Another high school sports season is on the horizon. In keeping with tradition, here are 24 things (names, events, maybe a place or two) to know for the upcoming girls sports 2024 fall and early winter seasons in Central Indiana.
1. The chase for Indiana Miss Basketball begins
Who will wear the No. 1 jersey? The 2025 race is wide open . Probably the most wide open it's been in my three-plus years on the beat. I previewed the early candidates in March and will have an updated list in October, but with a number of head-to-head matchups and big games scheduled for November and December, there will be opportunities for players to make early statements.
2. Addi Kooi, Westfield golf
The Shamrocks senior posted matching 73s to finish tied for second with a two-round score of 2-over 146 at the state finals. She's the highest finisher among area returners and, here's the crazy part, has only been golfing for a few years. Kooi, who also placed top-four at sectional and regional, is a standout tennis player, too.
3. Lindsey Mangelson, Hamilton Southeastern volleyball
The Mississippi State commit managed to stand out with a Royals volleyball team that had enough veteran hitters to sustain at least two, maybe even three, teams. She's the real deal and now it's the 6-2 senior's turn to lead the Royals' attack with fellow senior Ava Hunter at setter (among a number of other key returners).
Insider: Perfection was expected of HSE in 2023. It still raised the bar
4. Kenzie Koch, Eastern Hancock basketball
The 5-8 guard had quite the debut season, averaging 18 points, three assists and three steals for the semistate runner-up Royals. She was excellent as the team's lone non-senior starter and picked up a few Division I offers over the summer (took an unofficial visit to Iowa, too). Koch will be tasked with guiding a retooled EH lineup in 2024-25. Side note: Lindsey Shaw replaces Shari Doud as head coach, returning to a position she held from 2008-11.
'One confident kid.' Kenzie Koch dazzles as a freshman for undefeated Eastern Hancock girls
5. Izzy Masten and Caroline Ward, Tri-West volleyball
There are a number of must-see talents on the high school volleyball scene, including this junior-sophomore pairing. Masten will play libero at Pitt in a couple years, but is dazzling as an outside hitter for the regional champion Bruins, while Ward is the top-ranked in-state prospect in the Class of 2027 and coming off a stellar freshman campaign. That's a heck of a 1-2 punch and with setters Molly Garver and Anna Thompson also back, Tri-West is among the favorites in 3A entering the season.
Masten is also a champion beach volleyball player ( they're two separate sports , IHSAA).
6. Girls wrestling is a state-sanctioned sport
Indiana is the 44th state to sponsor girls wrestling and it'll make its debut in October. There are a number of area grapplers who were state finalists a year ago, including Hamilton Heights junior Kendall Moe (champion at 100 lbs.), Warren Central senior Aminah Rusununguko-Taylor (runner-up at 125), Pendleton Heights sophomore Maddie Marsh (undefeated champion at 135), Franklin junior Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos (runner-up at 145) and Southport senior AvaLyn Mosconi (undefeated champion at 170).
7. Year of the Royals: Roncalli nets and hoops edition
Reclassification couldn't have come at a much better time for Roncalli. Volleyball would be one of the best in 4A, let-alone 3A. Those Royals are loaded with high-end talent at every position (senior Oregon commit Logan Bell is coming off a career year), they're experienced and have the height in the middle they were missing a couple years ago (Michigan State soccer commit Mackenzie Kruer has really come into her own).
The Roncalli basketball team is also set up for a big season. 5-9 guard Elliot Leffler is a rising talent in the class of 2026 and will have a strong supporting cast with Sara Rosko, Brennah Cerny and Lydia Stahley (a Mizzou volleyball commit) all returning.
8. Year of the Royals: HSE volleyball edition
Don't expect much drop-off from the two-time defending 4A champs. They replace last year's Division I-bound graduates with other college-bound standouts, like Lindsey Mangelson, Ava Hunter, Kaylyn Christy, Lawrence North transfer Bella Dafforn and Madison Miles, among others.
9. Libby Dowty, Indian Creek cross-country
Dowty delivered a thriller at the 2023 state meet, rallying over the final 200 meters to upset Notre Dame commit Nicki Southerland and become the first Indian Creek girl to win a cross-country state title with a time of 16:06.7. The junior, who said she's been running since the fifth grade, will try to defend her title later this year.
10. Lexi Ray, Franklin golf
Ray capped her sophomore season tied for 18th at state in the fall, then embarked on a summer campaign that was highlighted by a first-place finish at the Indiana Golf Girls State Junior Championship earlier this month. She rallied from three strokes back of Castle's Ashley Kirkland in the second round, then held off Fort Wayne’s Taylor Larkins down the stretch.
11. The Battle for Lawrence Township, Chapter II
Lawrence Central and Lawrence North will both likely be top-10 and could even be top-5 when they first collide this season (I'm assuming at the Marion County tournament). The Bears swept last season's three-game series en route to the 4A championship, but the Wildcats have the pieces to exact revenge and derail their township rival's quest for a repeat. There are too many stars for both sides to list here, but trust me when I tell you: Those LC-LN games will be must-see events.
Insider: State title run just the beginning for Lawrence Central girls basketball
12. Holiday hoops extravaganza
I'll have an official guide closer to Thanksgiving, but goodness gracious the girls basketball offerings between November and December will be difficult to beat. Sneakers For Santa always delivers; Fishers, HSE and Crispus Attucks will head to Evansville North for an event that also includes 4A newcomer Gibson Southern, Castle and Evansville Memorial; the Hall of Fame Classic field features defending 4A champion Lawrence Central, Hamilton Southeastern, Homestead and South Knox; and Washington is hosting Hatchet House Hysteria (awesome name) with Roncalli, Fishers and Attucks among those involved. And those are just the first few that came to mind.
I can, and will, name more when the time comes.
13. Carmel swimming unveils new natatorium
Carmel is scheduled to open its new $43 million natatorium by year's end. Don't have much else to add on that front other than it looks really cool and I'm excited for there to hopefully be less construction traffic and the like at Carmel sporting events. Oh, also, IndyStar correspondent David Woods wrote the 2024-25 Greyhounds outfit might be even better than its most immediate predecessors , which is wild to even think about.
14. Reese Sochacki, Bishop Chatard soccer
Sochacki is back with the Trojans following a one-year stay with the Indy Eleven academy team. This wasn't unexpected by any means, but it's a massive development for the Trojans, who are replacing a few key pieces from a year ago, but still have the foundation for a deep postseason run. Sochacki is coming off a very strong summer on the ECNL circuit.
15. The sectional of death in girls soccer
The biggest hurdle for Chatard? That darned sectional. Already one of the most difficult in all the land, the IHSAA decided to up the ante by adding Class A state champion Park Tudor, which is up based on success factor. So that sectional now consists of Chatard, Park Tudor, 3A champion Guerin Catholic, Brebeuf Jesuit and Hamilton Heights. You could have four of the state's top-5-or-so teams crammed into the same first-round bracket.
Seems dumb.
16. Adalyn Cameron, Carmel soccer
The 2026 striker was electrifying on the attack, registering 15 goals and four assists over 1,134 minutes played. The difficulty of the Hounds' sectional was raised further with the addition of Cathedral — Westfield and Zionsville are top contenders, Lawrence North and North Central could be sleeper picks depending on the draw — but with Cameron and Olivia Cebalo pairing up for another season, Carmel remains the favorite.
17. Adah Hupfer, Pendleton Heights
The next standout post player from Central Indiana, Hupfer's height and strength will draw comparisons to Brownsburg senior Avery Gordon ( Purdue commit ). That's some very high and very well-deserved praise for the Arabians sophomore, but she also brings some very good mobility to the position. I'm looking for her (and Gordon, for that matter) to have a big season in the post as she, senior guard Kaycie Warfel and company look to capture that elusive sectional title.
18. Familiar faces in new places
There were a number of coaching changes on the girls basketball scene, including a few familiar faces returning to the head coaching ranks.
>> Former Carmel coach Erin Trimpe steps in for Keegan Cherry at Hamilton Heights. She helped Noblesville to the 4A state semifinals last season as an assistant.
>> Josh Sabol , who emerged as a star podcaster after leading Franklin to the 4A finals in 2022, replaces Debbie Smiley at Brownsburg.
>> Jennifer Drudge last coached at Carmel in the early 2000s, but is back in the game as Andy Maguire's replacement at Zionsville.
>> As noted above, Lindsey Shaw replaces Shari Doud at Eastern Hancock.
19. Raegan Durbin, Western Boone volleyball
Durbin, a Middle Tennessee-bound outside hitter, put up some crazy numbers as a junior and has her sights set on leading the Stars back to Muncie. She's coming off a massive summer playing alongside a number of the area's best players at Circle City, and is poised for big things this fall.
20. Greenfield-Central volleyball and girls basketball
It felt like both Cougars teams were teetering on a really special run last season with a strong, experienced core leading the way. Neither team was quite able to break through, but both return a number of key pieces: Rilee Roland, Harper Holden and Makenna Rankins for volleyball and Chaney Brown and Izzy Silcox for basketball. Senior Madison Sonsini starred for both teams.
21. Kamrah Banks, Crispus Attucks basketball
A highly-rated prospect entering her freshman year at Decatur Central, Banks transferred to Montverde Academy in Florida for her sophomore campaign, but has since returned to Indianapolis and enrolled at Crispus Attucks, where she'll play for her dad, Kamaren Banks.
22. Meredith Tippner, Noblesville soccer and basketball
Though her focus will be on winning a couple more championships, Tippner enters her senior season with an opportunity to win both Miss Soccer and IndyStar Miss Basketball. Those individual accolades aside, look for big things from the two-sport standout (she'll play basketball in college) as she writes the final chapter of her illustrious career.
23. Gracyn Gilliard, Center Grove basketball
The Trojans made a big addition over the summer with the former Munster standout moving to Greenwood for her final two seasons. The 5-10 guard averaged 25.9 points, eight rebounds, 5.9 steals and 2.7 assists for the Mustangs. Gilliard also played volleyball, tallying 50 blocks over 45 sets.
24. Scecina volleyball
The Crusaders have fallen one set short of a 2A state finals berth in back-to-back seasons. They've both been painstakingly close finishes, but with Molly Welborn and Olivia Anglemyer returning to lead the attack, and Isabelle Martinelle and Leah Guilfoy at libero/defensive specialist, they should be capable of another deep tournament run in 2024. The big challenge will be replacing Natalie Bollenbacher at setter.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Insider: 24 things to know for 2024 Indiana high school girls sports seasons
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