Girls 800m History Made at CIRCUIT - NYC
---
In what became one of the fastest high school girls' 800m indoor races ever, Emmry Ross delivered a historic performance at The CIRCUIT - NYC, clocking 2:03.95 to claim victory. The Michigan senior not only set a new U.S. #1 time for the season but also moved up to #8 on the all-time high school indoor list, surpassing the legendary Athing Mu. Her time marked an almost two-second personal best, indoors or outdoors, showcasing a massive leap forward in her racing.
The race featured an elite field where all eight finishers posted top 90 all-time indoor marks, with the top seven securing the U.S. #1-7 rankings for the season. Olivia Cieslak of Haverford Township, Pa. finished second in 2:04.58, breaking the Pennsylvania indoor state record previously held by Chanelle Price since 2007. With that performance, Cieslak joined an exclusive group, becoming just the 11th high school girl in history to break 2:05 both indoors and outdoors.
Of note, Cieslak also ran this weekend at the Garden State Invitational where she set a U.S. #3 time of 4:45.86, just a day before her historic 800m race.
All-Time Girls Indoor 800m Times
| RANK | TIME | ATHLETE/TEAM | GRADE | MEET DATE PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:00.06 | WI Stevens Point | 2022 | |
| 2 | 2:00.58 | RI Moses Brown School | 2023 | |
| 3 | 2:01.69 | MD Unattached - MD | 2022 | |
| 4 | 2:01.78 | NY Rush Henrietta Sperry | 2017 | |
| 5 | 2:01.80 | CA Portola (NS) | 1976 | |
| 6 | 2:03.59 | NY Benjamin N. Cardozo High | 2013 | |
| 7 | 2:03.85 | IL Normal (Community) | 2024 | |
| 8 | 2:03.95 | MI Onsted | 2025 | The CIRCUIT - NYC 1st F |
| 9 | 2:03.98 | NJ Trenton TC | 2020 | |
| 10 | 2:04.13 | NJ Neptune HS | 2012 | Millrose Games 4th F |
| 11 | 2:04.58 | PA Haverford Township | 2025 | The CIRCUIT - NYC 2nd F |
| 12 | 2:04.90 | NY George Washington | 1996 | |
| 13 | 2:04.96 | TN Easton Area | 2008 | |
| 14 | 2:05.56 | MN Wayzata High School | 2016 | |
| 15 | 2:06.00 | NJ Columbia HS | 1980 | Archived Performance 1st F |
| 16 | 2:06.08 | VA Patriot High School | 2017 | |
| 17 | 2:06.10 | TX Marble Falls | 2021 | |
| 18 | 2:06.16 | NY Boys and Girls | 2002 | |
| 19 | 2:06.17 | NJ Rumson-Fair Haven HS | 2025 | The CIRCUIT - NYC 3rd F |
| 20 | 2:06.30 | MI Purple Track Club | 2024 |
Clemmie Lilley of Rumson-Fair Haven, New Jersey, took third in 2:06.17, a new personal best in what served as an early-season benchmark. Paige Sheppard (Union Catholic, N.J.) crossed in fourth with a 2:06.90, followed by Oluwatosin Awoleye (South Cobb, Ga.) in 2:07.80. Gwen Hamilton (Penn Charter, Pa.) and Reese Reynolds Malone (Rumson-Fair Haven, N.J.) also broke 2:08, rounding out an incredible display of depth and speed. Just behind them rounding out a spectacular race, was Sophia McInnes and Alli DeLisi, both breaking 2:10.
CIRCUIT - NYC Girls 800m Results
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | WIND | HEAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Emmry Ross | 12 | Onsted | 2:03.95 | 1 | ||
| 2 |  Olivia Cieslak | 12 | Haverford Township | 2:04.58 | 1 | ||
| 3 |  Clemmie Lilley | 12 | Rumson-Fair Haven HS | 2:06.17 | 1 | ||
| 4 |  Paige Sheppard | 10 | Union Catholic Reg. HS | 2:06.90 | 1 | ||
| 5 |  Oluwatosin Awoleye | 12 | South Cobb | 2:07.80 | 1 | ||
| 6 |  Gwen Hamilton | 11 | Penn Charter | 2:07.86 | 1 | ||
| 7 | Reese Reynolds Malone | 11 | Rumson-Fair Haven HS | 2:08.01 | 1 | ||
| 8 |  Sophia McInnes | 12 | Bayport-Blue Point | 2:08.82 | 1 | ||
| 9 | Alli DeLisi | 12 | Penn Charter | 2:09.70 | 1 |
Ross had entered the race on short notice, but that didn't stop her from demolishing her previous U.S. #1 time of 2:06.62. The fast conditions and high-level competition led to multiple personal bests, proving that this field is shaping up to be one of the strongest in high school history. With March approaching, these athletes are primed for even faster times in championship season.