Track: Rankings after the first month

The first month of the North Jersey track season has been an exciting one, with great performances from returning stars and new stars breaking through seemingly every week.

The Bergen and Passaic County Relays are in the books and the divisional championships have begun so let's take a look at where the best teams in North Jersey rank just before the NJIC championships started on April 29.

Teams are ranked mainly from their performances in the relays and rankings with follow on May 9, 23 with the final rankings set for June 6, after the sectionals.

Preseason rankings are listed in parentheses.

Boys

Demarest and Passaic Tech switch places from the pre-season and most of the pre-season's top 10 are still here. Big movers upwards are Glen Rock, Old Tappan, Bergenfield and Rutherford. The gap between Demarest and Passaic Tech is larger than the gap between the Bulldogs and No. 9 Ridgewood.

1. Demarest (2)
2. Passaic Tech (1)
3. Old Tappan (11)
4. River Dell (6)
5. Paramus Catholic (5)
6. Bergen Catholic (8)
7. Don Bosco (3)
8. Hasbrouck Heights (4)
9. Ridgewood (9)
10. Glen Rock (22)
11. Bergenfield (watch list)
12. Hackensack (14)
13. Kinnelon (12)
14. Pascack Hills (7)
15. Rutherford (23)
16. Pequannock (15)
17. Northern Highlands (watch list)
18. Fair Lawn (NR)
19. Passaic Valley (10)
20. Dwight Morrow (NR)
21. North Bergen (17)
22. Leonia (watch list)
23. West Milford (16)
24. Becton (NR)
25. Dumont (watch)

Watch list: Hawthorne (NR); Teaneck (25); Fort Lee (21); Mahwah (NR), Wayne Valley (19).

Not ranked: Indian Hills (18); Pascack Valley (24).

Girls

Any of the top nine teams could end up the top team in North Jersey this year. There's a shuffle at the top with all of those teams still in the top nine but NONE in their pre-season position. Big gainers? Demarest, Ramsey, Teaneck and Rutherford.

1. Demarest (6)
2. Ramsey (9)
3. IHA (4)
4. Northern Highlands (2)
5. Hasbrouck Heights (8)
6. Ramapo (7)
7. Ridgewood (1)
8. River Dell (5)
9. Old Tappan (9)
10. Passaic Tech (10)
11. Lyndhurst (12)
12. West Milford (16)
13. Teaneck (NR)
14. Tenafly (18)
15. Bergen Tech (14)
16. Rutherford (watch list)
17. Lakeland (19)
18. Becton (25)
19. Leonia (NR)
20. Indian Hills (NR)
21. Westwood (15)
22. Holy Angels (17)
23. Paramus Catholic (20)
24. Emerson (NR)
25. Clifton (NR)

Watch list: Midland Park (Watch list); Wayne Hills (11); Mahwah (22); Cliffside Park (NR); Dumont (Watch list).

Not ranked: Paramus (13); Passaic Valley (24).

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Track: Rankings after the first month