2/01 Girls Indoor Recap

While not the busiest weekend of the season, the last couple of days certainly weren’t boring. Impressive performances came from a handful of meets across the state, with most of the notable results coming from the Wittenberg HS Open #2 and the Ohio State High School Qualifier #3.

Wittenberg HS Open #2

Let’s get right to the biggest result of the weekend—last year’s 3200-meter state champion, Elena Aldrink, defeating Foot Locker All-American Brooke Chapman in the 3200 meters. Not only did Aldrink beat Chapman, but she did so by a significant margin, running 10:36 (a US #15 mark) to Chapman’s 10:53, which still ranks among the top 75 times in the nation so far this season.

I can’t overstate how impressive this result is. While Aldrink taking the win wasn’t a complete shock, the fact that the Olentangy Liberty junior cut nearly 20 seconds off her indoor 3200-meter personal best certainly was.

This wasn’t necessarily a terrible race for Chapman, either. While many expected the Olentangy Orange junior to be faster, it’s worth noting that despite her cross-country success, she’s never been considered a true 3200-meter specialist. If she chooses to focus on this event, she could still be a strong contender for a state title in March.

The 3200 wasn’t the only noteworthy race at Wittenberg. While the 800 featured some solid fields, the 1600 meters was clearly the second-best race of the day. Middle school phenom Maddie Hobbs ran a 5:24 for sixth place, finishing just ahead of Olentangy Orange senior Clea Case, who clocked an impressive 5:26. The top Central Ohio finisher in the event was Grace Heitkamp, who took fourth in 5:23.

Finally, Wittenberg also featured a competitive 4x800-meter relay, won by Olentangy Liberty in 10:02—17 seconds ahead of fellow Central Ohio competitor and runner-up, Gahanna Lincoln. Both are solid early-season marks.

Ohio State High School Qualifier #3

The other major meet of the weekend was the Ohio State High School Qualifier #3. While it didn’t feature large fields, it did showcase a dominant performance by the Hilliard Davidson Wildcats in the girls’ 800 meters. In that race, Davidson’s squad of Gemma Pusateri, Emi Schroyer, Erica Kaulen, and Ashley Alsko took four of the top five spots, with Pusateri winning in 2:22.

While the 800 produced the most notable result of the meet, there were other standout performances. Dublin Coffman took the win in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 10:19, Marysville’s Marguerite Foust claimed victory in the 1600 meters in 5:17, and Hilliard Davidson superstar Celia Schulte showed off her range by winning both the 400-meter dash (58.08) and the 200-meter dash (27.12).

Quick Hits From Around the State

At the Jerome Fields Open, Grove City’s Aubrey Smith placed third in the girls’ 1600 meters with a time of 5:22. Also in that race was Columbus-based club runner Kate Michael, who continued her stellar season by finishing second in 5:21.

That’s a wrap for this weekend! While it’s still indoor season, the outdoor track season is quickly approaching, and with it, the times will only get faster and the stakes even higher.