Over the next several weeks, Missouri MileSplit will be doing a deep dive into the top returners for each event heading into the 2025 Track and Field season. We will have premium rankings pieces highlighting the top 100 returners in each classification as well as an overall outlook for each event for all non-subscribers. Let's take a look at the Girls Triple Jump.
Premium Content: Large Class Top Returners | Small Class Top Returners | All Returners Rankings
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Class 5 Outlook
Last year, Hickman's Athena Peterson was a measly centimeter away from her first career State victory in the triple jump. After earning ten State medals in her career so far, the Louisville commit is looking for her first individual championship in 2025.
The daughter of a 2004 Athens Olympian and former Mizzou All-American, Peterson has been one of the State's top all-around athletes over the last three years. She cleared 40 feet in the triple jump for the first time last year, hitting 12.23m (40-1.5) to win her Sectional meet. Now MO No. 11 all-time and a top 25 returner in the nation, Peterson is the preseason favorite for the Class 5 title in this event.
Eight of the top nine finishers from the 2024 State meet are back for the 2025 season. Lee's Summit's Alexa Binkley and Lafayette's Chloe Tabb are tops on the returners performance list, both of whom having cleared 11.8 meters. Binkley was third and Tabb was fifth in 2024 and boast respective 12.06m (39-6.75) and 11.83m (38-9.75) personal bests. Truman's Katelyn Wink, who has been busy this winter, was the fourth place finisher last May and has a career best of 11.77m (38-7.5) to her name.
The 2024 State Podium, left to right, 7th-Lindbergh's Rea, 5th-Lafayette's Tabb, and 3rd-Lee's Summit's Binkley
Three others head into the season over 37 feet: Olivia Rea, Sayzjah Hudson, and Rylee Eng. Rea is the only of those three who picked up a State medal last season, finishing seventh. It is Cardinal Ritter's Takia Tiller, though, eighth at State in 2024, who cleared 12 meters (39-4.5) for a silver medal at the AAU Junior Olympics. She may not show up on the premium article's performance list, but her mark stands as one of the best in Class 5 nonetheless.
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Class 4 Outlook
Two girls are heading into the 2025 season locked into a close battle: Parkway North's Uyoyoghene Omunu and MICDS's Nicole Green. Omunu cleared 11.66m (38-3, +1.3) to win the State title in her sophomore season. She was undefeated in 2024 after finishing second in her career debut at the Henle Holmes Invitational. Green, on the other hand, is stepping into Class 4 after finishing sixth at the Class 5 State championship. She cleared 11.83m (38-9.75) for second at the AAU Club Championship after hitting 11.64m (38-2.25) during the regular season. Omunu is the undisputed Class 4 champion, but Green may have something to do say about it.
Three 2024 all-staters are back for the 2025 season: Jaidyn Tabony, Aziza Hendricks, and Shelley Thompson. Tabony was fourth at State with an 11.19m (36-8.5, +0.8) personal best, her first career medal in the triple jump. Hendricks, finished out her first year with the better mark, though she ended up fifth at State. She nearly cleared 37 feet, coming in at 11.27m (36-11.75), the top mark among freshmen in 2024. Thompson ended up eighth at State last spring and is fourth among returners. She cleared 11.07m (36-3.75) for the win at the Sectional 4 meet. Pleasant Hill's Riley Hays is also among the top 5 returners and is the last of the girls over 36 feet. She posted a 10.98m (36-0.25, +1.3) personal best at the KU Relays and ended up ninth at State.
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Class 3 Outlook
Four Class 3 girls return with marks over 35 feet, led by three girls over 37. Kylee Richey has earned silver medals in back-to-back State meets, but enters the 2025 season as the top returner. She jumped her career best of 11.44m (37-6.5) in 2023 and has been over 11 meters 12 times in the last 2 seasons. Just behind her is Moberly's Bryleigh Knox. The two-time all-stater also has a career best from 2023 as she cleared 11.36m (37-3.25).
Richmond's Kaylee King was sixth at last year's State meet, but is technically the top returner among the Class 3 field. She, like the other two we have mentioned, has a career best from 2023, when she jumped 11.63m (38-2). Her season best last year was 11.06m. Notre Dame Cape Girardeau junior Grayson Maurer snagged the final State medal last spring and posted a 10.83m (35-6.5) personal best in her first season giving the triple jump a try. Fifth among returners is El Dorado's McKinli Mays. Mays jumped 10.64m (34-10.75) in 2023, just a centimeter ahead of her 10.63m 2024 season best, and finished in the dreaded ninth place this past spring.
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Class 2 Outlook
South Shelby's Callie McWilliams enjoyed a stellar undefeated season in 2024, picking up major victories at the Class 2 State meet and always-competitive Bill Summa Invite. She cleared 11.1m in nine of her ten meets and boasts a personal best of 11.35m (37-3). The top returner in Class 2 by nearly a foot and a half, McWilliams is the preseason favorite for gold again in 2025.
The 2023 State champion and 2024 runner-up is back for this season, as well, as East Buchanan's Rilyn Sherwood will look to unseat McWilliams this spring and earn back her crown. Sherwood's 10.96m (35-11.5) best came at her District 8 victory. In fact, in 2024, she won every meet except her first and last meets, where she finished second.
Pierce City's Paige Fenske posted a 10.8m (35-5.25) personal best last season and was either first or second at twelve meets until she finished ninth at State. After just missing out on a medal twice now, expect Fenske to be firmly in the mix for one in 2025. Two others return with personal bests over 35 feet: Salisbury's Lydea Britt and Mark Twain's Ella Moss. Britt was sixth at State last May and leads an impressive group of sophomores into the 2025 season with her 10.75m (35-3.25) best. She did clear 11 meters in eighth grade - 11.09m to be exact. Moss is among that sophomore group with 10.68m (35-0.5) best. Chaffee's Carly Anne Cossou and Lafayette County's Claudia Kouril are also in that group of sophomores and own fourth and fifth place State medals in their young careers.
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Class 1 Outlook
Pattonsburg's Katelyn Jones was a centimeter off the horizontal jump double at the State meet, finishing just behind Albany's Abigail Troncin in 2024, 10.87m to 10.88m. The 35-8 mark is her personal best, but it sits second on the returners' performance list behind Concordia's Dakota Reynolds.
Reynolds was the 2023 State champion in her stellar freshman campaign. She won 9 times, finished second 5 times, and was third in 1 other meet. She cleared her career best 11.16m (36-7.25), but only cleared 11.01m (36-1.5) in 2024. She is still the top returner on marks and the preseason favorite to return to the mountaintop in 2025.
The triple jump is hotly contested in 2025 with five others coming back with State medals to their name. Hayti's Kalaiha Jones enjoyed a strong freshman season, posting a 10.79m (35-5) mark and earning a third place medal at State. Rylen Jensen also jumped well in her freshman campaign. She was sixth at State and cleared 10.72m (35-2). Orrick's Addison Chapman was fifth at State last year and Brunswick's Joslynn Brown was eighth. Chapman is fifth on the performance list with a 10.6m (34-9.25) personal best.