As rosters have posted on the MSHSAA website, we have been sifting through the data to see if there might be any significant transfers for the 2026 Track and Field season. Here are seven of the most impactful ones we have found so far in our research.
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1. John Collins - Liberty North (from Nevada)
Collins was the fourth best Class 4 returner in the 300 meter hurdles heading into the season with his 39.69 personal best, but now in Class 5 he is fifth, already throwing a wrench in the plans of coaches before this development. He was eighth at State last year as a sophomore and has already posted personal bests in the 100 and 200 meter dashes of 11.06 and 22.22. He also hit 6.48m (21-3.25) in the long jump last season. Collins and Isaac Hamilton, as well as the incoming freshman Alex Hamilton, make up a strong three-headed monster at the hurdle events for a Liberty North team who also won the Class 5 State Cross Country championship and is a contender for the team title this spring.
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2. DeMoreay Franklin and Cayden Gates - Lee's Summit West (from Grandview)
In a crushing loss for the Grandview Bulldogs, two elite sprinters have moved over to Lee's Summit West, padding their already strong stable of sprinters. The two rising sophomores were impressive in their freshmen campaigns, both breaking 11 seconds in the 100 and 22.30 in the 200. Franklin was a state qualifier in Class 4 as a freshman, finishing 9th in prelims, but ran 10.89 over the summer. He also ran 22.05 in the 200 on the AAU circuit. Gates ran 10.92 and 22.20 at the Sectional 4 meet, finishing 5th and 6th in the 100 and 200, respectively.
The two Class of 2028 sprinters join Jacob Taylor-Brown, Chris Harris, and Harrison Perkins as sub-11 performers (Perkins ran 10.84 in his debut on Tuesday) in the 100 meter dash, making a potentially deadly 4x100 squad. Gates would make eight boys who have broken 23 seconds in the 200, as well, with Perkins already running 21.35 this week and Harris boasting a 21.68 personal best himself. Taylor-Brown ran 10.65 in the 100 last season.
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3. Adones Smith - St. Charles (from North Point)
We have already profiled Smith's move from North Point in Class 5 to St. Charles in Class 4 in both the 110m hurdles deep dive and classifications updates article so we will not belabor the point. Smith moving from Class 5 to 4 is significant in that he becomes one of only two athletes under 15 seconds in Class 5 in the 110m hurdles and rises from 38th to 24th among returners in the 300m hurdles. He will make his debut in both events at today's St. Dominic Welcome Meet, joining new teammate Isaac Black as a sturdy 1-2 punch in the events.
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4. Kynston Sipes - Fort Osage (from Blue Springs)
This is a move within Class 5, but still significant from a team standings standpoint. Kynston Sipes was third at the 2024 State Championships in the high jump, clearing 1.98m (6-6), and added a 6.94m (22-9.25) best in the long jump. Sipes was notably absent in 2025, but seems to be back for the 2026 season, just with Fort Osage now. His return with his new squad will absolutely shake up the high jump and long jump ranks.
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5. Keianna Hayes - Cardinal Ritter (from North Point)
Another significant transfer from North Point, this time from public to private. Hayes will most likely have to spend this 2026 season on JV as a result, barring unforeseen circumstances, but her move to Cardinal Ritter adds another game changer to their always strong stable of sprinters. Hayes broke through at the end of the 2025 season, running 57.84 in the 400 at the stacked Sectional 2 meet and qualifying for the State championships. She also helped the Grizzlies run 3:56.94 and qualify in the 4x400 relay, and ran 13.10w and 26.50w in the 100 and 200 over the summer. Hayes' loss is significant for North Point in 2026 and Ritter's gain, from a varsity perspective, will be realized in 2027.
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6. Payten Coulter and Reese Coulter - Strafford (from Kickapoo)
Strafford returns all-State 100/200 runner and 400 State Champion Ava Lane for her sophomore year, but also receives an infusion of sprint talent from Kickapoo products Payten and Reese Coulter. The senior and sophomore sisters bring to the Class 3 school personal bests that would nearly qualify them for both the 100 and 200 district standards. Payten ran 12.56 and 26.19 in 2024 and Reese ran 12.67 and 25.81 as a freshman last season. Strong marks of course, but with the depth in Class 5, both girls were denied a spot at the State meet in 2025. Now in Class 3, they are among the top eight returners in both events. Not only that, but Strafford is just one piece away from unseating Central New Madrid County in the sprint relays and challenging the State meet records of 47.19 and 1:40.07. That final piece could be senior Trinity Chambers or rising freshman Jordan Davied.
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7. Tre Green - Central (Springfield) (from Willard)
Central Springfield sophomore Tre Green opened his season on Tuesday his former school, Willard, going 11.58 and 23.01 in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. As a freshman in 2025, Green hit personal bests of 11.34, 22.74, 1.95m (6-4.75), and 6.41m (21-0.25) in the 100, 200, high jump, and long jump, respectively. He was one of the most impactful freshmen in the sprints and jumps in 2025, even qualifying for State in the high jump out of Sectional 3. His move to Central (Springfield) does not get him out of Class 5, but it does impact Willard's lineup for the 2026 season and adds a strong sprints/jumps athlete to the Bulldogs' fold.