Some past champions and talent, some newcomers that could make a difference and some potential records that could be broken. That’s what it will be all about this season in the girls’ sprints and hurdles this year. Here was preview the 55m dash, 300m and 55m hurdles.
55m
Expect fast times and intense competition in this event, with the potential for not just one, but two sprinters to dip under seven seconds. The pair most capable of doing that are last year’s 1–2 finishers at the Meet of Champions—Nina Kyei-Aboagye of Sharon and Lauren Quarm of Methuen.
Quarm, the state champion in this event as a sophomore in 2024, has already broken the seven-second barrier twice. She clocked an all-time best of 6.95 to capture the title as a tenth-grader and followed that up last winter by blazing to a season-best 6.97 for runner-up honors at the New England Championships.
Kyei-Aboagye, the reigning outdoor state champion in both the 100 and 200 meters, hovered just above sub-7 territory throughout the 2025 indoor campaign. She ran an all-time best of 7.03 at the Hockomock League Championships and followed it with a near-identical 7.04 to place fifth at New England’s.
The state record of 6.87 by former Norton great Brooke-Lynn Williams has stood for a decade. Could we see that 2016 mark challenged this season with these two warriors toeing the line together again on the indoor surface? There’s certainly potential.
Depth will be a major storyline as well. Seven other runners in this event ran between 7.23 and 7.30 last winter, including Oliver Ames’ Lavendar Kozaka (7.23), Natick’s Emmanuella Edozian (7.23), Lexington’s Aubrey Deardoff (7.24), and Tantasqua’s Keoni Savoie (7.24), among others. Phillips Academy Andover’s Caitlin Ly ranked No. 5 in the state last year with a PR of 7.21, though she does not compete in the MIAA.
300m
We expect this race to be hotly contested as well. The two leading contenders also happen to be our top two returnees, with Nina Kyei-Aboagye of Sharon and Natick’s Chloe Elder both back for their senior seasons.
The gifted duo were among just three runners to break 40 seconds last winter. At the State Meet, Kyei-Aboagye finished second in 39.61, while Elder placed third in 39.92, both trailing graduating senior and eventual champion Breana Braham, who won in 38.94.
Both sprinters also proved their strength outdoors in the 200 meters. Kyei-Aboagye captured the individual title with a state-record 23.28, while Elder earned bronze with a personal best of 24.45.
Kyei-Aboagye would appear to get the edge over Elder based on her consistency and how she fared in her head-to-head match-ups with the RedHawks’
We could have several more battling for those top spots on the podium, and perhaps challenging the completion up front. Holyoke’s Yasani Thompson finished her season strong last year, breaking 41 seconds in the last two meets of the season with a victory at the Division 4 state meet (40.59) and the fourth-place finish at the Meet of Champions (PR, 40.53). Almond others, Woburn’s Nicole Gangi could also figure in the mix. She was a runner-up to Keyo-Aboagye at the Div. 2 states and raced to a PR of 40.56 in an ML-12 meet during the season.
55m Hurdles
The clear-cut favorite in this event is Emmanuella Edozien, the defending champion and state record-holder. The Natick standout broke the previous mark by winning the Division 1 title in 7.96, a time she later matched at the New England Championships, where she finished second overall. In addition to dipping under eight seconds, Edozien was consistently in the low eight-second range throughout the season.
Edozien has a history of delivering her best performances when it matters most and will be tough to beat at championship time.
Among the other top returnees expected to contend for podium spots are Central Catholic’s Arianna Di Petro (8.31), Gangi (8.48), Pembroke’s Maya Bergamesca (8.49), and Milton’s Annaliese Aguilar (8.50).
