LAFAYETTE'S SCARLETT PETTICREW LOOKS ON DURING THE 2024 LHSAA STATE OUTDOOR
We are inside a week of kicking off the 2025 Louisiana high school track and field season. In this article, we take a look at the top returning girls in Louisiana and give the track and field community an opportunity to vote on the 2025 MileSplit LA Preseason Girls' Athlete of the Year.
HANNAH BOULLION (ST. LOUIS HIGH) -- When Boullion, who signed with ULL in December, competes this Saturday it will not be at LSU's High School Classic. She will be taking her show on the road crossing over the border into Texas to compete in Texas A&M. Why not? She had a career day last month when she did the same thing at the FasTrak High School Indoor Challenge running a blistering time of 55.0. It's the fastest time ever run by a Louisiana HS female and it currently ranks No. 3 in the nation.
KENNEDI BURKS (BARBE) -- When it's all said and done, Burks will have a say on who is on top of Louisiana's all-time 400m list. Coming into this season, it was Burks, who had a season best last year of who had the fastest returning time with a 55.87 at the LHSAA D1 State Indoor Meet. She kept the momentum going outdoors where she finished with a 53.44. No girl has run faster during the Louisiana high school track season than Burks. The LSU signee will not open her season at the LSU HS Classic. Instead, her coach says that she will open at the McNeese Indoor No. 1 on Saturday, January 18.
A'SHYRIA BURNS (MENARD) -- Burns is the leading 60m hurdler returner in the hurdles. Her season best of 8.93 came at the LSU Last Chance Qualifier. It was her only meet to be sub 9 seconds. Outdoors, her technique was more consistent at the end of the season where she ran back-to-back personal records in her last two meets. She capped it off with 14.35 the LHSAA State Outdoor Championships. Indoors, she is ranked as the No. 2 returner in Louisiana in both the long jump (18-9.5) and the triple jump (37-2.25). She is also ranked No. 4 in the 60m (7.75). She helped Menard win the school's first indoor state championship in 2024.
LUCY CRAMER (PARKVIEW BAPTIST)--Coming off a cross country season which saw her win her second LHSAA D3 State Cross Country Championship in the last three years. Her closest competition came from her younger sister--Molly as the Cramer sisters led Parkview Baptist to the team title. She comes into the season ranked No. 1 for returners in both the 1600m (5:00.45) and the 3200m (10:48).
MICHELLE DAIGLE (ST. JOSEPH'S BATON ROUGE)-- Daigle had one of the best cross country seasons in LHSAA history, putting up some of the fastest times in state history. We fully expect her to use a runner-up performance at the LHSAA State Cross Country championship as motivation to go out on top in 2025. Daigle has been a key in St. Joseph's Baton Rouge's dominance as the Red Stickers have won an unprecedented nine consecutive state championships. Daigle is ranked as the No.1 returner in Louisiana in the 800m (2:18), No. 3 in the 3200m (11:20), and is ranked No. 4 in the 1600m (5:10.47).
ADDILYN DUFRENE (JOHN CURTIS)-- Dufrene, who feels like she is ahead of where she was this time a year ago is looking for consistency heading into her junior campaign. She will be looking her first indoor state championship after winning the LHSAA State Outdoor Championship by two inches.
TRISTEN HARRIS (WEST FELICIANA)-- Here is some bad news for girls who will find themselves competing against Harris in 2025. She is faster now than she was at this time a year ago. Her performance at the Galleria Games in Birmingham, AL is proof of that. Harris ran a 7.53 in the finals of the 60m to finish third in the meet. Last year, she ran a 7.61. She followed suit in the 200m where she ran a personal record 24.37. But it is the long jump where Harris made the most noise in 2024, breaking a state meet record with a jump of 20-10.75. Harris ended the year by signing with the University of South Carolina. What does 2025 hold for the best long jumper in Louisiana history? We cannot wait to find out.
KIRISTEN MCGIRT (EAST ASCENSION) -- No female athlete is as dominant in their specialty as Mcgirt is in the shot put. When looking at her best effort during the 2024 season, you will see she leads the top returners list in the girls shot put by six feet. She had an indoor best of 42-8.25. That started a dominant junior season which saw her go undefeated in meets in Louisiana and sweep LHSAA state titles in the shot--both indoor and outdoor.
SCARLETT PETTICREW (LAFAYETTE) -- Going into her junior year at Lafayette High, Petticrew leads Louisiana girls pole vaulters with a season best last year of 11-0. In seven indoor meets last year, she only cleared the 11 foot barrier one time. Outdoors was a different story. In ten outdoor meets, she was never below 11-0 and cleared 12-0 or better twice. Petticrew opened her 2025 season last month at the Galleria Games where she jumped an indoor personal record of 11-0.25 which was good enough for a third-place finish.
MARLEY RICHARD (DESTREHAN) -- Richard, who signed with LSU last month, is Louisiana's top returner in the triple jump (39-8.25), No. 2 returner in the 60m (7.50), and No. 3 returner in the long jump (18-3.5). The long jump mark is a bit deceiving. She was able to figure some things out during the post season in 2024 and finished on the podium at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals with a jump of 19-11.75. She proved last month at the North Texas Showcase that she is ready to pick up where she left off. She jumped an indoor personal record of 19-2. She will be competing on Saturday at the LSU HS Classic for the first time in her career.
LUCY THOMAS (BATON ROUGE HIGH) -- Coming off a cross country season which saw her win her second state championship. Her first came in May in the 3200m at the LHSAA Class 5A State Outdoor Meet. After a great summer, Thomas had to overcome a foot injury which caused her to get her season off to a slow start. But it's not how you start. It's how you finish, and Thomas finished at the top of the podium in Natchitoches after 17:25 performance at the LHSAA D1 State Cross Country Championships. Thomas comes into the season with the No. 2 ranking among in the 1600m (5:00.66).