Sunday Edition: Tunnel Vision

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One by one, the rock stars were introduced. 

And if they didn’t already know this was a big deal, the eight girls competing in the special elite heat of the Titan Classic 1,600 at Papillion-La Vista South High School figured it out pretty quickly.

“Thank you for being here,” a meet official told the group before they took the track. “I hope everyone makes a great memory today.”

Safe to say everyone did just that in what was just your standard twilight mile that will go down as one of the fastest in Nebraska girls high school history.

That an eighth-grader (an eighth-grader!) won the race — Harrisburg, South Dakota’s Brianna Reilly finished first with a time of 4:53.89 — was only part of the story.

As word spread over the past couple weeks that this was going to happen, expectations built. When it was time for the race, each runner was introduced individually, jogging from the 50-yard line to the start line after hearing their name. 

Then the runners, and everyone watching them, delivered. 

“I had a lot of fun, especially with the crowd, it was like they were engulfing you almost,” said Papio South freshman Emily Hegge, who finished third. “So definitely on that final stretch, and every single lap, it was just so much fun.”

Oh yeah, the crowd.

The normal rhythm of a track meet was paused for the race, and spectators were allowed to stand on lanes 5 through 8 of the track. Combined with the sea of competitors crowding the rope on in the infield, the home straight turned into a chute for the competitors to run through.

“It was so loud; I couldn’t hear anything. It brought back basketball memories, like the district final game,” said Crofton freshman Avery Arens, who finished second. “And it was like, this is amazing.”

Reilly, Arens, and Hegge all broke the five-minute barrier. All eight runners finished in 5:10 or better, and five of the eight ran personal bests. Arens’ time of 4:56.18 broke the Class C state record in the 1,600, a mark she had already broken with a handheld time of 5:02 just last week.

Harrisburg’s Reilly, one of the best young runners in the entire country, was able to compete because the South Dakota High School Activities Association allows seventh and eighth-graders to compete on varsity in certain sports. 

Reilly’s personal best of 4:46.50 at last summer’s Brooks PR Invitational, one of the top youth track meets in the nation, would be an all-class Nebraska state record.

The credentials of all eight runners were impeccable. Arens shattered the all-class course record at last fall’s state cross country meet on her way to the Class D state championship. That same day, Hegge won the Class A title. 

Another Harrisburg freshman, Hanna Genrich, had a personal best of 4:56.96 coming in. Waverly’s Emma Steffensen is a University of Nebraska commit who has the top 800 in the state and leads Class B in the 1,600. She nearly cracked into four-minute territory, finishing in 5:00.92. North Platte’s Kori McClain was third in the fall at the Class A state cross country meet. Papio South’s Ashlyn Carter and Omaha Marian’s Maya Freyer both rank among Nebraska’s best distance runners.

The idea for the competition bloomed from the mind of Papio South coach Jeremy Haselhorst, who organized the event in part to give his star freshman, Hegge, a look at the best in the region, and in part to bring the region’s best together.

Haselhorst was partly inspired by what didn’t happen last track season when two of the state’s top boys distance runners, Fremont’s Juan Gonzalez (now at Oregon) and Gretna East’s Braden Lofquest (now at Duke) never met head-to-head as each took turns lowering the state record in the mile.

No such worries in 2026. Arens and Hegge pushed each other the entire race, and had begun closing the gap on Reilly before the eighth-grader held on. 

“We went out at a pretty good pace, then as the race went on, we got faster and faster,” Hegge said. “And I think that is definitely a positive, especially at the state meet, having this race and having the girls around me to push me, it’s just a great opportunity.”

It’s an opportunity that could well present itself again next season. The hope is to bring the Titan Classic 1,600 back in 2027 with many of the same competitors — five of the eight runners were in eighth, ninth, or 10th grade.

“I can’t wait to see them again and be able to run with them and push myself to do the best,” Arens said.

“Discipline, drive, and dedication. Competitive spirit. A commitment to constant improvement. These qualities make great athletes and coaches. They also make great financial advisors. Northwestern Mutual advisors educate clients to make important decisions to live differently and achieve their goals of financial security. Learn more about joining our team. Karges Financial Group and the Great Plains District are proud supporters of Nebraska high school athletics.