The premiere event of the Iowa high school track and field season – the state meet – is just a few days away.
Some of the top athletes in the state will converge on Des Moines for the three-day event, which features returning state champions and all-time best record holders, as well as athletes looking to pull off an upset.
From sprinters to long-distance runners, jumpers to throwers, here are 10 high school girls athletes to watch at the Iowa track and field state meet from May 21-23.
Athletes are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Elise Coghlan, Sr., ADM
Events: 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, shuttle hurdle, 4×400
Coghlan is one of Class 3A’s best in the hurdles, with the fastest time this season in the 100 and the second-best time this year in the 400. Her talents helped the Tigers nearly reach top-three qualifying times in both of her relay events.
Morgan Fisher, So., Ankeny
Events: 200, 400, sprint medley, distance medley
It’s only her second season of high school track, but Fisher is already among the state’s top talents. She holds the second-fastest times, statewide, in the 200- and 400-meter dashes and she could help Ankeny to a spot on the podium in both of her relay races.
Kylee Hill, Jr., Burlington
Events: discus, shot put
She won state titles in the shot put in 2024 and 2025, and she is coming off a Drake Relays championship in the event. There is a good chance she adds a third title this season, entering the state tournament with a statewide longest throw of 52-5.50.
Aubrey Johnson, Fr., Gilbert
Events: 100m hurdles, 4×100, shuttle hurdle, long jump
Johnson is only a freshman, but she shouldn’t be underestimated. She holds the fourth-fastest time in 3A in the 100-meter hurdles, and her long jump of 19-4.62 is the best in her class this season.
Quinn Jorgensen, So., Waukee Northwest
Events: 200, 4×200, sprint medley
There are plenty of standout runners on the Wolves roster, and this sophomore is one of them. She holds the fourth-fastest time this season in the 200-meter dash, and she ran legs of the 4×100, 4×200, and 4×400 squads that posted the state’s fastest times at Drake Relays.
Morgan Karr, Sr., Valley
Events: 100, 100m hurdles, 4×100, shuttle hurdle
No one in the state comes close to Karr this season; she’s the only athlete in Iowa to finish the 100-meter hurdles in under 14 seconds. She’s also a part of 4×100 and shuttle hurdle relay teams that hold top-five times heading into the state meet.
Payton Maas, Sr., West Liberty
Events: 100m wheelchair, 200m wheelchair, 400m wheelchair, 800m wheelchair
The West Liberty senior has spent the past few seasons steadily improving her times and enters the state meet with the top time in each of her four events. She already has a state title, and there’s a good chance she adds four more before the end of the weekend.
Abby Mecklenburg, Sr., Linn-Mar
Events: 200, long jump
A few weeks ago, Mecklenburg became the first girls long jumper to surpass 20 feet at Drake Relays. She’s Iowa’s record-holder, jumping 20-8.25 last season, and she enters the state meet with a jump of 20-5.50 this season.
Laura Streck, Jr., Van Meter
Events: 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 4×800
Streck’s name is all over the leaderboards in Class 2A’s distance events. She holds the fastest times in the class in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs, and the third-fastest time in the 800.
Katie Willits, Sr., Waukee Northwest
Events: 100, 200, 100m hurdles, 4×100
This senior speedster holds the fastest times statewide in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the second-fastest time in the 100-meter hurdles. She is also a part of several Wolves relay teams that have run the state’s all-time fastest times: 4×100, 4×200, sprint medley and shuttle hurdle.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 10 top girls athletes at the Iowa high school state track & field meet
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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