Daeja Davis, Pearl High winning Class 6A State
4. Daeja Davis Pearl High Senior
Up next on the list at #4 is the state champ senior from Pearl HS, Daeja Davis. Davis finally had that breakout season that we had been waiting for, as she broke her 20:09 5k PR from freshman year in five out of the six 5k's this year, lowering her PR by a full 1 minute and 15 seconds! To go from not breaking 20 to breaking 19 in the 5k is a very special feat, and one to be proud of, as all of that hard work had finally paid off for her this season.
After her first few races to open up the season, Davis found herself in a hot streak, as she broke 20 for the first time in her career at the loaded MC Watson Invitational, running a blazing 19:22, which was good for a solid 3rd place. After that race, her confidence snowballed as she won every race for the rest of the season, with wins at the Madison XC festival and her district meet, which was another sub-20 performance. Then, at the MHSAA Class 6A State Meet, she defied all odds. Davis took the race at 3k and never looked back, finishing in a blistering 18:54 PR, almost 30 seconds ahead of second place in some very stellar competition. This race included names like Riley Jackson and Katelyn Cartwright of Hernando, as well as the young star from Tupelo, Brookleyn Morgan, so this makes her margin of victory that much more impressive, especially since they were eThe competition was with her at the halfway mark. I'm sure Davis has some ambitious goals come track season, maybe something like 11:30 in the 3200, and I think it's safe to say that track fans across the state are looking forward to watching her throw down in the 6A track state championships this spring.