High School Girls to Watch at the NMMC Relays
Brookleyn Morgan - Tupelo High School
A distance standout to look out for is Tupelo High School's Brookelyn Morgan.
She is the reigning MHSAA 6A state champion in the 3200m, and her PR of 11:41.12 marks her as one of the top returning athletes in the state. Not to mention, she had a superb cross country season, placing 6th at the 2021 Watson High School Meet, giving her the title as the top Mississippian in that race. Morgan is also a threat in the 1600m distance as well. She is coming off a lifetime best in the event where she hit a PR of 5:32.20 this past indoor season.
It's difficult to predict times this early in the season, but expect Saturday to mark the beginning of this distance standout solidifying herself as one of the state's best on her home track at the 2022 NMMC Relays.
Hannah Sanders - Mooreville High School
Another top distance runner competing at the 2022 NMMC Relays is Hannah Sanders from Mooreville High School.
A 2-time MHSAA 4A state champion, Sanders has shown her versatility on both the grass and track. Winning all of her 800m races in the 2021 season except for one, as well as holding a strong PR of 5:31.79 in the 1600m, Mooreville's Sanders is a serious contender to take the victory in both distances tomorrow.
Along with previous notable competitor Brookleyn Morgan (mentioned above), Sanders will also be opening up her track and field season on Saturday at the 2022 NMMC Relays, so expect a fiery start from this Mooreville junior.
With the kind of consistent racing we have seen from her in the past, do not be surprised to see Sanders hotly contest for both victories in the 800m and 1600m at the 2022 NMMC Relays. Her performances could spur her onto the path of adding additional state championships to her name by the end of the 2022 Mississippi High School Track and Field season.
Jessica Woods - Pontontoc High School
On the sprints side, keep an eye on Jessica Woods from Pontotoc High School flying down the homestretch in the 100m dash.
An MHSAA 4A state champion, Woods has consistently shown lethal speed in the 100m. She along with her teammate, Carmen Owen, are opening up their sprinting 2022 accounts on Saturday.
Expect Woods to get get her season off to a blazing start in her efforts to not just win the 2022 NMMC Relays but also defend her state title.
Bailey Siddell - Tupelo High School
Standing out among the 300m Hurdlers is the freshman from Tupelo High School, Bailey Siddell.
Siddell is the reigning MHSAA 6A state champion in this event, and she won the vast majority of her races in the 2021 season as an eighth-grader. She should be pushed by Catherine Truemper, a recent Blue Mountain commit from New Albany High School, who took the MHSAA 4A state title this previous season.
There is no telling what these girls have planned for Saturday but expect an epic 300m Hurdles race from start to finish at the 2022 North Mississippi Medical Center Relays.
Johnasia O'Neal (Columbus High School) vs. Mackaly Brown (Pontotoc High School)
A closely anticipated matchup in the 100m Hurdles is Columbus High School's Johnasia O'Neal vs Pontotoc High's Mackaly Brown.
O'Neal had a podium finish at the 2021 MHSAA 5A state championship and boasts an impressive PR of 16.46. She has also had a solid start to her 2022 season winning two out of the three meets she has competed in.
However, Brown is the reigning MHSAA 4A state champion and her PR of 16.70 is hot on the heels of O'Neal.
Who knows which one of these athletes will take the victory, but expect these two to battle toe to toe in a nail-biting finish at the 2022 NMMC Relays.