The girls from Merino High School were very close last year to jumping on the podium, finishing 3rd overall with 65 points behind 1st and 2nd place that tied with 70 points. Though the scores are still looking fairly tight at the top for Class 1A and even with some names graduating, Merino still has a shot at trying to reach the podium.
They will get many of their points on the distance side with many of the girls who finished on the podium in those events returning this year. First, Hailey Foos placed 4th overall at the state meet in the 800m, running a time of 2:29. So far this season, she is a little off of her personal best in the 800m, running 2:37 and 1:07 for the 400m as well. However, she clearly has the potential to help the squad out in the individual events and in the relays, especially given her past experience.
Another name that has also scored at the state meet from last season is Analeigh Hackbarth, who placed 6th in the 800m and 4th in the 1600m! So far this season, she has run 2:33 in the 800m and 6:02 in the 1600m. Those times are a little bit slower than what she ran at state, and she may not be currently ranked as of now, but with her experience from last season, she is another name that could step up if she makes those small improvements going into the last couple weeks of the season.
A couple other names on the distance side who are really stepping up so far this season include Laney Piel and Kya Piel, who are both ranked in the top 9 in multiple events this season. Starting with Laney, she has run 1:04, 2:32, 5:35, and 12:29 for the 400m all the way up to the 3200m. She is ranked #9 in the 800m, #4 in the 1600m, and #3 in the 3200m! On top of all her distance rankings, she is ranked #4 in pole vault, making her very valuable for the squad in a handful of events. Moving on to Kya, she is currently ranked in the 1600m and the 3200m, sitting at #6 and #4 respectively. She has only raced each of those events once, so her personal bests of 5:53 and 12:42 could be much faster once she races again.
On the sprints side, Lauren Lorenzo returns once again and is ranked quite well in the 100m hurdles. She placed 7th overall in the hurdles at the state meet just as a freshmen, and she has already set a new personal best for this season of 17.29! Her time places her at #3 in the Class 1A rankings. She is also ranked in the 100m for wind legal times, running 13.33, placing her at #6! Finally, she is sitting at #10 in the 300m hurdles with a time of 51.37, giving her a chance to score even more points for her team in a handful of other events besides just the 100m hurdles.
On the field event side, Kenzie King returns in the discus throw after finishing 9th overall last season, throwing 94-7. She has already improved on that mark this season, throwing 102-10 and is ranked #7 in Class 1A! Considering she has already improved this season, she has a great chance of returning to the podium once again!
In terms of their relays, Merino is sitting at #1 in the 4x800m relay by a decent margin, so they have a very good chance at finishing first in that event. On top of that, they are #5 in the 4x100m relay, #6 in the 4x200m relay, and #3 in the 4x400m relay, giving them many opportunities to score points in a handful of the relay events!
Overall, Merino High School has a handful of names that are returning and a few new names that could help make a difference for the team. They are very stacked in the distance events but still have others who could help in the sprints and field events. Plus, they have a deep enough lineup to put together some good relays to score points as well. Though scores are looking tight for Class 1A on the girls' side Merino will look to redeem themselves from last season to get on the podium!
The girls from Merino High School were very close last year to jumping on the podium, finishing 3rd overall with 65 points behind 1st and 2nd place that tied with 70 points. Though the scores are still looking fairly tight at the top for Class 1A and even with some names graduating, Merino still has a shot at trying to reach the podium.
They will get many of their points on the distance side with many of the girls who finished on the podium in those events returning this year. First, Hailey Foos placed 4th overall at the state meet in the 800m, running a time of 2:29. So far this season, she is a little off of her personal best in the 800m, running 2:37 and 1:07 for the 400m as well. However, she clearly has the potential to help the squad out in the individual events and in the relays, especially given her past experience.
Another name that has also scored at the state meet from last season is Analeigh Hackbarth, who placed 6th in the 800m and 4th in the 1600m! So far this season, she has run 2:33 in the 800m and 6:02 in the 1600m. Those times are a little bit slower than what she ran at state, and she may not be currently ranked as of now, but with her experience from last season, she is another name that could step up if she makes those small improvements going into the last couple weeks of the season.