Junior year is largely considered the year that matters the most for college recruitment.
While every year of eligibility is important -- as the current predicament is showing -- the junior year is where each athlete gets to truly showcase their talents as they head into the summer and fall and the recruitment process really starts to heat up.
So while unsigned seniors have been dealt a massive blow to their hopes of finding a college, many juniors are losing out on an all important opportunity to turn college coaches' heads to them.
The 42 Class of 2021 juniors presented here (10 per event group plus 2 sets of twins) represent a population of juniors who may have been quietly performing as freshmen and sophomores, but could truly have broken out had they been afforded a full junior track season. They may not represent the absolute cream of the crop in the class (like Johnny Brackins, Matthew Hauser, Tyra Wilson, Kylie Goldfarb, and Mercedes Schroer, among others) but a group of juniors who deserves a spotlight before their junior year ends.
While MSHSAA has yet to truly hand down a final cancellation ruling, the longer schools stay closed, the faster the window for a 2020 track season closes. Check out our list of 42 juniors who deserve to be on your radar regardless of the outcome brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.