Here’s what you need to know for the 2024 high school girls outdoor track and field season in the Baltimore area.
Storylines to watch
How will extra outdoor events shuffle the indoor standings?
While several area programs earned state championships during the winter indoor season, it’s not as easy as saying they should be able to do it again outdoors. Outdoor track and field features an extra sprint relay and hurdle event, two extra jumping events and another throwing event. Teams fortunate with a deep pool of sprinters, who often double up in jumping events, can take advantage of the extra events and surpass a team that beat them indoors whose strengths were in indoor events.
Oakland Mills and River Hill set to clash in Howard County — and Class 3A
Howard County produced two state team champions a year ago: Oakland Mills in 2A and River Hill in 3A. This year, the Scorpions are moving up to join the Hawks in then bigger classification. Each team won their respective title with several underclassmen producing big point totals. While Oakland Mills handily won the Howard County meet over the Hawks last year, the two will face off again, likely for the county title, and will be two of the favorites to make a run at the state crown.
How low can Elise Cooper go?
When McDonogh junior Elise Cooper takes off from the starting line, it’s getting less about whether will she win her race and more about how fat she will run. She’s won Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland titles and national titles. It seems nearly every time she runs she sets a personal or season best. Only a junior, there’s still two more years to catch this special talent, though not many can catch her.
Can Harford Tech continue its ascent?
The Cobras track and field program has been on an upward trajectory despite jumping between classes. They finished sixth in Class 2A last spring with no seniors scoring a point at the state meet. In the indoor season, they dropped to 1A and finished as state runner-up. Harford Tech is still in Class 2A for outdoors and is a legitimate championship contender. The extra events play into the heart of the team. With two-time champion Oakland Mills moving up, the 2A title is up for grabs, and the Cobras have as good a shot as anyone to win it.
Can anyone challenge Broadneck and Severna Park in Anne Arundel?
Severna Park edged Broadneck by 12.5 points for last season’s Anne Arundel County outdoor championship. The Bruins got revenge at the county indoor championships. But while the two are seemingly in a position to battle again for county supremacy, some other teams are looking to crash the party. Arundel and Crofton have battled each other for third place at the last two county meets but each have enough quality athletes to challenge the traditional powers.
Athletes to watch
Carson Boteler, Broadneck, senior, pole vault
Boteler backed up her Class 4A state pole vault championship last spring with another state title during the winter indoor season.
Elise Cooper, McDonogh, junior, sprinter
The highly decorated sprinter seems likely to add to her legacy with each race. After winning three IAAM championships, she won the 200 meters at the New Balance nationals.
Mary Gorsky, McDonogh, senior, distance
Gorsky has established herself as the one to beat in IAAM distance races, winning last spring’s titles in the 1,600 and 3,200, then winning the same events at the winter indoor championships.
Alicia Hall, Oakland Mills, junior, jumps
Hall has been a key part of the Scorpions’ two straight state championship teams. Last spring, she won the state title in the triple jump and was third in the high and long jumps.
Rebekkah Hillier, Hereford, senior, distance
Hillier is coming off the meet of her life at the indoor state championships, where she won gold medals in the 1,600 and 3,200 in Class 2A.
Chayse Mitchell, Spalding, sophomore, jumps
She won the IAAM A Conference high jump title as a freshman last year, and this winter captured three more indoor championships in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Ogechi Uzoukwu, Western Tech, junior, sprinter-jumps
She was a big piece of the Wolverines’ Class 1A state championship last year, placing second in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the long and triple jumps.
Ashleigh Porter, Francis Scott Key, senior, jumps
Porter has four Class 1A high jump state titles on her resume — two in indoor, two in outdoor — but after falling short of another crown in the winter, she’s even hungrier to make it three straight outdoor titles.
Emma Reaves, Westminster, senior, throws
The University of New Hampshire commit was second in discus at last spring’s Class 3A state meet and was second in shot put at the winter indoor championships.
Marella Virmani, River Hill, sophomore, distance
Virmani opened her high school career in a fantastic way last year, winning Class 3A state titles in the 800 and 1,600, and running on the championship 4×800 relay.
Preseason Top 15 poll
1. McDonogh
Coach: Phil Turner
Postseason: IAAM A Conference champion, No. 1 ranking
Outlook: The Cooper sisters are a strong foundation for any championship team, but the Eagles supplement the talented sprinters with a deep roster.
2. Woodlawn
Coach: Joey Young
Postseason: Tied for fourth in Class 3A, No. 12
Outlook: Arayana Ladson transferred from Mt. Hebron and helped turn the Warriors into champions. The recently won the Class 4A state title during the indoor season.
3. Archbishop Spalding
Coach: Jessica Beard
Postseason: Second in IAAM A Conference, No. 4
Outlook: If anyone has the firepower to challenge McDonogh, it’s the Cavaliers. Mitchell will provide a lot of points in jumping events, while Athena Stith and Jalaia Creary round out a strong lineup.
4. Oakland Mills
Coach: Renato Gonzalez
Last season: Class 2A state champion, No. 2
Outlook: The Scorpions are two-time defending Class 2A state champions but bump up to 3A this year. However, a good portion of last year’s title team’s points came from underclassmen who should have Oakland Mills competing for titles again in a higher classification.
5. Hereford
Coach: Adam Hittner
Postseason: Tied for fourth in Class 2A, No. 8
Outlook: The Bulls are coming off a Class 2A indoor state championship, which they won because of strong efforts up and down the lineup. They are strongest in distance events but are building a more complete lineup that will supplement points in several events.
6. River Hill
Coach: Ammera Schmidt
Postseason: Class 3A state champion, No. 3
Outlook: Sisters Marella and Lauren Virmani will rack up points in distance events. Last year, the Hawks added enough around them to win a championship, and it will be interesting to see if they can repeat that effort.
7. Harford Tech
Coach: Darrell Diamond
Postseason: Sixth in Class 2A, not ranked
Outlook: The Cobras return most of their scorers from last year and were the Class 1A state runner-up during the indoor season. Madisen Morgan, Madisyn Bobb, Winter Evans and Isabel DeVos are back and will score in several events.
8. Broadneck
Coach: Josh Webster
Postseason: Fifth in Class 4A, No. 5
Outlook: The Bruins have two indoor state champions — Carson Boteler in pole vault and Casey Gish in high jump — returning to lead a team full of promise this spring.
9. Howard
Coach: Erik Jenks
Postseason: Tied for fourth in Class 3A, No. 9
Outlook: There is seemingly a never-ending supply of athletes coming out of Howard, ready to reload to fill any graduation losses. The Lions are coming off a fourth-place finish at indoor states but were less than 10 points behind champion Northern-Garrett.
10. Century
Coach: Alexis Daniel
Postseason: Tied for 10th in Class 2A, not ranked
Outlook: The Knights, as usual, have a strong distance group that will score points at any meet. Their sprint and field event corps have taken big hits to graduation, but Century has traditionally gotten its newcomers to rise to the occasion.
11. Western
Coach: Keysha Ferron
Postseason: 16th in Class 4A, not ranked
Outlook: The Doves are the top team in Baltimore City. Sprinter-jumper Mackenzie Jones and middle-distance runner Kianna Mosby each have great opportunities to earn postseason accolades.
12. Western Tech
Coach: Shawn Waller
Postseason: Class 1A state champion, No. 10
Outlook: The Wolverines have built a dynasty in Class 1A, winning three straight outdoor state championships and could be well on their way to a fourth.
13. Severna Park
Coach: Josh Alcombright
Last season: Tied for seventh in Class 4A, No, 6
Outlook: The reigning Anne Arundel County champions took some big hits to graduation, but if cross country and indoor season are any indication, a new crop of Falcons are ready to make their names known.
14. New Town
Coach: Walter Johnson
Postseason: Ninth in Class 2A, not ranked
Outlook: The Titans will challenge Hereford for the Baltimore County title thanks in large part to Kaylyn Johnson, who was the indoor state champion in the 300 and runner-up in the 500.
15. Crofton
Coach: Stacy Severtson
Postseason: 11th in Class 2A
Outlook: The Cardinals get better every year more athletes spend a full four years there. They had a lot of indoor success and should be able to replicate it, if not exceed it, in outdoor.
Others considered: Arundel, Long Reach, Maryvale Prep, Poly, Towson