The 5-foot-4 sophomore earned First Team All-American honors this past season by taking fourth at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships with a time of 17:50.5. Ihmels qualified for nationals by finishing sixth at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional Championships, one week after she was the runner-up at the Nike Cross Heartland Regional Championships. That earned her First Team All-Region at both events. A transfer from Timberline High (Idaho), she broke the tape in the Class A state meet with a time of 17:28.1, crossing the line more than 80 seconds ahead of her next-closest competitor and leading the Patriots to fourth place as a team.
Ihmels has maintained a weighted 4.11 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her junior year of high school this fall.
A writer for the Literature Magazine at Century High, Ihmels has volunteered locally as a marshal at middle school and youth cross country and track meets.
