Mia Maxwell Leads 2026 Girls All-America Team as Lancaster and Union Catholic Set Records

Mia Maxwell is the standout of the 2026 girls All-America team, ranked No. 1 in the 100 meters, 200 meters and triple jump. Her three-event sweep leads a season defined by record performances: Lancaster reset the 4 x 100 high school record, Union Catholic broke standards in two relays, and several athletes established themselves among the all-time best.

The selections mark the 48th girls All-America team since the program began with the 1978 season. Eleven athletes earned recognition in at least two individual events. Alongside Maxwell, Jaslene Massey was the only athlete with more than one No. 1 ranking, leading both the shot and discus. The rankings weigh major meet victories and head-to-head results more heavily than a season-list position alone, with outdoor performances carrying more weight than indoor marks.

Maxwell sets the pace in the sprints

The Maxwell twins chose to race collegians and professionals rather than compete in prep meets. The move paid off: Mia and Mariah each improved one position from 2025. Mariah led much of the early 200-meter season, but Mia finished strongest, taking U.S. and World Junior titles in both the 100 and 200. She clocked 11.08 in the 100 and 22.37 in the 200, both high school list-leading marks.

Mariah finished second in both events, with season bests of 11.11 and 22.44. Melanie Doggett, an unbeaten freshman in prep competition, placed third in each sprint after winning State, Under Armour and Nike titles in both. In the 100, Pennsauken’s Sianni Wynn edged fellow freshman Mya Arrendell for fourth; both ran 11.27, and Wynn took the New Balance title. Arrendell placed fifth.

Doggett’s only 200-meter loss came against eighth-grader Camryn Dailey in a fast April race. Dailey’s 22.73 and victories in the Florida Relays and non-high-school divisions at Under Armour and Nike put her fourth. Ataja Stephane-Vazquez, who finished second at Nike, rounded out the top five with 22.92.

Stephane-Vazquez led the 400 with 51.08, a high school list-leading time, and won both State and USATF Juniors. Clara Adams and Taylor-Nicole Overton followed at 51.61 and 51.64. Both won major meets, including Adams at Arcadia and Mt. SAC and Overton at the Florida Relays. Ashtyn Lewis was fourth at 51.74, while Kaddel Howard took fifth. Howard’s 51.48 was the fastest listed mark among those five, but the rankings reflect a season that included strong championship results and direct competition, not just one time.

Sheppard owns the 800; Lincoln surges in the mile

Paige Sheppard was the clear 800-meter choice. She went unbeaten against high school competition and recorded ten marks between 2:00 and 2:02, with a season best of 2:00.65. Ellie Barada ranked second at 2:02.72 and joined Sheppard on Team USA. New Jersey athletes Natalie Dumas, Reagan Moore and Stella Blanchard filled the next three places. Dumas won the state meet at 2:03.46; Moore’s New Balance victory and second at Brooks gave her the edge for fourth over Blanchard.

In the mile, Ellery Lincoln’s season accelerated in June and July after she returned from health issues. Her 4:27.65 win at HOKA ranked No. 3 all-time, and she followed it with a 4:07.99 at USATF Juniors, the fastest prep performance there, before running 4:07.06 at Pre. Lincoln took the top ranking. Braelyn Combe was second after finishing behind Lincoln at HOKA and third at Juniors. Mallory Weller ranked third, Abigail Hennessy fourth, and Barada fifth.

The two-mile rankings demanded a different balance, with indoor and outdoor performances difficult to compare and few direct matchups. Katy Zang’s New Balance Indoor victory and 9:37.15 indoor high school record stood apart, but she missed most of the outdoor season and returned only for a runner-up finish at New Balance. Leah Starkey won both Nike two-mile titles and placed second behind Blair Bartlett in the Penn Relays 3K. Chiara Dailey ranked third after wins at Brooks and USATF Juniors; Hennessy and Bartlett completed the top five.

Hurdles and relays turn on decisive head-to-heads

Jasmine Jackson’s 13.04–13.06 win over Kassidy Hopkins at New Balance was the defining 100-meter hurdles race. Jackson added wins at Puma, State and Brooks, and remained unbeaten. Rebekah-Jhade Garrett ranked second after victories at Arcadia and Nike. Destiny Coleman moved up from fifth in 2025 to third, ahead of Nia Armstrong; their Nike finishes were third and fourth. Hopkins’s fast New Balance result kept her fifth, though she had fewer major wins against the other top-ranked hurdlers.

Natalie Dumas led the 300/400 hurdles after an unbeaten run over 400 hurdles, capped by a USATF Junior title and a 56.13 high school list-leading mark. Her only loss came against sophomore Kaahliyah Lacy in the 300 hurdles at Arcadia. Lacy went on to break 40 seconds and rank No. 4 all-time, but a hurdle mishap in her sectional race ended her chance to compete at State. Kennedy Brown placed third, ahead of Sydney Chadwick, with both under 58 seconds in the longer race. Saniah Varnado completed the five after improving to sub-40 in the 300 hurdles.

Lancaster’s 4 x 100 team set the pace for the relays. After becoming the first school to break 44 seconds in 2025, Lancaster lowered its high school record to 43.77 and added four marks between 43.94 and 44.14. The team now owns the seven fastest times in history. Duncanville, which challenged Lancaster throughout the season, matched the No. 2 all-time mark at 44.23. California’s Rosary also ran 44.23; Calabasas clocked 44.48, moving to No. 6 all-time, but missed State after dropping the baton in the Southern Section final. Bullis took fifth.

In the less frequently contested 4 x 200, Lancaster led the high school list at 1:33.95, but had fewer strong performances than in the 4 x 100. Rosary and Long Beach Wilson earned the top two rankings after close races at Arcadia and Mt. SAC, decided by a combined 0.22 seconds. Montverde set the indoor high school record at 1:34.25 but did not match that form outdoors.

Bullis, Wilson and Union Catholic delivered one of the season’s premier 4 x 400 contests at New Balance. Bullis won and finished the year unbeaten, with a best of 3:34.12 and a string of major victories. Wilson ranked second after setting the high school list-leading 3:33.83; even without Clara Adams, who was competing at Juniors, the team ran 3:34.27 at New Balance. Union Catholic finished third and broke its school record, set in 2015. Winslow Township and Dillard rounded out the rankings.

Union Catholic’s 4 x 800 performance came in a single race at Millrose. The team ran 8:40.07, lowering the high school indoor record by six seconds and beating IMG by nine. IMG, the reigning Penn Relays champion, won indoor and outdoor national titles and ranked second. Santiago placed third after winning State in a California all-time best 8:46.16. Exeter and Penn Charter took the final spots; Exeter broke nine minutes three times, including a New Balance win.

Union Catholic also set the sprint medley record at Arcadia, running 3:47.35—0.30 faster than Rush-Henrietta’s 2015 standard. Oak Park ranked second after beating New Balance Indoor winner Guilderland at the outdoor championship.

The distance medley was another Union Catholic showcase. The team ran 11:06.13, breaking its own high school record. Paige Sheppard opened with a 3:19.26 1200-meter leg, followed by splits of 55.30, 2:09.97 and 4:41.58. Union Catholic also posted the next two fastest performances of the year, winning the VA Showcase and Penn Relays. Niwot ranked second after victories at Nike Indoor and the Oregon Relays.

Record seasons across the field events

Bailey Hensgens led the high jump at 6-1¼. The junior went unbeaten indoors and outdoors except for a tie with Nia Harrison at Nike Indoor, then won Nike Outdoor and USATF Juniors in succession. Kira Smith ranked second after winning New Balance Indoor and finishing second to Hensgens at Nike. Harrison placed third, followed by Egypt Bolan and Ella Michelitch.

Katie Blue was the pole vault leader after winning New Balance Indoor, State and Nike, with a best of 14-½. Six athletes cleared 14 feet during the season. Addison Kleinke had the highest mark, 14-1 at altitude, and took second in the rankings on the strength of her overall results. Viola Wilent and Maddie Fuhrmeister, both from Pennsylvania, ranked third and fourth in their New Balance finish order. Ava Williams was fifth after strong showings in Eugene.

Brooklyn Lyttle’s 21-3¼ at New Balance tied the high school list lead and secured the top long jump ranking. Her major wins also included Penn Relays and Carifta, where she represented Belize. Abby Mecklenburg, the USATF Junior champion, ranked second. Parker Coes, the indoor leader, placed third after contesting many of the season’s major meets. Nike champion McKaylen Lewis took fourth, and Georgia state champion Janeesa Brown was fifth.

Maxwell’s third No. 1 came in the triple jump, where her 44-6 led the season. A December competition in North Texas put her close to Ke’Nyia Richardson’s 19-year-old indoor high school record, and she later swept the Nike indoor and outdoor titles. D’Anna Cotton ranked second after setting a 43-1 personal best to win USATF Juniors. Michailyn Rose, an indoor champion, was third. Mikayla Shavers won New Balance and State without facing the top two, while Laine McKenzie rounded out the five on the strength of consistent finishes.

Massey swept the major shot titles at Nike Indoor, Arcadia, State, USATF Juniors and Nike Outdoor, reaching 55-4¾ and moving to No. 5 all-time. Her indoor breakthrough added almost four feet to her 2025 best. Briana Davis ranked second. Addy Stiverson had the year’s longest mark, 55-7½, and 11 meets beyond 53 feet, but struggled at the biggest meets and lost all three matchups with both Massey and Davis. Lorelai Zielinski and J’Nia Simpson placed fourth and fifth.

Massey’s discus season was even more dominant. She reached 197-9, within a foot of Shelbi Vaughan’s high school record, and went unbeaten against prep competition. Four meets went beyond 190 feet, with many more in the 180s. Hannah Nuhfer ranked second with 184-5, then No. 9 all-time. Naila Ugoh was third after winning State and taking second at Nike with a 173-0 personal best. Zielinski and Simpson finished fourth and fifth after strong late-season results.

Kimberly Beard defended her No. 1 hammer ranking and broke 200 feet for the first time, reaching 201-7 to win USATF Juniors and move to No. 5 all-time. Joi Story, who began competing in the event in 2025, improved by nearly 40 feet and ranked second after finishing just behind Beard at Nike and Juniors. Ainsley Cuthbertson took third, winning New Balance and placing third at New Englands.

Anna Millikan led the javelin despite ranking fourth on the season list. She went unbeaten against high school athletes, winning Nike, State and the Oregon Relays, and finished as the top high school competitor at USATF Juniors. Ava Flicker had the season’s best mark, 172-2, and won Penn Relays, but struggled at Juniors. Eliana Schneider beat Flicker at State, then won New Balance with a 167-4 personal best. Olivia Barr ranked fourth after finishing second at Juniors among high school athletes and second at New Balance; McKenna Lay was fifth.

Chiora Enyinna-Okeigbo won USATF Juniors with a heptathlon score of 5452, the year’s second best, to claim the top ranking. Ella Michelitch won New Balance with 5348 and ranked second after beating season-list leader Aydriane Bowden there. Bowden’s high school best of 5463 was only 30 points short of the all-time top ten, and the junior has another season to pursue the leading titles.

How the selections are judged

Most events are ranked five deep, while less frequently contested events may have fewer selections or a special recognition. Major meet wins and results against elite opponents carry more weight than a high place on the yearly list. The crowded schedule of major outdoor meets has reduced some head-to-head opportunities in recent seasons.

The selections aim to reflect high school competition. The main high school season is treated as ending with USATF U20, also known as Juniors. Junior Olympic and summer youth or junior meets, whether domestic or international, contribute to yearly and all-time lists but are not treated as major honors in the All-America rankings. Indoor results count, though they carry less weight than outdoor performances.

An asterisk marks an athlete’s school year: one for a junior, two for a sophomore and three for a freshman. A number sign identifies an athlete who also made the 2025 team. In the event listings, “i” means indoor, HSR means high school record, HSIR means high school indoor record, and HSL means yearly list leader. Marks labeled “A” were recorded at altitude above 1,000 meters in affected events.

The season’s strongest cases came with more than one headline mark: Maxwell’s three event leads, Massey’s two dominant throwing campaigns, and record-setting relay depth from Lancaster and Union Catholic. Those performances leave a clear standard for the next group of contenders.