The regional stage of the IHSAA girls track and field postseason will be held across eight sites on Tuesday. High school athletes will get an opportunity to qualify for the state track meet.
With that said, let’s dive into what and who to know for the festivities.
Here are five storylines and names to keep an eye on for Tuesday’s regional meets.
Carmel controls the distance
The Greyhounds did not play any games during the distance events at sectionals. Senior Kaitlyn Oshimura won the 800 meters (2:12.06), while senior Sadie Foley placed second with a time of 2:14.01. Larkin Taylor rounded out the top three by clocking in a time of 2:14.18.
Taylor won gold (5:01.75) in the 1600 meters, while Foley finished in second place (5:01.76). Junior Annabel Pollert placed second (10:34.97) in the 3200 meters.
Carmel did that in a sectional meet that was stacked to the brim with teams like Hamilton Southeastern, Zionsville and Noblesville, to name a few. The Greyhounds will get another chance to prove that they are legit in distance at regionals.
HSE’s dominance is a sight to see
The Royals played host to sectionals last week and ran like they were defending home turf. They won the 4×100-meter relay (48.25) and 4×400-meter relay (3:50.56). They also placed second in the 4×800-meter relay with a time of 9:27.81.
Individually, HSE junior Anissa Lammie secured the 400-meter dash (55.19), edging out Hamilton Heights junior Norah Reiger (55.45) and Carmel senior Gabriela Grande Rosas (56.13), who ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the state entering the event. Sophomore Kaleah McCarter placed second (12.27) in the 100-meter dash, while junior Zoe Gebhart placed second (10:43.90) in the 3200 meters.
Senefeld, a Hamilton Southeastern senior, clocked in a time of 41.44 during the sectional meet at HSE Wednesday. That ranked second all-time in state history and an improvement from her previous season-best of 41.95. She also placed second in the 100 hurdles.
It will be interesting to see if HSE can or will carry this momentum into regionals at a Lafayette Jefferson site that will also feature Carmel.
Noblesville sophomore Ainsley Meinerding is a versatile athlete
Meinerding won the 100-meter dash (12.23), 200-meter dash (25.10) and long jump (18-0.25) at the HSE sectional meet last week. She flashed her resilience in a 200-meter sprint that came down to the wire. Fishers senior Zinnia Pineda hit 25.32, while Westfield senior LeBraya Warren followed with a mark of 25.71. HSE sophomore Cianna Cunningham placed fourth at 25.94.
Meinerding placed 12th at state in the 200 meters last season. She was also a member of Noblesville’s 4×400-meter relay team that placed sixth during her freshman season.
Now, she will get an opportunity to qualify for three individual events at the Lafeyette Jefferson regional meet this week.
Bloomington South looks like a state-level machine
Things couldn’t have gone better for the Panthers at sectionals last week. They recorded 207.5 team points, secured nine individual titles and swept all relay events in what was one of the most dominant showings in the opening week of the postseason.
Ellie Barada recorded a new school record (4:43.73) in the 1600 meters and took home the 800-meter crown (2:11.87). Junior Lexi Kollbaum placed second behind Barada in both events. Senior Adriene Shaevitz won the 100-meter hurdles (14.05) and 300-meter hurdles (46.46). Violet Hall clinched the 200 meters (25.54), while Jasmine Martoglio clocked in a time of 10:38.71 in he 3200 meters. That was about a 40-second difference from second-place Hannah Crain (11:14.78) out of Edgewood.
The Panthers also have talented young runners. Freshman Reese Robertson took home first place in the high jump (5-4), while Claire Hill placed second in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Sophomore Edith Long was a runner-up in the 200 meters and placed third in the 400 meters. Second-year Chelsea Johnson also placed third in the pole vault.
It was a team performance that would surely boost the Panthers’ confidence should put other teams on high alert.
Aniyah McKenzie has speed
McKenzie, a Lawrence Central senior, showed out on her home track at sectionals last week. She swept the prelims in the 100 and 200 meters before she did the same and improved her time with PR’s in the finals.
After she secured a prelims time of 12.36, McKenzie crossed the finish line at 11.84 in the 100 finals. She went 25.74 in the 200 prelims before she edged out North Central senior Gabrielle Moore (24.84) in the finals with a time of 24.31.
Her 100 sectional time was better than Rivet junior Rachael Jacqmain (13.08) and Brownsburg sophomore Nife Ogunleye (11.96), who both paced the state in the event entering the postseason. She also recorded a better score than Carroll junior Nadia Ford, who led the state in the 200 meters entering last week and recorded a time of 12.17 in the event at sectionals.
McKenzie is one of the top sprinters in the state. Can she take her sectional momentum into the regional round? She will compete at Greenfield-Central on Tuesday.
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: IHSAA girls track and field regional preview: What, who to know in regional meets
Reporting by Marc Ray, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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