The Carmel Girls Track & Field team closed out an unforgettable season Friday night at North Central High School by winning the 2026 IHSAA State Championship. The Greyhounds scored 49.5 points to finish ahead of runner-up Bloomington South and bring home the program’s second straight outdoor state title. Carmel’s first points of the meet came in the field events, where Ellie Cooley placed eighth in the discus with a throw of 138-07. It was an important early mark that got the Greyhounds on the board and started the scoring. Then, in the first running event on the track, Carmel delivered one of the signature performances of the entire state meet. Annabel Pollert, Sadie Foley, Kaitlyn Oshimura and Larkin Taylor won the 4x800 meter relay in a school-record and state-record time of 8:49.46. The performance also ranks No. 3 in the United States, placing the Greyhounds among the very best 4x800 relay teams in the country. Pollert led off with a strong 2:12.64 split, putting Carmel in position right away. Foley followed with a 2:10.20, moving the Greyhounds through 1600 meters in 4:22.84. Oshimura kept the pressure on with a 2:13.09 third leg, bringing Carmel through 2400 meters in 6:35.93. Taylor closed with a 2:13.53 anchor leg to finish off the state championship performance in record-breaking fashion. The momentum continued in the 1600 meter run, where Foley and Taylor returned with another huge effort for the Greyhounds. Foley finished as the state runner-up in 4:49.51, while Taylor placed third in 4:51.47, giving Carmel 15 points in one event. Carmel continued to stack important points throughout the night. Gaby Grande Rosas finished fifth in the 400 meter dash in 56.24, adding five more points to the team total. Oshimura and Taylor then returned in the 800 meter run and delivered again. Oshimura placed third in 2:10.69, setting a new school record, while Taylor finished sixth in 2:11.22. Kate Hammond added another key performance in the pole vault, tying for seventh with a clearance of 11-03 and adding 2.5 points to Carmel’s total. The Greyhounds closed out their scoring in the final event of the night, as Molly Foley, Elise Maurer, Kalinda Lee and Gaby Grande Rosas placed sixth in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:54.97. It was one final effort from a team that spent the entire meet finding points in every corner of the stadium. By the end of the night, Carmel had scored in seven events and once again showed why team track and field is so special. Every point mattered. Every place mattered. Every athlete who competed and every teammate who cheered played a role in bringing the blue and gold back to the top of the podium. Most importantly, this team did it together. They trained together, competed together and supported one another throughout the season. Their efforts paid off Friday night with another state championship for the Greyhounds. Full Results Here: https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/girls/track-field/2025-26-tournament?round=state-finals