Girls Distance
800 meter
TiCoiya Gidderon (High Point Central) clocked a 4A best 2:16.35 to win the Midwest Regional. Gwen Parks (Ronald Reagan) came in second with a 2:19.67, and the freshman has gone 2:17.76 this year, the second fastest time in the state. Caroline Todd (Cardinal Gibbons) won the Mideast in 2:18.22 and Alex Wilkinson (Apex) was runner up as the only other two girls to break 2:20 at regionals. Calli Parlier (Apex), Bailey Fowler (Green Hope), and Macie Kavanaugh (Pinecrest) are among the other sub 2:20 girls this year that will play a major part in pushing the pace in this race and putting pressure on Gidderon.
1600 meter
Carmen Alder (Pinecrest) nearly matched her season best in non-ideal conditions in her massive regional win as the only girl under-5 minutes last weekend. Fellow freshman Eliza Broce (West Forsyth) was second in that race and not far off of her own 4A second-best time this year. In fact, the Midwest qualifiers all rank in the top six in the state as Reagan teammates Ainsley Cooper and Spencer Faircloth took the third and fourth spots. Calli Parlier and Natalie Tyner (Laney) round out the top 6 and both looked strong at regionals. Add in Marissa Bishop (Cardinal Gibbons) and Shannon Sefton (Panther Creek) and the podium picture has plenty of contenders.
3200 meter
Carmen Alder will look to continue her fantastic freshman run as the favorite in the 3200. Her 10:36.58 is nearly 15 seconds better than the second fastest runner in the field, but when that runner is as experienced as Natalie Tyner, Alder will face some stiff competition. Katharine Priu (Cardinal Gibbons) and Spencer Faircloth have all also broken 11 this season. Ainsley Cooper and Emma Kincaid (Grimsley) slid ahead of Faircloth at regionals and will be in the mix on Saturday.