LAST WEEK: Future Stars: McAdams High School's Jamarquse Spivey
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This week's edition of 'Future Stars' features Samantha Kennedy of Oak Grove High School!
A seventh-grade distance runner, Kennedy made a strong showing in her debut cross country and track seasons. Most notably, she finished the 2022 outdoor season ranked as Mississippi's second-fastest seventh-grader in the 1600m.
RELATED: Mississippi 7th grade Girls 1600m rankings
Starting out in the 2021 cross country season, Kennedy improved steadily, getting faster with each race. After winning her first varsity race - the 2021 Oak Grove Warrior Cross Country Invitational on Oct. 9 - she went on to improve her 5k time by over two minutes over the remainder of the season, concluding with a PR of 21:28.52 to finish in the top 30 at the 2021 Mississippi XC All-State Meet of Champions.
Moving into track, Kennedy continued to run well. Her 1600m PR of 5:37.95, which earned her a first-place finish at the 2022 Carey High School Challenge on March 11, was the second-fastest seventh-grade mark in the state this season. Kennedy also set an 800m PR of 2:35.58 for a third-place finish at the same meet. Her time was the fifth-fastest seventh-grade mark in the event this season.
With steady improvements in both cross country and track, Kennedy shows great potential as a seventh-grader, and we look forward to seeing what she can achieve in the coming years!
