Track and Field and Cross Country at Oak Knoll have seen outstanding team and individual performances over the last year. In mid-November, Ally Sparno ’26 achieved a new high, becoming one of only four runners from Oak Knoll since 2000 to compete in the NJSIAA XC Meet of Champions. To qualify for the race, billed “the greatest single event in NJ high school sports” by MileSplitNJ, Sparno had to be among the ten fastest athletes in the state’s Non-Public A Group race held at the storied “Holmdel XC Course.”

Only weeks prior, Sparno placed first in the 5K Cross Country event at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Championships, winning that event’s championship title by a comfortable margin and running a course best time for her. Additional accolades Sparno garnered this season included First Team All-County, First Team All-Conference, and Third Team Non-Public A in the state. Impressive statistics, considering Sparno is a junior and only began competing in the sport in her eighth-grade year. She also competes in mid-distance events in Winter and Spring Track.

Last spring, Sparno was one of four Oak Knoll athletes to compete in the Historic Penn Relays. Our 4×800 team, consisting of Sparno, Reagan Moore ’27, Clare Ratliff ’27, and Danya Spoor ’25, set a school record of 9:25.44, which eclipsed their old record of 9:33.33 set last year at the Meet of Champions. This year, Oak Knoll finished eighth in the heat, third-fastest in New Jersey, and 17th overall against schools from all over the country and the Caribbean.

“I like running because I feel it’s a sport where you can see your improvements over time, and your hard work pays off,” Sparno explained. “Since it’s based on time, it’s easy to see how much you’ve improved.”

Off the racecourse, Sparno enjoys her academic subjects, with a special interest in biology and the sciences, which she hopes to pursue in college. She balances her left-brain STEM interests with creativity and is a fan of the fine arts. A fine still-life pencil sketch of vases is on permanent display in the Connelly Hall. She has been a member of the school’s Creative Council since eighth grade.

Sparno explained that balancing a variety of interests is therapeutic. “Whenever I have a bad day, I just want to run,” she said. “I’ve also always been a creative person since I was little. I always liked doing things with my hands. It’s very calming to me.”

“I think I’m just a motivated person in that I always want to do better, and I think that that’s kind of been a strength for me, but it can also be a pitfall,” said Sparno. She is laser-focused on improvement but not at the expense of getting down on herself when she has a bad day.

“It helps to realize that running isn’t a constant upward stretch. There are going to be ups and downs,” she related. “Realizing that mentally has helped with my running, knowing that all the hard work will pay off eventually because I have seen that in the past. I think recognizing that now has made me a better runner and stronger mentally.”