Girls Track & Field
2026 Season Review
The Lady Royals track and field team concluded their season with strong performances, demonstrating their ability to compete under pressure when it mattered most. The girls worked hard throughout the season and consistently delivered their best performances at the championship meets. Two Royals were conference champions this year, including freshman Lotanna Okeke in the 100-meter hurdles and junior Emilia Reutubuch in discus. Juniors Clara Kazmierzak, Tessa Mize and senior Ava Shirley all earned Academic All-State honors.
Seniors Madelyn Kitchens and Reagan Turk, practice partners since grade school, ran the fastest 800-meter times on the team this season at sectionals. The pair finished just 0.02 seconds apart, clocking times of 2:28.65 and 2:28.67, respectively. The 4×400-meter relay team of freshmen Brooklyn Ahaus and Taylor Seibert, junior Alana Hawkins and sophomore Ellie Littell ran a season-best 4:15.03 at the highly competitive Marion County meet. Junior Caroline Schoettle recorded a personal-best throw of 34’10.25″ in the shot put at the regionals, earning a ribbon. The 4×800-meter relay team of Kitchens, senior Ximena Zarza-Diego, Littell and Turk posted their season-best time of 10:00.03 to qualify for the regional meet.
Additional regional qualifiers included senior Shirley (1600m), junior Tessa Mize (3200m), sophomore Alex Dew (100m), Okeke (100m hurdles), senior Becca Engel (long jump) and Kitchens (800m).
Eight athletes earned spots on the Royals Top 5 List, either improving their standing or making their debut on the list. Okeke ran 15.36 in the 100-meter hurdles to become the second-fastest hurdler in school history. Two distance runners also improved their places on the all-time list. Mize moved to third all-time in the 1600 meters with a time of 5:16.43 and fourth all-time in the 3200 meters with a time of 11:24.52. Shirley also recorded a personal best of 5:25.37 in the 1600 meters.
The 4×100-meter relay team of Dew, Seibert, sophomore Rosanna Spearing and Hawkins ran a season-best 50.37 at the regional meet, becoming the third-fastest relay team in school history. In the high jump, senior Lydia Stahley qualified for the state meet once again and cleared a personal-best height of 5’4″, moving her into third place on the Royals Top 5 List. This capped off her high school athletic career by completing a remarkable three-peat, qualifying for the state finals in all three of her sports—volleyball, basketball and track and field.
End-of-season Roncalli awards went to the following Royals:
MVPs: Tessa Mize (Distance), Lotanna Okeke (Sprints/Hurdles) and Lydia Stahley (Field)
Mental Attitude and Sportsmanship Awards: Reagan Turk
Leadership Award: Madelyn Kitchens