The IHSAA girls state track and field meet will be held at North Central on Friday. Here is what and who you should know before state titles are won and champions are crowned.
The 300-meter hurdles field
Be sure to pay close attention to the 300-meter hurdles at state. It’s not one to miss. Hamilton Southeastern senior Chloe Senefeld paces the state with an elite time of 41.91 seconds, which she set at regionals on May 26. Notably, Senefeld started hurdles late last season and placed second in the event a few weeks later at state as a junior. With a full season under her belt as a hurdler, Senefeld is the one to beat once the gun is shot at state on Friday.
Eastern Hancock Isabella Sotelo could play spoiler to Senefeld’s quest at gold. The junior, who placed fifth at state last season, clocked in a season-best time of 42.42 at regionals. That time ranks second in the state.
Notably, New Albany sophomore Jada Harper, the reigning and defending state champion, was sidelined from sectionals with an injury. She held the third-best time (43.49) this season, which she recorded at the Eastern Relays on April 18. Her postseason absence opens the door for others to deliver a breakout performance at state.
Who will reign supreme in the 400 meters?
Man, it’s hard to tell who has the edge in the 400-meter dash. For an event that mixes stamina and speed, HSE junior Anissa Lammie owns the best time in the state at 54.73 this season. She placed second at state last season.
Mount Vernon sophomore Katherine Simmons follows suit with a time of 55.08, while Hamilton Heights junior Norah Reiger is positioned at No. 3 at 55.47. Carmel senior Gabriela Grande Rosas is ranked fourth (56.12) and Goshen senior Kristina Petkova (56.18) is ranked fifth.
The top-five times were all unlocked at regionals.
The 100-meter race is loaded
It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of vibe with this season’s 100-meter race at state. Chesterton senior Kenedi Bradley owns the distinction as the state’s top 100-meter runner with a time of 11.71. She recorded that time at regionals.
Fairfield junior Emma Walter (11.75) is ranked second. Brownsburg sophomore Nife Ogunleye is ranked fourth at 11.90, a time she earned at the Brownsburg tri meet on April 7. She ran an 11.94 to win a regional title last week. Lawrence Central senior Aniyah McKenzie is ranked fifth in the state leaderboard with a time of 11.99.
McKenzie, a top contender for the 100 and 200 crown, advanced to state in the 100 meters after her DQ in the regional finals was overturned. She placed first in the prelims at 12.13.
Nadia Ford, a Carroll junior and reigning 100 state champion, was ranked sixth (12.05) in the state. She earned that accolade at the Pike Invitational on April 25 before she ran a 12.03 at regionals last week.
Mallory Weller is on pace to repeat as double champion
With a world of respect for the other runners in the 1600 and 3200 meters, Weller is built a bit different. The double state champion from last season has ranked at the top of leaderboard this year and stretched her excellence into the postseason.
The Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran senior ran a gold-medal time of 4:48.73 at sectionals before she clocked in a 4:33.77 in the 1600 at regionals. In the 3200 meters, she recorded a 10:22.58 at sectionals then went 10:38.31 at the regional stage. Her state-leading time of 9:59.68 was recorded at the Carmel Distance Showcase on April 24. She’s the only girls distance runner to run under 10 minutes in the 3200 meters.
It would be foolish not to mention Pendleton Heights sophomore Anya Zoeller, the state’s No. 2 runner in the 1600 meters (4:46.07) and 3200 meters (10:09.76). She was a runner-up at state as a freshman in the 1600 last season.
Carmel senior Sadie Foley is ranked third in both events with a time of 4:46.15 in the 1600 and 10:14.54 in the 3200 meters. Bloomington South senior Ellie Barada, a North Carolina commit and two-time national champion, is ranked fourth in the 1600 meters (4:47.63).
Bishop Chatard senior Julia Score was a state runner-up in the 3200 last season. The Indianapolis City Female Athlete of the Year is ranked sixth in the state and ran a runner-up time of 10:42.47 at regionals.
Teams are set for battle in the relays
Let’s dive a bit into each relay event, shall we?
Brownsburg, the defending state champs, leads the pack in the 4×100 with a time of 46.92, which they recorded at sectionals. The Lawrence Central quartet of McKenzie, Jariah Rayford, Aniya Pinner and Jakiya Alvies won a regional title at 47.22 — a time that ranks second statewide. HSE is ranked sixth with a regional time of 47.78, while Fishers is seventh at 47.88.
HSE, who also won gold last season, paces the state in the 4×400-meter relay. Senefeld, Lammie, Kaleah McCarter and Ava Kashani recorded a regional championship time of 3:48.56. Bishop Chatard’s quartet of Ruth McHugh, Caroline Gries, Reese McKinney and Mary Kate Felts went 3:51.36 at regionals. That ranks third in the state. Zionsville ran a time of 3:54.80, which was the third-fastest for an Indy-area school at regionals.
Bishop Chatard, who placed fourth at state last season, owns the No. 1 time in the 4×800-meter relay entering this season’s state meet. Score, Grace Leppert, Maggie Rushenberg and Ceci Jackson took home a regional crown at 9:11.69. Carmel is ranked third with a time of 9:16.40, while Franklin Central is positioned at No. 4 with a time of 9:18.53. HSE rounds out the top five at 9:19.37.
Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at marc.ray@indystar.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Who to watch: IHSAA girls track and field state preview
Reporting by Marc Ray, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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