Kate Hanley (’97)
Kate Hanley was an outstanding multi-sport athlete (soccer, basketball and track & field) and one of the most honored track & field athletes in Glen Rock High School history, including being awarded Honorable Mention by The Record for its All-Century Team.
Kate Hanley was an outstanding four year starting midfielder on Glen Rock High School’s soccer teams. As a freshman, Kate was named to the Second Team, All-B-PSL King (and received Honorable Mention, All-County by The Record) and, as a sophomore, she was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King and to the Third Team, All-County. Both of those teams won B-PSL King titles.
In Kate’s junior year, she helped lead the 1995 soccer team to a B-PSL King Championship and to a Group 2, State Co-Championship (after a 1-1 tie with Moorestown after two overtime periods). The team’s final record was 20-2-2 (with one of those losses in the Championship Game of the All Groups, Bergen County Championship). At the end of the season, Kate was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King and to the Second Team, All-County.
In Kate’s senior year, she helped lead the 1996 team to a B-PSL King Championship and to a Group 1, State Co-Championship (after a 1-1 tie with Pingry on a notably cold and windy day). The team’s final record was 22-1-1 (with its only loss in the Championship Game of the All Groups, Bergen County Championship Tournament). At the end of the season, Kate was named to the First Team, All-B-PSL King and to the Second Team, All-County.
Kate also helped lead the school’s basketball team to several successful seasons. With her 5’10” frame and outstanding athleticism, she was a leading scorer and a strong rebounder, both offensively and defensively. She started as a freshman and sophomore – before running winter track as a junior – and then returned to a starting position as a senior. As a sophomore, she was named to the Second Team, All-Suburban and received Honorable Mention, All-County. As a senior, she was the leading scorer on a team that reached the Group 1, Sectional Semifinals and had a final record of 16-6. At the end of the season, she was named to the First Team, All-Suburban and again received Honorable Mention, All-County.
Kate was one of the most outstanding and most honored track & field athletes in Glen Rock High School history.
As a freshman, Kate helped the 1994 Track & Field Team achieve the school’s first sweep of all four of its major championships with the team having repeat victories at the Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County Relays Championship, the Group 2, Bergen County Championship and the Group 2, Sectional Championship — and then winning the school’s first Group, State Championship at the Group 2, State Championship. At these meets, Kate was the team’s top runner in the 800 meters, finishing second in the Bergen County meet, first in the Sectional meet and then third in the State meet, as well as being a member of the 4×400 relay team that finished first at the County and Sectional meets and then finished second at the State meet to win the championship. Glen Rock’s total of 175 points at the Group 2, Bergen County Championship is still the record number of points scored in that meet and its total of 136 points at the Group 2, Sectional Championship is also still the record numberof points scored in that meet. Glen Rock won the State Championship by a 63-56 margin.
In her sophomore year, Kate helped the Hall of Fame 1995 Team have “one of the greatest seasons of any team in New Jersey history” (The Record). That team repeated the 1994 team’s sweep of championships with even greater domination. At the Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County Relays, Kate was a member of four winning teams — the 4×400, the sprint medley, the 3×400 intermediate hurdles and the high jump (tie) – and Glen Rock won its third consecutive title, with a towering score of 114 points that is still the second highest total in that meet’s history.
At the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, Kate finished first in the 400 meters intermediate hurdles and in the 800 meters and was a member of the champion 4×400 relay team, helping the Panthers earn a total of 241 points – more than all of the other teams combined and still the record for that meet. At the Group 1, Sectional Championship, she finished first in the 400 hurdles, second in the 800 meters and was a member of the winning 4×400 relay team, and Glen Rock delivered an almost equally dominant performance against an even larger group of competitors, earning a total of 187 points that is still the second highest total points in that meet’s history. At the subsequent Bergen County Meet of Champions, Kate finished second in the 400 hurdles and was a member of the champion 4×400 relay team that delivered a time of 3:57.22 that was the sixth fastest time in Bergen County history and is still one of the fastest times in Bergen County history –and is still the school record. Finally, at the Group 1, State Championship, Kate finished first in the 400 hurdles and second in the 800 meters and was a member of the championship 4×400 relay team, helping Glen Rock win its second consecutive Group State Championship with a massive 75 points – nearly double of its nearest competitor, Burlington Township with 39.
After the State Tournament, Kate (with Hall of Fame Inductee Melissa Bochiaro, Michelle and Michele) 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. It is still the school record.
Despite the graduation of so many great athletes from the 1995 team, Kate and Melissa led the 1996 team to another successful year, beginning with a repeat championship at the Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County Relays. At the subsequent Group 2, Bergen County Championship, Kate finished first in the 400 hurdles, second in the 100 hurdles and in the triple jump and fourth in the 400 meters – leading the Panthers to victory by a 2 point margin over Ramsey. Kate produced nearly equally strong results at the Group 2, Sectional Championship, finishing second in both hurdles and finishing third in the 400 and in the long jump. However, because New jersey still did not include the triple jump in its meets, Ramsey edged Glen Rock for the championship.
At the subsequent Bergen County Meet of Champions, Kate finished second in the 400 hurdles and, at the Group 2, State Championship, she finished second in the 400 hurdles and sixth in the 100 hurdles.
After playing basketball during the winter of her senior year, Kate completed her athletic career at Glen Rock High School with one of the very best individual track & field seasons in school history. In addition, she, Melissa and sophomore Hall of Fame Inductee Tracy Della Torre – The Record called them the “super trio” – led Glen Rock to one of the school’s most dominant track & field seasons.
In April, the 1997 Girls Track & Field team won the school’s fifth consecutive Groups 1 & 2, Bergen County Relays Championship (96-60) with first place finishes in five of the events (with Kate leading the team in the 3×400 intermediate hurdles and shuttle hurdles) and second place finishes in five other events.
At the Group 1, Bergen County Championship, Kate finished first in all four of her events — both hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump – and Glen Rock was almost an enormously dominant result – winning 11 of the 15 events and scoring 213 points, a total that is still the second highest ever (to the 1995 Team’s 241 points).
At the Group 1, Sectional Championship, Kate won both hurdle races and the long jump. With her teammates winning six other events (giving Glen Rock victories in 9 of the 14 events) and earning numerous medals throughout the meet, Glen Rock amassed a record setting 204 points (nearly exceeding the 227 points of all of the other teams) that is still the record for most points at this Group 1, Sectional Championship.
At the following Bergen County Meet of Champions, Kate focused on the 400 intermediate hurdles and won that race with what was then the fifth fastest time in Bergen County history.
Finally, at the Group 1, State Championship, Kate led Glen Rock to its third championship, all of them achieved during Kate’s (and Melissa’s) four year career. She won both hurdles and finished third in the long jump. She also joined the 4×400 relay team and helped it finish fourth in the meet’s final event, giving Glen Rock a 72-53 victory over its nearest competitor.
Kate graduated holding the school’s records in both the 100 high hurdles (14.9) (that was then the ninth fastest time in Bergen County history) and in the 400 intermediate hurdles (62.63) (that was then the fifth fastest time in Bergen County history). She also graduated with the second longest long jump (17-11) and the third longest triple jump (35-11) in school history, with her long jump still being one of the best in Bergen County history.
Kate also graduated as having been a member of several record breaking relay teams. As
mentioned above, in 1995, she was a member of the record setting 4×400 and sprint medley relay teams. She was also a member of three of the fastest 3×400 intermediate hurdles relay teams in Bergen County history. Her 1997 relay team with Carolyn McCorry and Andrea Seletti (3:19.84) broke the prior Bergen County record in that event and is still one of the fastest times in Bergen County history. Her 1994 and 1995 relay teams still have two of the fastest times in Bergen County history. She also led the 1997 4×100 shuttle hurdles relay team (with Carolyn McCorry, Andrea Seletti and Carolyn Tampe) to a time of 64.7 that tied the Bergen County record in that event and is still one of the fastest times in Bergen County history — and was the school record time until the 2019 relay team ran what was then the sixth fastest time in Bergen County history.
In June 1997, the administration and coaches of Glen Rock High School recognized Kate as the top female athlete in that year’s graduating class and gave her the esteemed Athlete of the Year Award.
In 2000, The Record gave Honorable Mention to Kate on its All-Century Track & Field Team.
Kate continued her track career on scholarship at Miami of Ohio, where as team captain she competed in the pentathlon and heptathlon. She finished fourth in the heptathlon at the MAC championships and still holds one of the highest scores in the school’s history in that event.