We saw plenty of state leads fall last week in Mississippi, but even more athletes turned in impressive performances that did not end up at the top of the rankings. In this article, we're highlighting several athletes who had a phenomenal week and showed off just how strong they are across the state.
Girls
Starting off this list is Lilly Overby of Simpson Academy, who already holds three state leads. This week, she competed at the Jackson Prep Invitational and put on another dominant performance. She ran the 400m, 800m, and 1600m, winning all three events with times of 59.47, 2:18.88, and 5:04.51. So far this season, she has competed in 11 races and walked away with 11 wins.
In the sprints, Ja Saria Harris of Pearl showed out at the FSU Relays, running 12.21 in the 100m and 24.97 in the 200m. She posted the fourth-fastest 100m time from last week and the fastest 200m time. We also saw Khamrin Harper of Clinton run 12.09 at the Powerade Relays, giving her the fastest 100m time in the state from last week.
Peyton Kielman of Caledonia clocked the fastest 400m time of the weekend with a 58.71, while also running 2:28.87 in the 800m and 5:27.36 in the 1600m. Kielman's 400m moves her up to fifth in the state in that event. Right behind her, Tamea Miller of Hattiesburg had a great weekend as well, running 59.68 in the 400m and jumping 37-1 in the triple jump at the Powerade Relays.
In the hurdles, Ja'Niyah Taylor of Murrah put together a strong double, running 14.40 in the 100m hurdles and 48.17 in the 300m hurdles. Those marks moved Taylor up to third in the state in the 100m hurdles. Right there with her, Judawn Porter of Hattiesburg ran 15.43 in the 100m hurdles and 44.59 in the 300m hurdles. Porter now sits third in the state in the 300m hurdles.
We already mentioned Charve Gibson in the state leaders highlight, but she did much more than claim a state lead last week. She also jumped 18-3 in the long jump and ran 14.59 in the 100m hurdles and 45.38 in the 300m hurdles.
Rounding out this list of impressive girls' performances is Kaelyn McKenzie of D'Iberville, who put together a strong all-around weekend. She jumped 18-5 in the long jump, 35-9 in the triple jump, and cleared 5-4 in the high jump. She did not just shine in the jumps, though, as she also ran 12.50 in the 100m and 25.90 in the 200m.
Boys
Starting off the boys side is Jamarcus Garrett of Tylertown. He won both the 200m and 400m at the Powerade Relays, running 21.57 and 48.65. His 400m now ranks second overall in the state by just .11 seconds.
Zahkarri McGlothin had one of the most impressive weekends overall, running 10.58 in the 100m and jumping 25-8.25 in the long jump at the FSU Relays. His 100m time moves him up to seventh in the state, and his long jump falls just shy of his current state lead. He may not have improved his jump this week, but it showed that he is consistent and that the 25-10 mark from earlier this season was no fluke.
In the hurdles, Brelyn Tucker had a strong weekend, running 15.55 in the 100m hurdles and 40.14 in the 300m hurdles. His 300m hurdles mark moved him up to sixth in the state.
Another stunning sprint mark came from Jaylan Hall of West Point High School. He ran 10.48 in the 100m to claim the second-best time in the state. He was running mid-11s last season, and now he is under 10.50
Dylan Perryman from Harrison Central also had one of the strongest all-around weekends in the state at the FSU Relays. He ran 10.62 in the 100m, 21.69 in the 200m, and added a 22-11 mark in the long jump. With strong marks in three different events, Perryman continues to show just how valuable he is across both the sprints and jumps.
Trace Thornhill of Hernando put together a strong distance double last week. He ran 4:38.99 in the 1600m and 9:55.02 in the 3200m, giving him one of the better two-event distance performances from the weekend. Thornhill continues to be a key name to watch in Mississippi's distance scene.
Jalen Hardiman of Hattiesburg also turned in one of the top middle-distance marks from the weekend. He won the 800m at the Powerade Relays in 1:57.10, giving him the fastest time in the event from last week. With only one boy in Mississippi having run faster this season, Hardiman put himself firmly in the statewide conversation.