Girls District 3 Preview

District 3 might not have the same name recognition as some other sections, but the depth in these girls distance fields is undeniable. With tightly packed seed times and multiple state-caliber athletes, each race is set up to deliver drama, fast times, and a few surprises as athletes chase a coveted regional spot.

1600m Projected Regional Qualifiers: Harper Allen, Marisa Heil, Olivia Smeck, Cali Kent

This field is incredibly deep. Leading the way are sub-5:00 standouts Harper Allen and Marisa Heil, followed by a tightly packed group of six runners seeded between 5:10 and 5:20. That group includes Olivia Smeck, Cali Kent, Miriam Rule, Morgan Hamilton, Grace Heitkamp, and Addison Keplar. It’s a toss-up, but we’re going with Smeck and Kent—who have the fastest personal bests among the group—to round out the top four. Still, with this much depth, anything could happen.

800m Projected Regional Qualifiers: Reese Galinger, Harper Allen, Elliana Alonso, Audrey Nowell

Somehow, this field is even deeper than the 1600. Ten athletes come in with seed times under 2:25: Reese Galinger, Tiffany Zuehlke, Audrey Nowell, Abby Landrum, Hadley Allen, Harper Allen, Elliana Alonso, Josie Cox, Abigail Young, and Evelyn Joseph. Among them, three have broken 2:20—Galinger, Allen, and Alonso—making them the clear frontrunners. For the final spot, we’re going with Audrey Nowell, coming off a strong performance in last week’s conference meet. But with so many athletes in the mix, this one is wide open.

3200m Projected Regional Qualifiers: Katy Zang, Ruby Lewis, Marisa Heil, Brooke Derringer

This race should be more straightforward than the others. Katy Zang, Ruby Lewis, and Marisa Heil all have personal bests under 10:50 and are heavy favorites to advance. The final spot should come down to Grace Heitkamp, Miriam Rule, and Brooke Derringer. This one is all about how well athletes bounce back from the double—Heitkamp and Rule are also running the 1600, while Derringer comes in fresh but with the slowest 3200 PR of the group. That said, she holds the best 1600 PR among the three, and given her fresh legs, we’re picking Derringer to snag the final qualifying spot.

With so many evenly matched fields and just four spots up for grabs in each event, expect fierce competition from start to finish. Whether it’s the proven stars or rising underclassmen, someone will break through—and the final 100 meters could be the difference between a regional berth and a heartbreaking finish.