The 2016 States Indoor 1500m championship was a true classic not only because of the battle at the top between North Shore's senior Class B XC champ Diana Vizza and budding North Rockland 8th grade star Katelyn Tuohy, but also because it had a big field of past and future champions.
Among the elite field was Warwick Valley's senior two-time Class A States XC champ Megan Reilly who would go on to notch state and national championships in the 2K steeple chase in June, and Ursuline freshman Lily Flynn who went on to own the 1K distance at Indoor States in her junior and senior seasons. Also in there were Our Lady of Lourdes sophomore Caroline Timm who the following March would finish 2nd to Sammy Watson of Rush-Henrietta in the New Balance Indoor Nationals Mile and Carolina Beroutsos of Nightingale Bamford who won the NYSAIS XC championship in 2013 as a freshman.
But on March 5th 2016 in the the third and seeded section of the 1500m, it was Vizza and Tuohy who owned the stage, though Schalmont's Julia Flower made a game effort to remain in the top 3 for three laps. Vizza the veteran Viking senior pushed her lead out to 10 meters at the bell and then tried to hold off the Red Raider youngster Tuohy's furious attack down the backstretch and into the final turn.
After finishing 3rd in the race and 4th overall as a 7th grader in the 2015 Indoor States 1500m and losing by a nose to Corning's Jessica Lawson in 2017, Tuohy would go on to capture the win as a sophomore, junior, and this year as a senior. Vizza completed a fantastic senior year with a better time in the Outdoor States 1500m but a 7th place finish, however she coupled it with a 2nd behind Lawson in the 3000m.
Only Tuohy remained from the 2016 1500m field to run in the race this year as Rachael Woodruff of Saranac was at States but competing in the 1K.
