ONE GIANT LEAP FOR DEARDORF EARNS HER AN ALL-AMERICAN FINISH AT NATIONALS
Meet Information
New Balance Outdoor Nationals Day 4
June 22, 2025
Franklin Field - Philadelphia, PA
RESULTS
PHILADELPHIA, PA - After three straight days of competition, The Minutemen returned to historic Franklin Field for the final day of action at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Forecasts in the high 90s forced meet organizers to move up the schedule in the hopes of getting through as many events as they could before the heatwave hit. While the high temperatures never actually descended on Philadelphia on Sunday, Lexington's Aubrey Deardorf brought all the fire she needed to the Long Jump runway.
Two years ago, Deardorf was on this same runway competing in the Freshman Long Jump. On that day, in 2023, she flew out 17'3.50" to finish eighth overall. Fast-forward to Sunday, with a field packed with 20-foot jumpers, the LHS junior knew she would need to be at her best to contend at the highest level.
Things were off to a solid start for Deardorf as she delivered leap of 5.73m (18'9.75") on her first jump. A poor second attempt left her with just one more opportunity to lay down a mark that would give her a chance to make finals from the second of four flights. With her team cheering from the stadium bleachers, Deardorf charged down the runway and exploded off the board with her best jump of the day. Eyes turned to the scoreboard before the LHS contingent erupted as the board displayed 6.02m (19'9"). The leap was a big personal best and the first 6-meter jump of her career. More importantly it rocketed her up the leader board, as she sat second at the end of the flight. In the third flight, no athlete was able to match Deardorf's mark. That meant that with 14 jumpers left to go in the seeded flight, the LHS junior could only afford six of them to best her mark if she was going to hold onto her spot in the finals. Tensions were at an all-time high in the Lexington section throughout the next 42 jumps as each athlete had their three tries. However, as the flight came to its last round it became clear that Deardorf had punched her ticket to jump with seven of the best girls in the nation in the finals. Entering the finals, Deardorf was in fifth position and vying to hold onto a top-six place that would earn her All-American honors. In those finals there were a number of great performances, the best of which was the 6.44m (21'1.50") leap from Elena Cooper of McDonough (MD) that was the third farthest jump made anywhere in the U.S. this spring. However, the three girls who were below Deardorf in the standings were unable to pass her 19'9" jump, which meant that LHS's superstar junior earned fifth place and All-American honors.
Deardorf becomes the first Lexington High School girl since Aleia Gisolfi-McCready (LHS '21), who was runner-up in the 400m Hurdles at the 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals, to earn All-American honors in the Championship Division. The Minutemen have now produced four individual All-Americans in that division in the last five years as Deardorf joins the club that includes Gisolfi-McCready, McKenna O'Hare Gibson-400m Hurdles (LHS '24), and Kaden "The Sundance Kid" Cassidy-Hammer Throw (LHS '23), along with the All-American Boys Shuttle Hurdle Relay of Jayden Bai (LHS '23), Jacob Pan (LHS '24), Michael Gerfen (LHS '23), and Simon Tandeih (LHS '26).
While Deardorf lit things up on in the Long Jump, freshman sensation Amelia Whorton toed the line in the seeded section of the Freshman 800m. When the gun fired the race turned into a physical battle. Whorton had to jockey for position around the first turn and nearly fell to the track at the top of the backstretch. Despite the physicality, Whorton steadied herself in the crowded pack and burst into the lead as she approached the bell after a relatively slow 65.63-second opening lap. The LHS freshman then charged into the lead on the second lap and quickly built a sizeable lead on the field down the backstretch. She continued to stay strong down the final stretch and crossed the line well ahead of the field with a time of 2:11.25. However, Kayla Shellenbarger out of Goodrich (MI) had won the unseeded section in a time that was just seven-hundredths-of-a-second faster than Whorton. Which meant that while Whorton broke the tape, she had to settle for silver. Despite the disappointing result, she earned herself the third Freshman All-American honor of the year with her performance.
Other Highlights for the LHS
With the 2024-2025 year now officially at its end, it is worth looking back at what was arguably the finest season in the sports of athletics in Lexington High School history and what helped to make it so. The team accolades speak for themselves. Across Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, LHS earned 2 MIAA Division 1 State Championships, 2 Division 1 Runner-up finishes, 6 Middlesex League Championships, and 3 Runner-up finishes at the MSTCA Division 1 Relays. Beyond the team titles, The Minutemen broke a whopping 35 school records, had the MA #1 performance in 5 events, and 4 individual All-American honors. Their strength was certainly in their numbers as the program includes nearly 300 student-athletes across all three seasons. However, it was not the sheer size of this team, it is the fact that from August to June there is a true sense that these athletes are a part of a family. One that wins, certainly, but one that supports each other, creates opportunities to make friends, and allows everyone an chance to find their way in a school over 2,400 students. This year's team was as tight knit a group as can be remembered. Whether it was team bonding in the apple orchards of central Mass, laser tag, Christmas Eve capture the flag, weekly team dinners, or lunch after Saturday morning practice, this group made the effort to come together not just on the field, but off it as well. They were fun, goofy, rowdy, and some of the most fierce competitors in the country all wrapped into one amazing team. It was a pleasure to have a front row seat throughout the year and we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for each of them. To all the athletes who made this year truly special, thank you.
Up Next
With the 2025 Outdoor Track & Field season now complete, The Minutemen will turn their eyes to the trials. The 2025 Cross Country season will begin as is tradition at the Clipper Relays. The meet - at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport - is scheduled for Saturday, September 6th at 9:15am.
New Balance Outdoor Nationals Day 4
June 22, 2025
Franklin Field - Philadelphia, PA
RESULTS
PHILADELPHIA, PA - After three straight days of competition, The Minutemen returned to historic Franklin Field for the final day of action at New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Forecasts in the high 90s forced meet organizers to move up the schedule in the hopes of getting through as many events as they could before the heatwave hit. While the high temperatures never actually descended on Philadelphia on Sunday, Lexington's Aubrey Deardorf brought all the fire she needed to the Long Jump runway.
Two years ago, Deardorf was on this same runway competing in the Freshman Long Jump. On that day, in 2023, she flew out 17'3.50" to finish eighth overall. Fast-forward to Sunday, with a field packed with 20-foot jumpers, the LHS junior knew she would need to be at her best to contend at the highest level.
Things were off to a solid start for Deardorf as she delivered leap of 5.73m (18'9.75") on her first jump. A poor second attempt left her with just one more opportunity to lay down a mark that would give her a chance to make finals from the second of four flights. With her team cheering from the stadium bleachers, Deardorf charged down the runway and exploded off the board with her best jump of the day. Eyes turned to the scoreboard before the LHS contingent erupted as the board displayed 6.02m (19'9"). The leap was a big personal best and the first 6-meter jump of her career. More importantly it rocketed her up the leader board, as she sat second at the end of the flight. In the third flight, no athlete was able to match Deardorf's mark. That meant that with 14 jumpers left to go in the seeded flight, the LHS junior could only afford six of them to best her mark if she was going to hold onto her spot in the finals. Tensions were at an all-time high in the Lexington section throughout the next 42 jumps as each athlete had their three tries. However, as the flight came to its last round it became clear that Deardorf had punched her ticket to jump with seven of the best girls in the nation in the finals. Entering the finals, Deardorf was in fifth position and vying to hold onto a top-six place that would earn her All-American honors. In those finals there were a number of great performances, the best of which was the 6.44m (21'1.50") leap from Elena Cooper of McDonough (MD) that was the third farthest jump made anywhere in the U.S. this spring. However, the three girls who were below Deardorf in the standings were unable to pass her 19'9" jump, which meant that LHS's superstar junior earned fifth place and All-American honors.
Deardorf becomes the first Lexington High School girl since Aleia Gisolfi-McCready (LHS '21), who was runner-up in the 400m Hurdles at the 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals, to earn All-American honors in the Championship Division. The Minutemen have now produced four individual All-Americans in that division in the last five years as Deardorf joins the club that includes Gisolfi-McCready, McKenna O'Hare Gibson-400m Hurdles (LHS '24), and Kaden "The Sundance Kid" Cassidy-Hammer Throw (LHS '23), along with the All-American Boys Shuttle Hurdle Relay of Jayden Bai (LHS '23), Jacob Pan (LHS '24), Michael Gerfen (LHS '23), and Simon Tandeih (LHS '26).
While Deardorf lit things up on in the Long Jump, freshman sensation Amelia Whorton toed the line in the seeded section of the Freshman 800m. When the gun fired the race turned into a physical battle. Whorton had to jockey for position around the first turn and nearly fell to the track at the top of the backstretch. Despite the physicality, Whorton steadied herself in the crowded pack and burst into the lead as she approached the bell after a relatively slow 65.63-second opening lap. The LHS freshman then charged into the lead on the second lap and quickly built a sizeable lead on the field down the backstretch. She continued to stay strong down the final stretch and crossed the line well ahead of the field with a time of 2:11.25. However, Kayla Shellenbarger out of Goodrich (MI) had won the unseeded section in a time that was just seven-hundredths-of-a-second faster than Whorton. Which meant that while Whorton broke the tape, she had to settle for silver. Despite the disappointing result, she earned herself the third Freshman All-American honor of the year with her performance.
Other Highlights for the LHS
- In only his third ever 800m race, Matteo Sanchez de Rojas ran an incredible personal best of 1:56.91 to finish 11th overall in the Boys Freshman Division.
- Natalie Bielat finished 75th in the Girls Freshman 800m with a time of 2:22.47.
With the 2024-2025 year now officially at its end, it is worth looking back at what was arguably the finest season in the sports of athletics in Lexington High School history and what helped to make it so. The team accolades speak for themselves. Across Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, LHS earned 2 MIAA Division 1 State Championships, 2 Division 1 Runner-up finishes, 6 Middlesex League Championships, and 3 Runner-up finishes at the MSTCA Division 1 Relays. Beyond the team titles, The Minutemen broke a whopping 35 school records, had the MA #1 performance in 5 events, and 4 individual All-American honors. Their strength was certainly in their numbers as the program includes nearly 300 student-athletes across all three seasons. However, it was not the sheer size of this team, it is the fact that from August to June there is a true sense that these athletes are a part of a family. One that wins, certainly, but one that supports each other, creates opportunities to make friends, and allows everyone an chance to find their way in a school over 2,400 students. This year's team was as tight knit a group as can be remembered. Whether it was team bonding in the apple orchards of central Mass, laser tag, Christmas Eve capture the flag, weekly team dinners, or lunch after Saturday morning practice, this group made the effort to come together not just on the field, but off it as well. They were fun, goofy, rowdy, and some of the most fierce competitors in the country all wrapped into one amazing team. It was a pleasure to have a front row seat throughout the year and we cannot wait to see what the future has in store for each of them. To all the athletes who made this year truly special, thank you.
Up Next
With the 2025 Outdoor Track & Field season now complete, The Minutemen will turn their eyes to the trials. The 2025 Cross Country season will begin as is tradition at the Clipper Relays. The meet - at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport - is scheduled for Saturday, September 6th at 9:15am.