Intense action all across the board is expected in the girls' ledger
Girls-
One of the first commits for the Showcase was Ava Parekh (So. Chicago Latin). The star-studded talent wanted to find a fast oval and somewhere relatively close to home if possible. In time, she got a few friends of the sport to join in and now the "mile" field is strong. We could see our first sub 5:00 clocking of the early season in the 1600m. Parekh's teammate Marianne Mihas (Jr.) is entered and really strut her championship form after a tough cross country season. Mihas is a two-time state champion who will be joined by one of Indiana's best middle-distance runners, Ava Gilliana (Sr., Valparaiso). She has a personal best of 4:52.
The 800m is an event that appears on paper to be stacked event with multiple all-stars entered. Mihas is followed by Kaylie Politza (So., Lemont), Gabby Alongi (Sr., Duquoin), Kayla Bell (Sr., TF South), and Indiana standout Maddie Russin (Sr., Crown Point IN). We could see a time under 2:15 when the dust settles.
One of the nation's top short hurdlers Kaylah McCall (Sr., Homewood-Flossmoor) has entered three events but she may just sharpen her blades in the 60 and 200 dashes. For those that don't know, McCall is proven in the short dash where her personal best is 7.56. She has also clocked 25.43 in the one-lapper. Perhaps she will walk away with two big wins.
If there is one event that possesses national star power, it's the pole vault. Windsor Roberts (Jr., Tri-Valley) is on her way to being the next superstar here in the state based on pure results. After setting the all-time best 13-5 last year at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals, it is certain that those in attendance will witness something special. Rival Rhiannon Held (Jr., Mt. Zion) is a talent in her own right and she will be out to stop Robert's momentum.
Riley Ammenhauser (Jr., Naperville Neuqua Valley) has been a consistent 40-foot talent in the triple jump since her inception into the sport as a freshman. The season, of course, is very young and this will be Ammenhauser's season opener. She will face some pressure from Sydney Willits (Jr., Glenbrook South) and Lovie Annafi (Sr., Chicago Whitney Young)... the long jump will see Ammenhauser vs. Willits and teammate Raelyn Roberson (Sr.).