In the MAIS 1A classification, several young athletes stood out and performed exceptionally in the championship race. Leading the pack was ninth grader Matthew Simmons from St. Augustine and eighth grader Gavin Spiers from Heritage Christian Academy. Going into the race, Matthew held a personal best of 17:53 and was seeded behind Gavin. However, at the finish, Matthew managed to run a new personal record by roughly 45 seconds, winning the race with a time of 17:17. Behind him, Gavin Spiers finished in 17:23.
Rounding out the top five were St. Augustine's Liam Clemmer, Collier Brantley, and Chapel Davis. Notably, the top eight athletes in this race were all freshmen or younger, making this classification one of the youngest and brightest in the entire state.
In the team standings, St. Augustine dominated with a total of 20 points. All five of their scorers finished within the top ten, averaging 19:24. Behind them, Desoto School claimed second place, and Heritage Christian Academy took third, with those teams totaling 71 and 76 points, respectively.
1A Girls Recap
In the girls division of the MAIS 1A championships, it was another race dominated by young athletes. The top seed, freshman Maggie Jones from St. Augustine, entered as the favorite and lived up to the expectation, taking the win after holding off freshman Isabella Bartlett from Marvell Academy. Maggie finished with a time of 22:11, just three seconds ahead of Isabella, who clocked in at 22:14. Seventh grader Virginia Bailey from St. Augustine took third with a time of 22:33. All three girls posted new personal bests, with Virginia improving her time by nearly a minute and a half.
Just like the boys' race, St. Augustine dominated the team standings, totaling 36 points to win the classification. Their top five runners all finished within the top fifteen overall, averaging 23:47. Marvell Academy finished second with 58 points.
2A Boys Recap
For the MAIS 2A championships, it was pure domination from a senior out of Oxford. Brody Alford from the Regents of Oxford ran an 18:22 to mark a complete turnaround from his performance last year. In 2024, Brody finished 27th at this same meet with a time of 22:23. This year, he finished four minutes faster and won the race by nearly a full minute.
Behind him, Denson Edwards from Central Holmes Christian School claimed second place, and Dallas Parker from Lamar Christian finished third. Denson ran 19:11 and is only in the sixth grade.
In the team race, it was a close battle between Canton Academy and the Regents of Oxford. In the end, Canton Academy came away with the win, totaling 47 points and averaging 22:01. Regents of Oxford finished just seven points behind with 54 points and an average of 21:55.
2A Girls Recap
The young athletes were back at it in the MAIS 2A girls championship, with the top two spots claimed by a ninth and a seventh grader. The winning time came from ninth grader Ingrid Magyar of Benton Academy, who ran 22:08. Last year, Ingrid finished two minutes slower and placed fifth, showing impressive improvement and consistency this season. Behind her, seventh grader Jaylen McBride from Central Holmes Christian finished just 11 seconds back with a 22:19 - an incredible three-minute improvement from her time last year.
In the team race, Canton Academy once again took the title, totaling 29 points with a 24:23 average. Benton Academy finished second with 39 points and an average of 24:47.
3A Boys Recap
The MAIS 3A boys championship was a showcase of strength by Christ Covenant School. They claimed the top two spots and placed all five scoring runners in the top ten. They were led by eighth grader Luke Lee, who won confidently in 17:33. Last year, Luke finished eighth after competing mostly in middle school races. This season, he dominated the middle school scene while stepping up to the 5000-meter distance and claiming his first state title.
Behind him, teammate Samuell Perritt finished strong under 18 minutes, clocking 17:57.
As a team, Christ Covenant School was dominant, totaling 24 points with an impressive 18:26 average. Kirk Academy followed in second with 46 points and a 19:58 average.
3A Girls Recap
Just like the boys race, one team controlled the MAIS 3A girls championship. Senior Briley Speights from Columbia Academy took the win with a time of 20:07, earning her first state title and capping off her high school career in style. Behind her, teammate Kortlyn Bracey finished in 20:33. Kortlyn, only a seventh grader, looks ready to carry the torch as Columbia's next star.
Columbia Academy easily took the team title with 22 points, just seven shy of a perfect score, and an average of 21:44. Kirk Academy took second with 46 points and an average of 23:04.
4A Boys Recap
The largest division of the day featured the deepest race of the meet. In the MAIS 4A classification, the showdown was between Thomas McKnight of Cathedral Unit School and Jayden Smith of Simpson Academy. On the line, it was McKnight who pulled away for the win, running the only sub-17 time of the day at 16:54. This marks his second consecutive victory in the division, and he still has another year to go.
Behind him, Jayden Smith finished second for the second straight year, running 17:11.
Simpson Academy dominated the team race, totaling 42 points with an impressive 17:57 average - the fastest team average across the entire MAIS meet. Madison-Ridgeland Academy finished second with 71 points and an 18:29 average.
4A Girls Recap
Like the boys race, the MAIS 4A girls championship was the fastest race of the entire meet. In this division, it took a sub-20 performance to place in the top six. The race was led by Lilly Overby from Simpson Academy, who cruised to victory in 18:55 - the only sub-19 performance of the day. This marks her third straight MAIS state title, a remarkable way to close out her legendary career.
Behind her, eighth grader Jewel Baker ran 19:22, and Hartfield Academy's Kate Miller was close behind in 19:30 for third.
On the team side, East Rankin Academy pulled off the win with 52 total points and a 20:48 average. Their pack placement of second, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth highlighted impressive depth and team chemistry. Madison-Ridgeland Academy finished nine points behind with 61 points and a 21:01 average.
