have very strong #1 athletes, we have even more impressive #2-4 athletes in every event that keep adding to the point total which allows our top athletes to not get overused,” Ippolito said.
Not only does the team have a wide variety of skilled and versatile athletes, but the NVD Track & Field coaching staff is one of the strongest coaching staffs in the state. The staff consists of three different coaches who have been honored as Bergen County Coach of the Year, seven former NCAA track and field athletes, two NJ state champions, two ACC champions, and hundreds of combined seasons coached.
Assistant girls track team coach Brendan Kenny explains how he thinks the program’s strengths lie in the “coaching philosophy of coaching every kid the same and holding our athletes to a high standard,” Kenny said. “We design workouts that challenge our team and communicate our expectations and goals. We have such great communication as a staff that our program is able to flourish.”
This season, the team’s coaching and training has paid off as they opened up the 2025 indoor championship season with wins at the Big North League Championships.
At the Bergen County Relay Championships, the boys team won the large school division by a score of 85-59 over second place Hackensack. The girls team also had a big night, finishing second behind Ridgewood in a nail biter meet 77-71.
“Both teams showed off our depth, scoring in 11 of the 12 events on both sides of the meet,” Ippolito said.
The team culture has also been a key factor to their mentality and as to why they’ve had success for so long. According to Ippolito, everyone comes to practice with a positive attitude, is a good teammate, and works hard every single day.
“Having over 100 athletes buy into that philosophy makes for a really strong team where everyone is supported while working to achieve our goals,” Ippolito said.
The NVD boys and girls team is not just about the championship meets and their accomplishments. It is an enjoyable environment where the athletes support each other and have fun. They look forward to practices knowing it’s going to be hard, which is rare in such a challenging sport.
“We want our kids to have fun, be involved, and be the best versions of themselves,” Kenny said.
The boys and girls team have continued on a high note, winning the state sectional championship on both sides. It was a huge accomplishment for the girls, as they had not won this title since 2020, and for the boys, with it being their fourth consecutive state sectional win.
People are excited to see what the NVD Track and Field team will achieve next, and what they have in store for the coming outdoor season.
Also pending publication by the Neighbors Magazine of Closter, Demarest & Haworth April 2025.
