1/23 Girls Indoor Recap

Celia Schulte: The only fitting way to start our review of the Central Ohio girls' weekend performances is to highlight the record-breaking 800m run by Hilliard Davidson’s Celia Schulte. The Wildcat superstar wasted no time cementing herself in elite company after a strong cross country season that saw her finish 16th at the D1 Ohio State Championships. Schulte and the Lady Wildcats traveled north to Michigan to compete in the Michigan High School Showcase, where she delivered a phenomenal 2:10.42 in the 800m. This time not only ranks as the current Ohio #1 but also surpassed the previous US #1 mark, making it the US #3 time. Additionally, Schulte’s performance earned her a spot in the Ohio record books as the 7th fastest indoor 800m time in state history. While we’ll touch on Schulte’s teammates shortly, her historic run undoubtedly deserves recognition of its own.

Michigan: While Celia Schulte’s historic 800m was the highlight in Michigan, the rest of the Wildcats also posted impressive marks in the 1600m and 800m. Joining Schulte in the 800m, Emi Schoyer ran a solid 2:36. In the full mile, Ashley Alsko headlined a stellar showing of depth for the Wildcats, clocking a 5:23. She was closely followed by Gemma Pusateri (5:30), Anna Gagliano (5:31), Mackenzie Kline (5:32), and Laney Tarr (5:33). Alsko currently sits at OH #18, with the rest of the pack ranking inside the top 55 milers in the state.

Joining the Wildcats in Michigan was Dublin Jerome senior Natalie Fouts, who ran a standout 3200m. Fouts posted an impressive 11:06, which ranks as the current OH #3 mark.

Ohio State: Back in the Buckeye State, Central Ohio girls took to French Fieldhouse to deliver more impressive performances. In the 800m, four top-50 state times were recorded. Leading the way was Ella Watson of Dublin Jerome with a 2:26, followed by Cali Kent of Delaware Hayes (2:27), Layla Channel of Marysville (2:29), and Amaya Speed of New Albany (2:31). These times currently rank 17th, 24th, 35th, and 50th in the state, respectively.

In the 1600m, Addison Caudil of Licking Heights ran an impressive 5:29, earning her the OH #39 spot. Finally, in the 3200m, Marysville senior Marguerite Foust continued her strong form from cross country, clocking an 11:30 for the OH #10 mark.

Around the State: Beyond the Michigan and Ohio State meets, other invites didn’t showcase much depth but still produced notable performances. In the 800m, highlights included Bridget Snider (2:26, OH #7), Megan Packard (2:27, OH #27), and Marisa Heil (2:23, OH #9, coming off the mile).

The 1600m was the most fruitful event of the weekend, with standout times from Marisa Heil (5:16, OH #6), Lainey Fauth (5:19, OH #11), Lucy Rush (5:24, OH #22), Ruby Lewis (5:30, OH #44), Minori Hudson (5:31, OH #45), Emma Hudson (5:31, OH #46), and Aubrey Smith (5:31, OH #49).

In the 3200m, Kaylen Goss ran an impressive 11:18 (OH #6), while Lucy Rush, coming off the mile, recorded an 11:36 (OH #12).

After another weekend of racing featuring a historic 800m and numerous Ohio top-10 marks, the race for indoor state qualifying positions is heating up!