1995 Girls Track Team
The 1995 Girls Track Team was the most dominant track team in Glen Rock history, and arguably the most dominant Glen Rock team in any sport. During a two year period, 1994-95, the team was undefeated in meets in New Jersey. Incredibly they accomplished this while often practicing before school at Ridgewood, or late after school at Fair Lawn, because in 1995 there was no all-weather track. Eleven members of the team went on to compete in college in either track or soccer.
Before 1993, Glen Rock had never won a major championship in girls track & field. At
the start of that season, The Record projected that Glen Rock would have a rebuilding
year, noting that it had a very young team (with 30 of its 36 members being freshman
and sophomores) and a new coach. However, benefiting from an extremely talented
group of athletes capable of competing for points in every event and led by future Hall of
Fame Head Coach D.J. Nimphius, the Panthers won the Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County
Relays Team Championship, then won the Group 2, Bergen County Team Championship and then won the Group 2, Sectional Championship (before ultimately finishing fourth at the Group 2, State Championship meet).
In 1994, despite The Record again expressing doubts (“will have a difficult time trying to
duplicate last season’s Sectional championship”), the still young team even bettered the
results of the prior year. After dominant championship performances at the Groups 1 &
2, Bergen County Relays Championship and then at the Group 2, Bergen County
Championship, they combined first place finishes and depth to win a second consecutive Group 2, Sectional Championship with what is still the record number of points scored in that meet: 136. On the following weekend, they won the school’s first Group, State Championship in track & field. At that meet, thanks to another full team effort, Glen Rock was tied with Moorestown going into the final event, the 1,600 relay. The relay team of Sabrina Luciano, Kate Hanley, Michelle Stein and then Michele Satine delivered a second place finish that gave Glen Rock a 63-56 victory.
So, the members of the 1995 team began that season with great expectations – and
they more than delivered.
At the Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County Relays, they won their third consecutive title, with a
towering score of 114 points — and with the nearest competitor at 63 points. This was
the highest total points in that meet’s history – until Glen Rock’s 1999 team scored 130
points — and that 114 points is still the second highest in that meet’s history. Displaying
their strength and depth, the Panthers won and broke prior records in the 4×100, the
4×200, the 4×100 shuttle hurdles and the 3×400 intermediate hurdles (with Kristin Ferry,
Kate Hanley and Ashley Marquard delivering time of 3:26.0 that was then the fourth
fastest time in Bergen County history) and also won the 4×400, the sprint medley, the high jump (tied), the triple jump and the long jump. They finished second or third in
nearly every other event.
At the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, they delivered an enormously dominant
performance, earning a total of 241 points – more than all of the other teams combined.
This is still the record for that meet – in fact, the only other team that has ever exceeded
200 points is Glen Rock’s 1997 team. Glen Rock won 12 of the 15 events and won
points in each of the other 3 events – and even won multiple points in 6 of the events.
Michelle Stein won both sprints, Michele Satine won the 400, Kate Hanley won the 800,
Lesley Hodgson won the 100 high hurdles, Kate won the 400 intermediate hurdles, Kim
Ferranti won the discus, Quinn Brady won the javelin, Lesley Hodgson won the high
jump, Michelle Stein won the long jump, Ashley Marquard won the triple jump and
Ashley, Kate, Michelle and Michele won the 4×400 relay.
At the Group 1, Sectional Championship, Glen Rock delivered an almost equally
dominant performance against an even larger group of competitors, earning a total of
187 points. Again, this was the highest total points scored in that meet’s history – until
Glen Rock’s 1997 team scored 204 points — and is still the second highest total points
in that meet’s history. Glen Rock won 10 of the 14 events and placed second in 2 of the
other events — and again won multiple points in 6 of the events.
At the subsequent Bergen County Meet of Champions, Kim finished first in the discus
with a throw of 119-8 that was one of the longest marks in Bergen County history and
was the school record until Karina Roze broke it in 2019. In addition, the team of
Ashley, Kate, Michelle and Michele finished first in the 4×400 relay with a time of
3:57.22 that was then the sixth fastest time in Bergen County history and is still the
school record (and still one of the fastest times in Bergen County history). At that meet,
Lesley won the high jump and several other athletes won medals.
It was then on to the Group 1, State Championship where the girls decisively earned a
second consecutive Group State Championship, scoring (often multiple) points in 12 of
the 14 events with victories in 4 of them for a total of 75 points – nearly double the total
of its nearest competitor (Burlington Township with 39).
100 meters: #4 Michelle Stein
200 meters: #3 Michelle Stein; #6 Michele Satine
400 meters: #4 Michele Satine
800 meters: #2 Kate Hanley; #5 Erin Lautermilch
1600 meters: #4 Erin Lautermilch
3200 meters: #5 Jenny Nickles
100 HH: #1 Lesley Hodgson; #6 Sabrina Luciano
400 IH: #1 Kate Hanley
Discus: #1 Kim Ferranti
High Jump: #6 Lesley Hodgson
Long Jump: #5 Melissa Bochiaro
4×400 relay: #1 Ashley Marquard > Kate Hanley > Michelle Stein > Michele Satine
After the State Tournament, Melissa Bochiaro, Kate Hanley, Michelle Stein and Michele
Satine competed in the sprint medley relay at the season ending Eastern States
Invitational. Their time of 4:08.9 was then the fastest time in Bergen County history (by
nearly two seconds faster than Ridgewood’s long standing record time) and is still the
twelfth fastest time in Bergen County history (and the school record).
I have not included the following. Michelle Stein set the school record in the 200 in 1994
but it was broken by Melissa Bochiaro in 1996; Melissa still holds that record. Michele
Satine set the school record in the 400 in 1995 but it was broken by Kim Mineo in 2002;
Kim still holds the record. Lesley Hodgson set the school record in the 100 hurdles in
1994 but it was broken by Kate Hanley in 1997; Sarah Hutchins set the current record in 2019.
After the 1995 track & field season, The Record wrote that Glen Rock High School’s
1995 track & field team was ”the greatest small-school team in Bergen County history
and perhaps the greatest small school girls team in New Jersey history” and selected
Head Coach D.J. Nimphius as Coach of the Year (for the third consecutive season).
In June 1995, Kim Ferranti, Lesley Hodgson, Sabrina Luciano, Ashley Marquard,
Michele Satine and Michelle Stein (with Sabrina receiving the esteemed Senior Athlete
of the Year Award) graduated. Nonetheless, the 1996 team won the Groups 1 & 2,
Bergen County Relays Championship and the Group 2, Bergen County Championship
before finishing second at the Group 2, Sectional Championship meet. In the following
year, the 1997 team won both Bergen County meets, won the Group 1, Sectional
Championship with a still record total of 204 points and then won the Group 1, State
Championship. In subsequent years, the young girls who watched those achievements
would produce their own string of enormous track & field success, winning the Group 1,
Sectional Championship and then the Group 1, State Championship in four consecutive
years, from 2000 through 2003, giving Head Coach D.J. Nimphus seven Group State
Championships in his twelve years as the team’s Head Coach.
Team accomplishments:
- Had six girls earn 1stTeam All-County honors.
- Was undefeated in dual meets, going 12-0.
- Finished 1st at the BPSL League Meet.
- Finished 1st at the Bergen County Relays, winning 9 of 15 events.
- 1st at the County Group Meet; 1st at the State Sectional, winning 9 of 14 events, outscoring the combined scores of the 2nd-6th place teams.
- Finished 1st at the State Group Meet, winning 4 of 14 events.
- Chosen the Bergen County Girls Track Team of the year.
Head Coach – DJ Nimphius
Assistant Coaches – Al Deaett, Paul white, Carl Johnson, Brian Young
| Freshmen: | Sophomores: | Juniors: |
| Annie Yang | Katie Van Langen | Jenny Nickles |
| Yen Liang | Asheley Koster | Yolanda Sheppard |
| Erin Lautermilch | Devinn Kraut | Danielle Enmco |
| Erin Spiller | Katie Hanley | Rebecca Schwartz |
| Quinn Brady | Kara Grady | Seniors: |
| Meredith Volpe | Kristen Ferry | Kim Ferranti |
| Deborah Weinstein | Lindsay Fanning | Lesley Hodgson |
| Katerina Galeos | Melissa Bocluaro | Michelle Stein |
| Andrea Sellitti | Sabrina Luciano | |
| Allison Noah | Michele Satine | |
| Angela Peluse | Ashley Marquard | |
| Laura Pistone | Michal Dagan | |
| Eileen Chazan | Janette Mutilva |