As the daughter of a high school football coach, Allison Hay never lacked for toughness.
That toughness was on display throughout her career at Tallmadge, where she led the Blue Devils cross country and track team with consistent results.
For her senior year, the Ashland University recruit put forth a dominant middle distance season. For that, and winning a state title, Hay earned MVP for the 2026 Beacon Journal All-Greater Akron girls track and field team.
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Here’s a look at the whole team for 2026:
Allison Hay
Tallmadge
Senior
Middle distance runner
Hay was a machine in the 800 meters this season, both in relays and individually. She anchored Tallmadge’s 3,200-meter relay to third place in Division II in 9:16.02, but was just getting warmed up. Hay took the lead about 300 meters into the 800 and never looked back, winning the state title in 2:12.21.
Hailey Otradovec
Wadsworth
Senior
Sprinter
Otradovec is multi-sport star who scored state gold by anchoring Wadsworth’s 800 relay to victory in 1:39.67. Otradovec nearly won her own state title in 400, but was edged at the line, and was second in 55.51. She will join Hay at Ashland University next year.
Miniya Mitchell, Buchtel
Junior sprinter
Mitchell put the demons of last year behind her, anchoring Buchtel’s 800 relay to a Division III title in a near-state record-time of 1:39.28. She backed up that performance by placing fifth in both the 400 (57.12) and 200 (25.36). Look for more state titles to be in reach next year.
Nicole Smith, Twinsburg
Junior hurdler
Smith’s prowess in the 300 hurdles was known coming into the state meet. She finished fourth in the 300 hurdles in 44.16 to earn All-Ohio honors. But she also helped Twinsburg end the Division II state meet with a bang, leading off the Tigers’ state title-winning 1,600 relay (3:53.83).
Dereon Cooper
Archbishop Hoban
Junior
Thrower
Injuries kept Cooper sidelined for her first two seasons of track, but she made the most of her first trip to the state meet. She placed third in the Division II shot put with a heave of 40 feet, 6 inches. She is looking forward to picking up the discus next year.
Makenna Bode
Hudson
Senior
Pole vaulter
Continuing Summit County’s tradition of producing great pole vaulters, Bode made major strides during her senior season. Although she didn’t quite reach her personal best at state, her vault of 12-2 earned her third place in a tight Division II race.
Victoria Parish, Revere
Senior thrower
In a case of catching fire at the right time, Parish enjoyed her best efforts of the year during the postseason. That culminated at the state meet, where she threw the discus a personal-best 129-10 to earn fourth place in Division II.
Jada Davis, Buchtel
Junior hurdler
Buchtel’s next hurdle star has arrived. Davis came home from the state meet with three All-Ohio finishes in Division III. She was third in the 300 hurdles in 44.09 and fifth in the 100 hurdles in 14.68, and also was a key part of the Griffins’ state title-winning 800 relay.
Brooke Haude, Wadsworth
Senior hurdles
Speaking of hurdle stars, Haude nearly matched Davis in All-Ohio places, as she ran lead-off for the Grizzlies’ winning 800 relay and finished sixth in the Division II 100 hurdles in 15 seconds. She just missed All-Ohio honors in the 300 hurdles, finishing 10th in 45.36.
Amiyah Perry, Woodridge
Junior sprinter
The Woodridge girls team might have a new star in unfamiliar races, as Perry was a major point scorer all season. She culminated her year with an All-Ohio finish in the Division III 400, placing eighth in 57.64, along with some excellent work with the Bulldogs relays.
Michael Leonard can be reached at mleonard@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Allison Hay leads 2026 Beacon Journal All-Greater Akron girls track team
Reporting by Michael Leonard, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Michael Leonard, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
