(Photo by Tessa Lickiss)
After four years of hard work, the class of 2023 has completed their high school careers. Kansas MileSplit has selected an elite group of seniors to highlight in our "Senior Salute" summer series. Across all six classes and eighteen events, we will release seven articles featuring an individual senior, and three videos featuring a pair of seniors linked in some way. After fighting through a COVID year as freshmen, and embracing the releases of the next generation of 'super' spikes, the class of 2023 has seen it all. Now, it's time to look back on the remarkable careers of Kansas' best.
Our next spotlight is on recent Hutchinson graduate Annalisa Cullens. One of the biggest transfer stories of the offseason and a major factor at all of this year's big meets, Cullens is a hurdle master. Originally a Wellington Crusader, she moved to Hutch to become a Salthawk in 2023.
Annalisa's first results were published to MileSplit as a 6th grader. Competing for Wellington Middle School at the Caldwell Invite, she ran the 400, 1600, and, of course, the 200 hurdles. She wasn't bad at any of them, winning the hurdles and 400, and taking 2nd in the mile. Like most 6th graders, she was just trying out events to find what she liked. As history would have it, she would develop a special relationship with one of those three.
As a 7th grader, she was already a standout in the hurdles. Winning all her races for Wellington Middle, she went 10-0 in the 100-meter and 200-meter hurdle distances. Her sprints weren't bad, either, running 28.12 and 64.99 in the 200 and 400 at the AAU District meet in El Dorado. Speaking of those AAU meets, she qualified through to the Junior Olympic national meet in the 100 hurdles. Her prelim heat was the last track race she'd run for the next 32 months.
In the fall of her 8th grade year, Cullens tried something a little different: Cross Country. She wasn't bad, either, taking 11th at the Patriot MS League in mid-October. After missing the 2019 track season, she made her high school debut for Wellington on the cross country course. She was top-25 in the AVCTL IV meet, which would end up being her final meet on the grass.
Her freshman track season was cancelled, making that two in a row for Cullens. Returning to the track as a sophomore, though, she came back strong. She won three events at her first meet in Mulvane: the 100 hurdles, 400-meter dash, and 300 hurdles. After that, she won 13 of her next 18 races, including the 4A State Championship in both hurdle races. She again went on to the AAU postseason, running an impressive 65.72 in the 400-meter hurdles in Arkansas.
Cullens was well-known for her impressive block starts
(Photo by Joe Godina)
As a junior, Cullens won every race except the regional 300-hurdle race. As a survive-and-advance meet anyway, she was about as close to undefeated as you can get. Naturally, that included two more 4A titles. She also picked up the 100-meter dash, where she won 4 meets, including regionals, and placed 5th in 4A. Her PR in the 300 hurdles dropped all the way to 44.39, which remains her lifetime best. In yet another AAU Regional meet, she won the 100 hurdles but chose not to advance to the Junior Olympics.
Between her junior and senior years, Annalisa Cullens and her family moved to Hutchinson. One of the biggest transfer names in the 2022-23 school year, Cullens was now a Salthawk. Her 2023 season gained a remarkable amount of attention. Thanks to a few social media posts from Annalisa herself, her explosive block starts & races were seen by just about everyone. From the first meet, she was a star, winning the 100, 200, 100-hurdles, and 300-hurdles at Newton. Her 100-hurdle races were the highlight of every meet she attended, she won her first 9 races, including Pre-State, KU Relays, AVCTL I, and 5A Regionals. At her home meet, she had a challenge from Adryana Shelby, but she handled it with poise and found a way to win. Her 300-hurdle races were often the same way, only coming 2nd at Pre-State and 3rd at KU Relays. Her 100-meter races were often electric, too, medaling in every meet except Pre-State and KU Relays.
When 5A State rolled around, Cullens just barely missed the 100-meter final, placing 9th. She was second in the preliminary rounds of the hurdles, sitting in lane 5 for the finals. She'd overcome that before, specifically at her home meet a few weeks prior. After her typical explosive start in the 100 hurdle final, one false move found her on the ground and out of the race. An undefeated season gone in the blink of an eye. No championship. No medal. No points.
But her season wasn't over. There was still the 300-hurdle final that afternoon. A shot at redemption, and another opportunity to compete against the best. In a blitz of a race, Cullens left no doubt who was the best, running away from the field on the final homestretch to claim the 5A Title. An ending fit for a champion, and a story that couldn't have been written any better.
Just recently, Cullens made the announcement that she will be staying in Hutchinson for the start of her college career, joining the Blue Dragons at Hutch Community College. As many know, the Kansas Junior College system is arguably the most competitive in the country, and HCC is a big part of that. The combination of tradition, coaching, facilities, and cost are as good as it gets, and Cullens will no doubt bring even more to the table for the Blue Dragons in the near future.