Girls Regional Indivdual Rankings

Our final rankings ahead of Regional Championship weekend have arrived! We’ve predicted our 20 individual state qualifiers and provided an analysis of their seasons up to this point. We’ve also included a list of 10 more athletes to keep an eye on, who we believe could sneak their way into the top 20.

1. Katy Zang – To nobody's surprise, our predicted Regional Champion is none other than Katy Zang! The superstar junior is one of two runners in the state of Ohio this year to break the 17-minute barrier. Not only has she produced top-end marks, but her slowest race this year is still a blazing fast 17:18. Oh yeah, not to mention she's been undefeated all year and just set the course record this past weekend at Hilliard Darby. It’s safe to say Katy Zang will be this year's Regional Champion.

   
   

2. Elana Aldrink – Aldrink has continued her impressive form, taking a second consecutive postseason victory and leaving no doubt about who the top contender for this year's Regional Runner-up is. From last year's 3200m state title to this year's impressive postseason start, Aldrink has proven that she can win when it matters. With a PR of 17:32 (a time she has run on three separate occasions this year), six invitational victories, and her worst finishing position being a third place, Aldrink will be a force to be reckoned with in the weeks to come.

   
   

3. Brooke Chapman – Chapman completes our predicted top three finishers, putting all three district champions in the top three. As last year's 1600m state champion, Chapman showed the state that you can’t let her be in the race with 100m to go. Just like Aldrink, she's been a model of consistency, with her worst finish of the year being third. She has collected three separate individual victories this year and holds a PR of 17:25. Don’t be surprised if Chapman takes home the runner-up spot this weekend.

   
   

4. Marisa Heil – Our first non-district champion is Marisa Heil, and it's no fault of her own that she couldn’t grab the title. Heil ran the second fastest time of the entire day but happened to be in the same race as now course record holder Katy Zang. Heil has been competing with the best all year long and will ride a wave of momentum into Regionals, coming off her 17:28 PR this past weekend. She joins a strong chase pack of runners competing for the runner-up position, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Heil is the one to grab it.

   
   

5. Natalie Fouts – The Dublin Jerome junior slips down one spot in our rankings, but more due to a strong showing from Marisa Heil than a poor one from Fouts. Fouts still holds the second fastest PR in the region and has picked up six runner-up finishes this year, along with one individual victory. She’ll be right in the mix with the rest of the chase pack and will look to earn her seventh runner-up finish of the year at the Regional Championships.

   
   

6. Bella Conforti – The first #2 runner to appear on the list is Olentangy Orange’s Bella Conforti. While she’s the top #2 runner, we have her as the final runner in the chase pack at Regional Championships, making it a battle of five girls for the runner-up spot. Conforti broke the 18-minute barrier for the second time this season at Districts and will have the advantage of racing alongside teammate Brooke Chapman. This duo could use one another to push themselves to achieve great finishes at Pickerington North as they’ll hope to lead their team to state qualification.

   
   

7. Cecilia Schulte – Schulte sports the sixth fastest time in the region on paper but has had a rough patch of races since her breakthrough at the Les Eisenhart Invite, where she ran an impressive 17:43. She’ll also be missing running mate Erica Kaulen (presumably not racing at Regionals after not competing at Districts; although we do not have confirmation of this). With all this being said, Schulte’s worst finish this year is fifth, and as we stated earlier, her PR is up there with the best. While we expect Schulte to lead the second pack and comfortably finish within the top 10, if she has a great day, she could challenge for the top 5.

   
   

8. Mia Eberhardt – Eberhardt’s postseason form has been nothing short of incredible. Coming off her OCC Ohio individual title, she continued that momentum with a third-place finish at District Championships, coming in behind two of our top-ranked runners and defeating eight other ranked athletes on our list. She has steadily climbed our rankings in the past few weeks and now finds herself comfortably in our top 10, looking to strike for an even higher finish if one of the top runners slips up.

   
   

9. Lainey Fauth – Remaining just inside our top 10 at the #9 position is Thomas Worthington’s Lainey Fauth. Another athlete who doesn't quite hold the flashy PR like the others in our predicted top pack, but is turning it on at the right time. She’s coming off an impressive third-place finish at District Championships that saw her defeat many ranked opponents, including another one of our top 10 ranked athletes. Fauth poses a major threat to finish not just in the top 10, but potentially even higher.

   
   

10. Harper Allen – Rounding out our predicted top 10 finishers at Regionals is our biggest riser of the week, Lancaster's Harper Allen. From outside our top 30 to inside our top 10, nobody is heading into the weekend with more momentum. While her PR was a strong 18:19 from the Celtic Clash, we had a few questions as she had yet to back it up with another time under 18:35 the rest of the year. That is until this weekend when she ran 18:28 for an incredible third-place finish that featured her defeating eight of our ranked athletes. Allen is not only looking for a strong top 10 individual finish, but she will also be a key piece for the Gales if Lancaster is going to take down our top-ranked team, the Hilliard Davidson Wildcats.

    
    

11. Kaitlyn Van Zandt – While she slips just outside our top 10 heading into Regionals, Van Zandt remains securely within our second tier of runners and should comfortably advance individually to Fortress Obetz. While her individual spot feels safe, she’ll look to lead Bishop Watterson to a team berth, a team that we currently have on the bubble. She hasn’t raced much this season, but has impressed on the grass when she has competed. Her fresh legs could work to her advantage as she challenges for a top 10 finish this weekend.

    
    

12. Marguerite Foust – Last week's breakout athlete has backed up her impressive OCC race with a fourth-place finish at District Championships, where she ran a very respectable 18:37. Foust leads a Marysville team that is looking to earn one of the team qualification spots to the State Championships this weekend, and with that extra motivation, she’ll be poised for a potential top 10 finish.

    
    

13. Sophia Tartaglia – From last week's breakout athlete to our second breakout athlete of this week, Sophia Tartaglia’s breakthrough in the rankings mirrors that of Harper Allen's. Tartaglia ran an unprecedented PR of 18:33, an over 30-second improvement for the standout sophomore from Hilliard Davidson. With the Wildcats' #2 runner Erika Kaulen (presumably) missing this weekend's race, Tartaglia will need another phenomenal performance for the Wildcats to hold off the Lancaster Gales.

    
    

14. Helen Randolph – While her PR of 17:39 would slot her as the sixth fastest runner in the region this year, that time is from last year's NXR race. Her current season's best is still a respectable 18:25, and if we’ve learned anything from last year's regional champion, it’s that she knows how to peak at the right time. While we currently have her ranked at 14th, Randolph poses scary potential to push much higher up the rankings as she’s in striking form.

    
    

15. Josie Cox – Let the massive bubble watch begin! While nobody is guaranteed state qualification, we’re confident that our top 14 runners will qualify due to the body of their work. Cox has had an up-and-down year but enters this weekend's Regional Championships coming off the best race of her life. Her fifth-place finish at Districts saw her upset numerous ranked runners and led her to a new PR of 18:37. Nobody on the bubble is in better form than the Upper Arlington sophomore, and that is why we’ve given her the nod as the leader of the pack chasing state qualification.

    
    

16. Ruby Lewis – The leading runner for team state qualification hopefuls Gahanna Lincoln is Ruby Lewis. She’s been one of the most consistent runners over the past few weeks, with her last four races all being between 18:34 and 18:50. Coming off a conference runner-up performance, she backed it with a fifth-place showing at Districts this past weekend. Lewis is one of the safest bets among the bubble runners to qualify for Fortress Obetz individually.

    
    

17. Bailey Gross – With a season's best of 18:26, Gross will surely be in the mix for individual state qualification. Gross, alongside teammate Marguerite Foust, will look to have an impressive race not only for herself but to hopefully push their Marysville squad into a state qualification position. She’s in slightly shaky form, coming off a sixth-place finish at OCCs followed by an eighth-place finish at this weekend's District meet, but we trust that the senior will rise to the occasion this weekend.

    
    

18. Reese Galinger – Galinger has emerged as a solid #2 runner for Teays Valley, and with her team in a tight team race for state qualification, she’s a runner to watch. While we currently have them as a bubble team outside of the top 6, she could surprise if the squad rallies behind Katy Zang.

    
    

19. Brooke Derringer – Rounding out our top 20 is freshman sensation Brooke Derringer. Her rise through the ranks has coincided with Lancaster's surge into contention, and she matched her PR of 18:42 at Districts, placing seventh overall. Her continued development has been crucial to Lancaster’s success, and while her race is a new challenge at Regionals, she’s poised to continue her ascent with a top-20 finish.

    
    

20. Miriam Rule – After bouncing back from a tough patch this season, Rule has broken into our top 20 after a sixth-place finish at Districts. While it wasn't her best time, Rule is riding high on momentum and will look to continue that this weekend as she chases individual qualification.

    
    

Honorable Mentions / Bubble Watch:

21. Kaylen Goss

22. Kayla Benedict

23. Ava Parrett

24. Amelia Fries

25. Grace Heitkamp

26. Ashley Alsko

27. Anna Gagliano

28. Lydia Price

29. Jillian Randolph

30. Addison Caudill

*To be noted: Erika Caulen was not featured on this week's rankings due to her not competing this weekend. But, since Hillard Davidson qualified as a team to Regionals, she is eligible to compete and would be ranked within our top 10 if she does.