Girls

5 Top Contenders

Grace Tyson - Lafayette Wildwood

Lafayette's Grace Tyson is clearly the favorite to win this fall, and subsequently repeat as Class 5 State Champion. After going for it all in 2020 and just falling short, she would not be denied in 2021 as she led wire to wire for the win in a Class 5 State meet record of 17:42.90. She did nothing to break our trust in her this spring as she turned in runner-up finishes to Iowa State rising freshman Mya Trober in the 1600 and 3200, finishing out the season with bests of 4:54.79 and 10:41.01, respectively. The all-star runner and swimmer will be hard to take down at Gans Creek this November. 

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Josie Baker - Kirkwood

The younger sister of a 6-time state champion, Josie Baker has shown that the talent runs in the family. Baker's sophomore year was a big one as she turned in a personal best of 18:14.40 to place 8th at the Class 5 state meet. She also finished out the spring season with personal bests of 2:11.88 in the 800 and 5:06.61 in the 1600. Baker will be Tyson's biggest competition not just at the state meet, but throughout the postseason, and could very well pull off the upset. 

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Isabella Marcum - Fox

Isabella Marcum's rise has been meteoric over the last 12 months. Since turning in 5:14.11 and 11:06.30 in the 1600 and 3200 marks as a sophomore in 2021, she has posted bests in the 5k, 1600, and 3200 of 18:18.30, 5:09.64, and 11:04.25. The 5k mark was 3:20 better than her best mark from the 2019 campaign (her only other season so far). After quietly moving up the ranks in Class 5, Marcum looks poised to be a major player this fall and should compete for a top 3 finish overall. 

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Klarie Brown - Kickapoo

Klarie Brown's junior year had some significant holes in it. After taking the state by storm in her freshman campaign of 2019, Brown has not been able to improve on her 18:16.60 5k best and 6th place state meet finish from that year. She has run under 19:00 five times since then, but in 2020 and 2021, her results were 11th and DNS, respectively. Brown still returns with an 18:36.40 from last season and has top 5 talent. Watch for Brown to lead the way for her team once again and challenge for state gold. 

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Carolyn Ford - Rock Bridge

It's been fun watching Rock Bridge's Carolyn Ford over the last three years. She burst on to the scene in 2019, finishing 1st or 2nd in every meet, headlined by an 18:08.60 mark for the individual title that year. Since then, Ford has continued to compete with the best of the best, even as they have risen to her level. She returns this season as one of only two girls who has broken 18:00 in their career and should be hungry to return to the top after an 11th place finish in Class 5 last fall. 

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Next 5 Up

Elissa Barnard - Lafayette Wildwood

The older of the dynamic Lafayette Barnard sisters, Elissa posted the fourth fastest 3200 mark in the state this spring when she ran 10:51.50 at the Class 5 Sectional 3 meet. It was her third mark under 11:10 and preceded her fourth: a 10:56.11 mark for 5th at the Class 5 state meet. Barnard may not be one of the top 5 returners on 5k time - even if she has run 18:43.60 in her career - but she has the potential to go sub-18:00 this year and should not be slept on in the fall.
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Natalie Barnard - Lafayette Wildwood

Natalie comes back for a junior season with a 19:02.20 personal best, 16th among returners, but after a debut track campaign in which she ran 5:19.57 and 10:51.90, she's elevated herself into a top 10 position this preseason. The younger of the Barnard sisters will compete for her first individual XC all-state medal and could be one of three Lafayette girls under 18:00 this fall.

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Ashlyn Smith - Raymore-Peculiar

Ray-Pec's Ashlyn Smith had a big breakthrough in 2020 when she finished her freshman XC season with an 18:34.90 personal best, district championship, and 8th place finish at state. Smith finished 9th that spring with a 11:18.44 best in the 3200. As a sophomore, she dropped under 18:45 twice, but crossed the line 12 places back of that 2020 season. Smith was all-state in the 3200 this spring and added a 5:21.74 best in the 1600. She'll be a good bet for a top 10 finish this fall. 

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Adrienne Luna - Cor Jesu Academy

Adie Luna is the top returner for one of the top squads in the state. Her 18:41.80 personal best from last season scored her a 19th place medal in Class 5 and, after completing her first track and field season with a 6th place medal in the Class 4 3200 (11:34.17) and a 4th place medal in the Class 4 4x800, she is on track to compete for a top 10 spot in Class 5 XC. 

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Natalie Gerdes - Park Hill

It was a big sophomore year for Park Hill's Natalie Gerdes. A veteran of cross country and track and field as far back as her 6th grade year, Gerdes had her biggest breakthrough last fall when she dropped a personal best 18:37.10 for 16th place at the Class 5 state meet. She followed that up with personal bests of 5:23.18 and 11:31.43 on the track. After sneaking into the top 20 last November, she should be on every Class 5 coach's radar this time around. (Edited)

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Special Note

Kayley Russell - Holt

With the addition of the fourth high school in Wentzville, Holt's enrollment has been rumored to drop to a point where they may end up in Class 4, in a similar way that Capital City demoted Jefferson City last year. Those numbers will be available soon, but in the meantime, we'd be remiss to leave Holt's Kayley Russell off the Class 5 or Class 4 list. She is a contender for a top 5 spot in both classifications after closing out her sophomore cross country season with a 12th place finish in the Class 5 race, running 18:32.10. Russell is a high level soccer player in the spring, but will still be a major player this fall, regardless, as she heads into her junior year, whether that's in Class 4 or 5. 

Dark Horse to Watch

Riley Kemna - Neosho

Neosho rising junior Riley Kemna is a rising star in the Missouri distance scene. After sneaking under 20:00 three times last fall, she broke through this spring with personal bests in the 1600 and 3200 of 5:11.75 and 11:14.99. Those were 37 second and 41 second personal bests, respectively. They were both top 20 marks in the entire state, too. Watch out for a major breakout this fall from Kemna.  

Incoming Freshmen to Watch

Mae Walker - Columbia Gentry (Rock Bridge)

Personal bests: XC 3200 - 12:34.45, 2 Mile - 12:30.0; TF - 800 - 2:24.91, 1600 - 5:18.88, 1 Mile - 5:24.19

Emma Niedbalski - Jackson

XC 3000 - 11:43.16, 2 Mile - 12:33.0; TF - 400 - 1:05.89, 1600 - 5:44.64

Madi Conklin - Walden (Park Hill South)

XC 2 Mile - 12:48.70; TF - 1600 - 5:25.38, 1 Mile - 5:23.96

5 Team Title Contenders

After finishing 6th in Class 5 last fall, Lafayette looks ready to return to the top of the podium in 2022. Led by what should be the best top 3 in the state, the Lady Lancers have a shot at scoring fewer than 10 points before they get to their No. 4 in most races. If they can get the Barnard sisters near or under that 18:00 mark, with two more even under 20:00, it could be enough to vault them back to the top of the podium after a year hiatus. 

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Like Lafayette, Raymore-Peculiar fell just outside of the podium last fall, finishing in 5th. They are returning one of the best 1-2 punches in the entire state and have excellent depth through their top 10. Ray-Pec will absolutely challenge for the state title this fall as there truly is no "on paper" runaway favorite in the preseason. 

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The Luna sisters have truly helped elevate Coach Helbig's Cor Jesu squad over the past few years. It didn't even matter that they moved up to Class 5 last season - they still finished in a comfortable third at the Class 5 State meet. Frances (Francie) has graduated, but Adrienne (Adie) and Maria return. Bailey Gegg has moved to Tennessee, but they have some reserves to help out. The Chargers should be a podium contender once again this fall. (Edited)

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A perennial powerhouse on the boys and girls sides at this point, we have to include Rock Bridge as a healthy bet for a Class 5 trophy once again. The Lady Bruins return a solid crew through 5 and are adding at least one very talented freshman this fall. Carolyn Ford is on a mission to score 1 at state once again -- can she lead her team back to the top, too? 

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Liberty North could certainly be considered a dark horse to watch after finishing 12th at the state meet last year with their top individual finisher, Aubrey Seltman, just outside out of the top 50. But they return that entire state team for another shot at a top 4 finish this year. Qualifying out of District 4 will be tough as always, but if Liberty North can make it happen, they'll be a major contender in November. 

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Dark Horse Team to Watch

Park Hill South is always a team to watch in Class 5. This year, they return a solid group of girls - 6 of their top 7 - led by Lauren Bishard and their lone state qualifier from 2021, Ella Conklin. District 4 is still very tough, but the Lady Panthers are in a solid position to qualify their whole team and compete for a state trophy, especially if incoming freshman Madi Conklin is as good as advertised. 

Preseason Pick: Who will win the MSHSAA Class 5 girls cross country team title this fall?

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Preseason Pick: Who will win MSHSAA Class 5 girls XC team title this fall?

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