Girl’s Week of 4/25 Recap

It was a week of relays for Central Ohio distance runners, with three different relay-centric meets taking place around the area. We saw plenty of impressive times and great competition, which we’ll break down below!

Meet of the Week: Lancaster Fulton Relays. 

The Meet of the Week was undoubtedly Lancaster’s Fulton Relays. Although we put the title to a vote on our Instagram, I’m definitely glad to see Fulton come out on top. This meet featured strong teams from Lancaster, Dublin Scioto, Gahanna Lincoln, Worthington Kilbourne, Thomas Worthington, and Division II powerhouse Fairfield Union.

The first event of the evening was the 4x1600-meter relay, where the Lancaster quartet of Brooke Derringer, Marisa Heil, Lily Carpico, and Ava Parrett took the win in 21:45. Considering Lancaster was among the top teams in Central Ohio—and the state—during cross country season, this result comes as no surprise. Rounding out the top five were Fairfield Union, Gahanna Lincoln, Thomas Worthington, and Granville, with all five teams finishing under 22:45 for the four-mile distance.

Perhaps the most intriguing event of the night was the distance medley relay. The Upper Arlington Golden Bears’ squad of Clara Crist, Elizabeth Poling, Morgan Hamilton, and Josie Cox secured a dominant victory by a 15-second margin, finishing in 12:45. I’ll admit, I was pleasantly surprised by this result—and that’s coming from someone with a few ties to the Upper Arlington program. The Golden Bears have quietly built up some solid depth in recent months, but the undisputed MVP of the relay was 5:16 miler Josie Cox.

The final pure distance event of the evening was the 4x800-meter relay, where Lancaster claimed its second win of the night. This time, the squad of Hadley Allen, Amelia Fries, Lindiwe Neeley, and Harper Allen took the victory in 9:42. Also finishing under 10 minutes were the Hilliard Darby Panthers (9:56) and the Upper Arlington Golden Bears (9:58).

Matchup of the Week: Freedom Relays 4x1600

Wow. This was a deep race. I was genuinely impressed with how it played out, with not one, not two, but six different teams breaking the 22-minute barrier in the 4x1600-meter relay. The overall win went to the Olentangy Orange quartet of Bella Conforti, Clea Case, Cecelia Pachko, and Brooke Chapman in an outstanding time of 21:09. Also finishing under 22 minutes were the Centerville Elks, Dublin Jerome Celtics, Dublin Coffman Shamrocks, Olentangy Berlin Bears, and Olentangy Liberty Patriots.

It’s rare to see a truly competitive 4x1600-meter relay, but this race stands out as a perfect example of what’s possible when several top-tier teams come together and give it everything they’ve got.

Other Notable Action: 

Outside of the Fulton Relays, we also had another major relay meet this weekend—Olentangy Liberty’s Freedom Relays. In fact, our Matchup of the Week took place there (though I’m sure most of you have already read about that one). Beyond the girls’ 4x1600-meter relay, the highlight was the girls’ 4x800-meter relay, where two teams—the Centerville Elks and the Olentangy Liberty Patriots—broke 9:50, with the Dublin Coffman Shamrocks coming in right at 9:50.

While we may not have learned anything new about these teams (at least I didn’t), the results were strong across the board and served as a great showcase of the depth of talent across the Central Ohio region.

Outside of the state, it’s impossible not to mention what Celia Schulte accomplished at the Carolina Distance Carnival. She once again rewrote the Ohio record books, running an incredible 2:05 to become the fourth-fastest performer in Ohio history over 800 meters.

Underclassmen Results:

With this weekend being so relay-focused, it was tough to track standout performances from individual underclassmen—but a few still managed to catch my eye. Bishop Watterson’s Gabby Smullen ran a solid 5:28 in the 1600 at Westerville South’s Wildcat Invitational, while Westerville South’s Katelyn Hogenbirk clocked 12:22 in the 3200 at the same meet. Another notable performance came from Athens’ Andie Corrigan, who ran 2:25 in the 800 at the Bloom-Carroll Invitational. And yes, I know Athens technically falls outside our region—but with a performance that strong, I’m willing to make an exception.

All in all, it was an exciting week for Central Ohio distance running, with relay meets bringing out the best in many of the area’s top programs. From dominant performances at the Fulton Relays to the incredible depth shown at the Freedom Relays, this past week highlighted just how strong and competitive the local distance scene is this spring. As we move closer to the postseason, it’s clear that these athletes and teams are hitting their stride at the right time — and based on what we saw, there’s plenty more to look forward to in the weeks ahead.