Girls Sprints

60m Dash

200m Dash

400m Dash

60m Hurdles

The girls sprints and hurdles have been dominated by two names this winter: Zaya Akins and Skyye Lee. And not a single person is suprised. 

Akins, of course, enters as one of the top sprinters not just in Missouri, but in the entire country. She set all-conditions state records in the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes last season with her 11.32 (+2.5), 22.94, and 52.88 marks, respectively. She won the 100 and 400 at the Class 4 state meet and should be considered the heavy favorite to do it once again, and add the 200 this time. She is the leader in the state in the 60, 200, and 400 so far and could certainly compete for a national championship in a few weeks. Furthermore, leading the state in all three of those events should not be taken lightly with how deep the sprints events are right now. 

Parkway Central's Skyye Lee is stepping into the main spotlight for the Lady Colts after teammates Nnenna Okpara and Kayelyn Tate graduated last spring. Lee dominated the hurdle events as a sophomore, going 9-10 in the 100m hurdles and 6-for-7 in the 300m hurdles in 2022, including state titles in both events and an AAU National Championship in the 100m hurdles. This winter, she dropped a ridiculous 8.30 mark in the 60m hurdles, a clear state record and current US No. 2, .02 seconds behind No. 1. Lee is certainly preparing for a monster spring. 

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Girls Distance

800m Run

1600m Run

1 Mile Run

3000m Run

3200m Run

Kirkwood's Josie Baker and Lafayette's Grace Tyson appear to be in late season form already after both ladies posted sub-5:00 1600 marks at the MVP VibeFest Chicagoland meet a week and a half ago. Baker's 4:53.16 was a massive personal best, state indoor record, and US No. 15 for 1600 meters. She also ran a solid 2:21.15 mark, 10 seconds off her 2:11 personal best, but still impressive on the indoor circuit. Tyson, who is coming off of a stellar and injury-shortened cross country campaign, seems to have bounced right back into form heading into outdoor season. Tyson also posted a strong 10:13.95 mark in the 3000m run. 

Father Tolton's Elyse Wilmes posted a massive 2:12.11 mark in the 800. An indoor state record by a whopping four seconds, ahead of Pattonville's Camryn Hubbard, it is also US No. 4 among sophomores and US No. 16 overall. 

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Girls Horizontal Jumps 

Long Jump

Triple Jump

A few of Missouri's finest were out an about this winter, posting strong marks in the horizontal jumps. 

In the long jump, reigning Class 5 runner-up Aaliyah Elliott has had a very busy winter, jumping at 8 different meets and surely won't be finished yet. She led the state through February with her 18-4.75 clearance and is hoping to challenge 20 feet this outdoor season after finishing last season out with a wind-aided best of 19-7 and five marks over 19 feet. 

Kickapoo's Taylor Mayo was MO No. 2 through February in the long and triple jump. The KU commit finished 3rd in both events at last year's Class 5 state meet and has seemingly picked up where she left off. She has cleared 18-1.75 and 37-2.75 in the long and triple, respectively, this winter. 

MICDS senior Maya Anderson is the reigning Class 5 champion in the triple jump with her 40-2 personal best. She led the state in the event this winter with her 38-10 clearance. Last spring, she did not compete in the long jump as she instead opted for the hurdle events. 

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Girls Vertical Jumps

Pole Vault

High Jump

We are already coming to the end of the illustrious career of Liberty's Rachel Homoly as, with the calendar turning to 2023, so, too, does her grade change to "Senior." 

Homoly will leave behind a legacy when she graduates this spring that has essentially turned the entire state's perception of the girls pole vault on its head. It is to the point that we are looking at a MO No. 2 mark of 12-0 right now from Butler's Annalee Gardner and having to double take because it is a great mark, but a full two feet behind Homoly's 14-0 best. Twelve feet in the pole vault used to be challenging for the state-lead - now you're still two feet behind the state leader. 

Homoly may continue to climb all the way up to 15-0 feet before it's all said and done and will join the ranks of the country's all-time best High School Track and Field athletes. 

In the high jump, Summit Christian's April Phillips enters March with the state lead at 5-6. It's a lifetime best for Phillips as her best mark last spring was 5-5.75 and puts her in a great spot to improve upon last year's runner-up finish in the event at the Class 3 state meet. 

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Girls Throws

Shot Put

Weight Throw

St. Joseph Central's Makenzie Garr and Ft. Zumwalt East's Ashley Rusthoven have led the way in the girls throws events so far this winter. 

Garr threw a massive personal best in the shot put at the Bearcat Youth Meet #2 with her 42-10.5 mark. She was 4th at last year's Class 5 state meet, but will have to battle with six girls ahead of her by performance if she hopes to win this year. 

Rusthoven was a Class 4 all-stater last year in the shot put and finished out February at MO No. 3 in the event. She was just off her 38-1.5 best from last spring, but should challenge 40 feet this year as she looks to improve on her 6th place finish from the 2022 Class 4 state meet.

And don't look now, but here comes another freshman superstar in Pacific's McKenna Lay. We may have missed her during our freshman/sophomore preview, but after posting a 42-3 mark in the shot put this winter, all Class 4 throwers should be on notice. Lay threw 39-4.5 as an 8th grader and posted a 101-10 mark in the javelin as a 7th grader. With that indoor shot put best, she'll enter the season MO No. 2 in the Class 4 returner ranks.