1 week Ago By Anthony Maluso
Here are The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro girls indoor track and field teams for the 2024-25 season:Athlete of the YearElise Cooper, McDonogh, seniorThe final gun to last spring’s IAAM championship meet was only the beginning for Elise Cooper.Most top-level athletes will keep working over the summer, often running in club events and other competitions. But roughly a month after Cooper’s junior season at McDonogh ended, she was competing again in Eugene, Oregon.
In the lane next to her, Sha’Carri Richardson, one of Team USA’s premier sprinters.Cooper, at 17 years old, was running at the U.S.
Olympic Team Trials.“That was so crazy,” Cooper said. “That was definitely top meets I’ve been to.
Obviously the highest level I’ve competed at, so it was new to me. I’m glad I got to experience that. First few days, I was watching, having fun, like I was a spectator.
Just the fact I was able to run against that level, people I look up and watch on TV, it was really cool.”Cooper advanced out of her preliminary heat to the semifinals, in which she raced next to Richardson. She finished fifth, but did not advance.
The experience, though, gave her a lift for her senior season at McDonogh.“Definitely a confidence booster,” she said. “Just the fact I was the only high schooler in the event and performed the way I did, that was really good.
It showed I could compete under pressure. I was still able to just do what I do and I did very well.”What followed was a commitment to run in college at the University of Texas, then a record-breaking indoor track season.
At the Virginia Showcase in January, Cooper ran the 300 meters in 36.96 seconds, which was the third fastest time ever in the United States by a high school runner.McDonogh’s Elise Cooper set a national high school indoor track and field record, running the 300 meters in 36.
30 seconds. “I wasn’t actively aiming for the national record. I definitely wanted the PR, but the national record, that was a nice surprise.
” (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)A week later at the IAAM championships, she won A Conference titles in the 55 (6.92), 300 (38.94) and 500 (1:18.
79).But the best was still to come. At The CIRCUIT Philadelphia, she ran the 300 in 36.
30 seconds, which set the national high school record in the event.“I approach meets just expecting to just have fun,” Cooper said. “I wasn’t actively aiming for the national record.
I definitely wanted the PR, but the national record, that was a nice surprise.”Cooper had her pick of several top-tier college programs, but Texas offered her the complete package.“It was close between all my colleges,” she said.
“I really trusted the way their coach coached in general. It had a good balance between academic and athletics. It just seemed like the best place to go.
When I visited there, everything was so nice.”Coach of the YearAlexis Daniel, CenturyUnder Daniel’s guidance, Century’s girls indoor track and field team had a banner winter.The Knights won three of four invitationals: The Jeff Spielman Winter Classic, the Dwight Scott Invitational and the Warrior Invitational.
They won the Carroll County championship by a 36-point margin over Manchester Valley.“The girls this season honestly were unreal,” Daniel said. “The work ethics, the family we created, we had some great leaders, some strong seniors that stepped up, but also some young freshmen and sophomores that have seen the legacy at Century and wanted to step up and be a part of it.
”It all led to the Class 2A state championship meet.Related ArticlesSurgeries, bullying defined Alexa Lang’s youth. Helping others will shape her future.
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It all added up to a two-point victory over Hereford for the state title.“With our girls and what they do, they’re really willing to try new things,” Daniel said. “One thing they do, they’re willing to trust the process.
We always tell them, trust the process. We are pretty transparent and honest with them, how things are going what they need to work on.”Daniel and the staff have developed two of their athletes — so far — into Division I college talents.
Stine will run next year at High Point University, while distance runner Elizabeth Mitroka recently committed to UMBC.“It’s indescribable. The girls are the true epitome of student-athletes,” Daniel said.
“They are phenomenal on the track, but their schooling comes first. For them to go and represent us at High Point and UMBC, just to name a few, it’s phenomenal. We love that they are going to continue their career in running, but to get a further education, for this sport to help get them into their colleges and start their professional careers, it’s incredible.
”First teamCaroline Birdsall, McDonogh, seniorBirdsall was the IAAM A Conference pole vault champion. Her vault of 12 feet, 1/2 inch at Nike Indoor Nationals ranked as the second best in Maryland this season by athletic.net.
Destiny Coleman, Woodlawn, juniorColeman ran the best 55-meter hurdles race by a Maryland athlete this winter, finishing in 7.66 at Nike Indoor Nationals. She was the 4A state champion in the event and ran on Woodlawn’s championship 4×200 relay.
She was second at states in the 55-meter dash and second in the 300.Woodlawn’s Destiny Coleman competes in the the 4A Girls 300 meter dash during the MPSSAA Indoor Track State Championship meet at Prince George’s Sports Complex. (Brian Krista/Staff)Isabel Devos, Harford Tech, seniorDevos, the fall’s 1A state cross country champion, added another title to her resume, winning the 1A 3,200 (11:37.
54). Her regional winning time of 11:22.13 was ranked ninth-best in Maryland this season.
She also finished third at states in the 1,600.Ariyah Edwards, City, seniorEdwards won the 3A state championship in the 55 hurdles, finishing in 8.22 seconds.
She was also the state runner-up in the 55 and ran on City’s third-place 4×200 relay.Winter Evans, Harford Tech, seniorEvans was the 1A state champion in the high jump, clearing 5-2, and ran on the Cobras’ championship 4×200 relay. She also finished second in the 55 hurdles.
Julia Norris, McDonogh, seniorNorris was the top thrower in the area this winter. She won the IAAM A Conference shot put championship with a throw of 38-8 1/4. Her season-best throw of 41-2 1/2 was ranked third in Maryland.
Danielle Perez, Randallstown, seniorPerez earned the 2A state title in the 300 (41.32) and was runner-up in the 55. She was also part of the Rams’ championship 4×400 team and second place 4×200 team.
Sylvia Snider, Hereford, seniorSnider broke through with a pair of gold medals at the 2A state meet, winning the 1,600 (5:06.83) and the 3,200 (11:29.19).
She also took fifth in the 800.Cailyn Stine, Century, seniorStine was a big reason the Knights won the 2A championship. The High Point commit was the state champion in the 500 (1:17.
50) and the runner-up in the 300.Ava Staley, Winters Mill, sophomoreThe Carroll County champion, who cleared 5-4 several times during the season, finished as 2A state runner-up by clearing 5-2. At Adidas Track Nationals, she set a personal best, clearing 5-4 1/4.
Elizabeth Szybalski, Manchester Valley, seniorSzybalski won the 3A state title in the 800 (2:16) and finished fifth fourth in the 500. At Nike Indoor Nationals, she ran the 800 in 2:12.68, which was the second fastest time this season by any Maryland runner.
Marella Virmani, River Hill, juniorVirmani was the 3A state champion in the 1,600 (4:58.18) and finished eighth in the 500. She also anchored the Hawks’ record-setting 4×800 relay (9:30.
9).Second teamJalaia Creary, Spalding, seniorBianca Durant, Howard, seniorMaddie Drylie, Hereford, juniorMary Gorsky, McDonogh, seniorRiley Herdson, Centennial, seniorKenya Merritt, Woodlawn, seniorOlivia Onwubuariri, Western Tech, seniorAbiola Owens, Glenelg, seniorCharlotte Prunkl, Century, juniorZa’Nyi Robinson, Perry Hall, freshmanAva Snyder, Liberty, freshmanLeila Sollas, Patterson Mill, juniorAva Staley, Winters Mill, sophomoreHave a news tip? Contact Anthony Maluso at [email protected], 567-230-6024, x.
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