The Delaware Hayes HS Invitational on Apr 17 produced something Ohio's 1600m leaderboard had not seen yet this season: sub-5s! Elena Aldrink of Olentangy Liberty won in 4:57.94, an outdoor PR, and Grace Buskirk of Big Walnut finished second in 4:58.74, also a PR. 

Aldrink is a senior committed to Washington, and projects to be a true long distance standout. Her outdoor 1600m best coming into this season was 5:09.24 from the Midwest Elite Meet last June. She has cut more than 11 seconds off that in one spring. The 4:57.94 is a PR and the current Ohio state lead and it did not come from nowhere. Aldrink won the OHSAA Division 1 cross country state title last fall, placed fourth at New Balance Nationals Indoor in the 5000m in March with a blistering 16:13.63 PR, and ran 4:52.87 indoors at the Ashland HS High Performance Invite in February. 

Buskirk ran 5:08.06 at the Newark HS Invitational Meet on Apr 7. Ten days later she ran 4:58.74 - a PR by nine seconds, good for second place. She also PR'd in the 3200m at the same meet, running 11:17.26. Her indoor 1600m best was 5:06.79 from the OATCCC D2 Indoor State Meet in March. 

The rest of the Ohio state board is more than four seconds back. Irelyn Johnson of Marlington ran 5:00.01 to win the Marlington Invitational on Apr 17 and sits third. Maya Gonzalez, a freshman, is fourth at 5:04.19 from the Bay Rockets Invitational on Apr 18. Naomi Sheesley ran 5:04.37 at the Walsh Jesuit John Hasenstab Warrior Relays to current rank Apr 18. Delaney Cilley of Loveland is sixth at 5:04.63, Anna Prusak went 5:04.93 at the Avon Lake Invitational on Apr 4. Alanna Williams ran 5:04.96 early April, Natalie Nixon ran 5:05.44 at the Bryan Invitational on Apr 2 for ninth and Katherine Schuler of Med Highland is sitting in tenth at 5:05.80.

Nationally, the girls 1600m is running at a different level. Kaitlyn Estep, a sophomore from Cardinal Gibbons in North Carolina, leads the country at 4:34.91 from the ASICS Carolina Distance Carnival on Apr 17. Lily Alder of Timpview in Utah ran 4:37.04 at the same meet for second. Danielle Graham of IMG Academy in Florida rounds out the top three in the country with a time of 4:40.01.

Even though Aldrink's 4:57.94 sits well outside the national top five. She has been dropping time at a rate that makes this spring hard to predict.