PITMAN, NJ --- The College of New Jersey sophomore Eliza Bruncaj (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) has been selected as the NJAC’s Thomas M. Gerrity Most Outstanding Athlete to highlight the 2023 NJAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference Team. Additionally, Rowan University sophomore Jasmine Broadway (Burlington Twp., NJ/Burlington Twp.) was named Outstanding Track Athlete; Rutgers University-Camden senior Emily Hilt (Mickleton, NJ/Kingsway Regional) was named Outstanding Field Athlete; and Stockton freshman Kayla Kass (Bayonne, NJ/County Prep) was named Rookie of the Year. TCNJ head coach Justin Lindsey was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.

All-Conference honors were determined by finish at the recent NJAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship and major awards were voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.

Bruncaj put together an outstanding championship meet performance, winning three of her four events as she was the high scorer for the meet. She won the 100 meter hurdles, 400 meter hurdles, and long jump, while placing fourth in the high jump. Bruncaj broke the 400 hurdles meet record, clocking a 1:01.23 to lower the old meet record of 1:01.45 set in 2012 by Montclair State’s Heather Gearity. Bruncaj currently owns the fifth-fastest 400 hurdles time in NCAA Division III this season. She set a new personal record in the 100 hurdles, clocking a 14.27 in the preliminaries. That time ranks in the top 25 in D3. Bruncaj also set a new personal record in the long jump with a winning leap of 5.37 meters, a mark that ranks third in the Metro Region.

Broadway won the 200 meter dash and was part of Rowan’s winning 4x400 meter relay and runner-up 4x100 meter relay, all three events with times among the nation’s top 10. She set a new meet record in the 200 meter preliminary, clocking a PR of 24.33 seconds to break the old record of 24.36 seconds set by Rowan’s Shailah Williams in 2015. That time also ranks as the sixth-fastest in D3 this year. Broadway was part of the 4x400 quartet that won with a time of 3:50.31, which is the ninth-fastest in D3. She was also part of the runner-up 4x100 relay that clocked a 46.76, as both TCNJ and Rowan finished under the old meet record of 46.94 set in 2016. The Rowan 4x100 now owns the seventh-fastest time in the nation. Broadway also set a new PR in the 100 meter preliminaries (12.21) and finished sixth in that event.

Hilt found the podium three times, with a win in the hammer throw and third place finishes in the shot put and discus throw. She blasted the hammer throw meet record, throwing 54.19 meters to better her own championship record of 51.02 meters set at last year’s conference meet. Hilt currently owns the No. 11 hammer throw mark in D3 this year. She also threw a season-best shot put throw of 12.03 meters, which ranks fifth in the Metro Region, along with a season-best 35.92 meters in the discus throw.

Kass captured an individual win in her first career NJAC outdoor championship meet, winning the 800 meter run. She clocked a 2:13.34, which is less than one second off of the championship meet record. She currently owns the No. 11 time in Division III this year. Kass also ran a leg of Stockton’s 4x400 meter relay that finished third. The Ospreys combined for a 3:58.25 which ranks fourth in the Metro Region.

Lindsey is named NJAC Coach of the Year for the 23rd time overall in his 10 years as head coach, including men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. Lindsey coached the Lion women to their third consecutive outdoor title behind seven event wins, eight second place finishes, and five third-place finishes. His squad also posted two meet records, including Bruncaj’s 400 meter hurdles record and the record set by the 4x100 relay team of Ashlyn MacLure, Maria Grill, Victoria Purritano, and Valandra Riggins.