VOTE!: Who is your choice for Central Jersey Girls Athlete of the Year for 2023-24?

It was an exciting season of high school sports in Central Jersey from August through June and everything in between.

Of all the top performances on the playing fields, wrestling mats and track and field events, though, who was the best overall female athlete in 2023-24?

While that’s certainly debatable with no clear-cut answer, fans can voice their pick among 23 candidates in our MyCentralJersey.com Readers’ Choice Girls Athlete of the Year poll.

More: VOTE!: Who is your choice for Central Jersey Boys Athlete of the Year for 2023-24?

More: VOTE NOW!: Who is your choice for Central Jersey Team of the Year for 2023-24?

The area consists of Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and area Union counties.

Please note that the votes don't always show up immediately. There are lags for the votes to register and a winner isn't declared until hours after the poll closes.

THE POLL CLOSES SUNDAY, JULY 14 AT MIDNIGHT

IF POLL DOESN’T SHOW BELOW, PLEASE REFRESH THIS PAGE

Liz Adebola, Perth Amboy, senior, wrestling: Adebola entered the postseason with confidence and it resulted in winning the 152-pound state championship. The No. 4 seed upset the top two seeds to claim the gold medal and finish 27-4. She also repeated as a region champion.

Eva Altamirano, South Plainfield, junior, wrestling: Altamirano had a stunning run en route to winning the 126-pound state title. She avenged an earlier defeat to capture a North 2 Region championship and then topped the podium in Atlantic City as the No. 4 seed. The Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament champion finished 14-1.

Mikayla Blakes, Rutgers Prep, senior, basketball: The Vanderbilt-bound superstar and two-time Courier News Player of the Year led the Argonauts to their third straight Non-Public B final, fourth straight Somerset County Tournament championship and ninth straight divisional crown. Blakes averaged 20.5 points per game to go with 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.7 steals per contest, finishing with 1,882 career points.

Riley Bobrowski, Watchung Hills, sophomore, softball: The pitcher helped the Warriors to the state Group 4 championship, going 17-1, posting a 0.95 ERA, allowing just 59 hits and 42 walks, striking out 211 in 118 ⅓ innings. She also batted .359 as the leadoff hitter, including 10 doubles, two triples, a homer, 14 walks and 14 RBIs.

Caitlin Cabrales, Westfield, senior, volleyball: The two-time All-State standout helped the Blue Devils to the Union County and North 2 Group 4 championships, notching 217 digs, 136 kills and 36 aces. The Jacksonville-bound senior capped her varsity career with 457 digs, 339 kills and 92 aces.

Molly Claus, North Hunterdon, senior, field hockey: A two-time state-championship winner, Claus was key for this year’s Lions club that came up a goal short of a three-peat. The Central Michigan-bound senior helped hold teams to just over a goal per game. She matched a career-high with five goals, one of which came in the state final.

Iyanna Cotten, Franklin, senior, flag football: Cotten led the way in the Warriors’ inaugural flag season, helping them to the Big Central Conference Tournament title. Cotton caught 25 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns, adding 213 rushing yards and a pair of scores. She also recorded 37 tackles and grabbed 11 interceptions, one of which she returned for a score.

Taylor Cox, Union Catholic, junior, track and field: Cox’s stellar year included repeating as the 55-meter hurdles gold medalist in the indoor Meet of Champions in 7.73 to break Sydney McLaughlin’s MOC record. Cox then won the 60 hurdles at the New Balance Indoor Nationals (8.11). During the spring, she won the 100 hurdles at the New Balance Nationals (13.38).

Taylor Derkack, Colonia, senior, basketball: The two-time Home News Tribune Player of the Year, she averaged a double-double for her career with 2,062 points and 1,247 rebounds. The UMass-bound Derkack averaged nearly five steals, three assists and three blocked shots per game.

Charlotte Diemar, Pingry, senior, ice hockey : Diemar had a huge hand in the Big Blue winning the first state championship in program history, notching nine goals and an assist in four playoff games, including both tallies in the final against Immaculate Heart. She finished with 26 goals and 8 assists for the season and 80 goals and 26 assists for her Pingry career.

Saniyah Evans, Rahway, senior, track and field: Evans repeated as the MOC long jump champion in the spring with a 19-02.50, which topped her 2023 winning leap of 18.09.25. The Hampton-bound Evans also placed fourth in the 100 hurdles at MOC and broke a 40-year-old school record in the event. She was second in the 55 hurdles and third in the long jump at the indoor MOC.

Hailey Eyer, Hunterdon Central, junior, fencing: Eyer finished 26-1 during the regular season and competed for a state foil title for the second straight season, finishing second during the individual tournament, following a fence off.

Rayee Feng, Pingry, sophomore, golf : Feng took second place in the State Championships, shooting a 70, two strokes behind the winner. She also placed third in the Central Jersey sectional tournament with a 70, one stroke behind the champ.

Addison Halpern, Rutgers Prep, junior, soccer: The Virginia commit and state girls soccer Player of the Year tallied 40 goals and seven assists for the state Non-Public B champs, reaching the 100-goal mark just one game into her junior season. She also notched the game-winner in the Somerset County final, as the Argonauts won their first-ever crown.

Emili Horike, Edison, junior, gymnastics: The runner-up in the All-Around at the GMC Championships, the junior surged at the state championships, notching a 9.6 to win the balance beam and finishing sixth in the all-around with a 37.425.

Annabelle Mahoney, Pingry, senior, lacrosse: The Northwestern commit scored 81 goals and added 29 assists to lead Pingry’s prolific offense. Mahoney, who had 45 draw controls, helped the Big Blue capture their second straight Somerset County Tournament title and reach the Non-Public A final.

Jamaya Mayers, Sayreville, senior, bowling: Mayers bowled her best in the biggest moments and captured the GMC Individual Tournament title with a 278-217 win in the final. The Morgan State commit finished 10th in the state individual tournament and held a 184.21 pins per game average during the winter.

Anna Moesch, Watchung Hills, senior, swimming: The Virginia-bound Moesch had a blazing-fast senior season that included winning and setting meet records at the MOC in the 50 freestyle (21.95) and the 100 free (47.80). She went 22-0 in individual dual meet races this winter and 55-0 in her career.

Jenna Narleski, Ridge, junior, field hockey : The University of North Carolina-bound junior finished with 24 goals and 24 assists for the Somerset County champs, including three goals in the North Group 4 sectional final.

Lindsay Oller, South Plainfield, senior, softball: Oller led the Tigers to the GMCT title, slugging eight home runs, including two in the county championship game, and drove in 25 runs despite leading off, hitting .417 and slugging .845. Bound for Caldwell College, she amassed a school-record 32 home runs, 151 hits and 132 RBIs in her career.

Anika Paul, Pingry, junior, tennis: Paul went 21-1 en route to capturing her third straight SCT first singles title, a 12-0 record in team matches and a trip to the NJSIAA state singles tournament semifinals. She is 39-3 in her career in team matches and was selected as an All-American by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation.

Paige Sheppard, Union Catholic, freshman, cross country/track and field: The rookie emerged as the storied program’s next star and won the Nike Cross Northeast Regional championships (18:12.29). Sheppard, the MOC runner-up (17:54), was selected as the Gatorade NJ Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. She won the indoor MOC 1600 championship (4:48.13). In the spring, she took the Non-Public A 1600 in 4:43.38, the top time in the state and the freshman NJ record.

Emily Thompson, Ridge, senior, swimming: Thompson capped her storied career by setting two meet records at the MOC in winning the 100 breast (1:00.93) and the 100 fly (52.33). The Stanford commit went 45-0 in dual meet individual races in her career and helped Ridge capture the Non-Public A state title this winter.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: VOTE!: Who is your choice for Central Jersey Girls Athlete of the Year for 2023-24?