2026 Girls Conference - Saturday Previews

CPL

The Chicago Public League is the biggest conference in the state and this year’s talent should drop some great times. The sprints will see some big names with the likes of Jordan Hamb of South Shore and Kayla Riepe of Whitney Young. Hamb was the NBIN champ in the 60mH and is one of the top hurdlers in the country. Riepe has a strong season best in the 400 with a mark of 55.69. Both athletes will put the CPL in the spotlight this weekend. Hamb will continue to dominate in the field events, as her long and triple jump marks are some of the best in the state. She will see great competition in the triple jump from both Courtney Burt of Whitney Young and Taya Rice of Chicago Agricultural. In the distance events, it will be a Lane Tech showcase. Ainsley Carter leads the squad, she could take an easy win in any event she chooses. Her teammates, Samantha Borg-Breen and Amy Herzog, will also be dominant forces in the distance events. 

GCAC

The GCAC is going to be one of the fastest meets of the year as the stars of the meet are some of the best in the state. However, in Sydney Gertsen’s case, some of the best in the country. The senior distance runner from Montini is one of the best 2 milers in high school track. Unfortunately, we won't get to see her compete in the 3200 at this meet, but we do get to see her have the chance to improve her mile SB of 5:01.40 against some elite competition. Gertsen will have some work to do as her PR came just earlier this indoor season (4:52.25), so there is a great chance to see her do something special this Saturday. Emily Stecky, the junior out of DePaul, will have the chance to go sub 5 again like she did during the 2025 indoor season. Stecky is the reigning 2A 800 champion and she should pull the 800m win away in high fashion. To close off this ridiculous distance field is an athlete who is only capable of winning. Annika Swan, the senior from St. Ignatius, is one of the best distance runners in the state. She recently won the 3A 800m, 3A 1600m, placed 5th at Arcadia in the mile, and 3rd at DNIP in the mile; those are just her outdoor season accolades over the last two years. Her SB of 4:50.65 in the 1600m is 8 seconds over her PR and is currently IL#3 and her 800m SB of 2:14.41 is IL#13.  She should be in for an easy win in any event she chooses.