Today we will be taking a brief look at the junior girls you'll want to look out for during the 2020 season.
Mya Trober (Blue Springs South) had a big breakout season last year for a reloaded jaguar squad. She has the fastest returning time for a junior this season, and is the second fastest overall returner in Missouri with a time of 18:13. She ran that 18:13 at Gans Creeks to earn her a second place finish in Class 4. She then followed that up the next weekend, winning the freshman/sophomore race at the Team Regional Meet in Terre Haute. Look for Trober to make some more noise in Class 5 this season as she'll clearly be looking to break that 18:00 barrier.
Other top returning juniors includes two-time defending Class 1 state champion Riley Arnold (Blue Eye) who returns with a season best of 18:33 last season. Lilian Jackson (St. Charles West) was the runner up in Class 3 last year with a time of 18:39, and will be the favorite to win the Class 3 title this season. Frances Luna (Cor Jesu) was ninth a year ago in Class 4 with an 18:48, and is now an early favorite to win the Class 4 crown. Leah Kleekamp (Eureka) was fifth in Class 4 last year with an 18:40, and she will look to notch another top 5 finish in Class 5. Alicen Ashley (Nixa) also returns with a season best of 18:45 and was 15th in Class 4 last year.