Sprints
In the 100m, Josh Parker from Jackson Prep ran the fastest time of the week. At the MAIS Varsity District 4-4A Championships, he went 10.54 in the 100m for the win, remaining undefeated so far this season in that event. That same day, he went 22.31 in the 200m and 23'5 in the long jump, winning those events as well.
Just a few miles away in Pearl, sophomore Braden Pickett showed out at his regional meet, going 10.57, 20.83, and 50.30. In all three of these performances, it was clear that he was in control the entire race and was just looking to qualify for South State. Qualify he did, as he won all three events easily.
On the girls' side of the sprints, we saw two new state leads. In the 100m, Amiya Hall from Vicksburg went 11.62 into a headwind (-1.2). This time improves upon her own state lead and marks a 0.21-second personal best. The only other athlete to have gone below 12 this season is Khamrin Harper from Clinton, while Hall has already hit that mark twice.
Speaking of Khamrin Harper, she also improved upon her own state lead in the 200m. She went 24.30, clocking a 0.22-second personal best from almost a month ago. Very few athletes have gone sub-25 this season, yet Harper has been consistently under that mark since early March. In the 200m this season, Harper has run the three fastest times in the state and holds five out of the top ten times. Next to her, Ja Saria Harris of Pearl holds four of the top ten times in the state this year.
Harris has been busy in the sprint scene after recovering from an injury this year. At her regional meet, she went 12.25, 24.85, and 57.31 in the 100m, 200m, and 400m. She won the 200m and placed 2nd in both the 100m and 400m.
Middle Distance
In the middle-distance events, we had a big breakthrough performance. Tyree Lesueur from Horn Lake ran 48.46 in the 400m at his regional meet, claiming a dominant win. On that same day, he went 1:57.99 in the 800m to break 2:00 for the first time in his career. Notably, Lesuer is one of the few athletes on the boys' side who has seen major success in both the 400m and 800m. In the combined rankings for these two events, he is ranked as the best in the state.
Hurdles
In the hurdles, we had two new state leads in the boys' events. In the 110m hurdles, Preston Crump from Corinth High School had a big personal best, going from 14.55 to 13.82. This may seem out of the ordinary, but Crump was a podium finisher in the 110m hurdles last year at state, so he is no stranger to being near the top. Crump also had a big personal best in the 300m hurdles, going 39.86 to improve by three seconds.
His teammate Jamir Barton also took down a state lead in the 300m hurdles. At his regional meet, he went 37.65, improving upon his old personal best of 40.73. This makes him the only Mississippi boy to go below 38 in the event.
With this massive day in the hurdles, Corinth has set itself up to potentially sweep the hurdles and make a major impact on the team score at the MHSAA 4A State Championships.
Jumps
In the jumps, we saw big marks across the board.
On the boys' side, the top long jumper in the state, Zahkarri McGlothin, went 25'1.50, marking his third time over 25 feet. He has now gone 25'1.50, 25'8.25, and 25'10 this season. Comparing this to the all-time rankings, McGlothin and Kingi McNair are tied for the farthest jump ever in Mississippi at 25'10. McGlothin also holds the 3rd, 5th, and 9th farthest jumps in state history, while McNair holds the 7th and 8th.
Another athlete who showed out in the jumps was Daniel McGhee from Heidelberg. He went 23'11 in the long jump and 48'2 in the triple jump. This moved him up to 3rd in the state for the long jump and 2nd in the triple. In the combined rankings for both events, McGhee is now the top-ranked jumper in the state.
On the girls' side, Charve Gibson had an outstanding day in the jump pits at her regional meet. She went 19'5 in the long jump and 40-10.5 in the triple jump. While these marks were not personal bests, they show that she is just getting started this season and the best is yet to come. If history tells us anything, Gibson peaks around the state meet and into the summer season. With that track record, we could see her break her own state record in the triple jump and potentially challenge the state record in the long jump.
Right behind her in the long jump rankings is Kaelyn McKenzie from D'Iberville, who went 19'0.50 at her regional meet. This was her first time over 19 feet and shows a similar trend to Gibson -- she's on the rise. As of now, it looks like McKenzie is the only athlete with a realistic shot at challenging Gibson for the top spot. Will Gibson maintain her lead, or will McKenzie hit another big mark?
The last jumper to highlight is Elle McNulty from Simpson Academy. She went 5'9 to move to the top of the state rankings. So far this season, no other girl has gone over 5'8, with the closest being Annie Toler of MRA, who has cleared 5'8 twice. For McNulty, this was a two-inch personal best and separates her from the rest of the state. In the chase pack, there are still four girls sitting at 5'6. Will anyone else go above 5'8, or has McNulty cemented herself as the best high jumper in the state this year?
Relays
On the boys' side, we saw the second-fastest 4x200m ever in Mississippi. Tylertown, the current state record holders, ran 1:25.88 at their regional meet. This is just off their state record of 1:25.56. They still have two more meets to challenge their own record, and at this rate, they very well could break it. With the state championships coming up next weekend, we could see it fall there.
On the girls' side, Simpson Academy went 9:40.45 at their district meet and grabbed the fastest 4x800m in the state by a wide margin. They now hold a 15-second lead over the rest of the field. In the all-time rankings, this performance stands as the third-fastest 4x800m in state history.