The Hive Sports

by James Tate

Region 5 enters the 2026 girls track and field season with a familiar target sitting at the top: the Box Elder Bees, last year’s champions and a program loaded with returning talent across multiple event groups. But the landscape around them has shifted. The addition of Fremont and West Field brings two proven programs into the mix, reshaping the competitive balance and raising the stakes for every meet. With established stars, breakout candidates, and a deeper field than the region has seen in years, the race for this season’s title is wide open, and the path to the podium promises to be fiercely contested.

Sprints

Region 5 enters 2026 with one of the deepest sprint groups in the state. Box Elder returns elite top‑end speed, while Fremont and West Field bring new layers of depth and unpredictability to the region title race. The sprint events will shape the team standings more than any other discipline, and nearly every program has at least one athlete capable of scoring.

100m

The 100 meters sets the tone for the entire region, and this year’s field is loaded with returning finalists and rising underclass sprinters. Box Elder’s Kassidee Kidd headlines the event after a breakout freshman season that saw her emerge as one of the fastest underclassmen in Utah. Kidd finished fifth at the 2025 state championships with a personal best time of 12.28.

Right behind her is West Fields’ sophomore Hadley Millsap, whose consistency and competitive edge make her a legitimate challenger for the title. Millsap has a personal-best time of 12.44 and made the finals in the 4A classification at last year’s state championship meet.

Luna Garcia‑Ortega, a senior from Northridge, adds another layer to the mix. Her personal best of 12.69 suggests she’s ready to be in the top tier, and her experience strengthens what is already a crowded podium picture.

Other key names include Kaylan Anderson of Box Elder (12.71), Jane Shulz (12.76), Maleah Conger (13.19), and Kenley Fuit (12.82) from West Field, and Kaliah Hodgson (12.97) of Bonneville, Carson Reiva of Northridge (13.09), Hadley Hansen (13.10) of Fremont and Jovi Bennington (13.19) of Clearfield, all of whom have the potential to score and disrupt the top‑three battle.

Clearfield senior Lily Weaver (12.86) will be right in the battle, depending on her schedule with the hurdle events. With so many athletes capable of dropping mid‑12s, this event could swing dramatically based on early‑season form and weather conditions at the early spring meets.

Kassidee Kidd

200m

The 200 meters returns defending region champion Weaver, who enters 2026 as the favorite with a top time of 25.48. Her experience and big-race success keep her in control of the event, though the pack behind her is closing in.

Box Elder brings the most immediate pressure. Anderson has already opened the season at 25.49, putting her shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Weaver on paper, and Kidd sits just behind them at 25.52. If both Bees are sharp in May, Box Elder has a legitimate chance to stack major points with a 1–2 finish.

West Field counters with a strong duo of its own. Millsap (25.68) continues to trend upward after a breakout sophomore year, and Fuit (25.90) gives the Longhorns another reliable scorer capable of dipping into the mid‑25s.

Fremont’s Hadley Hansen (26.01) and Luna Garcia‑Ortega of Northridge (26.09) round out a deep scoring group. Both have hovered near the sub‑26 barrier, and either could climb into the top four with a well‑timed postseason peak.

The 200 is shaping up as a Weaver‑led event, but the margin for error is slim, and the team‑point implications are enormous. With a state qualifying mark of 26.11, Region 5 is positioned to send a large contingent to the championship meet.

400m

The 400 meters might be the most dramatic event in Region 5 this season. In a race where breaking 60 seconds typically secures a spot in the region finals, it will take a sharp 59.08 to qualify for the 5A state championship meet in 2026.

Box Elder senior Kaylan Anderson (57.27), West Field’s Hadley Millsap (58.28), and Clearfield’s Weaver (58.48) form a clear top tier. Anderson and Weaver have already punched their tickets to state with early‑season personal bests, and Millsap’s steady rise over the past year positions her as a legitimate contender to challenge both.

Fremont’s Hadley Hansen has also stepped forward with a new personal best of 59.63, putting her firmly in the mix for a top‑five finish and within striking distance of the state standard. Clearfield’s Amoree Scholer, fifth at last year’s region championships and owner of a 1:01.97 best, adds another layer of intrigue. She’s the type of racer who can surge late in the season and disrupt the projected order.

With multiple athletes already under the state mark and several more hovering near it, the 400 is shaping up to be a high‑stakes, momentum‑shifting event—one that could swing the team race and produce some of the meet’s most memorable moments.

Lily Weaver

100m and 300m hurdle events

The 100m and 300m hurdles return one of Region 5’s most dominant athletes in Clearfield senior Lily Weaver, the defending champion in both events. Weaver finished second at last year’s 5A state championships in each hurdle race and enters 2026 with personal bests of 15.40 in the 100m hurdles and 43.66 in the 300m hurdles. After an impressive indoor campaign with West Hurdle Training, she looks poised for a big senior season across the sprints, hurdles, and relays.

Weaver’s strongest challenger will be West Field senior Jane Shulz, who brings personal bests of 15.89 in the 100m hurdles and 46.03 in the 300m hurdles. Shulz has steadily closed the gap over the past two years, and her consistency makes her a legitimate threat to push Weaver deep into both finals.

A rising name to watch is Northridge sophomore Bella Lozada, who has already clocked an eye‑catching 16.84 early this season. West Field’s Brielle Higley (17.29) and Box Elder’s Oaklee Wylee (17.52) round out the next tier of contenders in the 100m hurdles, each capable of sneaking into the top five with a clean race.

In the 300m hurdles, Weaver and Shulz will again set the pace, but Box Elder brings two experienced seniors ready to disrupt the order. Arianna Poll (47.85) and Oakley Norman (49.08) both reached the region finals last year and return with the poise and race savvy to challenge for podium spots. Lozada has also shown early promise in the long hurdles with a 51.98, giving Northridge a young athlete who could make a late‑season surge.

With a proven champion, a seasoned challenger, and a wave of emerging talent, the hurdles events promise to be among the most competitive and storyline‑rich races in Region 5.

all times and marks courtesy of sporttrax.com and athletic.net

photos courtesy of James Tate