Girls Week of 5/2 Recap

The regular season is winding down, but the action is just heating up. The Wayne Invite featured many incredible performances, and there was plenty of notable action closer to Columbus as well. Without further ado, let’s break down this week’s results.

Meet of the Week: Wayne Invite

This meet was exactly what we expected—a state preview. With a large portion of the state’s talent concentrated in Central and Southwest Ohio, fireworks were inevitable. Thursday’s action was relatively quiet. Gahanna Lincoln placed third in the DMR with a time of 12:46, and there were a few solid performances in the Rising Stars 3200 and 4x800.

Things began to heat up on Friday, starting with the 1600. Hilliard Davidson’s Laney Tarr won the Rising Stars section in 5:20—one of the fastest times in Wayne Rising Stars history. In the elite race, Katy Zang edged out a strong field, finishing just 0.11 seconds shy of breaking 5:00. Bella Conforti placed third in 5:09, followed by Aubrey Smith (5:14), Olivia Smeck (5:16), and the Davidson trio of Ashley Alsko (5:16), Anna Gagliano (5:19), and Gemma Pusateri (5:20).

The 800 was another high-quality race, though the highest Central Ohio finisher placed fifth. Hilliard Davidson freshman standout Laken Wenclewicz clocked a 2:18.55, while Olentangy Berlin’s Elliana Alonso also cracked the top eight with a 2:19.71. Other notable performances included Olentangy Liberty’s Bridget Snider (2:20.44), Hilliard Davidson’s Mackenzie Kline (2:23.41), and Gahanna Lincoln’s duo Abigail Young (2:22.92) and Abby Landrum (2:23.42). The final event of the day was the 3200, which we’ll break down below as our featured matchup of the week.

Matchup of the Week: Wayne Invite 3200

This race delivered in every way—and turned into a Central Ohio showcase. Six of the top ten finishers hailed from the region, including four of the top six. As predicted, Brooke Chapman showed out, winning in a blistering 10:28—just four seconds off the meet record set by Grace Hartman, who is now one of the best distance runners at the NCAA level for NC State, and also where Chapman recently committed to. Four other Central Ohio runners broke the 11-minute barrier: Natalie Fouts, Elena Aldrink, Ruby Lewis (with a huge personal best), and Erica Kaulen. Grace Heitkamp also had a strong showing, finishing just over the mark at 11:05.

Other Notable Action

Although not as high-profile as Wayne, the Olentangy Invite and Gary Smith Invitational were great alternatives for teams staying local. At the Olentangy Invite 1600, three girls broke 5:20—Olentangy’s Elena Wanek won in 5:18.24, followed by Cali Kent of Delaware Hayes (5:18.64) and Annie See of DeSales (5:19.89). In the 800, DeSales’ Audri Barry took the win in 2:19.82, with Tiffany Zuehlke (2:20.23) and Ella Watson (2:23.09) following closely.

At the Gary Smith Invitational, Sophia Poling and Lainey Fauth placed second and third in the 1600 with times of 5:20 and 5:23. Minori Hudson won the 800 in 2:23, while Emma Donovan took the 3200 in 11:27. In the 4x1600 relay, three teams broke 22:00—Marysville (21:37), Dublin Coffman (21:44), and Bishop Watterson (21:55). At the Marion Night Invitational, Marion Harding’s Leah Price ran 5:23 and 11:39 in the 1600 and 3200, respectively, with teammate and sister Lydia Price posting times of 5:29 and 11:42.

Underclassmen Results

Several underclassmen stood out across the weekend. At the Wayne Invite, Westerville North’s Jacalyn Elbin ran 12:12 in the Rising Stars 3200, while Gahanna Lincoln’s Jillian Gomez clocked 5:29 in the Rising Stars 1600. At the Olentangy Invite, Addelyn Miller (Olentangy Liberty) ran 5:24 in the 1600 and Ella Wynk (Dublin Jerome) ran 5:27. In the 800, Westerville Central’s Audrey Nowell and Elena Wanek both finished in 2:27. At the Marion Night Invitational, Olivia Bachmann and Dasha Gogoleva of Olentangy Liberty posted low-12-minute performances in the 3200.

As the regular season approaches a close, it's clear that athletes across Central Ohio are rounding into peak form. With standout performances at major meets like Wayne and strong showings at local invitationals, the postseason is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent memory. Stay tuned—things are only getting more exciting from here.