The boys Elite 3200 was even more impressive than the girls. It was loaded with talent just like the Festus McCullough-Douglas Invitational had been two weeks before. Both fields almost certainly featured more talent, better PR's and athlete resumes than any regular season 3200's in state history. The Festus Elite 3200-meters produced 4 sub-9:20's and a 5th sub 9:30, while eight went sub 9:40 and an astonishing 13 runners break the 10:00 barrier.
While that certainly bettered the best pre-April 3200 of any other race in state history, it came up just short of the 2007 Missouri Relays 3200 in terms of top-5 performances. That last Friday of March in Columbia at Mizzou saw CBC's Dan Quigley win in 9:08 while Potosi's Josh Thebeau and Josh Mathis were a handful of seconds back in about 9:11 and 9:16 while Hickman's Sam Masters was 4th in 9:22 or 9:23 and Rock Bridge's Phillip King 5th in 9:23 or 9:24. Five guys under 9:25 before April 1st. Unfortunately, Quigley and King suffered injuries and couldn't improve on those performances in that, their senior seasons. Results from that event were published incorrectly and never corrected.
In Independence, 16 guys toed the line for the Elite 3200 and the gun went off at 10:19 a.m. The pace was quick with first 400-meter splits of 69, 68, and 70-seconds. As the strong pace continued the field naturally strung out and a lead group of pulled ahead. The top nine all went thru 1600-meters in 4:41 with Rock Bridge's West Jokerst doing much of the leading. Liberty North's super duo of Sage Wilde and Ethan Lee moved to the front and were 1-2 at 2,000-meters. Rock Bridge sophomore Andrew Hauser made his move soon after. He went thru 2400m in first in 7:00. Festus' Jacob Meyers, who had been at the back of the lead pack for most of the race, followed Hauser, and was a second back with Lee a second behind him, after 67-second laps.
Staley's Andrew Atkins and Joplin's Hobbs Campbell followed. Hauser and Meyers lead on the field increased and Hauser split 68 for lap #7 and Meyers 69-seconds. The pair both ran 9:19 in Festus to take 2nd and 3rd behind winner Connor Burns. Two weeks later, Meyers closed with a final 400-meter split of 1:00.5 to pass Hauser and earn a huge win. The Wichita State signee crossed the line with an emphatic arm pump, celebrating a gigantic win and induction into the sub-9:10 club, clocking a 9:09.92. Hauser, the 2021 Class 5 cross country state champ, Nike Midwest Cross champion and RunningLane National Championships 25th-placer as a sophomore, finished with a 65-second split to finish in a PR of 9:13.83. Ethan Lee, the reigning Class 5 800 and 1600 and 4x400 and 4x800-meter state champ and Mizzou signee, closed in 62 for a PR and school record 9:14.61 for coach Dave Chatlos.
Staley senior Andrew Atkins was 4th in 9:15 while junior Hobbs Campbell made it 2 for 2 Joplin 3200-meter school records on the day with a 9:19.98 finish after Jennalee Dunn's 11:21 in the girl's race. Coach Dustin Dixon had taken the pair to Festus for record breaking attempts two weeks earlier, but both came up short. While the records survived Festus, their 20-year reign ended at William Chrisman.
Rock Bridge senior and Southern Illinois commit Weston Jokerst held on for 6th in 9:23 while junior teammate Ian Kemey was 7th in 9:24. Liberty North sophomore Sage Wilde, the Class 5 2021 cross country 3rd placer and RunningLane Cross Country Championships 33rd placer, was 8th in 9:28.30. That put eight under 9:30 and Liberty junior Myles Thornburg was 9th in 9:31.74 while Lincoln College Prep sophomore Isaac Rivera was 10th in 9:35. Those two races were easily worth the price of admission.