Connor Burns already cemented his spot among the best distance runners in Missouri history before his final state track and field meet last month.
The Southern Boone County graduate and future Oregon Duck just added more accolades during the MSHSAA Class 3 Championships with two firsts and a runner-up finish in a relay.
He won state title No. 5 by taking first in the 1,600-meter run on the opening day with a win in 4:13.52. He had splits of 1:04.98 or faster and closed his final lap in 57.75 seconds.
Burns had taken second in the race on his first two trips to state, behind El Dorado Springs great Daelen Ackley, while his freshman season as wiped out due to the pandemic.
He repeated as champion in the 3,200 meter with a time of 9:20.14 -- an eight-second margin of victory. Like in the 1,600 run, Burns closed in less than a minute -- needing 59.02 seconds on his eighth and final lap.
Burns won the cross country title and the 3,200-meter in back-to-back years.
He joined Brian Burns, Landon Rehg and Noah Ottinger to take second in the 4x800-meter relay in the first of two races on the final day at state.
Since the state meet, he has placed seventh in the HOKA Festival of Miles, second at the Brooks PR Invitational, fourth at the Nike Outdoor Nationals and 13th at the Rose City Mile.
