Girls
Miranda Dick (Raymore-Peculiar)
Ray-Pec will be making a run for a State Title this year, and Miranda will be leading the way for the Panthers. She's the top returner in the State with an 18:11 PR, and finished 4th at State last year. All three girls who beat her last year have graduated, and the next fastest finisher last year is a full 30s behind her. In track she had All-State finishes in both the 1600m and 3200m where she placed 6th in both. She has a real chance of winning the individual State Title this fall.
Madison Hulsey (Lee's Summit West)
To say Madison had a stellar Sophomore campaign would be a vast understatement. She was All-State last year in XC with a 19th place finish, and also owns the fastest returning time among Juniors with a 18:43. In fact that's actually the 5th fastest returning time among all returners. I'd argue she had an even better track season. She finished third in Class 5 in both the 1600m and 3200m at State, split 2:12.35 on the first sub-9:00 4x800 relay in state history, and her season best times of 5:05 and 11:04 are the fastest among incoming Juniors. I'd be willing to bet that Madison will be in the hunt for the State Championship this Fall.
Madelynn Hill (Liberty)
From 800m to 5K I believe Hill is one of the the most versatile distance runners in Missouri. She placed 10th last year at State in XC, and holds the third fastest returning time in Class 4 with an 18:26. She had a phenomenal track season as well, placing 5th in both the 800m and 1600m at State. Her season bests of 2:15/4:57/11:21 in the 800/1600/3200 are in the top 5 in her class. She could very well be a dark horse candidate to win it all this Fall.
Tessa Valdivia (Blue Springs)
Tessa has great range like Hill, and has been a very strong number 1 for the Wildcats. She placed 6th last year at State and had the forth fastest season best a year ago with an 18:29. She was also All-State in Track with a 4th place finish in the 1600m. Her "slash" was 2:18/5:01/11:05 which stacks up very well with the best of the State as its top 4 in each event. Tessa is another one who could claim the individual title this year.
Abigail Juedemann (Lindbergh)
Juedemann is the fastest returner from St. Louis, and she will surely be up near the front at State. She placed 9th a year ago at State, and holds the 9th fastest returning time as well with an 18:53 despite not running on any particularly fast courses. She qualified for State in All 4 distance races, and brought home medals in the 4x800m (8th) and 3200m (7th). I've seen her race a ton over the last year and half and she's really tough and I think she will be right there with the leaders coming up the hill to the finish.
Kaylee Hatley (West Plains)
Kaylee had a great Junior season a year ago. She placed 11th at State last year, and her season best of 18:44 was the sixth fastest in Class 4 last year. In track she earned another State Medal, as she placed third in the Class 4 3200m with an 11:30. She should be right there with a very competitive lead pack at State.
Alexandra Hamre (Staley)
In each of the past two seasons Alexandra has been the top finisher at the State Meet for the Class of 2020, finishing 10th in 2016 and 12th in 2017. She has the second fastest returning season best with an 18:47 she ran at Districts last year. She also owns track PR's of 5:22 and 11:26 in the 1600m and 3200m respectively. Expect no less than yet another All-State finish from her this season.
Marissa Dick (Raymore-Peculiar)
Marissa is will be a big contributor this season as Ray-Pec look to compete for the Team Title. Last year she was All-State with a 14th place finish and had the third fastest season best among sophomores with an 18:51. She had a successful track season in Spring as well posting the second fastest 3200m time for a sophomore with an 11:19. She also ran a big 2:22 lead leg for Ray-Pec's 4th place 4x800m team. Look for Marissa to keep improving and be near the front this year at State.
Sydney Pyrah (Willard)
Sydney had great race at the State Meet a year ago. She placed 13th and was the second sophomore to finish. In addition to the All-State finish from a year ago Sydney also lays claim to a PR of 19:07. Look for her to win a medal here in consecutive seasons for the Tigers.
Elizabeth Stinson (Liberty North)
Another All-State from a year ago, Stinson will look to capture another State Medal this year. Last year she placed 15th at State and was the 4th Sophomore to cross the line. She holds a personal best time of 18:56 which is the 5th fastest returning time among juniors. We should be seeing her near the front at State again this year.