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 100m Hurdles.
Premium Content: Large Class Top Returners | Small Class Top Returners | All Returners Rankings
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Class 5 Outlook
The Girls 100m Hurdles landscape has exploded throughout the state over the past few years, and even while graduation has forced some of the all-time greats, there are still a few left, particularly in Class 5.
Cardinal Ritter's Kyndall Spain (at top) makes yet another appearance on our event outlook, boasting the top mark of all returners state-wide. Her 13.46 (+1.0) at the Brooks PR Invitational last June was US No. 17 last year, is MO No. 3 all-time, and US No. 8 among 2024 returners. Even though she only competed in the event four times before the state series, she ended up with a whopping 12 marks under 14 seconds and capped off her 2024 season with a runner-up finish in the 17-18 division at the AAU Junior Olympics. She is the preseason favorite to repeat in 2025, though she does have one of the state's all-time best hot on her heels.
Timberland's Alexa Adams is back to cement her legacy as one of Missouri's all-time best hurdlers. Second in this event at last year's State meet, Adams has flourished in the hurdle events since taking it on her sophomore year. Her 13.96 personal best at the District 3 meet made her the fifteenth girl to break 14 seconds in state history and puts her second on the Class 5 performance list heading into this season. She also ended up fourth at the AAU Junior Olympics this summer.
There is quite a gap between the top two girls and the next three as the chase pack is led by sub-15 second athletes Katelyn Wink from Truman and Hickman's Athena Peterson. Wink placed sixth at last year's State meet in her wind-legal personal best of 14.62 (+0.7). The gap closes when considering her all-conditions personal best of 14.25 (+2.5) from the Great Southwest Classic, which really is not too far off being wind-legal. Wink could be a darkhorse candidate for the title should Spain or Adams falter. Peterson makes yet another preview list with an event in which she only competed three times in 2024. Her 14.80 mark is fourth among returners, but she may opt out of it in the state series as she chases more hardware in the 300 meter hurdles, and high, long, and triple jump. Being a top five returner in an event, though, may make her think twice this year. In fifth among returners is Ozark's Bria Wright. Wright was eighth at State last year with a 15.04 mark that was 0.01 seconds off of her 15.03 personal best from the District 6 meet.
A year after eight girls broke 15 seconds and five more went under 15.50, only seven return under 15.50 and four under 15 for the 2025 season.
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Class 4 Outlook
The third and final sub-14 second returning mark of the 2025 field belongs to Grandview standout Jordin McGee. The heir apparent to Skyye Lee, who won three straight Class 4 State titles in this event and broke the overall State record last May, McGee may have big shoes to fill, but she should be up for the challenge with her 13.97 (+1.0) personal best. That mark earned her a State silver last spring, her first career medal in the event, and has her nearly a half-second ahead of the rest of the field.
Festus's Jahmeshia Patterson makes an appearance on yet another list, but this time for arguably her best event. The superb sophomore earned a fourth place medal last year in the 100 meter hurdles, behind only three of the top seventeen best hurdles in State history. Heading into this year, Patterson is the best bet to upset McGee for the crown with a 14.46 (+1.0) personal best.
Only one other girl heads into the season under 15 seconds in Class 4: Lutheran (St. Charles) senior Kennedy Williams. Williams is one part of a dynamic sprint/jump duo with fellow senior Elle North and provides a strong compliment to her long sprint prowess with her short hurdles excellence. She crossed the line at State in fifth last year in a personal best time of 14.60 (+1.0), putting her a half-second clear of the fourth best returner on the Class 4 list, Union's Camren Monkman.
Monkman's personal best of 15.12 (+0.4) came in the State prelims and she was able to cross the line in eighth with a time a couple of seconds slower, but worthy of the podium nonetheless. Hillsboro's Emily Wright comes in at fifth on our list with her 15.31 season-best, though her actual career best stands at 15.24 (+1.3), a mark that was good enough for fifth at the 2023 State meet. Five others will be battling it out for the final three medal spots in Class 4 as the next group of returners all come in clumped up between 15.66 and 15.84.
Hillsboro's Emily Wright
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Class 3 Outlook
The heavy favorite for the Class 3 100 meter hurdles title in 2025 is the two-time defending champion, Jersy Nelke from Winfield. Nelke broke out in a big way her sophomore and has been one of the busiest and most accomplished hurdlers of the smaller (1-3) classes over the last 2.5 years. The two-time gold medalist, who would be a three-time medalist had it not been for the ninth place finish her freshman year, was undefeated in all 13 regular season/state series races she ran last season and posted five marks under 15 seconds, highlighted by a 14.24 (+0.8) best.
Seven of the top eight finishers from last year's Class 3 State meet are back for the 2025 season, in fact. Runner-up Aaryn Lanier-Collier was very close to ending Nelke's reign, but ended up second in 14.41 (+0.8). Another busy bee this winter and last spring/summer, Lanier-Collier the state's fourth best 60m hurdles mark this winter (8.73), behind only Spain, Adams, and McGee, and a full half-second ahead of Nelke. She should not be underestimated heading into this season.
2024 third place finisher Effie Morris from Boonville is also third among 2025 returners with a 14.94 (+3.1) all-conditions personal best (15.16, +0.8 wind-legal). She improved on her fifth place State finish from her freshman year last season.
Centralia's Ryenn Gordon and Aurora's Makena Hall both ran wind-aided 15.25 marks (+3.1) in last year's State prelims, as well, coming in tied for fourth among Class 3 returners as a result. Gordon ended up fourth, just ahead of Hall in fifth once again in finals. Other returning all-staters include Palmyra's Sydney Compton and Richmond's Kaylee King.
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Class 2 Outlook
A significant shift takes place with the movement of Jasper High School back into Class 1: Top Class 2 returner and the only remaining returner under 15 seconds, Crystal Smith, moves out, leaving the Class 2 field ripe for the taking.
Fayette's Browyn Eubanks stands to benefit the most from this change as she now is the top returner in Class 2 with her 15.14 personal best. Eubanks, the 300 meter hurdles champion, was third at the State meet in the short hurdles behind Smith and the recently graduated Sadie McCulloh from Sherwood. She has four all-state medals to her name in her career already with the potential for four more in play in 2025. Archie's Mollie Andrews also moves up with this shift. The pole vault champion ran 15.35 in 2023 before finishing third at the State meet, but settled for a 15.43 mark in 2024 and sixth place medal in this event. A three-time 100 meter hurdles medalist, she will be hoping to make her fourth a gold one.
Archie's Mollie Andrews
Class 2 is another one wherein seven of the top eight finishers at last year's State meet are back for the 2025 season, though Smith's movement makes it six, actually. Chaffee's Carly Anne Cossou is next on the performance list, though she ended up behind Grandview Hillsboro's Catherine Wakeland in State finals. Cossou ran her personal best of 15.62 (+0.7) in prelims, but Wakeland ended up ahead of her in fourth in finals with her 15.66 (-0.4) personal best. Russellville's Karleigh Grayson and West Platte's Hailey Peters also picked up medals in 2024 and the junior and senior will surely be among the podium contenders again in 2025.
Below: Chaffee's Cossou, Grandview R2 (Hillsboro)'s Wakeland, and West Platte's Peters and Russellville's Grayson
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Class 1 Outlook
Class 1's top returner was the reigning State champion from Tarkio, Elizabeth Schlueter, but it would appear that that title will belong to Crystal Smith this year.
Tarkio's Elizabeth Schlueter above, and Jasper's Crystal Smith below
Smith was the Class 2 State champion in 2024 with a massive 14.81 personal best into the slight headwind (-0.4 m/s). A three-time champion now in both Class 1 and Class 2, Smith will look to bookend her historic career with Class 1 State titles now. She has won 25 of 27 attempts at this event over the last two seasons.
Tarkio's Schlueter may be 0.8 seconds back of Smith heading into the season with her 15.66 (+0.4) mark, but she is no stranger to success on the biggest stage herself. A four-time medalist in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles over the last two seasons, Schlueter will be looking to defend her title in 2025.
Only one other Class 1 returner boasts a mark under 16 seconds: Rock Port's Ella Meyerkorth. Once again, Meyerkorth was a major piece to Rock Port's team title effort last season and will join up with her older sister, Avery, for another go-around in 2025. She ran 15.71 at the District 8 meet last spring and ended up second at the State meet. Third on the returner list is Meadville's Madison Carvajal with a 16.50 best to her name. She ended up sixth at State last year, just behind Drexel's Grace Francis who ran 16.53 (+0.4). St. Paul Lutheran junior Carley Klima and La Plata senior Izzy Joyce make it six of the top eight girls at last year's State meet to return for the 2025 season.
Rock Port's Ella Meyerkorth above, and Drexel's Grace Francis, below
