Mid-Missouri athletes secure state titles, state medals at MSHSAA Track & Field Championships

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The final weekend of the 2025 MSHSAA Track & Field Championships is off and running.

Central Missouri captured three state championships and crowned 17 state medalists on the first of two days of competition between the best athletes that Class 4 and 5 have to offer.

Two of Mid-Missouri's three state titles were clinched in high-stakes moments. Fr. Tolton Catholic's 4x800 team entered the final leg of the race in sixth place, but Elyse Wilmes passed five runners in two laps with a 2:06.48 anchor time to win the state championship in Class 4. Collectively, Wilmes, Angelina Cottone, Makaylin Viet and Sarah Kesterson combined to record a top time of 9:28.40 to win a state crown in that event for a fourth straight season. Hickman's Athena Peterson needed a leap of 12.30 meters or better on her final attempt to surpass Marquette's Chloe Tabb for the state title in the Class 5 Girls Triple Jump. She posted a 12.31-meter effort to accomplish that mission, taking the top step of the podium in that event for the first time in her high school career.

Friday's action also featured victory for a local back-to-back state champion. Battle's Vernell Holt cruised past his challengers in the Class 5 Boys Long Jump to defend last year's state title, posting a meet-best leap of 7.38 meters, which was less than one-tenth of a meter shy of the Class 5 state record.

Currently, only one Mid-Missouri team is sitting in the top four of their respective competitions. Fr. Tolton Catholic is locked in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Class 4 Girls competition with 13 points through six events. Hickman and Battle are knocking on the door of a team trophy, too. The Kewpies are sixth and seventh place respectively in the Class 5 Boys and Class 5 Girls championships while the Spartans also hold sixth place in the Class 5 Boys contest. The top four schools in each competition earn a MSHSAA trophy on the final day of the event.

You can find a full list of Friday's state medalists below.

• Class 5 Boys Pole Vault:
  • 4th Place: Collin Wise (Hickman)
  • 6th Place: Luke Mosley (Jefferson City)
• Class 4 Boys High Jump:
  • 8th Place: Julian Hooper (Helias Catholic)
• Class 4 Girls Pole Vault:
  • 3rd Place: Macey Kessler (Osage)
  • 5th Place: Daelyn Crisostomo (Helias Catholic)
• Class 5 Girls Triple Jump:
  • 1st Place: Athena Peterson (Hickman)
• Class 4 Girls 4x800:
  • 1st Place: Angelina Cottone, Makaylin Viet, Sarah Kesterson & Elyse Wilmes (Fr. Tolton Catholic)
• Class 5 Girls Discus Throw:
  • 2nd Place: Stevenette Samuels (Jefferson City)
• Class 5 Boys Long Jump:
  • 1st Place: Vernell Holt (Battle)
  • 4th Place: Langston Thomas (Hickman)
• Class 4 Boys Triple Jump:
  • 2nd Place: Deontay Haire (Camdenton)
• Class 5 Boys Javelin:
  • 7th Place: Owen Sanchez (Rolla)
• Class 4 Boys 800m:
  • 3rd Place: Ian Benne (Helias Catholic)
  • 8th Place: John Glaude (Fr. Tolton Catholic)
• Class 5 Boys 800m:
  • 5th Place: Baron Carratura (Rock Bridge)
• Class 4 Girls 3200m:
  • 7th Place: Makaylin Viet (Fr. Tolton Catholic)
  • 8th Place: Angelina Cottone (Fr. Tolton Catholic)

The 2025 MSHSAA Track & Field Championships wrap up on Saturday, May 31 at Adkins Stadium. The first event is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.