OWLS ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
2025-26 OUTCOMES & FUTURE DIRECTION
Marc Mortellaro, Ph.D., ATC, OPA-C
Athletic Programs & Sports Medicine Administrator
August 24, 2026
WHO WE SERVE
296
HS Student-Athletes
15 Programs
incl. 104 multi-sport
223
MS Student-Athletes
10 Programs
incl. 33 multi-sport
519
Total Students
Served
combined 6-12
HIGH SCHOOL SNAPSHOT
Gender
53.1% Male / 46.9% Female
Grade
23.3% 9th | 25.0% 10th | 30.7% 11th | 20.9% 12th
White
38.1%
Hispanic/Latino
28.1%
Asian
16.8%
MIDDLE SCHOOL SNAPSHOT
Gender
57.3% Male / 42.7% Female
Grade
31.0% 6th I 34.5% 7th I 34.5% 8th
White
48.2%
Hispanic/Latino
31.0%
Asian
10.6%
Black/African American
9.8%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.4%
Black/African American
16.5%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.6%
YEAR ONE: ACCOMPLISHMENTS
HP Athletics Handbook
First comprehensive policy doc aligned with NJSIAA & NFHS standards — eligibility, conduct, awards framework, protocols, regulations, etc.
Emergency Action Plans
Developed and implemented for all athletic venues — a non-negotiable safety standard, now formally documented.
HP Sports Medicine Program I EMS & Physician Coverage
HP Sports Medicine Program built from the ground up
Secured EMS presence and physician sideline coverage at all home football games — elevating standard of care.
Baseline Concussion Testing
Protocol implemented and active for 2026–27. Proactive, student-athlete-first policy ahead of most programs at our level.
Student-Athlete Code of Conduct
Formalized and adopted — providing a clear, enforceable behavioral standard across all programs.
SPORTS MEDICINE COLLABORATIONS
RWJ Rutgers
University-level sports medicine resources
Rutgers Nursing
Clinical education & athlete care
Rehabilitation & recovery services
Professional Physical Therapy
Injury treatment & prevention
Kessler Rehabilitation
Neurocognitive Rehabilitation
NJ Devils
Professional sports resources & network
+ Clinical Preceptorships in Athletic Training, Sports Medicine & Nursing
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT — SPORTS MEDICINE
Sports Medicine: Elevating the Standard of Care
Certified Trainer Coverage
Athletic training services are now consistently present at every home contest, ensuring immediate care is always on-site.
Clear Sideline Protocols
Standing Orders and defined coverage roles ensure coaching staff always know who is providing care on the sideline.
EMS & Physician Coverage
EMS presence and sideline physician coverage are now secured for every home football contest, alongside athletic trainer coverage.
Formal Emergency Action Plans
Documented Emergency Action Plans are now in place for heat illness, sudden cardiac arrest, and general emergencies at every venue.
Accessible Emergency Protocols
Emergency Action Plans are distributed and made available to coaches, parents, student-athletes, and spectators.
WHY IT MATTERS
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT — UNIFORM STANDARDIZATION
Standardizing Uniforms Across Our Program
Structured Purchasing Cycles
A standardized ordering process is now in place across every team and grade level, ensuring consistent sizing and quantities year to year.
Unique Roster Numbers
A program-wide numbering system ensures every student-athlete has a distinct uniform number across all rosters.
NJSIAA Compliance Standard
Uniform and numbering requirements are reviewed each season to keep every program aligned with NJSIAA regulations.
Fresh Uniform Inventory
New uniform inventory and a regular replacement cycle keep every team looking sharp and game-ready.
Equity Across Programs
A consistent inventory standard is now applied program-wide, so every team has what it needs.
WHY IT MATTERS
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT — TRANSPORTATION
Transportation: A Safer, More Reliable System
Contracted Transportation Partner
ABC Transportation was awarded the 2026-27 bid, providing consistent, vetted, and confirmed student-athlete transportation.
Confirmation Protocol
A bus confirmation protocol is now in place ahead of every contest, so no team is left waiting or stranded.
Full Roster Coverage
Two buses are secured for every away varsity football game to safely transport our full roster, coaches, and equipment.
Expanded Access
Cheerleading now travels with the team to away games for a full season, for the first time in program history.
Reduced District Liability
Consistent, contracted transportation lowers safety and liability risk for our students and district.
WHY IT MATTERS
ATHLETICS ANNUAL REPORT
Expanding Resources Through External Funding
Year 1 external external funding secured: $148,000+ in direct funding, plus ongoing equipment access
$68,200
NJ State Local Recreation
Improvement Grant
$20,000+
Leveling The Playing Field Grant (Philadelphia)
Lifetime access to a warehouse of refurbished and new athletics and PE equipment, no monetary cap. $20,000 in equipment collected for HP Programs 2025-26
WHY IT MATTERS
Diversifies revenue and access beyond the district operating budget
LPF access sustains equipment support with no recurring cost
Removes financial barriers from athletic participation and equipment
$60,000+
Through team-led fundraising initiatives, expanding resources and opportunities for our student-athletes
STUDENT-ATHLETE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
FALL SEASON
Jahan Mladnick
GIRLS SOCCER
All-Time Career Goals Record (61+) — surpassing program record
Jahan, Widenmann, Shannon, Kaper-Dale, Kohler
GIRLS SOCCER
GMC All-Blue Division Team
Alissia Dumitru
GIRLS TENNIS
GMC Individual Championship + All-GMC Team
Andreea Dumitru
GIRLS TENNIS
All-GMC Team + All-State Group 1 Third Team
Dana Abo Nouh
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
100 Digs + 100 Service Points — GMC All-Conference
Kosta Hantsoulis
FOOTBALL
1,000+ Career Receiving Yards — All-Division + Middlesex County Borden's Ballers
Avyu Arnvid, Robert O'Connell, Mohanad Ahmed
BOYS SOCCER
GMC All-Gold Division Team
Jackie Lin / Akira Rodenbiker
CROSS COUNTRY
GMC All-White Division Team (Boys & Girls)
🏆 Team Sportsmanship: Girls XC — GMC White Division | Boys Soccer — GMC Gold Division | Football — Bill Deny Rutgers Award
STUDENT-ATHLETE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
WINTER & SPRING
WINTER
Cooper Ballentine — 1,000 Career Points — All-Division First Team
Ava Kohler — Girls Basketball All-Division First Team
Valentina Kambitsis — GMC Freshman of the Year + Single-Season 3PT Record
Evangelos Kambitsis — Single-Season 3PT Record (Boys)
Evangelos, Jared Matos, Valentina, Thara Belton — All-Division Second Team
Alissia Dumitru — Division Champion 3200M, All-Division Team (Winter Track)
Robert O'Connell — Division Champion 800M, All-Division Team
Jackie Lin — Division Champion 1600M, All-Division Team
SPRING
Dorian Crocco — Baseball — My Central Jersey Player of the Week, 2026 Underclassman All-Star Game Selection
Julio Reyes Rodriguez — Baseball — Single-Game Hits Record
Rubin Hersh — T&F Division Champion, 3200M
Kosta Hantsoulis — T&F Division Champion, 110M Hurdles
John Marseca — T&F Division Champion, Javelin
4x100 Relay Team — New Meet Record — Now in Program Record Books
🏆 COACHING MILESTONES: Coach Ruckdeschel (Girls Soccer) & Coach Washington (Girls Tennis) — each recorded their 200th career win this season.
Ava Kohler, Cora Kaper-Dale, Mia DeLorenzo- All Division Team
Melissa Evans- All Academic Team
Varsity Softball GMC Sportsmanship Award
Mia DeLorenzo- My Central Jersey Player of Week Nominee
THE FUTURE OF OWLS ATHLETICS
New Programs
Boys Volleyball club launched. Girls Flag Football club in development — 100+ students showed up for Powder Puff. That's a program waiting to be born.
Game Day Experience
Transform home games into true community events creating memories for every person in attendance. 300+ football attendance proves the community is ready.
Return To Learn
Standardized Return To Learn protocol for student-athletes recovering from concussion. Collaborative process between ATC, nurses, counselors, teachers, administrators, families and healthcare providers.
Strengthening The Academic-Athletic Partnership
Building deeper collaboration between coaches and teachers so classroom performance and athletic participation reinforce one another, not compete against each other
Student Athlete Attendance & Engagement
National research examining 250,000+ HS students found student-athletes experienced approx. 20% fewer absences than their non-athlete peers.
Highland Park-specific attendance data is currently being collected to evaluate this relationship within our own student population
Varsity Jackets — Back in the Hallways
Expanded access and reduced costs to bring the varsity jacket tradition back to Highland Park. A student in a varsity jacket is a walking statement.
MS to HS Pipeline
With 223 MS athletes across 10 programs, the pipeline is strong. Keeping athletes competing through 12th grade is a top priority.
Annual Awards Banquet
Now a permanent tradition. Every year, this program will stop and say: what you did this year mattered. You were seen.
2026–27 INITIATIVE
BI-WEEKLY ACADEMIC PROGRESS REPORTS
Student-athletes are students first. Beginning in 2026–27, Owls Athletics will implement a structured weekly academic monitoring system building a district-wide pipeline of accountability from middle school through varsity competition.
PHASE 1
Middle School
Student-Athletes
Launches 2026–27 school year
Bi-weekly reports submitted by teachers for all MS student-athletes
Coaches review reports before every competition week
Academic intervention triggered immediately for any athlete below standard
PHASE 2
High School
Student-Athletes
Follows MS implementation — deliberate, sequenced rollout
Bi-Weekly progress reports across all HS varsity programs
Reports tied directly to eligibility monitoring and coach communication
Reinforces NJSIAA standards with proactive tracking over reactive response
Our student-athletes are students first. We believe success in the classroom and success in competition go hand in hand, and we are committed to supporting them in both
500+
student-athletes competed under the Owls banner this year.
Students First. Athlete Second. Owl Always
One year in, I am proud of what has been accomplished.
I am more excited about what comes next.
THANK YOU