CLASS 5A GIRLS TRACK ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
 

LAUREN DEGROOT, BISHOP CARROLL
 
DeGroot was roughly an eye blink away from a Class 5A title in the 300-meter hurdles last season. Her personal-best time of 43.76 left her .06 behind champion Allison Saunders of Andover Central. A sequel could unfold this spring as those two are part of a deep group of returning 5A hurdlers. DeGroot, a junior, won Greater Wichita Athletic League and regional titles in the 300s while also qualifying for state in the 100 hurdles. While she didn’t advance through prelims, DeGroot won a second state silver medal in the 1,600 relay. DeGroot set a PR in the 100 hurdles (15.19) early this season at Great Bend’s Jack Bowman Invitational.
 

RYLEN HARRINGTON, HAYS

Harrington is a two-time state runner-up in the javelin. Her second-place throw last year traveled 128 feet, 11 inches, just behind Pittsburg’s Alycia Cosens’ 130-2. Other highlights from Harrington’s junior season included winning regional and Western Athletic Conference titles and taking first at the McPherson meet. Her personal-best mark is 134-5, set as a sophomore. She is the school record holder in javelin. 
 

LYNSI KANAK, HAYS

Kanak’s first long jump win of her sophomore season came at the Western Athletic Conference meet. She followed it with a runner-up finish at regionals and placed third at state with a 17-2.75, finishing behind Emporia’s Paige Newland (17-4.50) and Hutchinson’s now-graduated champion KeiRre Martinez (17-6.50). Kanak’s personal-best mark is 18-1.25, which she set at the Great Bend meet last season.
 

KELSIE KUDZIA, LEAVENWORTH

As a sophomore, Kudzia earned a medal in all three distance races, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the 800-meter run where she clocked 2:12.99. She backed that up with a third-place medal in the 1,600 meters (5:05), though her best work in that event came earlier in the season with a personal-best 4:49.20 at the United Kansas Conference meet. Kudzia capped her state performance with a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 (10:50.85), completing a rare distance trifecta. A regional champion in all three events, Kudzia enters her junior season as one of the state’s top returning distance runners. 
 

HALLE LAINCZ, LANSING

Laincz made a breakthrough on the state’s biggest stage last spring, and now returns with her sights set even higher. As a sophomore, Laincz earned her first state medal in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches in a tightly contested competition. She actually tied for the top mark on the day, but settled for a third-place finish after tiebreakers were applied. Now with that experience under her belt, Laincz enters her junior season as a serious contender for the state title. She’ll be part of a competitive field once again, including Andover Central’s Allison Saunders —  last year’s runner-up. 
 

RYIN MILLER, SEAMAN

After turning in the third-best 3,200 time in Kansas history as a sophomore when she ran a 10:13.97, Miller continued to cement her legacy as one of the state’s all-time great distance runners last year. She ran the second-fastest 1,600 in state history when she went 4:41.47 at the Seaman Relays and on the same night also clocked the third-best 800 in state history with a 2:09.28. Only Shawnee Mission West’s Alli Cash has gone faster in the 1,600, running a 4:38.28. Miller went undefeated all season in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, sweeping all three titles at the Class 5A state meet. While she didn’t take down any meet records like she did in 2024 when she broke the 5A meet record in the 1,600 with a 4:51.58, she did get her first 3,200 title of her career, finally outdueling Salina Central’s Katelyn Rupe, who had beaten her in 2024 and also in cross country. Miller, who has the all-time state best mark in cross country as well, saw this year’s cross country season wiped out by an IT band injury that she’s still recovering from. Miller will run this spring, but what events – she also won a pair of 400 titles last year – and how effective she will be are in question for the Arkansas commit, though she opened the season with a win in the 800.
 

PAIGE NEWLAND, EMPORIA

Newland enjoyed a strong freshman season for Emporia in 2023, taking second at the Centennial League meet in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump, but fell short of qualifying for state in both events that year. As a sophomore, however, Newland took a major leap and became one of the top jumpers in the state, a distinction she put an exclamation point on when she won the Class 5A triple jump crown with a winning leap of 37 feet. She also added a fifth in the long jump in 2024. After PRing at 37-1.5 her sophomore year, Newland made another big jump last year, turning in a career-best 39-5 in winning the Circle Invitational – one of seven wins on the season with her only non-victory ahead of state coming at the Kansas Relays where she was third. Newland fell just short of defending her triple jump state title, taking second to Basehor-Linwood’s Kimberlee Scott, who went 39-0.75 to Newland’s 38-5.25. Newland also took second in the long jump at state, two inches away from a state title with a 17-4.5.
 

ASHLYNN SAUER, BISHOP CARROLL
 
Sauer’s senior season has been delayed as she heals from a stress fracture. But if the Carroll speedster finds a way to make the type of progress she did last spring, big things could be in store. Sauer doubled her state medal haul from two years ago, when she finished eighth in the Class 5A 400 meters and helped the Golden Eagles’ 1,600 relay take fourth. Last spring, the Washburn signee took third in the 5A 200 and 400, fifth in the 100 and second as part of the 1,600 relay. Sauer swept those events at the Great Bend regional to help Carroll’s girls win the team title. The reigning Greater Wichita Athletic League champion in the 200 and 400, Sauer set personal bests last season in the 100 (12.06), 200 (24.77) and 400 (58.16).
 

ALLISON SAUNDERS, ANDOVER CENTRAL
 
Saunders highlighted a stellar Class 5A state meet performance last May with a thrilling victory in the 300-meter hurdles. Running a personal-best time of 43.70, Saunders edged Bishop Carroll’s Lauren DeGroot by .06 for the title, pairing that with a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles after she PR’d with a time of 14.92 in the prelims. Saunders also finished second in the high jump to Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II counterpart Kinzie Perdue of Arkansas City, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches, and anchored the Jaguars’ 1,600 relay to a fifth-place finish. Owner of six individual state medals, Saunders also swept league and regional hurdles titles a year ago.
 

 
KIMBERLEE SCOTT, BASEHOR-LINWOOD

Scott enters her final season as one of the most versatile field athletes in Class 5A. Scott returns as the defending state champion in the triple jump after soaring to a winning mark of 39 feet, 0.75 inches last spring. Even more impressive, she showed her ceiling earlier in the postseason with a personal-best leap of 40-4.75 to claim a regional title. Already a state medalist as a sophomore with a fifth-place finish, Scott has steadily climbed to the top of the podium and now looks to finish her career with back-to-back golds. But Scott’s impact doesn’t stop in the horizontal jumps. She proved to be just as dominant in the ring, earning state runner-up honors in the shot put with a throw of 40-5.75. With elite marks in two different disciplines, Scott gives Basehor-Linwood a rare double threat. 
 

 
CADENCE SHROUT, DE SOTO

Shrout returns as one of Class 5A’s premier throwers after a dominant junior season that saw her reach the top of the podium. Shrout captured the state discus title with a personal-best throw of 136-9, continuing a steady climb after finishing as the state runner-up in the event as a sophomore. She also proved her versatility in the ring, earning a seventh-place state medal in the shot put with a toss of 38-4.75 and claiming a United Kansas Conference championship along the way. With her experience, Shrout enters her final season as a clear contender to defend her discus crown while adding even more hardware to her résumé. 
 

KAYLIE SHULTZ, SALINA CENTRAL
 
After an unbeaten run through her junior cross country season that culminated in her first Class 5A individual title, Shultz has turned her attention to the track, where she’s already contributed to a golden era for distance runners in 5A. Shultz repeated a third-place state finish in last year’s 3,200, trailing Seaman’s Ryin Miller and Shultz’s former teammate, Katelyn Rupe. She also took fourth in the 1,600 and 10^th in the 800. As a freshman, Shultz added a fourth-place finish in the 800 and fifth in the 1,600 to go with her 3,200 finish. Shultz has already run a personal-best 10:31.18 in the 3,200 this spring at the Newton Invitational, a time that moved her from No. 13 to No. 11 on Kansas’ all-time girls list. Shultz posted her top time in the 1,600 (4:56.51) at last year’s Kansas Relays, while her PR in the 800 (2:15.88) was set her freshman year.
 

ADDYSON THOMPSON, BONNER SPRINGS

Thompson earned a state runner-up finish in the discus, unleashing a personal-best throw of 134 feet, 11 inches — finishing just two feet shy of De Soto’s Cadence Shrout for the title. It marked a significant jump for Thompson, who first reached the podium as a sophomore with a fifth-place medal. She looks to battle Shrout again for the discus title. 
 

NORA TURNEY, PIPER

Turney captured the Class 5A state championship in the 100-meter hurdles with a winning time of 14.52 seconds, backing it up with both regional and United Kansas Conference titles. She didn’t stop there, adding a third-place state finish in the 300-meter hurdles (44.42) while again sweeping league and regional crowns. A consistent presence on the medal stand throughout her career, Turney has steadily progressed each season — placing fourth in the 100 hurdles as a freshman, then earning medals in both hurdle events as a sophomore (third in the 100, fifth in the 300). Now a senior, she enters her final season as a clear favorite in the 100 hurdles and a top contender in the 300. 
 

MADELYN WALLACE, ANDOVER
 
One of the state’s top distance runners throughout her career, Wallace is a three-time Class 5A medalist in the 3,200 and a two-time medal winner in the 1,600. The University of Kansas signee completed her high school cross country career last fall as a four-time, top-10 finisher in 5A, taking a career-best third at Lawrence’s Rim Rock Farm. Last spring, she set personal bests in the 800 (2:20.65) and 1,600 (5:03.37) at the Kansas Relays, and added a PR in the 3,200 (10:51.48) at the Shocker Pre-State Challenge. Wallace finished second to Seaman standout Ryin Miller in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the Andover regional.
 

ELLIE WURTENBERGER, ST. JAMES ACADEMY

Wurtenberger returns as one of the premier sprint talents in Class 5A after a breakout junior season that saw her capture a state championship in the 400-meter dash. Wurtenberger surged to the title with a personal-best time of 57.13 seconds, adding a regional crown along the way and establishing herself as the runner to beat in the event this spring. But her impact didn’t stop there. Wurtenberger proved her versatility on the state stage, earning a fourth-place medal in the 200-meter dash in 25.62 after winning a regional title with a personal-best 25.19 the week prior. She also contributed in the field events, finishing sixth in the long jump at 16-8.5. 
 

LYNDI ZIMMERMAN, HAYS

Zimmerman is one of the top returners in both the 100-meter dash and the 100 hurdles. She placed third in the 100 hurdles (15.08) and fourth in the 100 (12.48) at state last year as a sophomore. Zimmerman also competed in the 200 prelims at state. Outside of state, Zimmerman won every race last season in the 100 hurdles. Her personal best in hurdles is 14.57. She just set her record in the 100 this week with a 12.20 at the Great Bend meet.