Richard Montgomery's Charlotte Turesson has an opportunity to score 20 big points for the Rockets on Tuesday. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
Let's take a look at how each of the top 4A teams could bring home this year's 4A girls team title.
Regional Results Merge
Top Projected Girls Teams (based on regional results)
- Urbana - 66 points
- Flowers - 51 points
- Richard Montgomery - 51 points
- Bowie - 36 points
Bowie High School Bulldogs
The Bowie girls won the 4x200 at last week's 4A Central regionals from the third out of four heats.
Just as Brandon Nya has emerged as one of the top-point scorers in the state for the Bowie boys, junior Dianna Koger is the driving force behind the girls team's chances. She led all 4A runners throughout regionals in the 55 and 300 meter dashes (her times also led all of Maryland in the Baltimore Armory this year) and the Bulldogs also clocked the second-fastest projected 4x200 and 4x400 relays.
C.H. Flowers High School Jaguars
Javon Watts' 2:18.82 season best in the 800 is still the second-fastest mark in Maryland behind only Juliette Whittaker. (Photo by Steven Pisano)
The Flowers girls have as diversified a potential point-scoring team as any in the state this season. Senior Javon Watts is a likely scorer in the 500 and 800. Juniors Arie McIlwain and Anissa Bernard had the second- and third-fastest hurdle times throughout 4A regionals, respectively. Sophomore Marie Abongwa had the best shot put performance (37'6) across all three regions, and junior Indyah Taylor is a potential scorer in the sprints. Their chances could come down to how many points they can score in the relays.
Richard Montgomery High School Rockets
A repeat performance from Caia Gelli in the 300 could go a long way toward helping Richard Montgomery finish in the top two at the indoor state meet for the first time in school history.
Few teams can match the 1-2 punch Richard Montgomery boasts this year (and likely next year, as well). Charlotte Turesson won both the 1600 and 3200 at the 4A West regionals and certainly could do the same at states. Fellow junior Caia Gelli is the defending state champion in the 300 and a contender, along with senior Diamond Alexander, in the 55 meter dash. The Rockets were also the only team to break 1:50 in the 4x200 at any of the 4A regionals this year.
Urbana High School Hawks
Piper Jons scored at the state meet for the first time last spring. This year she has a chance to help Urbana win its second straight indoor title. (Photo by Craig Amoss)
The defending 4A state champions still have plenty of weapons at their disposal. Last year's 500 meter state champion, Ella Auderset, ran perhaps her best race of the season at regionals, beating out Wise's Jordan Mozie and Flowers' Javon Watts. Seniors Piper Jons and Lydia Robling figure to offer more points in the sprints. Their depth is showcased in the relays where they own the top flat-track times in the 4x400 and 4x800 in 4A this year. Where they really stand out from the others, however, is in the field; seniors Oni and Ezra Scott are both contenders in the high jump, while Harmony Hartje is a pole vault contender in a suddenly wide-open 4A field.