Week of 4/19 Girls Recap

It was another big week for Central Ohio girls’ distance running, with competitive racing all across the region. In this week’s recap, we’ll cover our first Meet of the Week and Matchup of the Week, along with other notable action from around the area.

Meet of the Week: Joe Lenge Dublin Classic 

There’s no doubt we picked the right meet for our Meet of the Week—the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic featured action in nearly every distance event. We’ll hold off on discussing the girls’ 800 for now, as we’ll return to it in a later section.

The girls’ 1600 meters was especially impressive, with not one, not two, but six athletes breaking the 5:20 barrier. The race was won by Brunswick’s Olivia Komperda, an out-of-region standout, but the five other sub-5:20 marks came from Central Ohio. Hilliard Davidson junior Gemma Pusateri led the local charge with a 5:14.

Also in the race were Upper Arlington’s duo of Josie Cox and Morgan Hamilton, who clocked 5:16 and 5:17, respectively. Dublin Coffman’s Minori Hudson and Hilliard Davidson’s Ashley Alsko followed closely behind with matching 5:18s.

In the 3200 meters, Lancaster junior Harper Allen continued her impressive season with a win and a new personal best of 11:03. Each week, Allen seems to be raising her level, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her break the 11-minute barrier before the season ends—in fact, it might be more surprising if she doesn’t.

Turning to the relays, only one team cracked 10 minutes in the 4x800: the Lancaster Golden Gales squad of Hadley Allen, Brooke Derringer, Ava Zeiders, and Harper Allen, who ran 9:46. The Mixed DMR also stood out, with the Olentangy Braves clocking a meet record time of 11:33.

Matchup of the Week:

Laken Wenclewicz vs. Erica Kaulen vs. Natalie Fouts - 800m Joe Lenge Dublin Classic

Wrapping up our coverage from Joe Lenge, the girls’ 800 meters delivered one of the most exciting battles of the meet. Hilliard Davidson freshman Laken Wenclewicz narrowly edged out teammate Erica Kaulen and Dublin Jerome’s Natalie Fouts. Wenclewicz ran 2:18 to claim the win, while Fouts and Kaulen followed closely in 2:19. All three runners notched new personal bests in the process.

Other Notable Action: Beyond Joe Lenge, several Central Ohio athletes made noise elsewhere. Gahanna’s girls traveled down to Louisville for the Eastern Relays, where Ruby Lewis stood out with an 11:04 in the 3200. You could also make a strong case for Abigail Young’s 2:24 in the 800 as Gahanna’s top performance.

Another strong showing came at the New Albany Eagle Invitational. Westerville Central’s Tiffany Zuehlke took the win in the 800 with a 2:23, while New Albany freshman Kyla Benedict impressed in the 1600, winning in 5:23.

Underclassmen Highlights:

Speaking of freshmen, Kyla Benedict’s win at the Eagle Invitational deserves another shoutout. While the meet wasn’t the deepest in terms of competition, defending the home track and putting up a solid time is always worth recognition.

Another under-the-radar performance came from Thomas Worthington’s Meredith Hinten, who ran 11:51 in the 3200 to win a dual meet against Hilliard Bradley earlier in the week.

Still, the standout freshman performance of the week goes to Laken Wenclewicz, who stole the spotlight with her 2:18 victory in the 800 meters at the Joe Lenge Classic.

All things considered, Central Ohio distance running delivered once again. With rising stars making noise in every event, competitive matchups at key meets, and freshmen stepping up in big ways, the depth across the region continues to impress. As we inch closer to the heart of championship season, the momentum from weeks like this one is starting to paint a clear picture—Central Ohio is ready to make some noise when it matters most.