Girls Track & Field: Hilliard Darby Panthers’ Mia Wyngarden preps for postseason

Mia Wyngarden always has looked up to her sister, Sydney. Whether it was playing softball and basketball or running track and cross country, Mia followed in Sydney’s footsteps.

Now a senior on the Hilliard Darby girls track and field team, Mia finds herself chasing one of Sydney’s records.

Sydney, a 2019 graduate, holds the Darby program record of 2 minutes, 17.03 seconds in the 800 meters.

“We actually made a deal my seventh-grade year,” Mia said. “She wanted to quit track and I wanted to quit basketball. So, we made a deal that we’d both keep playing. If I kept playing basketball, she would keep running track so that we could run together my freshman and her senior year. I’m so glad that we did that because it was so much fun working out with her every day.”

Mia is closing on the 800 record, running a personal-best 2:19.63 on April 8 at the Hilliard Premier.

Sydney, a junior on the Lake Erie College women’s basketball team, also owns Darby girls basketball program records for career assists (361), single-season assists (126 in 2018-19) and assists in a game (12 against Hartley on Feb. 22, 2019).

“She loves it. She’s my biggest supporter,” Mia said. “She wants me to beat (her 800 record). Hopefully on a good day, I’ll be able to get it. That’s the goal.”

Mia Wyngarden’s workload has changed this spring as first-year coach Devon Staten tries to keep her fresh for the postseason.

“I think making to the finals (at state) in the 800 this year is definitely something she can accomplish,” Staten said. “Last year, they would have her run the (3,200 relay), the open 800, the open 400 and then the (1,600 relay). So, by the end of every meet, she was just gassed. This year, we’ve focused on her workouts and then maybe two races in every meet.”

Wyngarden’s initial reaction to the change was surprise, but it didn’t take her long to get on board.

“It was definitely an adjustment because every other year, I’ve done four events at every single meet,” she said. “It’s kind of weird being so fresh. I think it’s benefiting me a lot, though, because I’m not so tired at the end of the meet. It was a little bit hard to adjust to at first.”

Wyngarden has made some adjustments this year, running cross country and indoor track for the first time.

“She came back in really, really good shape,” Staten said. “She’s really strong right now. It’s helped out significantly.”

Wyngarden teamed with Ady Armstrong and 2021 graduates Gabrielle Hammonds and Krystal Singh to finish fifth at last year’s Division I state meet in the 1,600 relay (3:56.71).

Wyngarden has aspirations of a return trip to state with the relay, which now includes Armstrong, Alexis Sherman and Sydney Kloth.

“This is (Kloth’s) first year ever running track, so she’s learning everything,” Wyngarden said. “She’s doing really good. Lexi is one of the strongest freshmen I’ve ever seen. I think our team is doing pretty good.”

Staten, who was promoted after being an assistant since 2019, said he has the ideal athlete in Wyngarden.

“(Wyngarden is) one of those kids that doesn’t want to lose and works her tail off every single day,” he said. “She’s the ideal athlete you wish you could have 100 of on every team. She’s great with the culture in the locker room and is constantly lifting up others. I think the last time she lost a rep in practice was when her sister was a senior and she was a freshman.”

mrich@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekRich

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Girls Track & Field: Darby’s Wyngarden preps for postseason