Marcus Washington Stays Consistent
At the Olan Welch Invitational, Marcus Washington of D'Ibervile High School secured two victories in the 100m/200m races. In the 100m, Washington cruised to a 10.73 for a new personal best and one of the top spots in the state. His continued improvement in this event and consistency is one of the best in the state.
Washington then doubled in the 200m with a time of 21.94. This athlete has been progressing significantly throughout the season and shows no signs of slowing down. He has already dropped his season personal best in the 200m race by almost two seconds. Who knows how fast Washington will go if this hot streak continues, but watch out for him as the season edges closer to the state championships.
Magic Happens for Pearl Distance Squad at Homewood Invite
Over in Alabama, some of the best distance runners in the state participated in the Homewood Invite. In the 1600m races, Brendan Clark and Katherine Neal of Pearl High School laid down monumental personal bests and both came away with state leads. Clark finished 3rd place in the boy's race and hit a top 10 all-time Mississippi 1600m mark of 4:21.
On the girl's side, Neal ran a blazing 5:11 and came away with 11th place. Neal is one of those athletes that is always at the top, but rarely has the spotlight. With this new state lead under her belt, it may be time for her to take the reigns and establish herself as one of the best.
For the 800m race, Jon Haralson sprinted to victory with his new MS#1 of 1:55. This massive personal best for Haralson pushed him to a state lead of almost three seconds. Behind him sits his teammate Tanner Moore, who also had a phenomenal performance that day. Moore finished in 1:58 and snagged a podium spot with his third-place finish.
A casual glance at the Mississippi Milesplit rankings will tell you that Pearl High School is on a distance rampage right now. Their boys team leads the state in the 800m, 1600m, and the 3200m. This distance talent will be critical at the 2024 MHSAA 7A State Championships to secure another team victory. However, there is no doubt that runners like Bailey Kosko, Luke Skinner, Colin Brannon, and the Brown brothers will all be looking to break up this Pearl squad and secure a title for themselves.
Biloxi's Yelverton Sisters Enter the Mix
Down on the coast, the Indian Invite and the Prince Jones Relays showcased several impressive performances by our South Mississippi teams. One of these such performances was the feats accomplished by sisters Addison Yelverton and Emerson Yelverton of Biloxi High School
In the 100m hurdles, Addison won the day with a mark of 15.60, one of the fastest times in the state. She then went on to double in the 300m hurdles with another victory and an MS#2 time of 46.75. What makes these performances stand is the fact that in the 2023 season, Addison competed in one hurdle race, but is now competing as one of the best in the state. To have barely touched an event and then go on to become top-ranked in the state is an impressive feat, especially for a technical event like the hurdles.
The Biloxi talent doesn't stop there, as her sister Emmerson also showed out at the Prince Jones Relays in the 800m race. With a time of 2:21, Emmerson snagged a win and a new MS#2 for herself. After placing second at last year's 6A State Championships, there is no doubt that this freshman phenom is hungry for more.
Julie Segroves Soars to Another State Lead in Pole Vault
At the Prince Jones Relays, Julie Segroves of Biloxi High School once again proved that she is the best pole vaulter in the state. With a new season best of 13-0, Segroves improves her state lead by three inches and makes an even bigger gap between her and the competition.
Segroves isn't just the best in Mississippi but also among the best in the nation. Her vault of 13-0 ranks her 8th in the country for her event. If she can build back up to her massive leap of 13-8 from the 2023 season, she will be ranked #1 in the nation by a fair margin.