Keegan Leverett, Saint Stanislaus at Class 4A State Championships
3. Keegan Leverett Saint Stanislaus Junior
A strong number three spot, and probably the most underrated star in the state of Mississippi this year, is Saint Stanislaus junior Keegan Leverett. Another well-improved runner from last year, Leverett flew under the radar for most of his season this year. He opened up his with a Top-10 finish at the Mobile Challenge of Champions, taking down #5 ranked runner Kevin Cooley in the process. He then followed that up with a 16:38 5k at the Ocean Springs Invitational, an 18 second PR. However, he was not done just yet. One week later, in the MC Watson Division 1 race, Leverett essentially soloed a 16:22 5k for the win, dropping another 16 seconds off his personal best. This would have been a top-10 finish in the gold race. After that, en route to his second consecutive state championship, Leverett had some solid out of state finishes in Alabama and Louisiana, as well as a runner-up finish at the MHSAA Southern Regional Championships. Finally, at the Class 4A State Championships, Leverett, once again soloing after the 2k mark, defended his title in a 16:11 5k PR, dropping 48 seconds in total off of last year's personal best.
Speaking of Leverett's phenomenal progression, last year Leverett broke 17 minutes for the 5k on one occasion, which was a 16:56 at last year's Southern Regional Championships. Besides that, he usually averaged around 17:30-18:00 for his races. This year, however, Leverett went sub 17 in every race except one, averaging 16:36 for the season, a full 20 seconds faster than the fastest race he ran last year. Personally, I believe that he would have broken 16 if he would have been pushed a little harder in his state championship race, but sub 16 is something that is certainly in the future for this up-and-coming talent from Saint Stanislaus. Expect some MAJOR drops in his track times this outdoor season.