Faith Meininger surged ahead to capture the 2A 1600 title as a freshman - the first time a freshman won a 2A girls indoor title since 2011. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
Like the 1A girls' team champions from Henry E. Lackey, the River Hill girls took their new classification by storm last Monday. With a balanced mix of points in the sprint and distance events, they had a top-three finisher in every individual running event. Despite scoring just nine points in the relays and field events combined, they won the team title by a comfortable margin of 15 points over South Carroll.
The dynamic distance duo of freshman Faith Meininger and senior Jasmine Tiamfook was instrumental in their success this season. Meininger won the 1600 and finished second in the 3200, while Tiamfook finished second in the 1600 and 800. With 34 individual points between them, they would have finished sixth in the team scores by themselves.
Top Performers
Harford Tech junior Beyonce Kelly won her third consecutive 2A high jump state title on Monday. (Photo by John Roemer)
Deborah Gnoumou, Seneca Valley: Just a sophomore, Gnoumou captured her first individual state title last Monday in the 55 hurdles. She set new personal bests in the event in both the prelims and finals, breaking the nine-second mark for the first time. She then came back and helped the Eagles win the 2A title in the 4x400 relay.
Beyonce Kelly, Harford Tech: Kelly's name has become synonymous with high jump dominance after winning her third consecutive state title in the event. Only Northwest's Taylor Wright and Wheaton's Madison Depry bested her 5'5 state meet mark.
Sydney Robinson, River Hill: Robinson's return to River Hill (where she ran as a freshman in 2015-16) turned the Hawks into a team title contender, and she came through, winning her first individual state title in the 300. She racked up points in three other events, including a second-place finish in the 55 dash. She was one of three River Hill girls to finish second or better in two different races at the state meet.
Allison Zolkiewicz, South Carroll: Zolkiewicz entered last Monday's state meet still searching for her first individual state title and left with two (and almost a third). She kicked off the day with a runner-up finish in the 300 and followed it up with victories in both the 500 and the 800. She ended her day by helping the South Carroll girls finish second in the 4x400 relay, as well as second overall in the team scores.
Top Freshman
Faith Meininger, River Hill: Another key cog in the Hawks' title run, Meininger capped off her fantastic freshman indoor season with a victory in the 1600 (River Hill went 1-2 in the event, as senior Jasmine Tiamfook finished second). Meininger then came back to finish second in the 3200, ultimately scoring 18 of River Hill's 75 points on her own
Top Surprise Performance
Kayla Dalhouse, Middletown: Harford Tech's Beyonce Kelly won her third high jump state title, but Middletown sophomore Kayla Dalhouse was one of two other girls who cleared 5'1. Dalhouse had finished fourth at the 2A West Regionals a week before and entered the meet with a personal best of 4'10, but she cleared 4'11 and 5'1 on her first attempts at the state meet, earning her a second-place finish.
Top Relay Effort
The Seneca Valley girls 4x400 relay emerged victorious from a deep field to close out the 2A girls state meet. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
Seneca Valley 4x400: There may have been no field more open heading into the 2A state meet than the girls' 4x400. In the end, however, the 2A West regional champions from Seneca Valley prevailed, running a 2A #1 time of 4:07.01 in the process. It was also the second state title on the day for Seneca Valley's Deborah Gnoumou.
Top Name To Know
Elkton's Asia Travers capped off a breakout sophomore season with a third-place finish in the 2A shot put. (Photo by John Roemer)
Asia Travers, Elkton: Travers entered the winter having only thrown 30 feet (exactly) once as a freshman, but she ended up not throwing any less than 30'11 all season. She won the 2A Central Regionals and then set another personal best of 34'11.50 at the 2A State Championships, good for third overall.
Broken Records?
2A records
4x800 relay: Damascus - 9:39.39 (previous record: 9:45.14)