Here is the Rockford Register Star's Girls Athlete of the Year

The 2023-2024 school year was a big year for girls athletes in the Rockford area, in a lot of sports.

Female stars from this region rose to the top in the pool, on the hardwood, on the mat, on the pitch and on the diamond. But only one can take home the title of Rockford Register Star Girls Athlete of the Year, and that's Guilford's versatile youngster Zariah Burnett.

More on the stars: State highlights: track titles for Guilford's Zariah Burnett and West Carroll's Emma Randecker

She edged out Hononegah's Jordan Dimke for the IHSA Class 3A state high jump title, and the two of them battled all season long as sophomores. They were both standouts on the basketball court, which helped make them both finalists for this award. And Belvidere North soccer standout Cortlyn Hefty was in the running after she led the entire state of Illinois with 70 goals and was sixth in the nation in goals scored this spring.

But in the end, Burnett's impressive state title in the high jump, and her prowess in one of the up-and-coming sports, girls flag football, helped push her over the top. Burnett, like Dimke, will be a junior this upcoming school year.

"I feel like I have a lot more to give," Burnett said after winning the high jump championship. "And there are a lot of good athletes around here right now."

She will soon get her chance to play girls flag football during the first season it's an IHSA-sanctioned sport. And after a strong season as a 5-foot-9 shooting guard for Guilford's hoops team, she returns as one of the core players.

And she intends on working on her high jump, as well as her other track and field events, and she should only get better there as well. Burnett cleared 5-foot-7 3/4 to win state in the high jump and she also tied for 13th in the long jump at 17-8 1/4.

Other local standout girls athletes who were in the running this year include:

• Emma Pierson, Belvidere North's soon-to-be senior, was last year's Girls Athlete of the Year, and she had another good year this year. She led Belvidere to its first regional golf title last fall, broke Amanda Levens' single-season scoring record on the basketball court and then capped her year off with an all-conference performance in track.
• Jordan Dimke is a star for Hononegah every season, and she will be one to watch for the next two years, for sure. She is a star in the making for Hononegah's girls basketball team as well as on the track and in the field events.
• Cortlyn Hefty, Belvidere North's soccer star who will play at Cleveland State next year, has to be in the discussion after what she did on the pitch this past spring. Leading the entire state, and by 12 goals, is very impressive.

Rockford Register Star sports reporter Matt Trowbridge contributed to this story.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @JayTaft . Sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter at rrstar.com .

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Here is the Rockford Register Star's Girls Athlete of the Year