Girls Week of 5/9 Recap

The last week of the regular season is officially in the books after an eventful weekend of racing. Between the Bizzarri Mile, Delaware County Invitational, Larkin and Crosten Classic, and the Bradley Invitational, there’s a lot of action to break down.

Meet of the Week: Delaware County Invitational

At the Delaware County Invitational, the Olentangy schools joined Big Walnut, Delaware Hayes, and Buckeye Valley in a seven-team meet. The day kicked off with the 4x800, featuring two sub-10:00 relay performances. Olentangy Liberty’s team of Aldrink, Okonak, Spires, and Snider took the win in 9:43, while Olentangy Berlin’s squad of Alonso, Lockard, McKibben, and Heitkamp placed second in 9:51.

The 1600 was a display of dominance from Brooke Chapman, who finished first by nearly 20 seconds in a blazing 4:48—currently ranked US #42. Her time left us wondering how fast she might have gone in a head-to-head matchup with Celia Schulte at the Bizzarri Mile. Chapman’s teammate Bella Conforti finished second in 5:06.

The 800 saw a tight finish between Grace Buskirk, Bridget Snider, and Leighton Coey, who clocked 2:20.61, 2:22.46, and 2:22.85, respectively. Evelyn Joseph and Cat Szasz also broke 2:30, each running 2:28. The 3200 wasn’t much of a contest, with Elena Aldrink running a solo 10:56 for the win.

Matchup of the Week: Mason Rod Russell Bizzarri Mile

As predicted, Celia Schulte took the win in the most competitive mile race in the state. What we didn’t anticipate was just how fast she would go—Schulte ran the full mile in 4:48, with a 1600 split of 4:46. It stands as one of the top performances in Ohio high school history. Also running an outstanding race was Erica Kaulen, who clocked 4:59 for the mile and 4:57 for the 1600.

Other Notable Action

The Bradley Invitational brought strong competition on the girls' side. In the 1600, Ruby Lewis, Harper Allen, and Natalie Fouts all finished within a second of each other in 5:01, 5:02, and 5:02. Ella Watson won the 800 in 2:22, and Marisa Heil took the 3200 in 10:49.

At the Larkin and Crosten Classic, Minori Hudson ran a huge personal best of 5:05 in the 1600. In the 800, a trio of underclassmen—Kate Michael, Josie Cox, and Abigail Eiferman—finished 1-2-3 with times of 2:21.31, 2:21.64, and 2:22.70. Hudson returned to win the 3200 in a solo 11:06.

Underclassmen Results

Beyond the names already mentioned, several underclassmen stood out across meets. At the Delaware County Invitational, Addelyn Miller ran 5:27 in the 1600, and Georgia Speelman clocked 11:40 in the 3200.

At the Bradley Invitational, Brooke Derringer, Reese Galinger, Addie Keplar, and Ella Wynk all ran under 5:30 in the 1600. In the 800, Mackenzie Kline, Hadley Allen, Cameron Cave, and Charlotte Schwemlein all broke 2:30, and Jillian Gomez ran 11:56 in the 3200.

At the Larkin and Crosten Classic, Kaitlyn Van Zandt ran an impressive 5:16 in the 1600. In the 800, Elizabeth Elsass and Caroline Kitsmiller each finished under 2:30, and Abigail Gerschutz ran 11:44 in the 3200.

With the regular season officially wrapped up, these standout performances set the stage for an exciting postseason. From elite head-to-head matchups to breakout races from underclassmen, Central Ohio athletes are primed to make noise as championship season begins.