This week's edition of 'Future Stars' features Leah Collipp of East Rankin Academy!
Having set a PR of 2:32.53 at the 2022 Rankin County Championships held on March 25, Collipp has just surpassed Emerson Yelverton as Mississippi's fastest seventh-grade girl in the 800-meter run. Collipp is now ranked seventh in the nation among seventh-grade 800m runners.
The talented distance runner also holds the current fastest seventh-grade mark in the 3200-meter run this season, with a PR of 12:08 which she set at the 2022 Pearl Track & Field Opener on Feb. 19. She is currently ranked 10th in the nation among seventh grade 3200m runners. Collipp's 1600m PR of 5:38, also set at the 2022 Rankin County Championships, currently places her second in the state in the seventh-grade rankings for that event.
MAIS Rivals Layla Warren and Leah Collipp at the 2022 Pearl Track and Field Opener
Collipp competed in cross country and track as a sixth-grader last year and had an impressive season. She qualified for state in all three distance events in the 2021 outdoor season, finishing third in the 1600m, fifth in the 3200m, and seventh in the 800m in the 4A division at the 2021 MAIS Overall State Championships. At the end of the season, she was the top-ranked sixth-grade girl in the state for all three events and was fifth in the nation in the sixth grade 3200m rankings.
Collipp has also been successful in cross country. During her seventh grade season, she placed second at the 2021 MAIS Cross Country state meet in the 5A division. She also finished third at the 2021 Mississippi All-State Meet of Champions, setting a 5k PR of 19:58.
Having already set PRs in all three of her main events this outdoor season, Collipp shows that she is continuing to improve and set impressive marks. The future looks bright for this talented seventh grader!