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Greater Cincinnati has never been short on track and field talent, especially in the shorter distances on the track.
As the season gets underway this week and athletes begin the road to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus and Shively Track and Field Stadium in Lexington, let's take a look at some of the area's fastest athletes.
The sprints category encompasses the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and the 100-, 110- and 300-meter hurdles.
The Tigers have a history of lightning-fast football players who have also had success on the track. Aylor is the latest as he helped Beechwood claim the 2025 4x100 meter relay state title and take second place in the 4x200 meter relay. While he has yet to stand on the podium in an individual event, he did take third place in the 200-meter dash at the Class 1A indoor state meet and recently clocked a 100-meter personal best of 11.13 seconds to open the outdoor season.
The senior recently won the Class 1A 55-meter hurdles indoor state title in 8.03 seconds and placed in the top 15 of both hurdle distances at last year's outdoor state meet. He owns outdoor personal bests of 15.5 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 43.11 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles.
She has run the 200- and 400-meter dash, as well as the 800-meter run, throughout her career and even ran cross country as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She took eighth place in the 400-meter dash at the 2024 outdoor state meet and fifth place in the same distance at the 2026 indoor state meet. If she can get close to or break her outdoor personal best of 58.7 seconds, she should return to the podium this spring.
Kate's brother is an exceptional sprinter in his own right. Between indoor and outdoor state meets, he owns three top-three finishes in the 400-meter dash. Earlier in March, he helped the Colonels win the Class 2A 4x400 meter relay state title and take second place in the 4x200 meter relay. He owns an outdoor personal best of 50.91 seconds.
The senior is a two-time podium finisher in the indoor 400-meter dash and the long jump and will be looking to secure her first top-eight finish at the outdoor state championships this season. Her outdoor 400-meter personal best is 57.54 seconds.
The Colonels have a pair of stellar hurdlers in Fender and Jacob Keller, who took second and third place in the 55-meter hurdles at the Class 2A indoor state meet. It was the first podium finish for either athlete at any state meet. Fender placed 12th in both hurdle distances at last year's state meet, and improvements on his personal bests of 16.2 seconds and 42.41 seconds should land him on the podium this year.
The sophomore could very well have multiple state championships in her future as she already has five top-eight finishes at the outdoor state meet between the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and the high jump. She owns personal bests of 16.28 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles and 47.16 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles.
After qualifying for the outdoor state meet in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 2025, she announced her presence with a runner-up finish in the 60-meter dash and an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter dash at the DIII indoor state championships about a month ago. With the Eagles now in DIII, she has a good chance to finish on the state podium in June. She has personal bests of 12.3 seconds at 100 meters and 25.89 seconds at 200 meters.
The freshman has already shown a lot of potential for the Tigers. After appearing in the Kentucky middle school state championships last spring, she recently took sixth place in the 55-meter dash and 15th place in the 200-meter dash at the Class 1A indoor state meet.
The University of Maryland commit had a great start to the calendar year, winning the indoor DI titles at 60 meters and 200 meters. She took third place in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at last year's state championships and will be a threat to win both events this season. Her personal bests are 11.75 seconds for 100 meters and 24.19 seconds for 200 meters.
After helping three relays to podium finishes at the 2025 outdoor state meet, the junior earned her first three individual medals at the 2026 indoor state meet, taking eighth place in the 55-meter dash and seventh place in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes. She should improve on her personal bests of 13.35 seconds at 100 meters, and has already set new personal bests this season of 27.55 seconds at 200 meters and 1:04.5 at 400 meters.
The senior has placed on the 400-meter dash podium in each of the last three state championships (two indoor and one outdoor). She took fifth place at the 2025 outdoor meet and owns a personal best of 55.67 seconds.
He has run each of the three flat sprints throughout his high school career, getting better each year. As a sophomore, he ran in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference championships, then appeared in the district meet as a junior. He recently took fifth place in the 400-meter dash at the DI indoor state meet. He owns outdoor personal bests of 22.84 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 48.86 seconds in the 400-meter dash.
She advanced to the 2025 outdoor regional meet in the 300 hurdles but can run any distance her team needs her to. She recently took fourth place in the 400-meter dash at the DIII indoor state meet and helped the 4x400 meter relay team win the state title.
She broke through to the Class 1A state meet as a freshman, taking fifth place in the 100-meter dash and seventh place in the 200-meter dash. She owns respective personal bests of 12.78 seconds and 26.77 seconds and could be one of the best sprinters in school history by the time her career is over.
She appeared at last year's regional meet in the 400-meter dash, taking seventh place to just miss qualifying for state in the event. She has a personal best of 58.78 seconds in the event and recently helped the Braves win the DIII indoor 4x800 meter relay state title.
The junior is coming off indoor personal bests of 22.22 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 49.48 seconds in the 400-meter dash, taking eighth place in the shorter event at this year's indoor state meet. His outdoor personal bests in those distances are 22.0 seconds and 48.56 seconds.
He will be looking for a strong end to his high school career. As a junior, he took seventh place in the 55-meter hurdles at the indoor state meet, then finished in fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth place in the 300-meter hurdles at the outdoor state meet. He is coming off a seventh-place finish in the hurdles at the 2026 indoor state meet and owns respective outdoor personal bests of 14.57 seconds and 39.8 seconds.
The Tigers have come on strong in the sprint events over the last few years, leading to Class 1A outdoor team titles in 2023 and 2024. Nordman is the defending state champion in the 400-meter dash, where she has a personal best of 56.47 seconds. She also took second place in last year's 200-meter dash with a personal best of 25.84 seconds. She recently repeated those placements at the indoor state meet as Beechwood took fourth place in the team race.
The senior recently took fourth place in the 400-meter dash at the Class 3A indoor state meet, echoing his result from the 2025 outdoor state meet. They were the first two podiums of his high school career, but he could also be a state contender in the 200-meter dash, where he has a personal best of 22.35 seconds.
The multi-sport athlete is one of the best sprinters in the Greater Catholic League-Coed but has yet to compete at an outdoor state meet. He has placed in the 400-meter dash at two indoor state meets. As a junior, he won the 200-meter dash league title and claimed the 400-meter title in a new personal best of 48.95 seconds.
She is a hurdle specialist for the Bulldogs who took ninth place in the 300-meter hurdles at last year's state meet, recording a new personal best of 46.03 seconds in the process. Van Frank recently took seventh place in the 400-meter dash at the DII indoor state meet, honing her speed for one last outdoor season.
A short sprint specialist, the junior has appeared at both the indoor and outdoor state meets in every year of her career so far. While her highest finish is seventh place in last year's 100-meter dash, she owns personal bests of 12.1 seconds at 100 meters and 25.59 seconds at 200 meters.
The daughter of Olympian Mary Wineberg burst onto the scene in 2023 when she clocked a time of 58.39 seconds in the 400-meter dash to win the middle school state championship. She has advanced to the regional meet in that distance every year of her high school career so far and has an outdoor personal best of 57.72 seconds, already faster than her mom's high school best. Brooklyn recently took fifth place in the 200-meter dash at the DI indoor state meet with a new personal best of 25.15 seconds.
He has been one of the best sprinters in Cincinnati each of the past two years. After transferring to Purcell Marian, he took second place in the 400-meter dash and seventh place in the 200-meter dash at the 2025 DII outdoor state meet. He owns personal bests of 22.05 seconds at 200 meters and 48.37 seconds at 400 meters.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's top high school sprinters in the 2026 track preseason
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As the season gets underway this week and athletes begin the road to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus and Shively Track and Field Stadium in Lexington, let's take a look at some of the area's fastest athletes.
The sprints category encompasses the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and the 100-, 110- and 300-meter hurdles.
Brody Aylor, Beechwood
The Tigers have a history of lightning-fast football players who have also had success on the track. Aylor is the latest as he helped Beechwood claim the 2025 4x100 meter relay state title and take second place in the 4x200 meter relay. While he has yet to stand on the podium in an individual event, he did take third place in the 200-meter dash at the Class 1A indoor state meet and recently clocked a 100-meter personal best of 11.13 seconds to open the outdoor season.
Logan Blau, Bishop Brossart
The senior recently won the Class 1A 55-meter hurdles indoor state title in 8.03 seconds and placed in the top 15 of both hurdle distances at last year's outdoor state meet. He owns outdoor personal bests of 15.5 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and 43.11 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles.
Kate Blettner, Notre Dame Academy
She has run the 200- and 400-meter dash, as well as the 800-meter run, throughout her career and even ran cross country as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She took eighth place in the 400-meter dash at the 2024 outdoor state meet and fifth place in the same distance at the 2026 indoor state meet. If she can get close to or break her outdoor personal best of 58.7 seconds, she should return to the podium this spring.
Rhett Blettner, Covington Catholic
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Kate's brother is an exceptional sprinter in his own right. Between indoor and outdoor state meets, he owns three top-three finishes in the 400-meter dash. Earlier in March, he helped the Colonels win the Class 2A 4x400 meter relay state title and take second place in the 4x200 meter relay. He owns an outdoor personal best of 50.91 seconds.
Peyton Dews, Little Miami
The senior is a two-time podium finisher in the indoor 400-meter dash and the long jump and will be looking to secure her first top-eight finish at the outdoor state championships this season. Her outdoor 400-meter personal best is 57.54 seconds.
Jack Fender, Covington Catholic
The Colonels have a pair of stellar hurdlers in Fender and Jacob Keller, who took second and third place in the 55-meter hurdles at the Class 2A indoor state meet. It was the first podium finish for either athlete at any state meet. Fender placed 12th in both hurdle distances at last year's state meet, and improvements on his personal bests of 16.2 seconds and 42.41 seconds should land him on the podium this year.
Stella Flick, St. Henry
The sophomore could very well have multiple state championships in her future as she already has five top-eight finishes at the outdoor state meet between the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and the high jump. She owns personal bests of 16.28 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles and 47.16 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles.
Brilyn Foust, CHCA
After qualifying for the outdoor state meet in the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 2025, she announced her presence with a runner-up finish in the 60-meter dash and an eighth-place finish in the 200-meter dash at the DIII indoor state championships about a month ago. With the Eagles now in DIII, she has a good chance to finish on the state podium in June. She has personal bests of 12.3 seconds at 100 meters and 25.89 seconds at 200 meters.
Emily Goodwin, Bellevue
The freshman has already shown a lot of potential for the Tigers. After appearing in the Kentucky middle school state championships last spring, she recently took sixth place in the 55-meter dash and 15th place in the 200-meter dash at the Class 1A indoor state meet.
Azarae Hawkins, Mason
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The University of Maryland commit had a great start to the calendar year, winning the indoor DI titles at 60 meters and 200 meters. She took third place in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at last year's state championships and will be a threat to win both events this season. Her personal bests are 11.75 seconds for 100 meters and 24.19 seconds for 200 meters.
Abrielle Hooten, Walton-Verona
After helping three relays to podium finishes at the 2025 outdoor state meet, the junior earned her first three individual medals at the 2026 indoor state meet, taking eighth place in the 55-meter dash and seventh place in both the 200- and 400-meter dashes. She should improve on her personal bests of 13.35 seconds at 100 meters, and has already set new personal bests this season of 27.55 seconds at 200 meters and 1:04.5 at 400 meters.
Tori Killens, Mason
The senior has placed on the 400-meter dash podium in each of the last three state championships (two indoor and one outdoor). She took fifth place at the 2025 outdoor meet and owns a personal best of 55.67 seconds.
Malakai Lewars, Walnut Hills
He has run each of the three flat sprints throughout his high school career, getting better each year. As a sophomore, he ran in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference championships, then appeared in the district meet as a junior. He recently took fifth place in the 400-meter dash at the DI indoor state meet. He owns outdoor personal bests of 22.84 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 48.86 seconds in the 400-meter dash.
Samantha Long, Fenwick
She advanced to the 2025 outdoor regional meet in the 300 hurdles but can run any distance her team needs her to. She recently took fourth place in the 400-meter dash at the DIII indoor state meet and helped the 4x400 meter relay team win the state title.
Morgan MacDonald, Holy Cross
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She broke through to the Class 1A state meet as a freshman, taking fifth place in the 100-meter dash and seventh place in the 200-meter dash. She owns respective personal bests of 12.78 seconds and 26.77 seconds and could be one of the best sprinters in school history by the time her career is over.
Sabrina Mangialardo, Indian Hill
She appeared at last year's regional meet in the 400-meter dash, taking seventh place to just miss qualifying for state in the event. She has a personal best of 58.78 seconds in the event and recently helped the Braves win the DIII indoor 4x800 meter relay state title.
Jamien Martin, Mason
The junior is coming off indoor personal bests of 22.22 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 49.48 seconds in the 400-meter dash, taking eighth place in the shorter event at this year's indoor state meet. His outdoor personal bests in those distances are 22.0 seconds and 48.56 seconds.
Jackson Miller, Simon Kenton
He will be looking for a strong end to his high school career. As a junior, he took seventh place in the 55-meter hurdles at the indoor state meet, then finished in fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth place in the 300-meter hurdles at the outdoor state meet. He is coming off a seventh-place finish in the hurdles at the 2026 indoor state meet and owns respective outdoor personal bests of 14.57 seconds and 39.8 seconds.
Caroline Nordman, Beechwood
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The Tigers have come on strong in the sprint events over the last few years, leading to Class 1A outdoor team titles in 2023 and 2024. Nordman is the defending state champion in the 400-meter dash, where she has a personal best of 56.47 seconds. She also took second place in last year's 200-meter dash with a personal best of 25.84 seconds. She recently repeated those placements at the indoor state meet as Beechwood took fourth place in the team race.
Brennan Simpson, Dixie Heights
The senior recently took fourth place in the 400-meter dash at the Class 3A indoor state meet, echoing his result from the 2025 outdoor state meet. They were the first two podiums of his high school career, but he could also be a state contender in the 200-meter dash, where he has a personal best of 22.35 seconds.
Max Snellgrove, Badin
The multi-sport athlete is one of the best sprinters in the Greater Catholic League-Coed but has yet to compete at an outdoor state meet. He has placed in the 400-meter dash at two indoor state meets. As a junior, he won the 200-meter dash league title and claimed the 400-meter title in a new personal best of 48.95 seconds.
Riley Van Frank, Batavia
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She is a hurdle specialist for the Bulldogs who took ninth place in the 300-meter hurdles at last year's state meet, recording a new personal best of 46.03 seconds in the process. Van Frank recently took seventh place in the 400-meter dash at the DII indoor state meet, honing her speed for one last outdoor season.
London Williams, Dixie Heights
A short sprint specialist, the junior has appeared at both the indoor and outdoor state meets in every year of her career so far. While her highest finish is seventh place in last year's 100-meter dash, she owns personal bests of 12.1 seconds at 100 meters and 25.59 seconds at 200 meters.
Brooklyn Wineberg, Walnut Hills
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The daughter of Olympian Mary Wineberg burst onto the scene in 2023 when she clocked a time of 58.39 seconds in the 400-meter dash to win the middle school state championship. She has advanced to the regional meet in that distance every year of her high school career so far and has an outdoor personal best of 57.72 seconds, already faster than her mom's high school best. Brooklyn recently took fifth place in the 200-meter dash at the DI indoor state meet with a new personal best of 25.15 seconds.
Matthew Wright, Purcell Marian
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He has been one of the best sprinters in Cincinnati each of the past two years. After transferring to Purcell Marian, he took second place in the 400-meter dash and seventh place in the 200-meter dash at the 2025 DII outdoor state meet. He owns personal bests of 22.05 seconds at 200 meters and 48.37 seconds at 400 meters.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's top high school sprinters in the 2026 track preseason
Continue reading...
