With the outdoor track and field season finally upon us, let's take a look at the top athletes from each of our five classes!
Leading up to our first competitions on March 15th, MileSplit will be unrolling previews for Class 1-5 Boys and Girls. We will introduce and discuss five of the top athletes in each of the sprints (100, 200, 400, 100/110 Hurdles, and 300 Hurdles), distance (800, 1600, 3200), jumps (long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault), and throws (discus, shot put, javelin) events. We will also introduce 3-4 of the top freshmen to watch, plus 3-4 teams to watch and a dark horse team on which to keep an eye. In Class 4, one fun nugget we are eyeing is that all 14 girls who finished the 100m prelims and 12 of the 14 who finished the 200m prelims are returning in 2024.
With 19 days from the start of the season to the first competition day, we will be spacing out the drops to make sure each classification gets plenty of attention. Check back throughout the week to see who gets added next!
More Content to Explore: Meet Calendar | Virtual Meets | Rankings | 2023 Photos | Class of 2024 College Commitments
Recent Drops: 2024 Class and District Predictions | 2024 MSHSAA Track and Field Season is Here! | Class 5 Boys Preview | Class 5 Girls Preview | Class 4 Boys Preview
Sprints
This one is a no-brainer.
Skyye Lee is heading into the 2024 season looking to cap off one of the most illustrious three-year high school track and field careers we have seen in Missouri history. Not only will be she competing to repeat as state champion in four individual events, but she will be looking to pull off a three-peat in both hurdles events. Furthermore, the overall state record holder could become the first Missourian to break 13 seconds in the 100 meter hurdles and second to ever break 41 seconds in the 300 meter hurdles. After finishing out last winter US No. 2 in the 60 meter hurdles, she sits US No. 10 at the moment, but will give it one more go at New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston this weekend.
With personal bests of 11.67, 24.19, 13.36, and 43.31 in the 100, 200, 100 meter hurdles, and 300 meter hurdles respectively, Lee could single-handedly help vault Coach Banta's squad on to the podium once again in 2024, but should have plenty of help, just like in years past.
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Alia Vandenbrink - Collegiate School of Medicine/Bioscience
Alia Vandenbrink is looking to close out a stellar high school career with yet another trip to the Class 4 podium in the short sprint events.
Vandenbrink is among the top returners in Class 4 in both the 100 and 200 with lifetime bests of 11.98 (+2.5) in the 100 and 24.77 in the 200. She was the 2024 Class 4 runner-up in both events to superstar Skyye Lee, putting her in rarified air in the state when it comes to the girls sprints events. A three-time all-stater now, Vandenbrink added the 300 meter dash to her resume this winter with a solid 44.25 mark. Could she move up to the 400 this spring? She certainly would have the talent to hang with anyone in the state if she did.
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With some of the best range in the entire state regardless of class, Pleasant Hill's silent assassin Brooke Beck is back for her junior year ready to defend her impressive Class 4 title in the open 400.
Beck has strong marks in events ranging from 100 to 800 on the track and the fall 5k. She has run 12.97 for 100 meters and 26.21 for 200 meters, but thrives in the middle distance as the "Paige Stuart" of Class 4 with 400/800 personal bests of 55.00 and 2:16.44. Like we mentioned, she took down a stalwart field in 2023 for the Class 4 title in the 400 and finished 3rd in the 800 behind one senior and one Kayleigh Norris.
After dropping a personal best 19:08.90 on the course this fall, Beck looks poised to take another step forward this spring.
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It was an impressive breakout sophomore campaign for Ladue's Delaney Brinker, previously flying way under the radar in the Class 4 long sprints. Now, in 2024, she is fully in the spotlight and haunting every coach's nightmares already.
Brinker was a force in 2023 in the 200 and 400 meter dashes, not to mention the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays. She earned 4th and 2nd place medals in each event, respectively, at the state meet, finishing out her season with 24.92 and 55.43 personal bests. These were a far cry from her freshman year marks of 26.19 and 1:02.88. She was a major piece of Ladue's dominant 1:40.85 4x200 relay and their 3:56.61 similarly state champion 4x400 relay.
Brinker busted the rust at Eastern Indoors earlier last month, running 25.26 in the 200 and 56.83 in the 400. We will see her in both events this weekend at New Balance Nationals Indoor before surely seeing her again in both at the Class 4 State meet this May.
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Cheria Galbreath - Jefferson City
Jefferson City's Cheria Galbreath appears to be the most likely challenger to ending Skyye Lee's reign in the 300 meter hurdles. Any other year, she would be the heavy favorite to bring home state gold on her home track, but this year she has to contend with one of the all-time best in state history.
Galbreath heads into the season with a personal best in the 300 meter hurdles of 43.74, a mark she ran for a silver medal at the Class 4 State Championships and that was over a second faster than her previous best time from her home Licklider Invitational 6 weeks prior. While the 300 hurdles is her primary event and the one in which she has earned two state medals in her two career track seasons, the senior has also run 26.09 in the 200 and 15.25 in the 100 meter hurdles. Both marks are 14th and 6th among 2024 returners, respectively.
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Distance
Kayleigh Norris - Harrisonville
After a strong 2022 cross country season in which she finished 9th at the Class 4 State Cross Country Championships, it was a 2023 to remember for Harrisonville's Kayleigh Norris. Norris closed out the calendar year with personal bests in the indoor 400, 800, 1600, and 3200, outdoor 800, 1500, 1600, Mile, and 3200, and cross country 5k. She now heads into her junior campaign with personal bests of 2:16.40 in the 800, 4:53.28 in the 1600, and 10:54.50 in the 3200.
After earning silver medals in the Class 4 800 and 1600, and a statement gold in the 1600, Norris picked up another statement gold at the 2023 Class 4 State Cross Country Championships, when she ran away from some of the state's elites and ran 18:07.70 for the win. She would go on to run 17:41.30 at NXR Midwest Regionals. This winter, the junior has posted a 5:01.11 full mile, 10:07.36 3000, and 10:52.90 2 Mile, and will look to improve upon those Mile and 2 Mile marks at New Balance Nationals this weekend. Watch for Norris to take on the distance treble once again in 2024 and challenge for gold in all three.
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It was a sophomore cross country season to remember for Cor Jesu's Mary McKenzie as the Charger from South County dominated the circuit in 2023. She picked up 6 regular season victories and 2 runner-ups before finishing 3rd at the Class 4 State Cross Country Championships in 17:40.90.
This stellar sophomore fall came on the heels of a strong freshman track campaign in which she ran 5:25.51 in the 1600 and 11:39.20 in the 3200. After watching her tear it up on the cross country course, and drop some impressive winter road racing marks, we fully expect McKenzie to challenge for gold in the 1600 and 3200 this spring as she should be well under 5:10 and 11:00.
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Elyse Wilmes - Father Tolton Catholic
At this point, we believe that Father Tolton's Elyse Wilmes may be the only person in state history to have earned all-state honors in Class 2, Class 3, Class 4, and Class 5 in her career. And she is only in her junior year!
Father Tolton has bounced around MSHSAA's classification system like a beach ball at a Nickelback concert and it would appear that this spring, based on an enrollment of 256 and a championship factor score over 2, the Trailblazers will land in Class 4. That means Wilmes, after picking up track state championships in Class 2 and Class 3 so far will have to go up against the best of the best in Class 4 to add to her already loaded trophy cabinet. She has already earned Class 4 and Class 5 medals in cross country and ran a personal best 17:37.20 this November for Class 5 silver.
With personal bests of 2:06.97 in the 800, US No. 9 among returners, and 4:54.98 in the 1600, it is a strong bet that Wilmes will pick up her fourth individual state gold in three years in three different classes. The 800/1600 specialist will surely also provide deadly legs on the 4x800 and 4x400 relays once again as Tolton looks to ascend the team podium this spring.
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Makaylin Viet - Father Tolton Catholic
We really should have just said "the entire Father Tolton distance team" when writing up this section of the preview and saved ourselves some time and space. Nevertheless, here is why Makaylin Viet, one of the fearsome foursome at Father Tolton, should be on everyone's watch list in the three distance events.
Viet is heading into a sophomore spring coming off an impressive fall in which she ran 18:20.10 and earned an 11th place medal at the Class 5 State Cross Country Championships. So far, if you include the 10th place medal she earned in 2022 in Class 4, and the three medals she earned last spring in Class 2, Viet boasts five all-state honors in three different classes. She owns personal bests of 2:22.99 in the 800, 5:14.24 in the 1600, and 11:21.46. She will surely join forces with Wilmes and her other teammates to rack in the points in the distance events once again this spring.
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Savannah Amann - St. Joseph's Academy
St. Joseph's Academy, led by sophomore Savannah Amann, experienced a massive amount of success this past fall, culminating with the Angels' first ever team championship in the Class 4 race. While this will surely vault them to Class 5 next cross country season, they still have another go at hardware in Class 4 this spring.
Amann was the team's low-stick all fall and appears ready to led the distance crew once again on the track. She finished out her first spring season with personal bests in the 1600 of 5:13.46 and 3200 of 12:17.87, but that 18:39.10 5k best (11:58 pace for 3200) tells us that that 3200 mark is toast. She was 7th in the 1600 last May and anchored home the 8th place 4x800 meter relay team with a 2:19.47 official split. She is poised for a breakout that should put her among the state's elites in the distance events.
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Jumps
Aaliyah Elliott - John Burroughs
If anyone is benefiting from the alignment and championship factor changes, it is John Burroughs senior Aaliyah Elliott. The Ohio State commit who already has 8 individual all-state medals to her name in Class 5 will head into Class 4 with a legitimate shot at that elusive gold medal.
Elliott has one of the fullest MileSplit page of any 2024 track and field specialists, but what is notably absent from that page is, believe it or not, an individual state championship. She has earned three medals in the long jump, two of which being runner-ups, three medals in the 100 meter hurdles, one medal in the 100 meter dash, and another in the triple jump. She heads into the 2024 season with personal bests of 12.03 in the 100 meter dash, 14.07 in the 100 meter hurdles, 6.12m (20-1) in the long jump, a mark that would shatter the Class 4 state meet record, and 11.17m (36-7.75) in the triple jump. Her long jump best is tied for 8th in the country among returners and her 14.07 best in the 100 meter hurdles is tied for 50th in the nation.
It has been a busy winter for Elliott which should culminate with the 60m hurdles at New Balance Nationals this weekend, but she will head into the spring already having cleared 5.73 meters (18-9.75) in 2024, putting her in the driver's seat for the horizontal jumps and short hurdles heading into the outdoor season.
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If anyone's title defense effort took a massive blow as a result of the alignment and championship factor changes, it's Grandview's Jordin McGee. The reigning state champion in the long jump will have to contend with the afore-mentioned Elliott in the event, but may still have some tricks up her sleeve.
As a sophomore, McGee jumped from 6th in the long jump as a freshman all the way to the top with her massive 5.96m (19-6.75) effort, a full foot ahead of the next closest challenger. She would go on to clear 5.98m for the win at the Great Southwest Classic before earning one of her two AAU All-American medals in the event in July. The other All-American medal came in the 100 meter hurdles where she boasts an equally impressive 14.29 personal best. McGee wold be the heavy favorite if not for Elliott, but she is not too far off the future Buckeye. It should be a fun battle in the Jefferson City High School jumps pit between these two this May.
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The Marshfield Trio of Abigail McBride, Tilly Greenfield, Grace Kimrey
It was hard to choose which of these three were most deserving, but what we can say is that it is probably the most terrifying trio of horizontal and vertical jumpers that any team can boast in the entire state regardless of class.
Let's start with senior Abigail McBride. McBride boasts personal bests of 5.59m (18-4.75) in the long jump and 11.23m (36-10) in the triple jump. She is a six-time state qualifier with three medals in the triple jump and a third place finish in the long jump from 2024. Among Class 4 returners, she appears to be fourth in the long jump and tops in the triple jump with her 11.01m season best from 2023.
Sophomore Tilly Greenfield is up next with solid marks in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump, with the high jump being her best event, apparently. Greenfield was 6th in Class 4 in the event last May as a freshman, finishing out her season with a 1.62m (5-3.75) personal best. She also qualified for state in the long jump where she finished 12th. Her 5.08m personal best is among the top 15 returners in the event, but it is her high jump mark that has her tied for first among returners.
One of the athletes Greenfield is tied with for first among Class 4 returners in the high jump is teammate and senior Grace Kimrey. Her 1.62m best came at the District 6 meet and she would go on to finish 3rd in the event at State. A high jump specialist in 2023, Kimrey may stick to this vertical jump once again in 2024 as Greenfield and McBride hold down the horizontals.
It's an insane 1-2-3 punch in the three jumps areas that should surely push Marshfield into trophy contention as a team once again in 2024.
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The stacked horizontal jumps field in Class 4 includes Hillsboro senior Krysta Miller who heads into the 2024 season determined to make some of her own noise in the long and triple jumps.
Miller owns personal bests of 5.8m (19-0.5) in the long jump and 10.95m (35-11) in the triple jump. The long jump mark and triple jump marks are both third among returners, slotting her firmly in the mix for state gold in both events. In 2023, she was 5th in the long jump and 8th in the triple jump a year after finishing 13th and 9th.
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Acadia Badgley - Carl Junction
It is an interesting field in the Class 4 pole vault heading into the 2023 season with one of the lower top returning marks that we have seen in recent years. Nevertheless, Carl Junction's Acadia Badgley will head into her senior campaign tops among the field with a 3.06m (10-0.5) personal best. She was 6th in the event last year and will benefit from the graduation of 7 of the top 9 finishers, plus the top Class 4 returner's move up to Class 5 as she goes for state gold in 2024.
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Throws
Ashley Rusthoven - Ft. Zumwalt East
Tops among Class 4 returners in the discus is Ft. Zumwalt East senior Ashley Rusthoven, looking to cap off a stellar career with FZE's first ever individual track and field gold on the girl's side.
Rusthoven finished 5th at last year's Class 4 State Championships and heads into the 2024 season with an impressive 41.91m (137-6) personal best. The two-time all-stater in discus also has three state berths in the shot put to her name, finishing 9th as a freshman, 6th as a sophomore, and 4th last year as a junior. Her 11.97m (39-3.25) personal best is third among Class 4 returners and should put her among the contenders for state gold there, as well. Rusthoven is a strong pick to pull off the shot put/discus double this spring.
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Marshfield may have a spectacular jumps crew, but they also have a major point scorer in the shot put in Adyson Clark. The 2024 senior picked up state silver in the event last May with a massive personal best heave of 12.19m (40-0). It was a massive leap as the Lady Jay had not even qualified for state in 2022 after finishing 5th at her Sectional meet. She is now tops among returners in Class 4 and one of only two girls over 12 meters in the event.
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Talk about a massive breakthrough year-over-year in an event, Hannibal's Kameil Crane improved by nearly 9 meters in the javelin last spring, moving from 36.13m as a sophomore to 45.62m as a junior. It was a difference of over 30 feet.
Crane is a two-time state qualifier now, but has yet to put it all together when it matters most. With a nearly 150 foot throw to her name, though, she is the top Class 4 returner by over 2.5 meters and just 2 centimeters ahead of Addison Throckmorton for top returner in the state regardless of class. A state title in this event would surely be a fitting end to a solid career for this Hannibal Pirate.
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Stevenette Samuels - Jefferson City
Only two Class 4 returners can boast a personal best in the discus over 40 meters - the afore-mentioned Rusthoven and Jefferson City's Stevenette Samuels.
Samuels used the home field to her advantage last May, tossing her personal best 41.76m (137-0) when it mattered most and pulling in the state silver medal in the discus. It was her third straight silver as she finished by eventual state champion, the Class of 2023's Reagan Kimrey. She is now the second best returner based on mark, but best among state finishers.
Not to be outdone, Samuels enters the season with a mark that is only one centimeter off the 8th place mark from last year in the shot put - 11.24m (36-10.5). Watch for Samuels to pull in medals in both the shot put and discus this May.
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Cor Jesu's Madison Fowler heads into the season as a sneaky pick for a state title in the shot put this spring after a solid 2023 season and one massive throw in the 2024 indoor campaign.
Fowler finished no worse than 3rd in the shot put at meet 11 of the 12 meets in which she competed, the only exception being the Class 4 State Championships where she finished 7th. With her outdoor personal best of 12.04 meters (39-6), she would be considered second among returners in Class 4, but her shiny new personal best of 12.8 meters (41-11.75) from early January's Prentice Gudgen Invitational has her well ahead of top returner Adyson Clark now. Fowler could be en route to the kind of finish to a career that cements one's self as one of the state's all-time elites.
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Incoming Freshmen to Watch
Angelina Cottone - Father Tolton Catholic
After an incredible middle school career at Christian Fellowship School, we were not entirely shocked to see one of the top 8th grade distance running prospects of the last several years end up at the newly-minted track and cross country dynasty that is Father Tolton Regional Catholic. Success attracts elite athletes, after all!
Cottone has already cemented herself among the state's best in the 800, 1600, and 3200 just with her middle school career best marks. She heads into her first high school season with personal bests of 2:17.83, 4:41.40 for the 1500, and 10:16.26 in the 3000. The 1500 and 3000 meter marks were en route to gold medals in the events at the AAU junior olympics.
With an 18:18.50 personal best in the 5K to her name now, Cottone appears ready to make a huge impact for a track and field team that is already spoiled with some of central Missouri's elite distance runners.
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The second incoming freshman to watch in the distance races, Sullivan's Mariah Denney appears ready to make her own impact in 800, 1600, and possibly high jump this spring.
Denney had a solid first high school cross country season with an 18:34.75 personal best in the 5K, which paired nicely with her impressive middle school track and field resume. She heads into her first high school track season with personal bests of 1:02.50 in the 400, 2:29.48 in the 800, 5:20.91 in the 1600, and 1.42m (4-8). While the high jump mark will require some work, the 400-3200 range could certainly on display this spring as Denney looks to build off a strong fall season.
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Festus won't be listed in the top teams to watch below, but they surely should be. With several key members of their 2023 squad coming back for 2024, they appear like a solid trophy contender this season.
Along with all of those returners is a potential game-changing freshman in the sprints/hurdles/long jump in Jameshia Patterson. Patterson heads into her freshman campaign with personal bests of 12.45 in the 100, 26.62 in the 200, 1:02.51 in the 400, 15.65 in the 100m hurdles, and 4.81 meters (15-9.5) in the long jump. Even some improvement makes her a key player for their sprint relays and all-state medals in the hurdles and short sprint events. Watch for the name Jameshia Patterson as one of the state's top freshmen this spring.
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Top Teams
When you have the potential to pick up 40 points (the magic number for state hardware in 2023) from one girl, then yes, your team will most likely be considered among the favorites for a podium finish in that season.
Of course, the several-times-afore-mentioned Skyye Lee leads the Lady Colts into the 2024 spring campaign with the potential to repeat as the champion in the 100, 200, 100m hurdles, and 300m hurdles. What kind of insurance can she get in addition to her contribution? Jiyah Owens is a good start. She heads into the season coming off a silver medal at state in the triple jump in 2023. Her 10.93m (35-10.5) is 5th among returners.
Coach Banta has added a couple of other pieces that won't appear in the virtual meets. Cardinal Ritter throws standout Priya Cheatham will join the Colts this spring and should be cleared for varsity competition. She has already thrown a lifetime best 11.95m in the shot put this indoor season. Utahn Rachel Vance joins the team after clearing 4-11 and 15-5 in the high jump and long jump, respectively, as a sophomore. He is also adding Aziza Hendricks, a freshman and another jumps specialist who has cleared 4-11 in the high jump, as well, 17-5 in the long jump, and 36-3.5 in the triple jump. Her 13.04 and 26.90 bests in the 100 and 200 should mean she will be a contributor to their always strong sprint relays.
All of this does not take into account the distance girls Sarah Williams, Danielle Burk, and Madeline Qian, who will surely team up to rack up points in the distance events and 4x800 relay. After finishing 3rd in 2023, a year removed from the state championship, Parkway Central appears ready to return to the top of the Class 4 ranks in 2024.
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In a surprising turn of events, Ladue had not won a team trophy at state since their incredible eight straight from 2003 to 2010. In 2023, they ended the 13-year drought with a fourth place trophy with 46 points scored.
The Lady Rams got the job done primarily with their long sprint/middle distance squad. They picked up wins in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays, a runner-up finish in the 4x100 meter relay, 13 individual points from Delaney Brinker in the 200 and 400, 2 points from now-graduated Makayla White in the 400 and 3 from Karina Griffin in the 800.
Ladue returns Brinker and Griffin for the 2024 season (and 2025 season), as well as the 7 of the 8 girls listed on their state title relays in finals. Those key relay pieces, who also may turn out some solid individual performances, as well, are Journee Williams, Harper Buxner, Laila Murray, Griffin, and Brinker. They should surely be among the favorites for state-shaped hardware in all three relays once again this spring. They may even receive some help from the longer distance runners with four freshmen finishing out the season as their top four this past fall, led by Adele Salvatori. Time will surely tell who else can make an impact for this already impressive squad, but, as it stands, expect Ladue to compete everywhere they go this spring.
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Father Tolton Regional Catholic
As previously mentioned, the class in which the Father Tolton girls' team may end up seems to be a random number generator at the moment, but after a brief stint in Class 2, it would appear that the Trailblazers are moving all the way up to Class 4 for the 2024 season based both on enrollment growth a 3 points in the championship factor. Should they finish on the podium once again this spring, it won't move them up for 2025, but it will surely add to the total as they look to ascend the track and field ranks like they have with cross country.
Father Tolton's state team is almost entirely comprised of distance runners with the potential for 40 points to come from four events. Their 4x800 relay team should be ready to compete with the best the state has to offer after they finished their 2023 season with four girls under 2:31 and an anchor under 2:10. They have the potential to place three girls in the top eight in all three open events with the afore-mentioned talents Wilmes, Viet, and Cottone combining with Madison Taylor and freshman Sarah Kesterson. Should they reach the 40 point threshold, they should certainly find themselves in the top 4 as a team in Class 4 this spring.
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Much like Tolton with their distance squad, Marshfield appears to be relying heavily on a vaunted jumps squad. As profiled above, they appear to be poised to score a great deal of points in the high jump, long jump, and pole vault with Tilly Greenfield, Abigail McBride, and Grace Kimrey. Adyson Clark should pick up points in the shot put to pad their point total as she is top returner in Class 4, and they also benefit from Lauren Luebbert in the javelin.
Their sprints crew will be one to watch as, after running 49.01 in the 4x100 and 1:44.48 in the 4x200 in 2023, they return at least strong 100/200 specialists in Jordan Jung, Cassie Fishel, and Ruby Joiner. Watch for the Jays to make a leap into the top 4 team discussion after finishing in a three-way tie for 6th last year.
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Dark Horse Team To Watch
The only Missouri school with the Grizzlies as their mascot are entering their third year as a program and are starting to gather the kind of upperclassmen leadership and experience helpful in competing on the state level. In what is likely their last season in Class 4, North Point has a legitimate shot at putting together a podium team with their returning crew.
Junior and seven-time state qualifier Alyssa Anderson leads the way. In her first two years, she has qualified for the State meet in the 100 twice, 200, 400, long jump, 4x100m Relay, and 4x400m Relay. Last spring, she earned medals in the 4x200m Relay and 4x400m Relay to go along with her 2022 medals in the long jump and 400, and returns as the 9th fastest runner in both the 100 and 200. A 59.12 personal best in the 400 over the summer after a 58.14 split on the anchor leg of the 4x400 at State has us thinking she can make some noise in the quarter mile again.
A cavalcade of strong sophomores and juniors led by state qualifiers Sarah Saunders, Bethany Toulou, Elena Pender, Gabrielle Robinson, Ayamba Abunaw, and Morgan Robinson are strong for the Grizzlies in the hurdles, sprints, pole vault, and javelin. They are returning all four runners on the No. 7 4x100, No. 10 4x200, and No. 6 4x400 relays. After qualifying for the Class 4 State Cross Country meet this past fall as a team, expect the distance girls to provide more help than in the past two years, as well. The 2023 Class 4 Sectional 2 runner-ups to podium team Parkway Central will be hoping to find more balance in the throws area and add a few more depth pieces in the jumps to become a truly dangerous team in 2024.