High School Girls Recap

Sprints

MRA's Evie Ewing continued her winning streak, taking home victories in both the 100m and 200m events with times of 12.27 and 24.90 seconds, respectively. North Sunflower's Rihanna Love also impressed, winning the 100m and 200m events in 12.62 and 26.02 seconds, with a dominant performance that had her celebrating even before crossing the finish line.

Eighth-grader Mary Alice Holmes from Canton demonstrated her potential by not only winning the 100m, 200m, and 400m events but accomplishing this incredible triple as one of the youngest competitors. Sydney Collins from Madison St Joe also had an outstanding performance, winning both the 200m and 400m events, contributing to her team's improved fourth-place finish.

Champions by event:

100m: Evie Ewing, MRA; Erica Smith, Lamar; Mary Alice Holmes, Canton; Rihanna Love, North Sunflower; Abbie Stephens Delta

200m: Evie Ewing, MRA; Sydney Collins, Madison St. Joe; Mary Alice Holmes, Canton; Rihanna Love, North Sunflower; Abbie Stephens Delta

400m: Alice Pennebaker, PCS; Sydney Collins, Madison St. Joe; Mary Alice Holmes, Canton; Claudia Pittman, Desoto; Gracie Ford, West Memphis

Hurdles

Ava Easley had a strong showing at the state meet. After a close second place in the pole vault, she won the 100m hurdles, overtaking her teammate Annabelle Windham, a recent Mississippi College signee. Easley's victory contributed to Silliman's team win.

Bayou Academy's Sanders sisters, Elizabeth James Sanders and Catherine Sanders, demonstrated their sibling power by finishing first and second in the 300m hurdles. The elder sister, Elizabeth, took the win and recorded the best time in the meet. The duo also contributed to their team's victory in the 4x200m relay.

Freshman Lily Vick from MRA is already making waves in the track and field community. Drawing comparisons to former MRA hurdler Laurel Fulcher, Vick won her first varsity title in the 300m hurdles with a personal record of 48.21 seconds. As a freshman, she has plenty of time to develop her skills and continue her success in the coming years.

Champions by event:

100mH: Knox Davidson, Jackson Prep; Ava Easley, Silliman; Claire Andersen, Wayne; Anslee Barnes, DeSoto; Emma Fults, Mt Salus

300mH: Lily Vick, MRA; Elizabeth James Sanders, Bayou; Meredith Ford, Laurel Christian; Kirkley Ann Rawls; Ivy Savidge, Mt Salus

Distance

The track and field distance scene in Mississippi has been enriched by exceptional performances from athletes like Jackson Prep's Olivia Smith, Kirk Academy freshman Charley Rose, and Heritage Christian's Isabella Bailey.

Olivia Smith has had a remarkable season, participating in various events across the state and setting impressive records, such as a 2:21.6 time in the 800m. She maintained her dominance in the state by winning the 1600m, keeping her rivals Ella Rankin and Mae Ellen Mallet at bay. 

Charley Rose, a freshman from Kirk Academy, has been nothing short of dominating in her distance running events. Winning the distance triple for the second time in her career, she clocked times of 2:32 in the 800m, 5:45 in the 1600m, and 12:38 in the 3200m. As a freshman, she could be considered one of the most dominating athletes in the state across all classes.

The MSAIS 5A distance events showcased some outstanding performances from the Simpson duo, Lilly Overby and Layla Warren, as well as Cathedral's Maddie Verucchi.

Lilly Overby and Layla Warren, who were hailed as the best duo in Mississippi Cross Country in 2022, returned to their winning ways in the MSAIS 5A championships. Overby claimed victory in the 1600m, while Warren triumphed in the 3200m. Their performances reinforced their status as a formidable pair in the Mississippi track and field community.

Meanwhile, Maddie Verucchi from Cathedral pulled off a surprising win in the 800m. This was an impressive achievement, considering it was her first season running track. Verucchi's upset victory indicates a bright future for the young athlete, as she will undoubtedly continue to improve and make a name for herself in the sport.

Lastly, Isabella Bailey from Heritage Christian showcased an unusual but impressive triple win in the 800m, 1600m, and high jump, single-handedly scoring 30 points for her school. Her unique combination of distance running and high jump skills clearly demonstrates her versatility as a track and field athlete.

Champions by event:

800m: Olivia Smith, Jackson Prep; Maddie Verucchi, Cathedral; Charley Rose, Kirk; Ann Patin, WCCA; Isabella Bailey, Heritage Christian

1600m: Olivia Smith, Jackson Prep; Lilly Overby, Simpson; Charley Rose, Kirk; Lindsey Hogue, Benton; Isabella Bailey, Heritage Christian

3200m: Ella Rankin, Hartfield; Layla Warren, Simpson; Charley Rose, Kirk Academy; Lindsey Hogue, Benton Academy; Mary Charles Beckett, Regents of Oxford

Team Race Recap

MSAIS 2A: This quickly became a two team race, as Mt Salus quickly closed the gap between them and West Memphis. It became a slugfest as both schools battled in every event. As it came down to the 4x400m relay, Mt Salus had to beat West Memphis as well as inspire two other teams to do the same to win it all. However, West Memphis pulled away during the 3rd leg to seal the victory.

MSAIS 3A: Desoto won this one by a country mile. They qualified far more entries than anyone else, and all of their entries performed really well. No other school could operate at the level that Desoto could, and it showed.

MSAIS 4A: Despite putting together a strong performance on day one, Central Holmes fell back to Earth on day two. But in place of them came Wayne Academy, who dominated the sprints as well as the relays to close the gap on Canton Academy. However Canton had an ace in the hole in the aforementioned Mary Alice Holmes, who carried the brunt of the load as Canton was able to outlast Wayne Academy in the last few races.

MSAIS 5A: Although they only had six individual runners, Silliman was able to maintain their lead on the strength of their one-two punch of Ava Easley and Annable Windham and distance runner Natalie Payne. While Bayou was strong in the sprints and Pillow dominated the relays. It was Silliman who were able to pull from the hurdles and their field dominance to win another title.

MSAIS 6A: This was still MRA's meet to lose. While the meet wasn't perfect from them, they still racked up a ton of points and continued their championship streak. Senior Evie Ewing led the team with four event wins to carry them to their fifth straight title.