Jada Portis
School: Meridian High School
Events: HSG 100m, 200m
One of the top female sprinters headlining the 2022 Starkville HS Season Opener is the 2021 MHSAA 6A State Meet Qualifier in the 100m dash, Jada Portis. Portis, a senior from Meridian High School, is the #1 seed in the 100m and the #2 seed in the 200m. Portis has competed quite a few times since her state championship in the 100m - Part of that was her competing in cross country for the Lady Wildcats. She also got a head start to her season and ran a 8.22 60m dash at the 2021 Magic City Invitational. Portis is a very consistent performer who never placed outside the Top 4 in the 100m dash during the 2021 regular season, and will be looking to continue that streak at the 2022 Starkville HS Season Opener. Portis will have some work cut out for her, though, as she will face off against notable competitor Jakayjia Peterson, another MHSAA 6A State Qualifier in the 200m, as well as Diamond Brooks in the 100m.
Diamond Brooks
School: Starkville High School
Events: HSG 100m, Long Jump, Triple Jump
Opening up their outdoor season on their home turf is the senior from Starkville High, Diamond Brooks. Brooks will be going after it at the 2022 Starkville High School Season Opener as she is slated to compete in the 100m, the Long Jump, and the Triple Jump. She is the #1 seed in the Long Jump and the Triple Jump, and is #2 in the 100m behind Jada Portis - We could potentially see a good battle between those two in that event. Brooks's specialty event is the long jump - She is the 2021 MHSAA 6A North State Champion and 2021 MHSAA 6A Runner-up in that event. As a matter of fact, Brooks is the top returner to the MHSAA 6A State Meet in the Long Jump, and her road to state starts tomorrow at the 2022 Starkville High School Season Opener.
Taylor Benoit
School: French Camp High School
Events: HSG 400m, 800m
Opening up her 2022 outdoor senior season before she heads on to compete for the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws is the middle-distance ace from French Camp High School, Taylor Benoit. Benoit competed in cross country for the first time in her career during the 2021 campaign, and ended with accolades such as a 20:41 5k PR dropping her time down by a minute and 42 seconds, as well as a runner-up finish at the 2021 MHSAA 1A Cross Country Championships. Her newfound endurance should serve her well in both the 400m and 800m, and it will be exciting to see what new, extra gears she has in her tank in her specialty events.
Tee Lathan
School: Caledonia High School
Events: HSG Long Jump and Long Jump
Headlining the High School Girls High Jump is the senior from Caledonia High, Tee Lathan. Lathan, the 2021 MHSAA 4A Runner-Up in that event, is the #1 seed in the High Jump thanks to her 5-0 performance at the 2021 MHSAA 4A State Meet. This season, Lathan will be coming back with a vengeance as she will be shooting for the gold for the High Jump, and perhaps the Long Jump - Lathan is entered into that event as a NS, as she has never competed in that event before. She will surely be a field athlete to watch at the 2022 Starkville HS Season Opener.
Lucy Littlejohn
School: French Camp High School
Events: HSG 800m, 1600m, 3200m
Last, but certainly not least, is the Small School Sensation on the cross country course reigning from French Camp, Lucy Littlejohn. Littlejohn, the 2021 MHSAA 1A State Champion, is at long last stepping back onto the track after an incredible cross country season where she showed some massive improvement. Some of her accolades included a 19:45 5k PR, the first-ever state title of her career with potentially more to come, and a runner-up finish at the 2021 Mississippi All-State Meet of Champions. When it comes to the second half of distance races, Littlejohn is an absolute menace with the way she hawks competitors down. It will be very exciting to see how that translates into track season, and we will get to see a preview as she is entered in all three distance events at the 2022 Starkville High School Season Opener.