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!
Competitions have begun, but that doesn't mean we will stop unrolling previews for the Class 1 and 2 boys and girls. We are introducing and discussing 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 are also introducing 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.
Check back throughout the week to see who gets added next!
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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 | Class 4 Girls Preview | Class 3 Boys Preview | Class 3 Girls Preview
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Sprints
Clark County appears to be moving back down into Class 2 which means reigning Class 3 400 meter champion and Mizzou commit Kaden Hamner will get another shot at the Class 2 crown as a senior. An all-state finisher in the 100 and 200 last season as well, Hamner could be poised to compete for a sprint treble in Class 2 in 2024, especially with the 200/400 champion moving all the way up to Class 4 this year.
Hamner heads into the 2024 season with personal bests of 10.83 (+3.0) in the 100 meter dash, 22.12 (+1.1) in the 200 meter dash, and 48.70 in the 400. He was 4th, 7th, and 1st in each event, respectively, and is now ranked among the top 2 in each among returners this spring. The 28 points he is expected to score heading into the 2024 season could push Clark County into the team title discussion all on his own.
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The reigning 100 meter dash champion returns for his senior season in 2024 and will surely be among the favorites to repeat in the straight line sprint.
Harrison heads into the 2024 season coming off an undefeated 2023 season in the 100 meter dash, headlined by a blistering 10.55 personal best. He ran 10.86 for the win at the Class 2 state meet. In the 200 meter dash, he ran 22.35 for the District 4 victory before running 22.78 for 8th at state. A 100/200 specialist, Harrison will surely be among the favorites anywhere he goes as he has shown he has the chops to compete with anyone regardless of classification.
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It was double silvers in 2023 for Osceola's Samuel Jones, but in 2024, he has a realistic shot at double golds.
Finishing runner-up in both the 100 and 200, Jones heads into this spring season 8th among 100 meter dash returners (11.11, +0.5w) and 2nd among 200 meter dash returners (22.33, +1.5w). The addition of Kaden Hamner to the mix significantly affects his chances of making the jump, even with the departure of Summit Christian's Marcus Jones, but Jones has shown he can compete with the best of the best in Class 2 year in and year out.
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A super-sophomore in the making, Kamirion Wiley is looking to make a big splash in 2024 for his Charleston team as they hope to repeat as team champs.
Wiley is ranked among the top 5 returners in both the 100 and 400, with an 11.00 best in the former and 50.08 mark in the latter. He is second overall in the 400 behind Hamner, the only non-senior among the top 4 and only sophomore among the top 7 in the 400. The 11.00 has him as the only sophomore among the top 9 in the 100. He was a key piece to their state title 4x200 relay and should surely be an option to fill in for one of the two seniors they lost on their state champion 4x100 relay. Wiley is a major player for a top team in Class 2 this year.
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Shakor George - Lafayette County
Lafayette County's Shakor George is the top Class 2 hurdler returning in 2024. He is ranked well ahead of the field in the 110m hurdles, half a second ahead of the next best athlete with his 15.12 personal best. He was the Class 2 runner-up in 2023 to since-graduated Austin Ball. He will also head into the season second among 300m hurdle returners with his 40.40 personal best. He was the runner-up in this event in 2023, as well, behind Ball again, but well ahead of top returner Colton Miller of Adrian. A hurdle specialist through and through, it will be interesting to see if George takes on any other events in his senior year to help push Lafayette County into the team trophy conversation.
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Distance
Woodland's Reed Layton may not be top ranked among returners in any of the primary 3 distance events, but he should be considered among the top athletes in each after dominating the 2023 cross country season.
Layton closed out his senior season with a 16:25.20 personal best for the win in the Class 2 race at Gans Creek, his 6th win of the season in 10 tries. He will bring personal bests of 4:36.54 in the 1600 and 10:04.80 in the 3200 into the 2024 season and hope to improve upon respective 12th and 7th place finishes at the 2023 state meet. We are expecting some serious time to be dropped.
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Landon Duchscherer - Marion C. Early
Several enrollment-based movements in and out are making an impact on the Class 2 landscape this spring, but, from an individual event standpoint, none could be more impactful than the addition of Marion C. Early's Landon Duchscherer to the distance field.
Duchscherer had a dominant cross country season this past fall, going undefeated in his first 10 races before losing to one of the state's all-time greats, Riley Blay, at the Class 1 State Championships. He broke 16:00 three times and finished the season with a 15:53.01 personal best.
After running 4:29.81 and 9:57.43 as a junior, both good enough for second in Class 1 last year, Duchscherer heads into his senior spring second among Class 2 returners in the 1600 and tops among the field in the 3200. We didn't see him compete this winter, but nonetheless, coming off a fall like he had in 2023, Duchscherer could very well run away with the long distance double or even the overall distance treble in 2024.
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Mansfield's Nolyn Corder had one of the quietest major breakouts in 2023, running to personal bests of 4:28.65 in the 1600 and 9:57.59 in the 3200. He finished 5th and 3rd in the events at the Class 2 state meet a year after running bests of 5:14.92 and 11:50.03. Corder parlayed that track success into a 3rd place finish at the Class 2 State Cross Country Championships in a new personal best 5k of 16:42.70. We are expecting Corder to continue to climb in 2024 as he heads into the spring tops among 1600 returners and a close second in the 3200.
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William Kuehn - Valle Catholic
Class 2's top returner in the 800 is Valle Catholic's William Kuehn.
Kuehn heads into the 2024 season with a 2:01.09 best to his name, a mark that earned him 5th place at last year's state meet. It was a big drop for the sophomore competing in his first season of track and field. He had opened the year at 2:14.31 and only dropped under 2:10 once before running 2:05.69 at his district meet, 2:02.67 at his sectional meet, and 2:01.09 at the state meet. He also tried his hand in the 400, high jump, long jump, discus, and javelin last year. The 54.36 mark in his only attempt at the 400 is promising and the 43.9m (144-0.25) mark in the javelin actually has him ranked 16th heading into the season.
We'll see who else can challenge the 2:00 barrier this year, but as it stands, Kuehn is the closest as we head into the 2024 season.
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After three fairly successful track seasons, we had been waiting to see if East Buchanan's Aiden Hensley popped up on a cross country course. Unfortunately, the wide receiver did not make his way from the gridiron to the 5k this fall, but he should still be considered among the major contenders for golds in the 1600 and 3200.
Hensley anchored his Bulldogs squad to the 4x800 title last spring with a 1:59.98 leg to hold off a surging Stockton challenger. He picked up two more medals in the 1600 (8th, 4:33.51) and 3200 (6th, 10:04.53) and now sits 3rd and 4th among Class 2 returners in the events, respectively. He was slightly off the 10:04.03 3200 best that earned him 5th at state in 2022. Hensley will be a key member of a strong East Buchanan side looking to pick up a state trophy this spring.
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Jumps
The reigning Class 1 long jump champion moves up this spring as Crystal City just barely cleared the threshold for Class 2. Now Crystal City senior Kanden Bolton will be top returner in the event in Class 2, looking to pull off another gold medal regardless of who it has to come against.
Bolton finished off his junior season with 7 efforts over 6.4m (21-0), culminating in a 6.7m (21-11.75) effort for the Class 1 gold and 6.78m (22-3) best for 6th at the Great Southwest Classic. He is nearly half a foot ahead of the next closest returner, his teammate Camden Mayes, and has already opened up the season at the Notre Dame Frozen Invitational with a massive 6.93m (22-8.75) leap.
Not to be outdone, Bolton shakes up the high jump field, too, as he heads into the season second among returners with a 1.93m (6-4) best. He has already shown he is in late-season form after matching that mark on Saturday. Bolton appears to be on a crash course to a stellar senior season for the Hornets.
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The 5-time all-state jumper, Salisbury's Cooper Francis, is looking to cap off a strong high school career with three more medals in the high, long, and triple jump in 2024.
Francis was the 2022 Class 2 State Champion in the long jump, hitting 6.66m (21-10.5) for the win. His lifetime best of 6.68m (21-11) came at his district meet two weeks prior. In 2023, Francis ended up 7th, unable to improve upon that 6.68m mark, but he did still clear 6.51m (21-4.25), putting him 5th among returners based on 2023 marks.
A former high jump runner-up as a freshman, Francis has been fairly consistent over his career sticking between 1.87-1.92m throughout. The 1.92m (6-3.5) mark is 3rd among returners. In the triple jump, he was 4th in 2023, finishing out his season with a 12.56m (41-2.5) best, 8th among 2024 returners, but not too far off 3rd as there seems to be a logjam of guys between 41 and 42 feet heading into this season. Watch for Francis to be among the top athletes in all three jump events this spring.
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The top Class 2 returner in the high jump is Eugene's Ryder Belt...and it really isn't very close.
A full four inches ahead of the next closest returner is Belt, as his 2.03m (6-8) personal best is 4th among returners state-wide, regardless of class. He ended up 5th at state in 2023 with a 1.87m (6-1.5) jump after winning 9 times in 11 tries, but he should be a heavy favorite to pull in the gold medal heading into 2024.
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We will talk more about East Buchanan's team title hopes below, but a major key to that goal will be a big senior season from horizontal jumps specialist Trevor Klein.
Klein enters the 2024 season as the top returner in the triple jump with his 2023 season best mark of 12.94m (42-5.5), but his 13.47m (44-2.25) mark from 2022 distances him even further from the rest of the field. Should he match or improve upon that mark in 2024, he should run away with the triple jump this May. In the long jump, Klein has some work to do to jump on to the podium, but a 6.26m (20-6.5) sophomore year mark would put him among the contenders for a medal this year. Should he pull in double digit points for his squad this spring, the Bulldogs will be sitting pretty as they climb the team ladder at state.
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Colten Crocker - South Callaway
This year's Class 2 pole vaulter to watch is South Callaway's Colten Crocker. Crocker is the top 2024 returner with a 3.9m (12-9.5) best, just a half inch ahead of Crystal City's Alex Kuchera. Last spring, Crocker, a sophomore, was the only non-senior among the top 10 at the Class 2 state meet, marking a major changing of the guard in the event this year. Crocker will have his hands full with three guys close behind him, but, at least on paper, he appears to be the favorite to bring in the gold in 2024.
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Throws
It's a changing of the guard in the Class 2 Boys throws as Hayden Dixon and the Class of 2023 departs after taking 17 of the 24 medals in the three events. The top 9 finishers from the Boys Shot Put all graduated last spring, leaving a brand new crop of all-staters to compete for medals in that event, in particular.
Stockton's Jayse Sharif appears to be the heir apparent, even if he is only 1 millimeter ahead of East Buchanan's Chase Meers. Sharif heaved the shot 14.64m (48-0.5) in late April, but was unable to improve upon that mark before finishing 12th at the Class 2 state meet. With the top 9 finishers gone, Sharif jumps to the 2nd best returner based on 2023 state place behind only Chaffee's Blake Yarbro. He is currently among the favorites to clear the coveted 50 feet mark (15.24m) and challenge for the individual title in the shot put. He is also the 2nd best returner in the discus, an event in which he finished 5th last spring, and has thrown 44.93m (147-5).
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East Buchanan athletes just continue to pop up in our top 5 athletes to watch which just shows how deep they are across each event heading into 2024. They will also boast the reigning Class 2 javelin champion in senior Trey Johnson.
Click on Johnson's profile and scroll past the myriad other events in which he competed last spring to arrive at the javelin. A breakout throw of 52.02m (170-8) at the April 25th Bishop LeBlond Invitational led to an undefeated run which culminated in a 52.27m (171-6) heave for the state title. Johnson now comes in nearly 6 inches ahead of the next closest returner and should be favorite to repeat in 2024. He was also all-state in the triple jump and a state qualifier in the long jump, showing his versatility and importance to this East Buchanan team's success.
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Shadrach Thompson - School of the Ozarks
A 2-time state qualifier in cross country, School of the Ozarks' Shadrach Thompson decided to forgo the 5k in his senior year - wait, aren't we talking about throwers?
Indeed, we are. Thompson heads into the 2024 season third among returners based on personal best, but second among finishers at last year's Class 2 state meet, in the javelin. His 49.56m (162-7) mark earned him the state silver medal in 2023 and should put him among the favorites to contend for gold in 2024.
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The javelin will be hotly contested in 2024 as the top 4 finishers from 2023 will be back for the 2024 campaign. Crest Ridge senior Landon Ashworth finished third last year, but will head into this spring second among returners with a 50.56m (165-10.5) personal best. Ashworth improved by over 10 meters from his sophomore to junior campaign and may be simply scratching the surface of his potential. Watch out for this senior in 2024 spear throw.
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Adrian's Hank Tenholder will be among the guys vying to step up and take over the shot put lead in 2024, but it's the discus ring where he has shone the most so far in his career. The top returner in the event, Tenholder can boast a personal best of 47.93m (157-3), nearly 10 feet ahead of the next closest returner. He was fourth at least year's Class 2 state meet after finishing either first or second at each of his previous 12 meets. The 13.07m (42-10.5) mark in the shot put has him in the all-state mix there, but the discus appears to be his lose in 2024.
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Incoming Freshmen to Watch
Christian Davis - University Academy Charter
We were burned in the Class 4 preview when one of our top freshmen to watch opted for Lee's Summit North instead of Lincoln College Prep High School. But in the case of superstar Class of 2027 sprinter Christian Davis, it appears that he will stick with University Academy Charter and should be an instant game changer in the sprint events.
Davis heads into the 2024 season with eye-popping middle school personal bests of 10.96 in the 100 meter dash and 22.27 in the 200 meter dash. Both of those marks came at the 2023 AAU Junior Olympics where he finished 1st and 2nd, respectively. His 50.37 best in the 400 meter dash would put him fourth among returners there, too, but the 49.68 he ran at New Balance Nationals Indoor for the win in the Freshman division two weeks ago is second among returners.
Davis posted some big numbers already over the winter on the short track with a 7.03 mark in the 60m dash and 22.51 best in the 200, to go along with the afore-mentioned 49.68. He should instantly climb into the state rankings when his squad opens up their season at Butler on Thursday.
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Trenton Boessen - New Bloomfield
New Bloomfield is sure to get a boost in 2024 from incoming freshman Trenton Boessen. He heads into the 2024 season with personal bests of 11.62 in the 100 meter dash, 6.4m (21-0) in the long jump, and 12.98m (42-7) in the middle school shot put. He could theoretically contribute points in three of the major event areas, but will be a dark horse to watch in that long jump competition as the 6.4m mark one of only six of its kind in Class 2 heading into this season.
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Colton Dittmer - Lafayette County
Yes, the implements are lighter in middle school, but that doesn't mean Lafayette County's Colton Dittmer won't be able to adjust and match, or surpass, his personal bests in the shot put and discus in his freshman season.
Dittmer heads into the 2024 season with a 14.46m (47-5.25) personal best in the shot put which, if he were to match it with the heavier implement, would put him third among Class 2 returners already. His 40.39m (132-6.25) mark in the discus would also put him among the top eight returners for the 2024 season, giving a big boost to a Lafayette County team that could be a dark horse to watch this spring.
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Top Teams
A year after finishing the dreaded 5th place as a team, East Buchanan appears to be the heavy favorites to pull in a Class 2 State Championship for the first time since 2005.
The Bulldogs are led by several of the top returners in each event group who we have already profiled above. Trevor Klein leads the way in the triple jump with his 12.94m 2023 season best, but he cleared 13.47m (44-2.25) as a sophomore, putting him nearly 2 feet ahead of the competiton. Trey Johnson is the top Class 2 returner in the javelin while Chase Meers is the second best returner in the shot put and third best returner in the discus with personal bests of 14.63m (48-0) and 54.35m (146-6.75), respectively. In the distance events, track-only athlete Aiden Hensley is third amongst returners in the 1600 and fourth in the 3200.
Beyond those four, Seth Spencer adds points in the hurdles with personal bests of 15.74 and 42.14 in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles, third and seventh among Class 2 returners. East Buchanan should be able to stack points throughout the individual events and add another chunk in the 4x800 as they return three of the four guys who ran to a win in the event in 2023. All in all, East Buchanan could score anywhere as many a 60 points this May and really run away with the top trophy.
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A year after tying for the top spot in Class 2 with Summit Christian Academy, Charleston will remain in Class 2 for 2024 while their co-champion moves all the way up to Class 4. Even though they lost several major point contributors to graduation, they still return some significant pieces to the repeat effort puzzle.
Profiled above in the sprints section, Kamirion Wiley is the team's leader in their strongest area. Only a sophomore, he is already among the top 5 returners in the 100 and 400 and should be able to easily improve upon a 23.51 200 best. Fellow sophomore Bernard Betts heads into the season with an 11.30 best in the 100 and junior Zecobyion Ewing boasts bests of 11.31 in the 100 and 22.68 in the 200. It's a three-headed monster that should pull in crooked number points in an open event or two and once again headline the 4x100 and 4x200 relays looking to repeat as champions there, as well. Ewing, Wiley, and Betts were all a part of the 1:30.07 4x200 relay and Ewing and Betts were a part of the 43.76 4x100.
Zachyran Thomas looks poised to contribute points in the long jump after entering the season with a 6.68m (21-11) best and already clearing 6.47m over the weekend. Charles David also heads into the season as the seventh best returner in the shot put. Charleston is ready to repeat and potentially win outright in 2024, adding to their collection of 18 team trophies that starts all the way back in 1935.
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Adrian heads into the 2024 season with a realistic shot at jumping from 40th place all the way up to the podium in one year. It would be their first team trophy since 2015 and 12th overall.
Three guys are the key to Adrian's success this year. Hank Tenholder is one, profiled above, who can make the biggest splash. As the top returner in the discus, he can throw up nearly a third of the points Adrian will need to be competitive. Mason Rusow is an important piece to their puzzle in several events. A state qualifier in the 200 meter dash and high jump, Rusow boasts personal bests that place among the top 8 returners in the 200 (22.37), 400 (50.91), and 300 meter hurdles (42.04). That doesn't even consider his 1.85m high jump best or 11.34 mark in the 100 meter dash. Colton Miller is the other significant point scorer as, even though he is only state-ranked in the 300 meter hurdles, he is also the only Class 2 returner with a personal best under 40 seconds (39.66). With just those three guys, Adrian should clear the 30 point threshold fairly easy. They will need some help from role player Jackson Deal in the javelin and Colton Miller could move up in the 110m hurdles, long jump, and/or triple jump.
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A year after finishing third in Class 1, Crystal City moves into Class 2 for the first time in a while after adding just enough students this year to push them over the edge. Nevertheless, the Hornets will be looking like a strong contender to return the podium once again in 2024.
Eighteen points came in the long jump last season from now-seniors Kanden Bolton and Camden Mayes. Bolton, as profiled above, heads into 2024 as the top long jumper and second best high jumper. Mayes is second in the long jump, behind Bolton, and also adds a seventh place ranking in the 110m hurdles. Sophomore pole vaulter Alex Kuchera adds another 8 points to the pile with his 3.89m (12-9) personal best. He was fourth at last year's Class 1 Championships.
With 33 points projected in the jumps alone, Crystal City could really challenge for a team title this season if they can add a one or two more significant point scorers.
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Dark Horse Team to Watch
Elsberry is our dark horse team to watch after finishing out a strong cross country season in which they just missed out on their first team trophy in school history. With the improvements in the distance squad and strong returners in the high jump and short sprints, Elsberry should be one to watch to make a major climb this spring.
The distance squad is headlined by Ezekiel Byers in the 800 and Jedidiah Heras in the 1600 and 3200. Heras climbed all the way up to 19th at the Class 2 State Championships as a sophomore and will surely be improving upon his 4:58.42 and 10:52.12 1600 and 3200 marks from last spring. Byers is the fourth best returner in the 800 with a 2:02.74 mark. He dropped nearly a minute in the 5k this fall and should be poised to put together a strong campaign in the middle distance events. Elsberry's 4x800 relay should be much-improved, too, adding to their growing point total.
Noah Hausgen is the only other state-ranked athlete as he checks in at eighth in the high jump. He cleared 1.85m (6-0.75) last spring. Junior Deavion Dodson is looking to follow in his triple jump state champion brother, Deshaun's, footsteps and climb the ladder in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. It's a strong and sneaky squad that will surely turn some heads as we get into the state series.