Star Ledger Surprise of the year:

Ben Raskin of Summit seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the state's best 400 runners. Raskin, a junior, showed he was headed for a really big season when he won the 100, 200 and 400 in the Hills Division at the Iron Hills Conference Championships.

But the best was yet to come. After finishing second in the 400 at the both the Union County and North Jersey, Section 2 Group 2 Championships, Raskin won the state Group 2 title in 48.74. He also split 47.9 on the 4x400 at the state Group 2 meet.

At the Meet of Champions, Raskin finished sixth in 48.96.