Layla Giordano of Old Tappan is N.J.’s girls Field Athlete of the Year for 2024

Ryan Patti | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com • Jun 24, 2024

Photo Credits: High School Sports Elite

Layla Giordano:

N.J.’s girls Field Athlete of the Year for 2024

 

Layla Giordano was a sophomore when she made the best decision of her athletic career. The Old Tappan senior played volleyball, basketball and threw shot put as a freshman, but it wasn’t until 2022 when she would pick up a disc for the first time.

2022 track team

 

 

2022 Old Tappan Track Team

 

 

 

By the end of that spring, she was closing in on a throw of 140 feet. By the end of the next spring, she was over 170 feet. And by the end of this spring, she had well established herself as one of the best throwers in state history.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Old Tappan throwing coach Pete Dunn said. “She has won a ton – I’ve lost track of a lot of the records she broke. I’d probably have to sit down for a couple of hours to remember them all.”

Giordano threw a discus PR 172-2 at the North 1, Group 3 meet, which tied Delsea’s Jocelyn White for the second-furthest throw in state history. That’s not the only piece of history she shares with White. The Princeton commit won gold at the Penn Relays with a 167-10 – the first title N.J. has seen at the meet since White was the first one to win in 2004.

The rest of Giordano’s spring in the discus included a title defense at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions (171-7) and wins at the Bergen County Relays (157-0), Big North Championships (154-10), county championships (164-4), county M of Cs (167-4), and groups (149-0). She was also second at New Balance Nationals (158-6), where she won last spring with a 170-4.

 

The Penn Relays title was a big deal for Giordano as she found herself slightly overwhelmed at the Irving “Moon” Mondschein Throwing Complex as a junior and threw a 145-4 to place sixth. She wanted redemption this past April and got it.

“It’s something I set my mind on,” Giordano said. “It was crazy when I was there the first time. I had never been to a meet of that size. It was something I wanted to win and I focused on it all offseason and throughout the start of this season. I made it happen and it’s something I’m really proud of.”

 

 

 

 

Penn Relay Photo Shoot 2023 – 6th Place medal

Giordano made huge strides in the shot put as well. She launched a PR 50-0 at the county M of Cs, which is a new county record to pair with her discus PR. She threw better than 45 feet at all but one meet and gold medaled in every appearance besides her second-place effort at the M of Cs (46-4 ¾) and sixth-place showing at nationals (46-8). “It was unexpected,” Giordano said of her 50-foot throw. “It’s warming up for what I’m planning to do the next four years [at Princeton]. I only did it once, but I know it’s possible now and I’m going to do it a lot. I became an overall thrower this year, and that’s something you couldn’t say last year.

“That was probably the most impressive thing about her year,” Dunn added of her shot put PR. “Her first throw at that meet was a 47 and she didn’t look that good doing it. She asked me what the county record was right after the throw [48-10 ½] and I told her, ‘Forget 48, you’re going to throw 49 minimum.’ She put it all together on her last throw and did all of the things she needed to do. It was awesome to watch.”
The big goal Giordano had coming into the season was to break the state record, which is a 182-0 set by Donovan Catholic’s Alyssa Wilson in 2017. Giordano came within 10 feet of the record and it’s one she wanted to stamp her name on, but it’s not something she’s going to let bother her and she’s not leaving the high school circle with any “could’ves” or “should’ves”.

 

Giordano has made a monumental mark on N.J. track and field, and she’s positioned to further it in college. “I had a lot of expectations coming into the season, but as time went on, I tried to saver the time I had left,” Giordano said. “Even though in the eyes of some people I fell a little short, I’m satisfied with what I did. I made a lot of improvements and I’m happy with my records and accomplishments. There’s a new generation of throwers and I think something special is coming.

“She’s a super-talented athlete,” Dunn added. “She brought tremendous consistency – it was consistent excellence. It was an awesome ride. She still has her best throws ahead of her. The coaches at Princeton have a good one.”

Source Link: https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2024/06/layla-giordano-of-old-tappan-is-njs-girls-field-athlete-of-the-year-for-2024.html

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