Long Sprints (200m/400m)

The heavy emphasis on relays in Indiana's HSR series often makes it challenging to gauge how the state's top athletes stack up in individual events by the end of the indoor season. However, several athletes return this year with standout open race performances from last season, including remarkable open marks and relay splits recorded at the HSR Finals.

Girls' Preview

The 200m event this season features the return of seven girls who clocked under 26 seconds last year, including standout performers from the 55m/60m sprints. Among them are Ahniyah Bennett (25.67), De'Janay Layne (25.69), Emily Norris (25.74), Iana Tecson (25.78), and Nadia Ford (25.89). Bennett, who claimed the 200m title as a freshman, was narrowly edged out by Layne last spring in a thrilling race decided by just 0.04 seconds. Ford, Neal, and Norris secured the 6th, 7th, and 8th spots at the outdoor state meet and are back for another strong season. Chloe Senefeld also broke the 26-second barrier last indoor season, finishing second with a 25.95 behind Norris at the Indiana Runner Sprint Showcase at Wabash last February. The database lists Kristina Petkova from Goshen as the top returner with a mark of 25.55, though this result appears to have been achieved outdoors on April 10th.

Senefeld's talents extend to the 400m, where she contributed to Hamilton Southeastern's winning 4x400m relay team at Nike Indoor Nationals. Her best indoor open 400m time last year was 60.30, recorded at the Indiana Runner Sprint Showcase. This season, she is likely to be joined by a strong group of Hamilton Southeastern teammates in both the 400m and the 4x400m relay. Ava Winters from Lawrence North leads the returning field in the 400m, with her 58.04 performance at New Balance Nationals Indoors standing as the top indoor mark.

Other key returners in the 400m include Petkova, who clocked 58.29 at the second Warsaw Tiger Showcase at the TRAC and later placed in the top five at the outdoor state meet. Norris recorded a 58.41 to win the Indiana Runner Sprint Showcase, while Omema Anyanwu posted a 59.12 earlier in the season at the Indiana Runner Invitational. Anyanwu went on to claim the outdoor state title with a blazing 56.18 and enters this year as a favorite in the event. Gabriela Grande Rosas from Carmel also returns as the fifth-fastest 400m runner, following her sixth-place finish at the outdoor state meet.

These returning athletes set the stage for an exciting season in both the 200m and 400m, promising intense competition in both open events leading up to HSR season where we likely will see them compete for their teams in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays.

Boys Preview

Three boys return this season with sub-23-second marks in the 200m from last year's indoor campaign, including Hamilton Southeastern's Christian Ortiz (22.10), Jeffersonville's Nizaiah Carr (22.36), and Noah Wellington from Herron Riverside (22.67). Other key returners, such as Greenwood Community's William Riley, LaPorte's Tayshaun Williams, and Avon's Marcus Townsend, all placed in the top four at last year's outdoor state meet but had limited opportunities in the indoor open 200m. Instead, they focused on shorter sprints and likely contributed to relay efforts for their teams. Following Lawrence North's dominant showing in the 4x200m at last year's HSR Finals, it will be interesting to see if Monshun Sales, Jerome Smith, or Damario Moore get the chance to compete in open 200m races ahead of this year's HSR season.

In the 400m, Mason Schmitz from Hamilton Southeastern stands out as the only boy to break the 50-second barrier in the indoor open 400m last season, clocking an impressive 49.49. This followed his remarkable 1:54 800m performance as a freshman at the KYA Indoor Classic in Tennessee. Other sub-52-second returners include Phoenix Boyer from Bishop Chatard (50.77), Reagan Shaver from Evansville Mater Dei (51.14), Noah Wellington from Herron Riverside (51.27), William Shearer from Hobart (51.32), and Devonti Carter from Fort Wayne Northrop (51.53).

Additionally, several top performers from last outdoor season who haven't recently competed in indoor open events remain notable contenders. North Central's Denhm Holt, who finished third at the outdoor state meet with a 48.68, Franklin Central's Kervenson Clerger, who placed sixth with a 49.13, and Charlestown's Camran Mitchell, who secured seventh with a 49.22, will all be additional athletes to keep an eye on in case anything changes as the season unfolds.