With four of his top seven runners back from last fall’s Division I state championship team, Gahanna Lincoln girls cross-country coach Ryan Callihan believes another special season is possible, but he doesn’t want to look too far ahead.
Seniors Abigail Young, Dylan Yost and Rebecca Shope and junior Jillian Gomez are back to lead the Lions.
“Our approach is really no different than it was last year,” Callihan said. “We didn’t begin last season focused on winning a state championship, and we aren’t beginning this season focused on defending one. We break the season down week by week, establish goals for each stage and concentrate on the daily processes that help us improve.”
Gahanna (81 points) finished ahead of Hilliard Davidson (second, 136), Olentangy
Liberty (fourth, 211), Upper Arlington (sixth, 230), Teays Valley (eighth, 243) and Dublin Jerome (10th, 270).
Watterson also returns a strong nucleus from a team that captured the Division II state championship, edging Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown 158-161.
Here are 12 central Ohio girls cross-country athletes to watch this fall:
Julia Albright, Grandview Heights
The senior opened the season by finishing 41st at the HOKA Showcase (19 minutes, 52.92 seconds) on Aug. 26 in Geneva, Ohio. Albright closed last season by finishing fifth at regional (19:11.23) and 20th at state (19:04.8) in Division IV.
Beth Baker, Upper Arlington
The sophomore capped a strong freshman season by finishing 14th in the Division I state meet (18:28.39), after placing 13th at regional (18:31.63) and fifth at the OCC-Central meet (18:28.25). Baker opened this season by winning the Pickerington North Classic (18:22.4) on Aug. 29 as UA finished first (54) ahead of runner-up Davidson (74).
Karine Bhowmick, Watterson
The sophomore played a key role in the Eagles’ Division II state title last fall, finishing 29th (19:07.88). Bhowmick finished 10th at regional (18:52.26) and third in the CCL-Bob Lennon Memorial Championship (19:15.76), helping the Eagles win both meets.
Brooke Derringer, Lancaster
The junior opened this season by placing sixth in the Big Walnut Twilight meet (20:05.13) on Aug. 29, leading the Golden Gales to second place (71) behind Big Walnut (48). Last season, Derringer was 41st at state (19:18.33) and 14th at regional (18:40.35). She also was fourth in the OCC-Buckeye meet (19:04.92), helping Lancaster win the league title.
Reese Galinger, Teays Valley
The senior is looking to make another statement in the postseason after leading the Vikings at state last season, finishing 15th (18:30.2). Galinger was 10th at regional (18:22.98) and third in the OCC-Buckeye meet (18:48.91), in which Teays was runner-up to Lancaster.
Jillian Gomez, Gahanna Lincoln
The junior played a key role in the Lions’ run to Division I state, regional and OCC-Ohio championships last season. Gomez finished 23rd at state (18:43.95), 15th at regional (18:41.52) and fourth in the OCC-Ohio meet (18:45.34). She opened this season by placing fourth in the Dan Reid Invitational (21:06.9) on Aug. 29 at Whitehall.
Addison Keplar, Teays Valley
The senior should be a key contributor for the Vikings again this season, which she opened by finishing 16th in the Pickerington North Classic (20:11.41). Last season, Keplar was 40th at state (19:15.6), 20th at regional (19:03.27) and fifth in the OCC-Buckeye meet (19:11.24).
Mackenzie Kline, Hilliard Davidson
The senior is the top returnee for the Wildcats, who hope to take the next step after finishing second to Gahanna last season at regional and state. Kline started strong, taking second (18:35.01) behind Baker in the Pickerington North Classic. Last season, Kline was 16th at state (18:31.03), 12th at regional (18:25.37) and seventh in the OCC-Central meet (18:40.83). The Wildcats are the defending league champions.
Georgia Speelman, Olentangy Berlin
The senior was the top competitor for the Bears in the Division I state meet last season, finishing 33rd (19:04.49). She was 33rd at regional (19:29.23) and second in the OCC-Cardinal meet (19:11.48) behind 2026 graduate Natalie Fouts of Jerome (18:12.98).
Elsa Tonnessen, Granville
The junior prepared for the Division II state meet last season by finishing fourth at regional (18:38.01), leading the Blue Aces to a fifth-place finish. Tonnessen finished 52nd at state (19.23.78) and third in the LCL-Buckeye meet (18:33.9) as Granville won the league title.
Kaitlyn Van Zandt, Watterson
The junior led the Eagles’ drive to the state title last season, finishing fifth (18:03.34), and she should be a state title contender this fall considering the four runners who finished ahead of her graduated. Van Zandt was second at regional (18:04) and first in the CCL meet (18:21.06) as Watterson captured both titles.
Abigail Young, Gahanna Lincoln
The senior finished 11th at state (18:21.49) last season, making her the Lions’ top returner from their title team. Young also was eighth at regional (18:13.35) and third in the OCC-Ohio meet (18:37.57). She opened this season by winning the Dan Reid Invitational (19:40.4).
High school sports reporter Frank DiRenna can be reached at fdirenna@dispatch.com and at @DispatchFrank on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio girls cross-country runners to watch in 2026 season
