Not that she wasn’t attempting to already, of course, but it was important to Kate Meinke coming into her final track and field season to ensure between-season work after cross country and prior to distance in track was time well spent. If April 5 during the Ned Weingart Relays at Cleveland Height s was indicative, the Riverside senior made every moment of that preparation count. Because the standout run she turned in at Heights should set the proverbial table nicely going forward for more potential moments to come. Meinke was a wire-to-wire champion in the girls 1,600-meter run with a brilliant early-April time of 5 minutes, 9.77 seconds. Here's my usual NH area video meet highlights, this time from WeingartGot some good stuff, but much more limited than I'd prefer – never satisfied with my form in this regard , but so be it(Story coming shortly) pic.twitter.com/gi4YBKM7L5 — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) April 5, 2025 Last spring, Meinke barely cracked News-Herald coverage area leaders in the regular season with a 2024 invitational PR of 5:21.26, good for the ninth-fastest performance in the event locally. Only two milers — Gilmour’s Amy Weybrecht and Chardon’s Rae Kawalec — broke 5:10. But at Weingart, before the fog rolled in at Heights, there was nothing murky about Meinke’s dominant performance, in which her pacing, backstretch attack and confidence were top-notch. “I think I’ve learned a lot over the winter about the training that it takes to get here,” Meinke said. “I think the main thing for me is prioritizing the time between cross and track to really pound it out and get through it. And then pacing-wise, I think definitely getting out harder — I think I got out a little too hard today. I think I went out in like a 69. “But I think not being afraid to lead has been a huge thing for me and kind of having more confidence in yourself, going out in that first lap and just getting after it.” PHOTOS: Weingart Relays track and field, April 5, 2025 Locating several seconds more speed in mile while not that far into April was and is a testament to Meinke's training. "I did a very similar program," Meinke said of this year vs. last year with training. "I upped my mileage a little bit. So I think getting that aerobic back and just switching from that slower twitch to a faster twitch." As a junior, Meinke was a Division I Austintown-Fitch Regional qualifier in mile, taking 12th with a 5:27.40, nearly 11 seconds off podium contention and nearly 20 off state-berth contention. Getting a rep at Fitch in regional competition was a vital building block for Meinke. "So going into regional last year, I was very new to championship racing styles," Meinke said. "And I think, at least from our smaller meets and the area compared to that championship-style racing was a huge change for me. "So I think learning to get used to that and, again, getting more confident in yourself, but also knowing that other people around you and where you belong — you don't always belong in the front. I think that's a huge thing, too, is being mindful of people around you." A sub-5:10, on the other hand, would have comfortably been in the podium conversation at Fitch, speaking to the base it could provide. "That was one of my biggest goals for like the end of outdoor," Meinke said. "So to reach it this early was a huge thing for me. So now, I'm just working more toward that 5:05 and getting there." In addition to mile, Meinke took a solid second in 3,200 with an 11:13.47 — that, too, an outstanding early-April run. Hathaway Brown's Anna Prusak hammered her middle splits to take the lead out to 40-50 meters, but Meinke hung in well operating around lap traffic to keep it in the 11:10s. In 2024, among coverage area two-milers, only Kawalec broke 11:20 in the regular season. "I would say that I ran the mile earlier, but still, I think that I was mindful that I didn't want to kill myself in the first lap," Meinke said. "I went out a little bit fast, but I thought, 'I'm going to let her lead and run my own race.' I knew I wasn't quite capable of that sub-11 yet. But definitely going for that later on this season." Maximizing the moment between seasons, suffice it to say, will only mean the most should this trajectory carry into May and, hopefully, another shot at Fitch. If Heights shows anything, Meinke should be ready. "Having the confidence in yourself and leading, running with the fast people," Meinke said of the keys to getting deeper in the 5s in mile. "The fast people make you faster. So I think that's a huge thing. Not being afraid to get up there. "To me, I think the clock can be useful. But it can also be working against you. If you go out and go fast, I used to always think I need to slow down. But you've just got to keep going, because you never know what can happen out of there." Elsewhere for The News-Herald coverage area contingent at Weingart, Hawken's Gabrielle Turner took shot put with a throw of 35 feet, 8 inches. The returning D-II state qualifier is a 40-plus threat who should be pushing for that range in the near future. South's Stella Pellegrini notched a breakthrough win in high jump, clearing 5-2. Her 2024 regular-season invite PR was a 4-10. Mayfield's Sharnise Worthams was impressive en route to a first in 100 hurdles with a 15.63, displaying notable trail-leg improvement in her junior campaign. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin's Brennen Burke captured 100 out of an early heat with an 11.30. Beachwood's girls 4x200 quartet of Marley Readance, Meena Abdul Basser, Kyrsten Ginn and Kayden Harris-Tate reigned with a 1:44.70, almost on pace with their state indoor title in the event last month. University's Thomas Lodowski, emerging from a strong indoor season, rallied to take top honors in 1,600 with a 4:38.26. The sophomore showed beyond-his-years composure on the homestretch with a smooth, open last-60 stride to stave off St. Ignatius' Jack Sheppard (4:39.42). US' Josh Belcher took high jump at 5-10. https://twitter.com/CLillstrungNH/status/1908666396810031167 ...read more read less