The 5-foot-7 junior won the state title in the 1600-meter run and took second in the 800 this past season, clocking a personal-best time in both events, with her 1600 (4:43.73) ranking No. 14 among girls prep competitors in 2023 and her 2:05.06 in the 800 ranking No. 8. Southerland won the mile and finished second in the 800 at the national RunningLane Championships, capturing All-America honors in both events. At New Balance Nationals, she took fourth in the 800 and fifth in the mile, again earning dual All-America honors and clocking a personal-best 4:41.07 in the latter, which ranks 10th in the country this spring. She can also count herself among the top 30 in a fourth outdoor event in 2023 thanks to her personal-best 10:14.61 in the 3200 at the Carmel Distance Showcase, which ranks No. 28.
Southerland has maintained a 4.31 weighted GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
A member of the National Honor Society as well as her school’s student council and swim team, Southerland has served as a freshman class mentor and as a peer tutor. She has volunteered locally as a Secret Families Shopper on behalf of a program that purchases Christmas gifts and supplies for low-income families, and she’s donated her time as a holiday bell-ringer for the Salvation Army. Southerland has also made Christmas baskets for a nursing home and baked pumpkin pies for a mission in her community.
