Class 1 Boys Sprints
100 Meter Dash
Eli Mullock ran away with this one last year, setting the Class 1 record in a time of 11.01. He won by .45 seconds over Brashear senior, Daniel Anderson. Also returning from last years final is Jeremiah Henderson and Nick Jones.
200 Meter Dash
Mullock won this event as well, this time without the record. He was a little under half a second over the state record, could he get it this year? Challenging him will be Dominick Fleeks, a Stewartsville sophomore who finished second last spring as a freshman. Also in the top four last year were Dakota Jones and Luke Kapala, and both will be back this year.
400 Meter Dash
Fleeks came in second in this event as well. The super sophomore comes in with a PR of 51.67, almost a second better than Nick Jones, the second best returner according to PR's. Dakota Jones was fifth in this event last year and Jeff Kuntz and Jordan Yahn also come back from top eight finishes.
110 Meter Hurdles
Bubba Galvan claimed victories in all four races he was in last year…and this was one of them. He won this event by .05 seconds in front of Brandon Niendick. The junior from Wellington-Napoleon was also third in the 300m Hurdles. Everyone from the final with exceptions of two runners return this season.
300 Meter Hurdles
Galvan competed in this one as well and of course he won't his event. He won this one by almost a second of Collin Werths who returns for his senior season. Niendick, the runner up in the 110m Hurdles was third in this one. Also returning are medalists Trevor Stocks and James Dahl-Hines.
Class 1 Girls Sprints
100 Meter Dash
Alexa Taff has won this event three years in a row now. She was only .13 seconds off of the class record last spring, could it go down this season? Five other All-State medalists will contend against here for the top spot.
200 Meter Dash
Also having won this event two years in a row, Taff only won this event by .02 seconds last year. However, the next best finisher that was a non-senior was freshman Maria Rains in fifth place. Also a freshman, Emily Lippa finished sixth followed by a pair of sophomores Laney Shelby and Kianna Hurd. With most of these girls in the 26's the top spots will be close.
400 Meter Dash
It might have been because of the short day, but Taff was unable to defend her title in this event last year. She was beat by Ana Jackson, who graduated, by a little over half a of second. Behind her was Kathleen Yoakum, a junior from Midway who comes into the season with a PR just over a minute. Yoakum was the 800m champion so it will be a battle of sprints vs. mid distance in this event. Three other All-State runners return in this event.
100 Meter Hurdles
Dominica Prokup enters the season with a best time of 16.32, half a second better than Megan Speichinger. Prokup was third while Speichinger finished sixth. Also returning from the top eight are Tara Collings, Kacey Ayers, and Julie Greer.
300 Meter Hurdles
Ayers was the top finisher in this event. The junior from Oran was third in this event to go along from her medal from the 100 meter hurdles. Both Betty Goodman and Kaelyn Spratt are within a second so this race should could be won by a few girls.
Class 2 Boys Field Events
High Jump
Two men have good cases as why they are the favorite. The first is Austin Francis. Francis was second last May. The Salisbury junior has cleared 6-5.5. However, Karter Moran, a senior from Ash Grove cleared 6-6 at his sectional meet. He went on to only clear 6-0 at the state meet leading to his ninth place finish. Also returning from All-State finishes are Dalton Freeze, Chris Eichholz, and Sumner Foster.
Pole Vault
The top four finishers in this event returns, led by last years champ Mike Grinde of Monroe City. Grinde cleared 14-3 at the state meet. The fourth place finisher, Carl Brunner, cleared 14-0 earlier in the season and comes in with the second best PR. The other two in the top four are Conrad Bollinger and Nathan Brewer who finished second and third.
Long Jump
Only one All-State athlete returns this year. Jordan Britton, a senior from Hollister was fourth in the state meet. The 11th place finisher, Garrison Green has the best PB among returners with a mark of 21-7.5 at his conference meet. Also with a better mark than Britton, Andrew Baum jumped 21-4 at his sectional meet.
Triple Jump
Returning in this event are three All-Staters from last year including the top returner in the long jump, Jordan Britton. He finished fifth last spring behind Romello McCoy of Malden, the third place finisher as a sophomore. Baum has the best PB jumped 42-11.25, about an inch further than Britton and five inches past McCoy. With these three entreating this track season so close, this event could be close come May.
Class 2 Girls Field Events
High Jump
Its pretty cool to win an event at state. Normally it isn't won by freshman, but Sydney Deeken didn't care. Deeken cleared 5-6 which gave her the top mark in Class 2 last year. She defeated the pre-race favorite, Lindsay Vollmer. Also sneaking past Vollmer was Taylor Alumbaugh, a senior from El Dorado Springs who cleared 5-5. Two other girls Megan Hooper and Becca Buechter both cleared 5-4 leaving this event up for grabs.
Pole Vault
While she didn't win, another freshman had a great state meet in this event as well. Jessica Clark, a sophomore at Blair Oaks was second last year. She's comes in with a best mark by half a foot over Skyler Wooldridge of Adrian High School. Liz Gilman, a Principia senior also has cleared 10-0.
Long Jump
Carly Spalding, last years third place finisher, enters the season with the best PR but is followed by Deeken. The high jump champ comes in with a PB a quarter inch shorter than Spalding. These two should be close as well as All-Staters Kaitlin Mugler and Gretchen Mayes.
Triple Jump
Deeken also had a solid finish in this event last year. She was third last year and comes into this season with a PB over 2 feet better than the next athlete. Torri Blythe, who was also an All-State finisher in the 800m was sixth in this event last year and is the second best returner. Also coming back from a top eight finish is Megan Pope and Shelby Rice.
Class 3 Boys Throws
Shot Put
Alec Whiteside returns after finishing second last spring. The junior from Chillicothe had a mark of 51-08. The man with the next best PR, Caleb Mather, did not make it to state in this event but did finish fifth in the discus. These two are the only guys in Class 3 to enter the season with a mark better than 50 feet but are followed by Will Fife and Brycen Mackison. Fife finished 11th last spring. Michael Leach, the fifth best returner according to PR's was seventh in this event last year.
Discus Throw
Less than a foot separated Jacob Crenshaw and Jason Walker last year and both come back to compete against each other again this year. To join the top two finishers from last year, PJ Patton, the third place finisher from last year also returns. Walker has the best PB among returns, 178-8 followed by Crenshaw, last years champ, with a PB of 164-1. Also have thrown in the 150's, Thaddeus Foley and Kenny Bowman also come back and should be in the mix.
Class 3 Girls Throws
Shot Put
Last years runner up, Rachel Monteil, comes back but she doesn't have the best PR. That goes to Michelle Kyle, a junior from Windsor (Imperial) who has thrown 41-1.5, a foot further than Monteil. Kyle was third last spring. Also returning from an All-State finish, Enna Thompson has thrown almost 39 feet.
Discus Throw
Cydnee Reese came out on top of this one last year by 4 feet and returns for her junior season. The O'Hara thrower who finished fifth as a freshman comes in with a PB of 153-3, 24 feet in front of the next returner, D'andria Blow. Blow as well as Michelle Kyle and Melanie Raterman have all thrown further than 120 feet.
Class 4 Boys Distance
800 Meter Run
The top six finishers from last year graduated leaving the door open for this event with only Jeff Orf and Collin Sees returning as All-State finishers. Orf, who finished ninth in 2010 followed by a seventh place finish last spring, has dealt with injury problems that hampered his cross country season. Sees, a senior from Rock Bridge was their sixth man for the victorious Bruins. He has been on the Rock Bridge 4x800m Relay team both of the past two seasons, finishing second both times. The next fastest returner is Nicholas Stewart who has run 1:57.46. Last spring Stewart ran the 3200m at the State meet and finished 14th. Also returning from the state meet in the 800m are Jovonte Suber, Cole Davis, Rashod Harris, Miles Migliara, and Derek Somogye.
1600 Meter Run
Last May, fans got to see one of the closest races in state history. Caleb Wilfong, Class 4 XC Champ, wasn't afraid to take it out strong and lead much of the race. He comes back after his third place finish, just .39 seconds behind Kenny Cushing. Last years sixth place finisher, Drew Cargill, returns with a PR of 4:14.62. These two should be out front and pushing each other to fast times. The next fastest runner is Zach Herriott. While Herriott's expertise's are in the distance races, he ran a 4:20.19 to finish 11th last year. WIth a handful of other runners sub 4:25 this years race should be competitive just like last years. Also, Eric Sivill, who recently commited to Alabama, comes in with a 1500m time of 4:05.21, which equates to a 4:23. The Parkway Central junior made a big jump this past fall. This should only help him in the mile.
3200 Meter Run
Runners have tried to top Matt Tegenkamp's record of 8:57.23, and all have failed. Herriott, who finished ninth this fall at Nike XC Nationals, has said his top goal is breaking the 3200m record. However, he is not even the faster returner. West Plain's Drew Cargill has the best PR with a time of 9:14.11. He finished second last year behind CT Smith. Also a few other people to keep in mind are Noah Kauppila and Caleb Wilfong. Kauppila had one of the best freshman seasons for a Missouri distance runner as he ran 9:25.71 to finish seventh at State last year. This mark put him fifth among freshman in the nation. As a sophomore, he has already shown big improvements. He ran a 15:30 at Foot Locker Midwest to finish 14th after his fourth place finish at the State XC Championships. Wilfong, the top returner in the mile, was the state champ in XC beating Herriott in better event. This race should be one to watch. The record was set 12 years ago, will it go down?
4x800m Relay
Things are pretty nice when you return all four runners from a second place relay team. Rock Bridge, the team champs in XC, return all four runners from their team last year. Caleb Wilfong and Collin Sees are the big guns on this team but they are supported by Jordan Cook, the seventh place finisher in XC, and Nick Dale, the 36th place finisher. Behind them is Ft. Zumwalt West who surprised a lot of people last year with how strong they ran. Rockhurst also returns all of their members of their fifth place squad. With the early favorites being Rock Bridge it will be interesting to see who steps up to compete against the Bruins.
Class 4 Girls Distance
800 Meter Run
We saw the record go down last year as an incredibly deep class dominated this event. Only one non-senior qualified for the final, Hannah Richardson. The Kirkwood senior made a big jump this past fall dropping her 5K PR by 40 seconds which led her to a sixth place finish at State. She comes into the season with the best 800 PR followed by Kayla Hall. Hall, who finished sixth as a sophomore in the 800m, did not make it out of sectionals last spring. Despite running a 2:17.84, she finished fifth behind four girls that went on to all finish within the top five at state. Look for her to return to state in this event in her last season. Last falls ninth place finisher, Valeska Halamicek also returns. The Francis Howell junior was fifth as a freshman in 2010 and has a PR of 2:15.58. The next fastest returner, Emily Warner, ran a 2:18.05 in only her first year of competitive track. Warner, a senior at Ladue, has run 58.39 in the 400m and was on the State winning 4x400m relay team for Ladue. With a long list of other girls only seconds behind, the All-State spots are up for grabs.
1600 Meter Run
After winning the State XC Championship the past two seasons one might categorize Samantha Nightingale as a distance runner. Interestingly enough she was an All-State 800m runner as a freshman showing she doesn't lack speed. Her PR of 2:17.57 is one of the best among returners. However, she most likely has her eyes set on other events. She is the top returner in this event as she finished sixth in the 1600m last year. She broke 5:00 minutes for this event back in 2010 where she finished fourth place. She might be focusing on her 3200m, but she is also a strong miler. Some of the challengers include Taylor Dickerson and Kennadee Williams. Williams competed with the best despite only being a freshman as she finished tenth place last spring. The 13th place finisher at the State XC meet comes into the season with PR's of 5:10.44, 2:20.77 and 11:24.19. Finishing ahead of her last year, Dickeron of Jackson returns for her senior season. Her PR sits right above 5:00 and breaking that barrier surely is one of her goals for this season. Also a threat in this event is Hannah Richardson. Richardson did not make it past the stacked District 1 in this event but could very easily be one of if not the top finisher in the mile this year. Someone else who could also take the title wasn't even in high school last year. Hannah Long, who turned a lot of heads this cross country season with a second place finish, finished second in the Festival of Miles only behind state champ, Colleen Quigley. Long's small frame makes her more of a 2-miler but she is still capable of running solid times in the mile. Two other runners, Marie Taylor and Alyssa Jones both come into the season with PR's under 5:15. One girl who going into the season might not have the best mile PR but will be contending with the top runners is Nicole Mello. The Hickman junior was one of three girls to go sub 18 minutes in the 5K this past fall. She also was the only qualifer from Missouri for Foo Locker Nationals where she finisehd 20th. Mello comes into the track season with PR's of 2:25.40 and 5:13.34.
3200 Meter Run
Could Emily Sisson's record of 10:24.12 be taken down? This past fall Nightingale showed she's capable of great things by winning her second XC title as well as finishing eighth in at Nike XC Nationals. Being a distance event it wouldn't be right if we didn't mention a Lee's Summit West Titan. The team that has one state in XC for the past five years has a solid 3200m runner in Kiersten West, last years seventh place finisher. Her time of 10:53.07 ranked her 15th among freshman in the nation. One girl who many thought had a chance to beat Nightingale this past fall was Long. Long, who enters the season with a time of 11:11 in the 3000m, ran a 17:47 in the 5K in the fall. With her mile time being under 5:10 she should be able to stick up with the best in this event. While she does not have a time listed in the 3200m, if Nicole Mello runs this event she is sure to be in the front. Her 5K PR of 17:43 is the same pace as an 11:20 3200m, showing she is a very strong distance runner. Another girl enters the season with a sub 11 minute time, Alyssa Jones. Jones didn't have quite as dominant of a cross country season as before but still managed to finish an impress 12th place this past fall. She grabbed the last All-State spot in this event last year, finishing within a second of West. Two other runners come into the season under 11:10 and with freshman standouts like Sophia Racette and Kayla Funkenbusch coming in, this race should be a great one to watch.
4x800 Meter Relay
Last year Colleen Riley led Lindbergh past Kirkwood in the last leg of the 4x800m to grab the victory. They lost two, including Riley, leaving the door open to many teams. The first team to look at is Kirkwood. They return three of their four runners from their second place team last spring, including All-State 800m runner, Hannah Richardson. The set of three girls, Richardson, Lianna Doty, and Elizabeth Luciani have finished second place in this event two times now. This year could be there year but they will certainly have competition. Two teams with strong distance tradition, Eureka and Lee's Summit West, both return three runners from there third and fourth place teams. Lee's Summit West lost a strong runner in Chelsey Phoebus but have added Annika Sisson, a 2:23.72 800m due to a family move. The Titans return the trio of Kiersten West, Kennadee Williams, a 2:20 800m runner, and Elizabeth Nolke, a 2:23. Eureka lost Alyssa Rebecca, the third place finisher in the 800m last spring but Hannah Long has joined the team…could she fill in? As with relays, there are a lot of questions unanswered but this race is already shaping up to be a close one.
