Fresh faces at forefront for Poplar Bluff girls track and field

Poplar Bluff seniors Annalise Degaris, Peyton Powell, Ava Smith, Simone Anders and Morghyn McCain lead the Mules track team this spring.

DAR/Brian Rosener

Unlike the boys, Poplar Bluff’s girls track and field team does not have a single state qualifier returning other than junior Salah McCormack, who ran at the state cross country meet this past fall.

Only five athletes competed as freshmen two years ago in the district meet and only one advanced.

“It’s almost like a brand new roster,” Mules coach Beth Lewis-Muse said. “It’s borderline overwhelming.”

With about 45 on the roster, there’s a lot of questions to be answered as the Mules open the season today at the Trojan Invitational in Potosi.

Lewis-Muse said new assistant coach Soley Dugas has helped bring out athletes new to the sport.

“It’s all brand new and just trying to shuffle and see where everybody goes,” Lewis-Muse said. “So there’ll be at least several meets before we find our places.”

Simone Anders, Annalise Degaris, Morghyn McCain, Peyton Powell, Ava Smith and A’Lexus Samonte make up the team’s senior class while the juniors feature an athlete that competed at the district meet two years ago in every speciality.

McCormack returns in the distance events, Tymber Colvin in the middle distance, while Emilee Cheek is back sprinting. Jaciee Kneir is back pole vaulting, while Summer Worley returns in the throwing events.

The missed time last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the roster.

“One year difference is big enough, but two years difference is huge,” Lewis-Muse said.

The sprinters will feature Anders, Cheek, McCain, juniors Kennedy Rowland, Tianna Hall-Patton and Brileigh Cates, sophomores McKenzie Cassie and Kamora’ Hill, along with freshman McKinzie Kendle, among others.

While there are several sprinters to fill spots, the distance group is smaller with Smith, Colvin, McCormack, junior Haile Hall and freshman Madelyn Gillihan and Laynie Jones.

Worley and freshmen Ashtyn Reese and Lydian Sanders will throw the shot put and discus while Hall, McCain and Sanders will throw the javelin.

Kneir is joined in the pole vault by Adrianne Casey and Rachel Hamann while the jumping events are a work in progress, Lewis-Muse said.

“We’ve been doing a lot of speed work and so we’re finding who is kind of our top sprinters and who’s just missing it, which ones will make excellent jumpers,” she added. “We’ve got a lot of options.”