Ohio's Girls Are Setting the Pace: Standouts in Every Grade and Division

A junior from Napoleon has the fastest mark in the field. A sophomore from Aurora is next. And the quickest freshman in these rankings comes from Bellaire.

Ohio's girls cross country talent reaches across school sizes and graduating classes. As September closes, Gwen Huddle's 17:26.4, Audrey Miller's 17:42.8 and Paisley Farrier's 18:23.7 offer three different reasons to pay attention. Behind them are crowded rankings, promising groups of classmates and athletes separated by fractions of a second.

Podium Watch's comparison brings together 160 runners across 16 lists, with a top 10 for each grade in Divisions 1 through 4. Ten of the featured athletes have reported performances under 18 minutes. Some groups have a clear leader on time. Others have several runners packed into a few seconds.

These are performance lists rather than predictions of championship finishes. Courses, weather and race conditions vary, and the next race will give every runner a new opportunity to change the picture.

About the rankings: This feature combines the supplied Athletic.net and MileSplit girls 5K lists through September 29, 2026, retaining the faster reported performance and displaying times to one decimal place. It represents the results provided for this comparison, not an independently exhaustive statewide database.

Freshmen

Division 1: Hattie Kane leads a crowded freshman field

Thomas Worthington's Hattie Kane owns the quickest Division 1 freshman mark in this comparison, an 18:46.6 from the Neal Charske Fairmont Firebird Invitational. Olentangy Orange's Ellery Jepson sits just three seconds back at 18:49.6, with Brunswick's Isla Nolan also under 19 minutes at 18:57.4. Those three set the early standard for a group whose entire top 10 has broken 20 minutes.

Beavercreek supplies one of the most interesting stories farther down the list. Ellie Allen, Ella Gomm and Madalena Felix occupy sixth, eighth and tenth, all with performances from the Southern Showcase. Three freshmen within 14.5 seconds of one another give the program a promising group to develop together. Kane also has a classmate in the top 10, with Lucy Miller seventh at 19:38.5.

Division 2: Charlee Skeen-Adrine and Hayden Meyer set the standard

Hudson's Charlee Skeen-Adrine takes the top spot with an 18:32.9 at Wooster, but Louisville's Hayden Meyer is close enough to keep this comparison interesting. Meyer's 18:37.5 at the Jackson HeckSpacular leaves only 4.6 seconds between their best listed marks.

Westlake's Sheila Snyder completes the trio under 19 minutes with an 18:59.4 from Strongsville. Brooklynn Eisenhauer and Brooke Tindera follow in the low 19s, ahead of a tightly packed bottom half. Jayna Less gives Westlake a second representative, while Simone Strickland, Brynlee Beatty and Olivia McGraw fill the final three positions with marks separated by only 1.5 seconds. Small improvements could change the order quickly.

Division 3: Luci Maschek makes an immediate impression

Crestwood's Luci Maschek has wasted little time putting a strong number next to her name. Her 18:29.8 at the Pat Ritchie Invitational leads Division 3 freshmen and ranks second among all freshmen in this compilation. West Holmes' Ava Reiheld follows at 18:37.0, with Berkshire's Claire Passow third at 18:54.0.

Berkshire also places June Dunlap ninth, making it the only school with two athletes in this top 10. Pleasant's Madisyn Ruhe and Fenwick's Norah Klimo hold fourth and fifth, while Ava McManamon and Vada Walters are separated by just a tenth in sixth and seventh. Gretta Framstad, Dunlap and Lily Nienberg complete a list that stays below 20 minutes from top to bottom.

Division 4: Paisley Farrier puts Bellaire at the front

The fastest freshman performance across these four divisions belongs to Bellaire's Paisley Farrier. Her 18:23.7 at the Jeremy Anderson Invitational gives this group a standout at the front and puts her 6.1 seconds ahead of the next fastest freshman mark in the combined lists.

Summit Country Day's Emma McCormick follows at 18:41.5, ahead of Morgan Miller and Elizabeth Niekamp, whose marks differ by just 1.4 seconds. Reiner Schaadt leads the next group at 19:25.0. Laila Nally, Gracie Steiner, Kylee Korte, Kinsley Schuette and Blythe Fitzenreiter complete a top 10 with a cutoff of 19:41.4. Korte's September 29 performance at Bath is among the latest results included in this snapshot.

Sophomores

Division 1: Beth Baker leads, with depth throughout the list

Upper Arlington's Beth Baker holds the top sophomore spot in Division 1 with an 18:22.4 from the Pickerington North Classic. Springboro's Tessa Andrews follows at 18:30.8, with Carmella Curtis and Lucia Schafer close behind. The first four performances fall within 15.1 seconds, giving this group several names worth following as the season moves into October.

Massillon Jackson and Kings each place two runners in the top 10. Bryn Ball is fifth and Liv Ziders tenth for Jackson, while Hadley Petersen and Harper McClung sit seventh and eighth for Kings. Sadie Mergler and Alyssa Browne add to the depth of a list featuring seven athletes under 19 minutes.

Division 2: Audrey Miller headlines an exceptional sophomore group

Aurora's Audrey Miller brings a 17:42.8 from the HOKA Night XC Showcase to the top of Division 2. That is the fastest sophomore mark in this compilation and the second fastest performance across all 160 athletes featured here. Only Napoleon junior Gwen Huddle has a quicker listed time.

Miller has serious company. Julia Bocik's 17:53.0 and Maya Gonzalez's 17:53.4 make this the only sophomore group with three athletes under 18 minutes. Kaylee Ingratta and Lily Kiser round out the first five, while Claire Jenkins gives Aurora another place in the top seven. Even the tenth spot requires an 18:56.2. Every runner in this top 10 has broken 19 minutes, making it one of the deepest groups in the feature.

Division 3: Evelyn Reinoehl leads a tightly packed first five

Oakwood's Evelyn Reinoehl sets the pace at 18:44.6, but the first five Division 3 sophomores are separated by only 15.3 seconds. Lina Kaufman and Addison Hopple are almost level on the clock at 18:51.1 and 18:51.3, followed by Sadie Schultz at 18:54.9 and Laney Schlessman at 18:59.9.

Three programs account for six of the ten places. Bella Fulton joins Reinoehl for Oakwood, Andrea Lesnak joins Schlessman for Huron, and Macie Keener and Sophia Tebbe represent Fenwick. That concentration gives this list a team dimension alongside its individual stories. Rowan Harshey adds Indian Valley to the mix in eighth at 19:44.0.

Division 4: Aubrey Ritzler and Elaina Borchers lead the way

Seneca East's Aubrey Ritzler leads Division 4 sophomores with an 18:39.7 at the Black Knight Invite. Fort Loramie's Elaina Borchers is the closest challenger on the list at 18:49.3, leaving those two as the group's only runners under 19 minutes.

Ottawa Hills has both Piper Padgett and Molly Mullan in the first five, with Bellaire's Kamdin Snider between them. Liberty Center answers with Castyn Miller in sixth and Mya Stark in eighth. Ella Eshleman, Claire Michaelis and Mickenzie White round out a top 10 whose final five marks fit within 11.3 seconds. Ritzler and Borchers have established the fastest marks, while the order behind them remains particularly compact.

Juniors

Division 1: Lexi Schultz gives Perrysburg the leading mark

Perrysburg's Lexi Schultz is the lone Division 1 junior in this top 10 below 18 minutes. Her 17:52.8 at Tiffin gives her a 29.4 second advantage over the next listed mark, Kassadi Thompson's 18:22.2 from the Malone Night Invitational.

Kate Michael follows at 18:37.2, ahead of Abby Parsons, Maren Barnett and Ellie Meade. All six have broken 19 minutes. Chloe Cliche holds seventh at 19:14.7, while Alexa Fell and Hadley Allen sit just three tenths apart in eighth and ninth. Kyla Benedict completes the group at 19:30.7. Schultz supplies the headline time, but this is a list with representation from ten different schools.

Division 2: Annalise Costin leads, while Watterson places three

Brecksville's Annalise Costin stands at the front of Division 2 juniors with a 17:46.4 from the HOKA Night XC Showcase. Her closest listed challenger is Kaitlyn Van Zandt at 18:21.7, a performance that also begins a strong showing for Watterson.

Van Zandt, Campbell Retzke and Berkley LaCount occupy second, third and sixth. Three classmates in the same top 10 make Watterson one of the clearest program stories in this feature. The middle of the list is especially close: Ella Dolgowicz, LaCount, Logan Romanini, Elsa Tonnessen and Arriana Dugan all fall between 19:10.8 and 19:14.7. Dugan's faster result from the Liberty Center Extravaganza brings her into that narrow window.

Division 3: Gwen Huddle owns the fastest mark in the feature

Napoleon's Gwen Huddle is the athlete at the top of the clock across this entire compilation. Her 17:26.4 at the Black Knight Invite is 16.4 seconds faster than the next quickest performance among the 160 featured runners. Within Division 3 juniors, it puts her 50.3 seconds ahead of the next listed mark.

Chagrin Falls' Gabby Byrne holds second at 18:16.7, followed by Lucy Folger, Vivianna Cellini and Caroline Valentino. Tessa Kress and Tateum Richard also sit under 19 minutes. Minerva places both Richard and Addison Keyser in the top 10, while Marina Campbell and Iriel Mena fill eighth and ninth. Huddle's result commands attention, and the depth behind her gives this division plenty more to follow.

Division 4: Natalie Nixon gives Ottawa Hills another reason to watch

Natalie Nixon's 17:45.9 at the Liberty Center Extravaganza leads Division 4 juniors and ranks third among all performances in this feature. With sophomores Piper Padgett and Molly Mullan also prominent in their class, Ottawa Hills has several athletes appearing near the front of these lists.

Newton Local's Michaela Flora and McDonald's Naomi Sheesley are separated by just 1.5 seconds in second and third. Kylie Sayle follows at 19:10.6. Mandy Mark, Elliot Handley and Piper Polen form another close group, with only 1.7 seconds between their listed marks. Hadley Hudson, Joanna Topp and Adalyn Calvin complete the top 10, giving ten different schools a representative.

Seniors

Division 1: Elle Campbell leads a top 10 entirely under 19 minutes

Milford's Elle Campbell sets the Division 1 senior standard at 17:55.1, recorded at the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational. Reese Galinger and Aleah Coster follow with marks only 1.2 seconds apart, giving the next two positions their own close comparison.

The depth continues throughout the list. Mackenzie Kline, Makenna Long and Ella Smith are separated by just two seconds in fourth through sixth. Josie Cox, Abigail Young, Alianne Boehm and Madelyn O'Brien complete a group in which every athlete has broken 19 minutes. Campbell owns the only mark under 18, but the strength of the full ten makes this one of the feature's strongest senior groups.

Division 2: Katherine Schuler sets the Division 2 senior pace

Medina Highland's Katherine Schuler leads at 17:50.0, with Makayla Martuccio and Lucia Sveda following at 18:07.7 and 18:10.4. Schuler's performance at the Jackson HeckSpacular gives her the second fastest senior mark across the four divisions in this comparison.

Peyton Hughey, Maggie Gerschutz and Olivia May are almost inseparable on time, occupying fourth through sixth with marks spanning only half a second. Olivia Brady, Allison High, Zoey Myers and Amelie Anderson round out the list. Like their Division 1 counterparts, all ten Division 2 seniors are under 19 minutes.

Division 3: Irelyn Johnson leads Ohio's featured seniors

Marlington's Irelyn Johnson has the fastest senior performance in the combined lists, a 17:48.7 at the Malone Night Invitational. Her mark is 1.3 seconds quicker than Katherine Schuler's leading Division 2 time, giving the senior class an especially close comparison across divisions.

Clear Fork's Katrina Neal follows Johnson at 18:16.9, with Claymont's Kali Wallace third at 18:22.8 on the strength of her Sandy Valley result. Rylie Towns and Ruby Clark complete the six runners under 19 minutes. Marlington also places Brincyn Boyce ninth, while Lola Mullen, Hannah Gemmel and Piper Seibold add to the group's depth.

Division 4: Colbie Strayer leads Liberty Center's senior charge

Liberty Center's Colbie Strayer tops the Division 4 senior list with an 18:24.3 from the Battle of Turtle Creek. Shadyside's Chloe Meholovitch is second at 18:57.5 from the OVCCL Kick Off Meet, giving this group two athletes under 19 minutes.

Ida Estadt and Campbell Coyne follow at 19:07.0 and 19:08.3. Isabella Stueve and Claire Bohman take the next two positions, ahead of Julia Albright and Maryn Erdman, whose marks are separated by seven tenths. Claire Stull and Marlee Beacom complete the top 10. Strayer's leading mark, alongside Liberty Center's two sophomore entries, gives the program a presence across multiple graduating classes.

What to watch as October begins

Huddle's leading time is an obvious place to start, but the wider story has several threads. Division 2's sophomore class puts three runners under 18 minutes and all ten under 19. Beavercreek supplies three Division 1 freshmen. Watterson puts three juniors into its division's top 10. Both Division 1 and Division 2 have entire senior top tens under 19 minutes.

The freshmen offer another compelling comparison. Farrier, Maschek, Skeen-Adrine and Kane lead their respective divisions, with only 22.9 seconds separating the four marks. Each has already given her program a reason to be excited about this class.

October will bring new courses, new competition and new versions of these lists. For the runners featured here, September has already provided a performance worth recognizing. The next chapter is theirs to run.