High School Male Athlete of the Year - 2026

Joshua (JJ) Harel has distinguished himself as one of the top young high jumpers in the United States and is back-to-back CIF-State champion. A graduate of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High School, he set a recent personal best and national top-tier mark of 7 feet 2.5 inches. JJ first gained national recognition at the 2022 AAU National Junior Olympics, where he delivered one of the most exceptional all-around performances in meet history - winning national titles in high jump, triple jump, and javelin, while breaking a 40-year-old national high jump record by jumping 6 ft 5 inch as a 13 year old.

He holds the Notre Dame High School records in high jump and javelin, the CIF Southern Section Division 3 high jump record, the Mission League high jump record, and led his high school to the 2025 CIF-SS championship title. JJ has won Israeli national titles in all three jumping events on behalf of Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he previously earned two medals at the 2022 Maccabiah at age 13.