Girls
Many of have been waiting for this moment all season, and that was for someone to rewrite the Ohio All-Times list and take Abby Steiner (Dub. Coffman 2018)'s state record in the 100m Dash. Last year, during the 100m Dash prelims, that state record came incredibly close to falling as Maira Scott (Hol. Springfield 2024), clocked a 11.41, just .04 seconds off moving above Steiner's 11.38. She isn't the only one looking for a chance to end their Ohio campaign on a record note, as during this past indoor season, Olivia Pace (Wester. Central 2024) became the second person in Ohio history to clock a performance under 7.40, and missing the 60m Dash record by a hair, 7.37, just a hair off of Steiner's 7.38. Fast forward to this spring, Pace actually now owns the All-Conditions record in the 100m Dash for Ohio, as she had clocked 11.32 (+3.4) at the 64th Annual Mt. Sac Relays back in April. Between these two, they are slated to compete in the same lineup on the track, although Pace will be going into the Long Jump as the second seed.
Shifting the focus to the hurdles, there lies an underclassman that has taken the spotlight this year in both the 100m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles, Ric'Keya White (Wayne 2026), who has remained undefeated all season in her specialty. Being one of the returners to look out for at the state championships this year, White put the state on notice with her third-place finish in the 100m Hurdles at last year's installment, and since then, has added a state title to her collection with the 60m Hurdles during the indoor season. On top of the hurdles, she is also slated to compete in the 100m Dash and 4x100m Relay, two events in which she could be on that podium twice, and possibly add another state title with the relay, as Wayne are coming into the meet with the fastest seed.
For the 4x800m Relay, as of now, it will be anyone's race to win, as the four of the five teams set their season bests at their respective regional competitions (Hil. Davidson ran 9:14.79 earlier this season, with less than 2 seconds separating the top seed, Avon (9:16.12), from the fifth seed, Westlake (9:18.06). Compared to last years' podium finishers, Westlake and Perrysburg are the only two from the five that are returning.
Avon - 9:16.12
Perrysburg - 9:17.01
Hil. Davidson - 9:17.33
Strongsville - 9:17.71
Westlake - 9:18.06
With Westlake, there is an individual on that relay who will be someone to look out for in the 1600m Run, and that's Sarah Peer (Westlake 2024). After taking the entire indoor season to recover from an injury, she came into the outdoor season strong, putting up solid times across the board despite limited racing, and is coming in as the top seed in the event with a 4:54.90. On paper, she has remained nearly undefeated in the 1600m Run this spring, although she isn't quite in the clear yet, as there are three other individuals seeded with sub-5 marks, along with two more being seeded at 5:00.xx.
Sarah Peer (Westlake 2024) - 4:54.90
Brooke Chapman (Olen. Orange 2026) - 4:57.22
Marisa Heil (Lancaster 2025) - 4:57.88
Hannah Jicha (Strongsville 2026) - 4:59.09
Daniela Scheffler (Uniont. Lake 2025) - 5:00.050
Kara Bergeron (Granville 2024) - 5:00.50
Keeping things within the distance events, we could see two athletes take home their very first state title, Kylie Feeney (Dub. Coffman 2024) and Kaitlyn Reese (Avon 2026). For Feeney, she will be returning as the fifth-place finisher from last year in the 800m, however, at OHSAA Division 1 Region 3 - Pickerington, she had a breakout race where she clocked her first ever sub-2:10 in the event, which currently stands as the top mark in the state, just ahead of Celia Schulte (Hil. Davidson 2026)'s 2:08.97 ran at her respective district meet.
For Reese, she highlights the handful of underclassmen at the state championships who have a legitimate shot at winning a state title. The Avon sophomore is currently at the top of not just the performance list, but also at the top of the state rankings with her 10:35.77, a personal best that was set at OHSAA Division 1 Region 2 - Port Clinton. That won't be the only event she has a shot at standing on the top of the podium for though, as she is also a part of the Avon 4x800m Relay that is currently seeded at the top.
Rounding things out with the Girl's 400m Dash, as based off the performance list, the Top-5 are all seeded at 55.xx, with Keena Sanders (Gah. Lincoln 2024), leading the lists with her 55.18, which is also her personal best that was set at OHSAA Division 1 Region 3 - Pickerington. Although, as it goes with any championship race, no one can be counted out, especially for the indoor state champion in the event, Ady Armstrong (Hil. Darby 2024), who currently has an overall personal best of 55.76 across both indoor and outdoor.
Keena Sanders (Gah. Lincoln 2024) - 55.18
Kayleigh Keyes (Beavercreek 2025) - 55.32
Amahrie Harsh (Hoover 2024) - 55.36
Lillian Hurd (Col. Independence 2024) - 55.48
Savannah Swanda (Twinsburg 2024) - 55.79