Over the first week plus a little more, we have seen several incredible performances from athletes we had previewed throughout the winter, but also from some athletes we may not have mentioned at all. As the dust has settled on an impressive first week plus, we have detected some rankings risers whom we may not have expected in the early-goings. As we hit April, we shall see if they can continue to that rise.
Here are several non-freshmen in each class who are enjoying an early season breakout in 2025.
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Class 5
Slack was mentioned in our first athlete of the week poll on Monday for his impressive performances at the McCullough-Douglas Invitational. In his third meet of the season, Slack hit a third personal best in the 110m Hurdles, dropping down to 14.43 now, a MO No. 1 overall mark. He was a state qualifier in the event last year, finishing 16th, and entered his junior season with a 15.36 mark. In 2024, he ran 18.64 in his season debut.
Further, Slack has dropped massive time in the 300m Hurdles, hitting 39.28 for the win in Lane 1 on Saturday. This progression is even more impressive when you consider he entered the season with only one mark under 45 seconds to his name: a 44.93 performance.
The Poplar Bluff hurdler also has personal bests in the 100m Dash and Long Jump this year, 11.30 and 6.27m (20-6.75). It would appear a breakout is in full effect.
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While his teammates picked up victories in the 800 and 3200, Jacob Bond came across second in the 1600 at the McCullough-Douglas Invitational, running a new personal best of 4:27.80 in his season debut.
Bond may not have been a member of the Hawklets' historic Varsity cross country team this past fall, but he did run a personal best of 17:16.90. Now, Bond has dropped 23 seconds in the 1600 already and could be a sneaky pick to click this year and next year as Rockhurst graduates important seniors this spring.
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Every year, at least one new game-changer emerges for the Rock Bridge Bruins. This year, it appears to be Brennan Scott may be ready to score significant points for the former Class 5 champions.
After closing out his sophomore season at the CMAC Championships with a personal best of 52.98 in the 400m Dash, Scott has now broken 50 seconds in each of his first two tries as a junior, running 49.68 at the COMO Kickoff and 49.05 at the McCullough-Douglas Invitational.
Scott is already showing that he will be a major contributor for the Bruins as they seek to regain the Class 5 crown this year.
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Avery Brown - Lafayette (Wildwood)
We already knew about Avery Brown in the 400 and 800 meter runs, but after competing in the multis more than once this winter, we may be on the verge of having a new Swiss Army knife in the Class 5 ranks. On Saturday, Brown threw down a MO No. 4 mark in the 300m Hurdles in her first try: 46.32. She currently leads Class 5 in the early goings.
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Lexi Martin's career debut as a junior gives Liberty North yet another piece to what is becoming an impressive sprint puzzle on the girls side. Sometimes, the rich just get richer.
Martin appears to have the most talent in the longer sprints at the moment after having run 26.19 and 59.99 in the 200 and 400 so far. The 400 mark is fifth among Class 5 runners, just behind her freshman teammate Ainsley Park.
Palelei has already posted personal bests in the shot put and discus in 2025, and appears to be trying to add the javelin to her repertoire, as well.
After finishing out her sophomore year with a 10.39m (34-1) personal best in the shot put, Palelei has already cleared 11 meters twice, and nearly cleared 12 meters at the Bob Thorpe Invitational. Her new 11.85m (38-10.5) best is fifth among Class 5 throwers so far after she entered the year thirty-ninth among returners.
In the discus, she posted a mark over 32.3 meters only once - a 35.51m (116-6) best - but has already thrown 36.15m (118-7.25) and should continue to climb.
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Class 4
Kristoff Bailey - Ft. Zumwalt East
An unfortunate injury ended Bailey's season early last spring, but the senior and Missouri Valley College commit has come out of the gates in 2025 strong.
Bailey has already posted personal bests in the 100 and 200 of 10.94 and 22.41, breaking 22.7 seconds in the 200 in all three tries so far after only running 23.49 up to this point. Of course, the early season injury held him to only three 100 meter performances so that 200 best came from his sophomore year.
The son of former Lindenwood All-American Doel Bailey, Kristoff is getting ready to make a name for himself here in 2025.
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A senior, Sossou made his high school track and field debut on Saturday and came away with a time in the 400 that blew everyone away - including his own coaches.
An important member of the 2024 Class 4 runner-up soccer team, Sossou was finally persuaded to give track a shot this year and already has a 49.93 personal best in the 400 meters to his name. It is the top mark in Class 4 so far and only mark under 50 seconds. De Smet may have just found a major piece to their Class 4 team trophy aspirations.
*Honorable mention: De Smet had another significant debut at Saturday's McCullough-Douglas Invitational in the form of high jump champion Braden Butler. Butler's 1.87m (6-1.5) clearance separated him from the tightly packed field and has him second among the Class 4 ranks already.
Rockwood is one of two Class 4 pole vaulters over 4 meters in the early-goings and appears to be in the midst of a breakout. The Marshfield sophomore hit 4.26m (13-11.75) on his home turf, winning the Marshfield Invitational by a wide margin. Rockwood's old outdoor personal best was 3.86m (12-8), but a 3.96m (13-0) mark over the winter may have alerted us to a potential rise. Keep an eye out for this sophomore as the season wears on.
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Class 3
Kopp had a massive breakthrough at the always-competitive Texas Distance Festival. The Hermann junior traveled back to Missouri with a shiny new 9:30.49 personal best, 33 seconds faster than the mark he posted at last year's Class 3 Sectional 2 meet. After finishing ninth at the Class 2 State XC Championships this fall, Kopp did post a 9:01.41 3K time this winter so this 9:30.49 is not terribly surprising, but now, with it on the ledger, watch for the Bearcat to challenge for major state hardware this May as he seeks to upend Hollister's Sinry Mendoza's repeat effort.
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Ochs is another of several javelin throwers who are showing major gains in the early part of the 2025 season. The Eldon senior has already upped his javelin personal best from a respectable 47.6m (156-2) mark to 54.2m (177-9.75), a mark that is tops in Class 3 so far and only 3 meters away from the Class 3 State meet record. We look forward to seeing Ochs continue to push the envelope in the spear throw this spring.
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Lamar's Terren Williams was a state qualifier in the discus as a freshman, one of two to make it to Jefferson City in this even last year. While that may not indicate him as a breakout necessarily, the fact that he has already surpassed last year's best of 45.77m (150-2) by nearly 4 meters is certainly notable. His new personal best of 49.7m (163-0.75) is tops in Class 3 at the moment.
Not to be outdone, his shot put best of 13.05m (42-9.75) is nearly 2 meters better than last year's mark and 25th in Class 3.
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One final thrower to mention here in the Class 3 section: Stoner sits tops among the class in the javelin with her personal best of 35.62m (116-10.25). In 2024, she only cleared 29 meters once so the Chillicothe Hornet appears to have established herself as one to watch moving forward.
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Class 2
Catherine Wakeland - Grandview (Hillsboro)
Another one where "breakout" may be a bit of a stretch, Catherine Wakeland has already enjoyed a great deal of success in her first three seasons. Last year's runner-up in the 300 meter hurdles and fourth place finisher in the 100 meter hurdlers, the breakout label may have been more fitting last year.
This year, though, Wakeland is already pushing the envelope even further. While she has yet to run a personal best, she has already run nearly 3 seconds faster in the 300 meter hurdles than she did last March and 2.5 seconds faster in the 100 meter hurdles than last march. Namely, Wakeland has started where she left off last year and may just be competitive on the state-wide scale in the hurdle events this year.
Jermonte Alexander - Caruthersville
Alexander deserves mention here because, like Kristoff Bailey, his junior season was cut short before he could really get moving. As a sophomore in 2023, though, Alexander was one of Class 2's top competitors. He ran 10.94 in the 100 and 22.52 in the 200, finishing on the podium in both events that year. In his first meet of the season, he already has the top marks in both sprint events in Class 2 with 11.11 and 22.77 season bests.
Barring a setback this year, Alexander should be one to watch on the state level this May.
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Class 1
Rieger has already pushed her shot put best to new heights. The junior threw 9.4m (30-10) in 2024, but now has already posted a 10.27m (33-8.25), which is tops in Class 1 so far. Of course, Ava Graham has yet to post a mark, but Rieger appears to be a top contender for hardware in the Class 1 shot put this spring.
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Another thrower makes our list as it seems that the throws events have truly seen the biggest improvements so far in the early part of the season...and we have still yet to see some of the biggest names debut yet...
Prairie Home's Wyatt Case was a state qualifier in the javelin last year, but has already blown away his old best of 42.42m (139-2). He threw 46.24m (151-8.5) last week, tops in Class 1 by over 3 meters so far.
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We have our eye on Hermitage's Justin Weathers in several events, most specifically jumps events. He has already cleared 1.9m (6-2.75) in the high jump, 2 inches better than his previous best. He has also already cleared the 6 meter mark in the long jump a year after only clearing 5.5m once. He heads into this season with a 3.35m (11-0) mark, as well, and is trending that way with a 3.04m clearance in the early-goings.
Tied with the Class 1 state leader in the high jump so far, Weathers will be looking to add as many points as he can to Hermitage's total at the state meet that can help send Coach Mark Sabala off in style.