Lee's Summit West senior and Iowa State signee Makayla Clark will look for All-American honors and a big PR in the Championship Mile race in Oregon. Clark is one of the fastest Missouri preps ever, especially over a wide range of events, from 200-meters to 3200-meters. She's been one of the state's best over the last four years and an age-group national standout even longer.
Clark kicked off her high school career at Lee's Summit High with a 12th-place Class 4 state cross country finish. As a junior at West last year, she was 3rd in the Class 5 state cross country race. She then swept the Class 5 1600 and 800-meter races at the one-day 2021 state track meet. Clark either qualified or was scheduled to race the 2021 state meet in the 800, 1600, 3200, and 4x200. The one-day format, weather delay, and then rolling meet schedule kept her from doing all four of those events, however.
This year Clark clocked 4:51.46 for 1600-meters at her conference meet. After a disappointing 1600 and 800-meter state meet races with late race struggles on day 1 of the state meet in May, Clark got some treatment on her ailing body and rebounded. Clark split a 2:09.47 4x800 anchor leg to lead the Titans to a runner-up finish on day 2. She then split 54.77 to anchor West to runner-up honors in the 4x400, as West tied for 2nd in the overall team standings for another team trophy.
Joining Clark in Oregon are three of coach Jesse Griffin's relay squads. Lee's Summit West Track Club will compete in the 4x100 Championship, 4x200 Championship, 4x400 Championship and 1600-meter Sprint Relay Championship. The sprint relay squad won the event at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California in early April.
The West quartet of Alivia Tolbert, Sidney Cole, Mikah Scott, and Whitney Farrington won the Class 5 4x200 by more than 2-seconds, in 1:38.90. The same squad returned to the track to take 2nd in the 4x100 at state in 47.06. Ryanne Wattree, Adee Broesder, and Farrington joined Makayla Clark to take 2nd in the 4x400 as mentioned, in 3:55.93.
Junior Mikah Scott will also race in the Championship 100-meter dash, which features 21 athletes and multiple rounds.