CLASS 3A GIRLS TRACK ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
 

MARLEY BITTEL, HOISINGTON
 
Bittel’s career victory count has been limited due to frequent competition against fellow Central Kansas League sprint champion Ashley Lehman. But the Cardinal junior has found her own way to shine, finishing second to Lehman last year in the Class 3A 100 (12.25) and 200 (25.30) and anchoring Hoisington’s 400 relay to a seventh-place finish. The 200 time at state was a personal best, and Bittel also lowered her PR in the 100 last season to 12.01 in a runner-up finish to Lehman at the CKL meet. Bittel also won three 3A state medals as a freshman, finishing second to Lehman in the 100, sixth in the 200 and second in the 400 relay. 
 

KAELYN BOSS, OSAGE CITY

One of the more heralded freshmen coming into last season after ranking among the nation’s top eighth-grade discus throwers, Boss certainly lived up to the hype. But it wasn’t the discus where she took her place in the Boss family tradition of winning a state track title, joining as older sister Lexi did in the discus in 2024. Instead, she followed in the footsteps of older brother Landon and won the Class 3A javelin title. After taking second in the event in her first two meets of the season, Boss finished the season on a seven-meet winning streak, taking the 3A javelin title with a school-record throw of 136-11, just over a foot ahead of Beloit’s Autumn Lorenz. She added a seventh at state in the discus while Lexi finished second, and also took eighth in the shot put. Her top discus mark was 141-11 and best shot put mark was a 36-7.
 

MACIE CORCORAN, PERRY-LECOMPTON

A dual-sport athlete in the spring, Corcoran shines in both softball, where she’s one of the Kaws’ top players and a first-team All-Big East League selection, and track where she’s a returning state medalist from a year ago. Hurdling is Corcoran’s specialty and last year she was the Big East League and 3A regional champion in both the 100s and 300s, posting career best times in both events at regionals with a 15.42 in the 100s and 46.31 in the 300s. She was almost right on that time in the 300s at state and it produced a runner-up finish to Wellsville’s Ellie Strain, who beat her by just over a second. Corcoran also took seventh in the 100 hurdles and qualified for state in the 200, placing 16th. She was fourth at state in the 300 hurdles in 2024 and eighth in the 100 hurdles.
 

TAEGAN ESKAM, CIMARRON 

Eskam, a senior, is a two-time Great West Activities Conference champion in the 300 hurdles and the reigning GWAC champion in the 100 hurdles. She placed sixth at state in the 300 hurdles last year after finishing runner-up with a personal-best 46.79 as a sophomore. She also competed in the 100 hurdles and high jump at state last season. Eskam has signed to run at Dodge City Community College.
 

REECE FRANKLIN, FRONTENAC

Franklin burst onto the state scene in a big way last spring, and she returns as one of the top field event athletes in Class 3A. As a freshman, Franklin soared to a state championship in the high jump, clearing 5-foot-8 — a mark that not only won the 3A title, but stood as the best clearance in the entire state regardless of classification. Prior to that she had dominant runs through both regional and league meets, establishing herself as one of the premier high jumper in Kansas. Franklin didn’t stop there. She nearly added a second gold medal at state, finishing as the runner-up in the triple jump with a personal-best leap of 37-0.25, and also qualified for state in the long jump. 
 

ASHLEY LEHMAN, HESSTON
 
Part of the allure of the 2026 Kansas track and field season is to see what Lehman will do before she heads off to compete collegiately for Nebraska. The Swather senior put on another must-see show at last year’s State Outdoors, setting a trio of 3A meet sprint records and adding a then-personal-best clearance to win her first state pole vault title. Running her career state gold medal count to eight, Lehman won the 100 in 11.99, the 200 in 24.63 and the 400 in 54.65. The 400 record was her own, set during the 2024 state prelims. Her first gold at last year’s meet came in the pole vault with a 12-feet, 4-inch clearance she has since surpassed with a vault of 12-7 at this spring’s Emporia State High School Classic Relays.
 

AUTUMN LORENZ, BELOIT

Lorenz did her part in helping Beloit capture the Class 3A state team championship a year ago. Though she didn’t medal and score points in the long jump, taking 12th, she delivered in the javelin and nearly came away with a state title. After having a regular-season best of just 129-2 in a runner-up finish at the North Central Activities Association meet, Lorenz went over 130 twice at the state meet with her best of 135-8 propelling her to a runner-up finish to Osage City’s Kaelyn Boss, who won with a 136-11. Lorenz had taken just 14th at state in 2024 and placed seventh at state in the long jump as a freshman. She’s also run the 200 and 400 for the Trojans.
 

ARYN MICHAELIS, LAKIN

Michaelis has showcased her versatility throughout her first two track and field seasons. Last year, she captured the state title in the triple jump with a 37-9.50 and also tied for fourth in the high jump (5-2) and placed sixth in the 100 hurdles (15.95). As a freshman in 2024, Michaelis finished fourth in the high jump and seventh in the 100 hurdles at state. She is a two-time reigning Hi-Plains League champion in the 100 hurdles, triple jump and high jump. Her personal bests are 15.44 in the 100 hurdles, 5-7 in the high jump and 38-3 in the triple jump.
 

EMMA MILLER, LAKIN 

Miller swept the 1,600 and 3,200 races at the Hi-Plains League meet last year, clocking times of 6:00.11 and 13:09.17. She also won the pre-Hi-Plains League meet in both events. Miller, a junior, won the 3,200 in the season-opening Stanton County Invitational this spring. 
 

JULIANA PARR, HERITAGE CHRISTIAN

Parr finished as the state runner-up in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:20.73, adding a league and regional title along the way. She also proved her versatility in the longer distances, earning a fifth-place state medal in the 1,600-meter run (5:21) after capturing another regional crown. Parr is no stranger to the state stage, having taken fourth in both the 800 and 1,600 as a sophomore, and now returns with the experience and momentum to make another push toward the top of the podium. 
 

BENTLY PRUITT, BELOIT

A versatile athlete, Pruitt has competed in a number of different events for the Trojans both in middle and high school, ranging from sprints and hurdles to shot put and pole vault. The latter is where she’s made her biggest mark. After just missing out on a state berth as a freshman with a fifth-place regional finish, Pruitt not only made it to state last year, but made it onto the medal stand. She tied her career best at state clearing 10-6 that left her tied for second with Lakin’s Alyssa Edgington, but third in the final standings via misses. Pruitt had previously cleared 10-6 at the Beloit Relays and her third-place finish at state helped Beloit capture the Class 3A team state championship.
 

PAULY ROCKEY, HIAWATHA

Hiawatha has a lengthy history of standout distance runners and Rockey is making her own name. A cross country standout who took 11th at state this year after finishing ninth in 2024, Rockey specializes in the 800 and 1,600 in track and last year she picked up a combined 13 victories in those events, including a Big East League title in the 800. Rockey finished third in the 1,600 at the state meet, running a career-best time of 5:20.10, and added a fourth in the 800, also posting a career best with a 2:23.53. With the transfer of defending champion Emily Hein to 4A Circle and graduation of 2024 champion and 2025 runner-up Bree Allen of Prairie View, Rockey could be the favorite for the 1,600 title this year. Defending champion Kinsey Zorn of Russell returns in the 800.
 

ELLIANA SMITH, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE

For the second straight year, Smith came home from the State Outdoors with a runner-up finish in the 3A high jump. She was runner-up to Cherryvale’s Bethany Umbarger in 2024, clearing 5-6 but losing out on misses to Umbarger, who had cleared 5-6 on her first attempt. Last year, Smith once again went 5-6 at state, this time losing out to Frontenac freshman Reece Franklin, who cleared 5-8. Smith has gone 5-8 twice in her career, once her sophomore year and again last year. She’ll battle Franklin and a handful of other returning placers for the title this year and will look to improve on her third-place finish in the 300 hurdles where the top-two finishers from a year ago do return.
 

ELLIE STRAIN, WELLSVILLE

Strain didn’t single-handedly carry Wellsville to a third-place trophy in Class 3A last year, but she certainly did the heavy lifting for the Eagles as she accounted for 32 of the Eagles’ 43 points. Strain claimed the state title in the 300 hurdles, winning by just more than a second with a time of 45.55 that was just off her career best of 45.51 set at the Kansas Relays. Strain was undefeated in the 300s a year ago outside of the Rellays. She also was the state runner-up in the 100 hurdles to Pioneer League rival Keely Hoback of Burlington, who set the 3A state meet record and beat Strain by .63 seconds. Hoback is gone, leaving Strain as the favorite for the hurdles sweep this year. She also was third in the 100 and anchored Wellsville’s 400 relay to a runner-up finish last year at state.
 

ANNIE WILLIAMS, HALSTEAD
 
Williams put together a strong finish to her freshman campaign to finish second in the Class 3A long jump last May. Consistently in the low- to mid-16-foot range through most of the season, Williams jumped 17-1.75 to finish second to Wellsville’s Savannah Viets at the West Franklin regional. She then went 17-9.25 at state, trailing only now-graduated Kaylee Hagerman of Larned. She also qualified for state in the 300-meter hurdles, missing the finals. Williams opened this season with a pair of long-jump victories, going 17-4.5 at the Lyons CKTL meet.
 

KINSEY ZORN, RUSSELL

Zorn captured the Class 3A 800-meter run state title last year with a time of 2:19.92. In doing so, she broke the school record previously held by her mother and running coach, Micky Zorn. She also qualified for state in the 400 and the 3,200 relay, placing seventh and ninth in those events. As a freshman in 2024, Zorn qualified for state in four events, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 800 and a fourth-place showing in the 400. Zorn also recently captured her second straight wrestling state title.